Ghost Pro Keyboard Dead Zone?

Hi,

I have noticed that frequently when playing games where I keep holding W or Shift or similar, the character sometimes stops moving. I decided to investigate why and found that if I open Notepad and depress any key, it is possible to hit a dead zone where the key is depressed by not sufficiently for sending a signal. This isn't a problem when typing since it involves striking the keys harder, but when gaming it's a nuisance at times. It usually happens when holding a key down but not forcefully enough, making the key lose connection with the transmitter underneath but still being depressed.

Is this a know issue or should I send it in for repair? You can test it yourself by opening notepad, hold W depressed and lightly ease off the pressure and take note when W stops being printed while they key is still engaged. I am coming from a Thinkpad but this still happens to me after owning the computer for one year.

Edit: I just tried this on my old Thinkpad X220 and also a desktop keyboard and actually they do it too. So it could be that I am just not pressing hard enough or should get a mechanical keyboard. In any case, let me know if you experience this as well because I am unsure how superior the Ghost Pro keyboard is supposed to be. Thanks!

 

do you notice is on the other keys, for instance the asd key or just the w?

 

It's on all the keys from left to right. Im thinking it's something that has to do with digital keyboards in general.

 

Yes i think you are correct. the steel series usually has pretty good feedback to let you know when it's pressed or not, but it is not as good as say a mechanical keyboard for tactile feedback.

 

You could call it a design limitation, in a way. SteelSeries keyboards are great, even the mobile/laptop ones, but many laptops suffer this very subtle idiosyncrasy. If all of your keys are behaving this way, but still responding when fully depressed, it doesn't sound like anything is wrong with the keyboard (per se).

 

I have never tried a different Ghost Pro, only mine. But I came from a Thinkpad X220 and my initial impression of the SteelSeries on the Ghost Pro was that the keys felt a bit mushier compared to the Thinkpad. Would you concur? I will visit a store tomorrow that sells Ghost Pro's to see if I have received a lemon or if this is just how they are. Maybe I got spoiled by the Thinkpad since the keyboard is one of the few things they are renowned for, I don't know.

 

Try it out and see if maybe it is a bad one. Usually I don't hear much negative feedback on the MSI keyboards compared to other brands. Maybe try out some other brands and see how they feel too just for a comparison to yours.

 

That's a good idea; compare and contrast a likewise model.

Honestly, it has been a long time since I've laid hands on a Thinkpad keyboard, but I hear a lot of positive things about them as well. I suppose the only way you'll know how you feel about it for sure is to test out another Ghost demo unit, then conclude whether it's your keyboard or seemingly a commonality from there.