SteelSeries Apex M500 Successor To 6Gv2
Another day, another keyboard with Cherry MX Red switches aimed at eSports. SteelSeries announced the Apex M500, which it billed as the successor to its 6Gv2. The two certainly have the same price ($100), and both have Cherry Red switches (although the 6Gv2 has a Cherry Black option) and sport a simple, compact all-black design.
One key difference is that the Apex M500 has lighting whereas it predecessor doesn’t. The M500 has blue per-key LEDs, and there is a modicum of lighting features you can employ in the SteelSeries Engine (SSE3) software, such as brightness and breathing.
SteelSeries also stated that SSE3 affords full per-key programming, unlimited profiles, and the ability to create macros (including on-the-fly).
The Apex M500’s standard layout is designed so that you can swap in aftermarket keycaps, too.
The keyboard is available now from SteelSeries’ website for $99.99 with the promise of free 3-5 day shipping.
| Make/Model | SteelSeries Apex M500 |
|---|---|
| Model Type | Standard, 104-key |
| Switch Type | Cherry MX Red |
| Actuation Force | 45cN |
| Lighting | Blue LED, per-key |
| Additional Ports | N/A |
| Cable Type | 2 meter |
| Key Rollover | NKRO |
| Software | SteelSeries SSE3 |
| Weight | 2.742 lbs (1.241 kg) |
| Dimensions | 5.37 x 17.34 x 1.56 inches (136.43 x 440.56 x 39.52 mm) |
| Misc. | Three-way cable routing |
| Price | $99.99 |
Seth Colaner is the News Director for Tom's Hardware. Follow him on Twitter @SethColaner. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
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Seth Colaner previously served as News Director at Tom's Hardware. He covered technology news, focusing on keyboards, virtual reality, and wearables.
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Dantte 6Gv2 is a PS2 keyboard and I could bust someones head open with it it feels so solid. This is a USB keyboard and probably made of cheap plastic... NO it is not a replacement!Reply -
DSpider Noooo! Why blue, SteelSeries?? Blue is so fugly! Especially that shade... The white LEDs were so beautiful, it matched your mice and some awesome Fractal Design cases, and now...Reply
And I see you moved the "Fn" key from the left side and added the Windows key back in. Disappoint, son... Disappoint. :( -
honx8 Reply17801440 said:6Gv2 is a PS2 keyboard and I could bust someones head open with it it feels so solid. This is a USB keyboard and probably made of cheap plastic... NO it is not a replacement!
Now that I think about it, it costs exactly the same as the older 6Gv2. That leads me to believe that they've cut corners somewhere if a new product costs as much as a 5 year old one. Plus, mine's Cherry MX Black, the new ones are Red so I'm not that irritated anymore lol -
Tony Casagrande ANSI layout. Reversed L enter keys are just wrong IMHO, so that's a bonus. Full- size yet minimalist design, also good. Probably should have RGB as an option so people can match to their color scheme and/or personality. Other switch options would be nice for work and play. Legends are way nicer than most gamer-oriented keyboards, though I'm betting they're not doubleshots but rather black-coated translucent keys that have been laser etched and are therefore vulnerable to wear. For the price with genuine Cherry MX switches, it seems like a pretty decent keyboard.Reply
Just not for me. I'm really picky, though. -
lorfa I'm glad it doesn't have that stupid steelseries key on the left. That's definitely an improvement.Reply