Ideazon Merc Stealth: N00b-hunting keyboard

Ideazon had a hefty hit with PC gamers a few years back--the innovative Zboard keyboard, which offered different keysets for specific games. It was rather clunky, but it succeeded in making PC gaming slightly friendlier--the Battlefield 2 keys were certainly very handy. Now Ideazon's back with the altogether sleeker Merc Stealth keyboard.

(Credit: Crave UK)

Instead of a swappable keyset, the Stealth has an extra-wide chassis with special gaming keys built into the left side. These are basically a second set of the keys you use most when playing FPS-type PC games, such as W, A, S, D, Shift, Space, and so on, but in a much more user-friendly design. It means you still use the key presses that are hard-wired into your shooter brain, but with less RSI and fewer mistaken keypresses. The W key, for instance, is exactly above the S, unlike on a normal keyboard, and both are much wider than your run-of-the-mill key.

Other features include a backlit keyboard so you can play in the dark--very cool if you're playing something scary like F.E.A.R.--which can change color at the press of a button. Red, blue and purple lighting is available for your customisation delight. Ideazon also bundles a very easy-to-use software tool to assign functions to each key, which brilliantly includes mods for dozens of the most popular games.

Testing the Merc Stealth out on a few of our favorite titles, we found the gaming keys responsive and very comfortable. The build quality is very high and (although obviously we haven't been hammering it for months) we imagine it'll last a good deal longer than a bog-standard keyboard would.

The only downside we could find was that the design has squashed the right-hand side of the keyboard together, so the cursor keys and those you'd normally find above them (Insert, Home, Page Up and so on) are all part of the number pad. This can be irritating if you plan to use the keyboard for more mundane pursuits.

The Ideazon Merc Stealth is available now for around 50 pounds (about $99).

(Source: Crave UK)

[Middle-Empire.com]

Very interesting...

Very interesting...thanks Crave

[scifidaddyo]

too goofy.

neat concept, but the keyboard is just too clunky. I'd prefer to see a dual keyboard set up. One keyboard dedicated to standard typing etc. and another one that is smaller, would connect to the main keyboard via USB and give the gammer all of the necessary keys. That way, you won't waste deskspace and you can recline and game with a smaller input unit intead of being hunched over a desk. When you aren't gamming, the gamming keyboard can be stashed away until the fighing begins.

[tenioman]

Already have something like that toogoofy

The Fang Gaming Keyboard by Ideazon


http://www.amazon.com/Ideazon-ZGP-1000-Fang-Gamepad-by/dp/B000FRW8KS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-9708711-5508162?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1201733428&sr=8-1


I have it and its great

[tonenyc]

i don't like it

personally, when i play, i move everything to the right side of the keyboard, not keep it left. i hate WSAD and all the other crap buttons that surround it. i like my hand positions to be closer together, not so far apart. if you want to make a gaming peripheral, it needs to be in total conjunction with the mouse and stand alone! if ideazon wants to make something worth the money, chop that ugly retarded extra piece, make it wireless and rechargeable (set should come with 2 battery packs so u can play while one charges). this way, the gamer can choose to be more comfortable

[brianmv]

do you really need all that crap for $99?

No, you don't unless you have no skill with a keyboard. Very little do I make mistakes with the keys while playing PC games, so this is a pretty superfluous thing to buy as a gamer. Even the backlight lacks necessity. I'm sorry, but i'm never buying a keyboard at that price. Would be a worthy purchase if not for the ridiculous tag.