Logitech Goes Tenkeyless With G Pro Mechanical Keyboard

Logitech first announced the “G Pro” lineup back in August 2016 when it unveiled the G Pro Gaming Mouse. Now, the company has released a keyboard to pair with it, the tenkeyless Logitech G Pro mechanical keyboard.

According to Logitech, everything from the ergonomic shape, to the actuation force needed for clicking, to the overall weight of the mouse was the result of months of collaboration between Logitech’s design team and eSports athletes (professional gamers). However, the pros felt the need for an accompanying keyboard to match their playstyles as well, with the primary request being a tenkeyless model.

The top of the G Pro keyboard has a matte black plastic finish, there's a glossy finish on the sides, and the bottom has a diagonally-striped pattern. For stability, the bottom has five rubber feet and two kickstands—each with two height levels—to prop the G Pro higher. The keyboard’s Romer-G switches feature surface-mounted LEDs and a through-stem design so that lighting won’t leak from beneath the keys. Finally, the keycaps are shaped traditionally, unlike the G910, whose keycaps many users felt were awkwardly shaped. Also unlike the G910, the G Pro features a traditional keyboard design based on Logitech's previously released G810 and G610. Fundamentally, the difference is that the G Pro is tenkeyless. 

Logitech found that pro players prefer tenkeyless keyboards because they’re portable and don’t take up too much room on their desks. This is more dramatic a need for some esports athletes than average users, because some pro gamers actually position their keyboards at odd angles; the numpad was simply always in the way.

The G Pro is compact, measuring 14.21 inches across by 6.02 inches, and it weighs 2.16lbs. This more compact form factor, along with the detachable cable, is designed to make the G Pro easy to pack for traveling. It's ideal for LAN parties and for competing on stage; often these stages can be cramped, as they have to accommodate other players as well as their PCs. The less intrusive your keyboard is, the more room you have for your mouse.

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Other than dropping the numpad, Logitech's main focus with the G Pro keyboard is its Romer-G switches, which are optimized for fast keystroke signal processing (KPM). When you press a key, actuation can be slowed down by debounce--the switch's metal contacts create a "bounce" before an electrical signal is sent. To circumvent this, the keyboard's microcontroller (MCU) undergoes a process called "debouncing," where it waits for a brief period of time to make sure that multiple inputs aren't detected in a single key press.

Logitech attempted to cut this time frame down as much as possible with its Romer-G switches. According to the company, the reduced window allows more actuations to be performed without bounces.

Theoretically, gamers can benefit from this in competitive games that rely on "tick rates." For example, according to Logitech, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s 128-tick servers measure inputs in 128-tick intervals, or roughly 7.8 milliseconds. Now imagine that you and an opponent are in a game of CS:GO, and your opponent has a keyboard with a shorter debouncing period; if you simultaneously tap the "A" key to move left, the server should register your opponent moving left at least 7.8ms sooner than you. Logitech claieds that its Romer-G switches and MCU can accomplish this, but other factors such as your internet connection and how fast you can react will determine whether the shorter debouncing period will benefit you.

Aside from that, the G Pro keyboard will also feature the Logitech Gaming Software for RGB backlight customization. LGS has a variety of functions such as native RGB lighting integration for specific games, macro customization for the function keys, per-game control profiles, and on-board memory to store macro and lighting profiles.

The Logitech G Pro Mechanical Keyboard will be available early this month for $130.