As you would expect from a gaming keyboard like the Compaq CQ Series Keyboard , all of the keys are illuminated, meaning that you can play in the relative darkness of your bedroom without having to wonder where any specific button is. This isnt anything new and as I said is something that most people would have come to expect from a gaming keyboard by now. What is a little bit different though is that ability to swap between Normal mode and Cyborg mode. In Normal mode youre using a normal keyboard, you can change the colour and brightness of the keys and everything except the macro keys are available to use; nothing special there. Switch things over to Cyborg mode though, by tapping on the company logo in the top centre of the keyboard and youll be whisked away to gaming heaven.
This mode like the Compaq CQ Series Keyboard is essentially the gaming mode and is what will give you the edge in whichever game you choose to grace with your presence, the first thing youll notice is that the Windows key is disabled in this mode, a feature that seems redundant at first but anyone whos ever accidentally hit that button instead of the Ctrl button will understand the rage that this small feature will save. Secondly, the macros buttons will all illuminate, informing you that all the macros youve already pre-programmed are available and ready to use. These macros could be as simple as typing Lol, n00b into the in-game chat or as complex as issuing servers commands in your favourite Quake 3 mod, the sky is the limit and a lot of gamers will be thankful for all twelve of these buttons at one time or another. The last feature of Cyborg mode is that you are able to independently change the colours of all major areas of the keyboard (like on an Alienware laptop), the W, A, S and D buttons can be red and bright while the rest of the buttons are green and dim; its your choice. Yes, it may seem like a trivial feature, but a lot of being a PC gamer is about looking cool (most PC gamers play on their own, I know, the irony isnt lost on me) and this keyboard certainly looks damn cool.
As somebody who uses a Mac for almost all of my work, I was a little disappointed to see a lack of support for Apples operating system; at least at the moment. Judging by the support that Cyborg has been giving to its other gaming peripherals, such as the Cyborg R.A.T. 9 Gaming Mouse, I can only assume that theyre working on something, but the fact remains that if you only have a Mac, and use that Mac to play games, then youre not going to be able to use the twelve macro buttons on the side of the keyboard at this moment in time. Having said that, the rest of the features of the keyboard such as Compaq CQ Series Keyboard are fully functional and the whole thing is a dream to type on (as this review, written entirely on the keyboard in question, can attest), but Mac users should be aware of this downside before they set their hard earned cash down.
