Gaming keyboards are all angles and aggressive design, usually with extra macro buttons crammed onto the layout wherever they'll fit and some over-the-top branding to go with it. Mechanical keyboard fans prefer a very different type of board: the austere slate, function over form, where quality plastic and switches are paramount. It's this second camp Logitech is going after with its beautifully crafted new mechanical keyboard, the G810 Orion Spectrum. Mechanical keyboard fans take notice: gaming gear is finally growing up.
Of course, any mechanical keyboard will work just fine for PC gaming, but the G810 Orion Spectrum brings with it Logitech's customization software for handling RGB lighting and a handy button to let you disable certain keys at will (handy for turning off the Windows key or Caps Lock to prevent accidental presses). The main draw of the G810 over any keyboard with Cherry MX switches is Logitech's proprietary Romer-G switch, which has a shorter throw than most Cherry keys and a distinctly different feel than any other mechanical switch I've used.
Mechanical switch preference is very personal—the tactical Cherry MX Browns are good for typing and gaming, Reds have a nice easy-to-press linear actuation, and Romer-G switches feel perhaps a touch softer while actuating quite quickly. I can't say if these keys are right for you, but if you've felt the Romer-Gs on Logitech's G910 or G410 keyboards and dug them, this keyboard offers the same feel in a straight-laced package.
The G810 has the standard pop-up legs in the back, but I would've liked to see them in the front, too, for ergonomic angling. And if there's one area the G810's "gaming" heritage still shows, it's in the font choice. The Logitech G font is chunky and inelegant and gives me sci-fi B-movie vibes. Side-by-side, my Ducky Shine 5 simply looks classier. But that's a small nitpick for a great-feeling board.
The G810 Orion Spectrum launches later this month for $160.
