SteelSeries, like many companies, released some teaser images just before CES and they did exactly as planned: got people talking. The Apex, the first non-mechanical keyboard released for a long time, was announced and quickly a lot of questions began to form. SteelSeries saw a busy 2012 with the launch of many new products, especially in the portable market, and we suspect that trend to continue.
Written by: Wes and Adam
Pictures by: Wes
SteelSeries had converted their suite at the Palazzo unmistakably to their own, with a throw rug sized Qck pad at the door, and a large SteelSeries logo overlooking their view of the strip. We sat down at a table with both Apex and Apex RAW samples in front of us as Kim Rom, Chief Marketing Officer, wasted no time explaining their latest keyboard.
“This is the first time since 2008 that we have released a non-mechanical keyboard. And the number one question has been why, from everyone. We pioneered mechanical keyboards back in 2006 and it is our best selling keyboard category by far. The problem with mechanical keyboards is that they are expensive. We’ve made some really cool technology here that we think people are going to go nuts over. If we would’ve done that mechanically, it would’ve been a $200 keyboard. That means that me, and maybe seven other dudes worldwide would buy it. And then get killed by their wives.”
The Sensei also featured a RAW edition, a “slim downed” version that is more affordable, and the same idea is used with the Apex. The full Apex will be released for $99 and the RAW at $69.The Apex has four layers of keyboard and five ‘zones’ of illumination, so as you change between these layers, you can customize the color to help display which is currently
selected. It goes hand-in-hand with making the interaction between the user and the complex options more accessible.
A few other features to help navigate the keyboard, with a larger space bar and accents on important keys such as the W. It also features diagonal directional keys between left/right and up similar to those on the boards during the inquisition of Ideazon and the Zboard series.
I (Wes) did have a chance to get a few questions in as well. For one, SteelSeries advertised the Apex to have “Up to 20 key NKRO”, of course what is important is what the minimum number is and they told me the minimum is 8. I was also curious about the extra direction keys on the direction pad of the Apex. I wanted to know the reason behind it as well as how they went about doing it (does it just press up and left at the same time). Kim’s response was that product testing and getting feedback showed that a lot of people wanted the extra direction keys, he was honest in saying that this product feedback came as a big shock to him and his team. He went on to mention that they even ran through that testing again because they didn’t think it could be correct. The answer to my other question was yes, each diagonal key presses both the side and up keys at the same time.
Kim moved on to talk about the success of their audio solutions, in particular the Siberia v2, which he explains, “...on Amazon, of the ten highest rated gaming headsets, six of them are the Siberia v2.” While they are great over-the-ear solutions, SteelSeries has set their sights on providing an in-ear solution.
“In ears, for PC Gaming, is a weird thing. IIt exists in our universe for two reasons. One: gaming has changed. I play a lot more on my tablets and on my phone than I used to do two years ago. I think that’s going to continue. This makes sense for one other reason, which is that the gaming tournaments, which is our bread and butter have had one constant since 1997, which is that they have gotten increasingly louder for every year that goes by. And now you have these e-athletes on stage wearing helicopter headsets and then the cheapest shit that they have in their ears. That makes no sense anymore. So we wanted to make a product both for gaming in general but absolutely for that top athlete that goes in there.”
This will be the Flux In-Ear Pro. The “feature-packed” version will feature an anti-tangle cord that is flat, resembling a rubber band type of material, that simply cannot, and will not, tangle. Whenever you pull it out of your pocket, it will straighten without hassle. It will also have break away drivers as a safety feature, both to help reduce one of the most fragile aspects of earbuds and also to keep you from recoil if you forget they are in your ears, which is the exact experience SteelSeries is aiming for. The Pro version will retail for $129.
Now, if you aren’t looking to drop that sort of cash or want the SteelSeries in-ear experience without the Pro features, SS will also be releasing a $49 version. This version is a 6mm driver unit that is design to go into the ear, creating an air-tight seal to keep it in place and help with noise reduction. It will also feature the flat, anti-tangle cord and an in-line microphone.
