People think that, but here's the thing: no switches will make you any better at playing games, nor will they make the games themselves any better. There's this notion that you want switches to be as light as possible in order to play games, and if that's what we're going on, Browns should be just fine; they have the exact same resistance as Reds.
In practice, the only time I've ever noticed my keyboard while playing a game was when I was using a Logitech G510 with a weird shift key. As long as everything works (predictably), no keyboard will ever make a difference.
Source: played games with Reds, Browns, Blues, Clears, Greens, buckling springs, and Matias switches. And of course, rubber domes.
I've used blues, browns, reds, and rubber dome, and definitely prefer brown for general use. Although I also like blues I just can't see myself using them all the time (just a bit too loud and clicky I think). Reds... idk, I just don't like, at all. No tactile feedback, I guess if you want a quality linear switch that you don't need to bottom out.
I'm fine with gaming with Browns. Prefer them over Blacks. However, the Browns in my Zowie with metal backplate feel so much better than the ones at work in a (relatively) cheap Cherry. So I'm wondering how good they'll be in the MSI, assuming they don't put a heavy metal plate into that notebook.
A good keyboard absolutely makes a difference when gaming. I'm a former Starcraft competitor and playing with somebody else's equipment that is of lesser quality translates to missed actions and could cost you a game. Good equipment wont make you good, but bad equipment will make you worse. Also, most other competitive gamers I've spoken to prefer browns to reds. Same force, better tactile response on the browns.
But that's about familiarity and personal taste not that there are some keyboards that are just 'better'. Like the guy above said, the thing that matters is a keyboard that reacts the exact way you expect it to. Things like the travel and the resistance that feel different and make you question if you have actually hit the button or not and that's bad, but that'll happen whenever you change gear at all, even when you move to better gear. You don't get better by playing with better gear, you get better by being more practiced with it.
If you don't have a good keyboard, you wont get consistency. Rubber dome keyboards are good for about 3-6 months, after that they are too inconsistent to be usable. Most pros use mech keyboards or constantly replace their 35 for a reason.
I don't know where you picked up these "notions", why would anyone want them as light as possible. You want a consistent amount of force needed for actuation, if you are playing any game where speed is key you don't want to have to think about when you have or have not pressed a key, you feel the actuation and you are on to the next one. Mechanical keys are much better than caps and the feel makes a lot of difference between games. I suppose if you play mobas or fps games the difference would likely be negligible depending on skill, any rts or fighting game and you will notice right away.
They're pretty interchangeable IMO, the brown click is very slight (at least on my Rosewill board, got reds on a Corsair)... I hardly notice it when typing furiously and i doubt I'd notice at all while gaming. Blues are another story and would definitely impact quick taps.
I use red switches but changed out WSAD + LSHIFT for browns. I don't even notice while typing, but the actuation is definitely better for FPS gaming. The switches were like $1.60/ea on eBay and I just needed 5 of them.
The end result is I have 5 backup red switches incase any act up over time (often the spacebar switch wears faster than any other.)
It's also a good idea to grease up the alignment/riser bars on larger keys to prevent squeaks. I just recently did this after reading a review of a cheap mech keyboard here on AT...it's a sweet trick. I used lithium grease.
I would never buy this laptop, I don't really see the point of a gaming laptop unless it's a dedicated LAN machine really, but I do get the idea of having the keyboard so close. It doesn't make sense only if you don't use gaming laptops(hence I would never buy one) but if you use a dedicated mouse and a keyboard, having the keys very close is just what you need.
Think of most mechanical keyboards to your PC. They also have typically little room for your palms to rest(though there are exceptions).
Still, despite Maxwell and Nvidia's battery boost tech, battery life still suck on these PCs. You can't game more than a few hours at best. So if you're using it as your LAN machine, and you need to use the charger, might as well bring your normal PC.
A bulky laptop is still a lot easier to haul around than an mITX desktop and external monitor. If you're just driving it to lan parties, you're right that it's not that big of a deal. OTOH any sort of mass transit is another story; extra bulk on a bus/subway/etc is a pain (especially when they reach the standing room only stage); never mind flying. If you're a gamer and stuck in a job that has you flying all over the place and living out of hotels something like this becomes a lot more attractive.
I don't think I'd personally buy it either, but I could see this being a nice work machine, where you don't have to go for an external keyboard. On the other hand an external keyboard is obviously cheaper than a huge gaming notebook.
Some of us can't own a desktop, as we are on the road most of our lives.
These sort of machines, whilst stripping us financially, provide the power to game and keep us happy.
I've tried checking in SFF computers, with a 20.1" screen in a hard case, the comptuer gets loads of stick from the check in lady, and the screens arrive broken.
Sweet! I've wanted Cherry switches in a notebook since I found out about this whole mechanical switch thing! Cherry MX Browns are the ones I use on a daily basis, and I love them. Honestly I have no idea if I'd like a different kind better, but they're not too loud but still have some resistance, so they're pretty great.
I do wonder about labels that claim you're voiding the warranty if you break them... On a Maximum PC podcast an MSI exec claimed that wasn't true, but I don't really believe him. I mean when you're dealing with support or something, are they really going to honor it if that's broken (so you can replace the hard drives?)
I'm also pretty in to Alienware at this point after...well, I pretty much always love any Dell systems I buy, and I LOVE that external GPU dock they've done! Pairing that with a future 17 or 18" system sounds perfect!
If you have an M18x or M18, you will have no need for the GPU amplifier. Firstly due to a lack of physical connectivity, and secondly, well, not for any current releases anyway. Two of most any high-end mobile GPU provides a satisfiying experience. Their choice of a proprietary cable leaves many of us here with a bad taste in their mouth, despite it being an otherwise very interesting product. Again, as Bill Hicks said, could all marketing people please kill themselves. :)
Very happy to see decent keyboards making their way back into laptops, but mechanical keyboards would have to be implemented a whole lot better into the end product than MSI have done here for me to be interested.
Personally, as someone who types a lot, I'd absolutely love a keyboard like that.
The only time I recall using my M18x without a mouse, was at a check-in desk, showing the lady an electronic return ticket, which I'd probably do with my phone if I wasn't too jet-lagged to have thought about it.
I like the concept, gaming on a traditional laptop keyboard is a bit shit. Having to haul a keyboard around with you isn't ideal either. I look forward to trying it out in a store!
I feel like, although not ideal, you could chuck a wrist rest in your laptop bag with this machine if the thicker chassis is an issue.
It will be really interesting to see the performance charts on this thing if they do release it with mobile SLI and a 'desktop' CPU :O
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SeannyB - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
That's gotta be heavy.cosmotic - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Brown key switches? I thought Red was the gaming switch....greatcaffeine - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
People think that, but here's the thing: no switches will make you any better at playing games, nor will they make the games themselves any better. There's this notion that you want switches to be as light as possible in order to play games, and if that's what we're going on, Browns should be just fine; they have the exact same resistance as Reds.In practice, the only time I've ever noticed my keyboard while playing a game was when I was using a Logitech G510 with a weird shift key. As long as everything works (predictably), no keyboard will ever make a difference.
Source: played games with Reds, Browns, Blues, Clears, Greens, buckling springs, and Matias switches. And of course, rubber domes.
ImSpartacus - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I game with browns and it's a fine experience.Admittedly, I haven't used any other kind of switches aside from rubber dome, so my data point isn't particularly good.
dragonsqrrl - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I've used blues, browns, reds, and rubber dome, and definitely prefer brown for general use. Although I also like blues I just can't see myself using them all the time (just a bit too loud and clicky I think). Reds... idk, I just don't like, at all. No tactile feedback, I guess if you want a quality linear switch that you don't need to bottom out.MrSpadge - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
I'm fine with gaming with Browns. Prefer them over Blacks. However, the Browns in my Zowie with metal backplate feel so much better than the ones at work in a (relatively) cheap Cherry. So I'm wondering how good they'll be in the MSI, assuming they don't put a heavy metal plate into that notebook.althaz - Sunday, November 2, 2014 - link
A good keyboard absolutely makes a difference when gaming. I'm a former Starcraft competitor and playing with somebody else's equipment that is of lesser quality translates to missed actions and could cost you a game. Good equipment wont make you good, but bad equipment will make you worse. Also, most other competitive gamers I've spoken to prefer browns to reds. Same force, better tactile response on the browns.LostAlone - Sunday, November 2, 2014 - link
But that's about familiarity and personal taste not that there are some keyboards that are just 'better'. Like the guy above said, the thing that matters is a keyboard that reacts the exact way you expect it to. Things like the travel and the resistance that feel different and make you question if you have actually hit the button or not and that's bad, but that'll happen whenever you change gear at all, even when you move to better gear. You don't get better by playing with better gear, you get better by being more practiced with it.althaz - Sunday, November 2, 2014 - link
If you don't have a good keyboard, you wont get consistency. Rubber dome keyboards are good for about 3-6 months, after that they are too inconsistent to be usable. Most pros use mech keyboards or constantly replace their 35 for a reason.TheLogicBringer - Sunday, November 2, 2014 - link
I don't know where you picked up these "notions", why would anyone want them as light as possible. You want a consistent amount of force needed for actuation, if you are playing any game where speed is key you don't want to have to think about when you have or have not pressed a key, you feel the actuation and you are on to the next one. Mechanical keys are much better than caps and the feel makes a lot of difference between games. I suppose if you play mobas or fps games the difference would likely be negligible depending on skill, any rts or fighting game and you will notice right away.Impulses - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
They're pretty interchangeable IMO, the brown click is very slight (at least on my Rosewill board, got reds on a Corsair)... I hardly notice it when typing furiously and i doubt I'd notice at all while gaming. Blues are another story and would definitely impact quick taps.Samus - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I use red switches but changed out WSAD + LSHIFT for browns. I don't even notice while typing, but the actuation is definitely better for FPS gaming. The switches were like $1.60/ea on eBay and I just needed 5 of them.The end result is I have 5 backup red switches incase any act up over time (often the spacebar switch wears faster than any other.)
It's also a good idea to grease up the alignment/riser bars on larger keys to prevent squeaks. I just recently did this after reading a review of a cheap mech keyboard here on AT...it's a sweet trick. I used lithium grease.
grave00 - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I prefer the reds for fps. I dont want tactile feedback when pressing and holding to move etc. Lighter than black is superior to me. Blue for work.MrSpadge - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Nothing prevents "press and hold" with browns.Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Some of us don't care about that.My M18x R2 ~5.4kg. Power adapter 1.8kg.
It travels with me across the globe...
bryanlarsen - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Is this the first laptop with a keyboard better than the one on the Tandy Model 100?Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Hilarious.Cygni - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
WhyPeopleRightfullyMakeFunofNerds.jpgMondozai - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
People have been making fun of nerds for ages and nerds are only controlling a larger and larger share of the world economy.People like you, who are desperate to fit in, are kind of funny, in a sad way :)
testarlol - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Even more sad (and strange) that he sits reading through the news on Anandtech with that sentiment in the back of his head. Lmao.Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
+48 x 10^6Mondozai - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I would never buy this laptop, I don't really see the point of a gaming laptop unless it's a dedicated LAN machine really, but I do get the idea of having the keyboard so close. It doesn't make sense only if you don't use gaming laptops(hence I would never buy one) but if you use a dedicated mouse and a keyboard, having the keys very close is just what you need.Think of most mechanical keyboards to your PC. They also have typically little room for your palms to rest(though there are exceptions).
Still, despite Maxwell and Nvidia's battery boost tech, battery life still suck on these PCs. You can't game more than a few hours at best. So if you're using it as your LAN machine, and you need to use the charger, might as well bring your normal PC.
DanNeely - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
A bulky laptop is still a lot easier to haul around than an mITX desktop and external monitor. If you're just driving it to lan parties, you're right that it's not that big of a deal. OTOH any sort of mass transit is another story; extra bulk on a bus/subway/etc is a pain (especially when they reach the standing room only stage); never mind flying. If you're a gamer and stuck in a job that has you flying all over the place and living out of hotels something like this becomes a lot more attractive.MrSpadge - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
I don't think I'd personally buy it either, but I could see this being a nice work machine, where you don't have to go for an external keyboard. On the other hand an external keyboard is obviously cheaper than a huge gaming notebook.Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Some of us can't own a desktop, as we are on the road most of our lives.These sort of machines, whilst stripping us financially, provide the power to game and keep us happy.
I've tried checking in SFF computers, with a 20.1" screen in a hard case, the comptuer gets loads of stick from the check in lady, and the screens arrive broken.
Been there, done that.
Wolfpup - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Sweet! I've wanted Cherry switches in a notebook since I found out about this whole mechanical switch thing! Cherry MX Browns are the ones I use on a daily basis, and I love them. Honestly I have no idea if I'd like a different kind better, but they're not too loud but still have some resistance, so they're pretty great.I do wonder about labels that claim you're voiding the warranty if you break them... On a Maximum PC podcast an MSI exec claimed that wasn't true, but I don't really believe him. I mean when you're dealing with support or something, are they really going to honor it if that's broken (so you can replace the hard drives?)
I'm also pretty in to Alienware at this point after...well, I pretty much always love any Dell systems I buy, and I LOVE that external GPU dock they've done! Pairing that with a future 17 or 18" system sounds perfect!
Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
If you have an M18x or M18, you will have no need for the GPU amplifier. Firstly due to a lack of physical connectivity, and secondly, well, not for any current releases anyway. Two of most any high-end mobile GPU provides a satisfiying experience. Their choice of a proprietary cable leaves many of us here with a bad taste in their mouth, despite it being an otherwise very interesting product. Again, as Bill Hicks said, could all marketing people please kill themselves. :)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo
Guspaz - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
I'll wait for a notebook with buckling spring keys :PFunBunny2 - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Luddite :)testarlol - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Very happy to see decent keyboards making their way back into laptops, but mechanical keyboards would have to be implemented a whole lot better into the end product than MSI have done here for me to be interested.wtallis - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Why not at least use Cherry ML low-profile mechanical switches?watzupken - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
This is gonna weigh a lot and will be more of a desktop replacement. To be honest, I rather get a separate mechanical keyboard for gaming at home.Notmyusualid - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Personally, as someone who types a lot, I'd absolutely love a keyboard like that.The only time I recall using my M18x without a mouse, was at a check-in desk, showing the lady an electronic return ticket, which I'd probably do with my phone if I wasn't too jet-lagged to have thought about it.
ayejay_nz - Sunday, November 2, 2014 - link
I like the concept, gaming on a traditional laptop keyboard is a bit shit. Having to haul a keyboard around with you isn't ideal either. I look forward to trying it out in a store!I feel like, although not ideal, you could chuck a wrist rest in your laptop bag with this machine if the thicker chassis is an issue.
It will be really interesting to see the performance charts on this thing if they do release it with mobile SLI and a 'desktop' CPU :O