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Three color lighted keys, just wish you set the default color.Gaming keys are set out just about right. Key placement sucked.
It is dual use with number pad 1. Gaming was easy, but when you tried to type/chat, you were hunting for the right key, not with this board.Only issue is the placement of the delete key.
Very good board. Had the Ideazon with the replaceable keysets before this one.
To use you are constantly turning the number lock on and off.Remapping doesn't solve this as you have to constantly reload the remap with each boot. Keys are set in the right places.
The normal keys are easy to use.
Half of the keys on this second keyboard I can no longer read the letters. I'm on my second keyboard and it's having the exact problem as the first.Over time the keys wear off their letter and become just a indiscernible colored blob. If one of the features that is most important to you is illumination I would recommend you look else where.
Everything is right where I need it to be and playing games like UT3=ROCKS with it. I have been using this keyboard now for just over a mouth and I have to say, I wouldn't change a thing. This is one of the best keyboards I've used for playing my games in a long time. I love how it lights up, makes it really easy and fun to play in the dark.
The software, while good, can be picky. The back lighting is clear, with three colors to choose from, all at three levels of brightness (or off, if you'd rather). It pretty much takes up the entire keyboard shelf on my desk, and is big enough it can be awkward to get to various keys at times. A complete, full-sized QWERTY board sits next to a pad of game specific keys, allowing easy transition from gaming to typing without any problems.
This makes them very visible in dim light. When you have number lock off, you have the various keys that surround the home key. That can be a bit awkward to use.Finally, Ideazon was recently bought up by SteelSeries. It remains to be seen what level of support SteelSeries plans to give to the older, Ideazon products. I'm a big fan of Ideazon products. I previously owned their Zboard, but had some problems with it. A jack for a mic and headphones, a pair of USB ports and a few multimedia controls fill out the physical features.The software the board comes with allows you a great deal of flexibility. The board will automatically switch profiles based on what game you are running.On the negative side, this thing is HUGE.
It's easy to use the software, and you can print out a sheet showing exactly what each key is programmed to do, in case you forget. In my case, it took a bit of work and an email to Ideazon to get everything working. They seem to have integrated the products into their website, but it still might pay to be aware of this potential problem. When you have number lock on, you have a number pad. Using the software, you can build a keyboard layout profile for any specific game, changing what each key will do when pressed. And while there is a full numerical keypad, there is no separate section with the delete, home, end and page keys, they are all part of the number pad.
The Merc Stealth, though, that solves all the problems I had and then some.On the positive side of things, the keyboard is responsive, with solid keys and good action. It also has no integrated wrist support, you'll need to get something separate for that. A goodly number of pre-made profiles comes with the board. Unlike some earlier boards of this type, the lettering on the keys themselves is translucent, so the light actually shines through. You can just swap letters, or set up entire macros that will run on a single key press.
I've been gaming for almost 25 years now. It's also a great keyboard for anything else you might be working on. Out of those, only one in the distant past was my favorite. This keyboard is perfect for everything I do.
I hated it. Periodic cleaning is a snap with the removeable keyboard. The keys are perfect. After using the Razer Tarantula for a few weeks I tossed it in storage and went back to my old Zboard. On a whim I purchased the Razer Tarantula to see if it was better. I've owned a number of keyboards over the years.
It allows for the most thorough cleaning of any keyboard I've owned. I used it for a long time with the World of Warcraft keyboard, but now I'm using the regular keyboard and love it. I went years with sub-par keyboards until I found Zboard. It's not just for gamers.
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