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Ninjalane Podcast – Enthusiast Gaming Keyboards and Holiday Shopping Season

Author: Dennis Garcia

Current State of the Enthusiast Gaming Keyboard Market
It would seem that there are several manufactures building their version of a gaming keyboard and the recipe for such a device is simple.

1. Acquire Cherry MX Switches (color choice optional)
2. Create Macro Keys and Programming Software
3. Come up with fancy LED lighting effects
4. Slap all of that on a boring straight keyboard design

It would seem that gaming keyboard innovation hasn't been with re-inventing the keyboard per-se but rather adding features to a classic keyboard design and do whatever you can to make it different from everyone else.  Some companies are leaving the keys exposed and figure mixing Red and Blue Cherry switches while others have taken a more traditional approach and just added more "stuff".

In this segment Dennis and Darren talk about how there is a serious lack of innovation in the keyboard space and that for all the effort most manufactures are putting towards making their products different they have ignored the obvious, the ergonomic design.   Maybe ergonomic isn't all roses and eye candy and too expensive to make money but the way we see it there is a serious hole in the product line.

Related Links
Darren's Mouse Blog
OLED Keyboard (OCZ Sabre) 
Gigabyte Aivia Osmium Gaming Keyboard

Our Plans for the Holiday Buying Season
In this segment Dennis and Darren discuss their plans for the holiday shopping season.  The discussion ranges between two completely different system builds (of systems that are already cutting edge) to a game list that is surprisingly complex.

Related Links
GTX 650 Review with PhysX Performance Numbers in Borderlands 2

Episode 23 featured music:
Little People - Start Shootin' (http://www.littlepeoplemusic.com/)
Dirty by Dirtyphonics - Synchronice Remix (http://soundcloud.com/dubstep/dirty-by-dirtyphonics-1)

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