Logitech G19s Gaming Keyboard with Color Game Panel Screen

I used the same generic $10 keyboard from the early 90s until 2011, when I got a no-name back lit keyboard, so I could use the computer in the dark. I am a gamer, but if given the choice, I always play PC games with the 360 controller, or else just the mouse. Paying games with my old keyboards wasn't fun at all, and switching from the 360 version of Dragon Age to the PC version felt awful, simply because it didn't support controllers. So I finally gave in and started looking for a new keyboard to play such games.The Logitech G19s was one of the first review pages I looked at, and I was amazed at how many people buy $200 products without doing any research. I personally don't care for mechanical keyboards (they're loud and sensitive to spills) but many PC gamers love them (they're more sensitive to press and more durable). This keyboard is NOT mechanical - not an issue to me, though it may matter to you.Naturally, the first thing anyone is going to notice about this keyboard is the LCD screen. This screen is pretty cool - it can display a clock (most games don't display time in-game) movies (not sure why you'd want to watch movies on your 2-inch screen... but you can) timers, performance monitors, and others. However, each app seems to have it's own shortfalls - the clock is only analog, the performance monitor only displays one overall cpu meter (unless you have exactly 2 cores, and people buying $200 keyboards are going to have at least 4, if not 8) and the movie app doesn't display every type of video file.One of the first things I did was try out the screen in a game - Civilization 5. While the game ran as normal, the screen displayed information on my in-game cities, information that is buried deeper within the game was now readily available. This made the game-play much more convenient - though I did notice that it hadn't been updated to include Civilization 5's expansion packs. This made me wonder if Logitech EVER updates these apps - so I tried an older game, Dragon Age. Sure enough, the app hadn't been updated since the G15 (the G15's screen was monochrome, and so were its apps).This next complaint doesn't apply to everyone (I hear Logitech's software has something against AMD drivers?) but every time I try to bring up the software's window from the taskbar, it crashes. This doesn't happen if opened from the start menu or the desktop. Minor, but fairly annoying. You should also disable any apps you don't plan on using (ex: disable the webcam app if you don't have a webcam) because they all use a little memory in the background.When you actually get it to work, the software allows full customization of the 'G' keys as well as the color and brightness of the keys. I was sick of the red on my old keyboard, so it's cool to use blue one day and green the next. However, the keys aren't very bright - set to '100', it's only just bright enough to be clearly visible. I think it could be brighter than this. However, it is absolutely NOT true that the only settings are 'on' and 'off' as the #1 review claims - you can set it anywhere from '0' to '100'.On to the keyboard itself - the keys seem to be fingerprint resistant, as well as being more comfortable to press than generic keyboards. The 'media' keys are separate from the normal keys - that means no 'fn' key to mess with. The volume control is a roller, sorta like an extra large mouse wheel - when you scroll it, a volume bar shows up both on your monitor and the keyboard's screen to guide your adjustment. There's also a slider switch that can disable the windows keys, so you don't accidentally press them while in-game. The keyboard also has a pair of USB ports you can plug devices into, so while the keyboard itself takes up a USB port, it creates two. I personally use a USB extension cord so my keyboard can reach across the room, and with the keyboard's own ports, now my mouse and controller can too!Based on my experiences with this keyboard, I have to say it's a fantastic product bottle-necked by less-than-fantastic software.

I upgraded to this from a G510s. I chose this keyboard because while I liked the 510s, it's footprint was just a smidge too large. Since I don't use the G-keys very often, the trade-off from 18 to 12 wasn't a big deal.So far, I've been very impressed with the G19s. It has smooth and precise key actuation. I've never been a fan of mechanical keyboards, even for gaming, and this keyboard hits a true sweet spot in key height, travel, and resistance/responsiveness. The coatings on both the keys and the palm rest are slightly less slick than the 510s, which I'm happy about. The brightness and color for the key backlight is quite good. I'm impressed with the LCD screen. Mine has no imperfections, has excellent brightness and color, and after creating my own applet for system monitoring, has come in quite handy. The powered USB 2.0 ports are quite nice, eliminating the need for a hub for the add-on Soundblaster sound card I added to my Mac Pro (no factory mic input on the Pro.) The menu keys for the LCD don't require much pressure like some complaints I've heard, and register every press I've given them so far. The switch between applets is quick and responsive, which is another complaint I'd heard.Overall, I think the G19s was an excellent purchase, with none of the downsides or issues others have mentioned.The one thing I will note for anyone switching from a G510s, is that the G19s does not have the built in mic and headphones jacks that the 510s has. This was something I hadn't looked at too closely before I bought it, but I could see someone being irritated at the lack, since it could have easily been included in a nearly identical fashion.

I must say I am a little underwhelmed by this keyboard. I really should have done more research before purchasing it, but all the bells and whistles made me make an impulse by.The good:-As far as keyboards go, there is a lot to really like. They keys themselves are very responsive.-It also has a ton of macros which I am sure is appealing to people that play games that would use them all.-It has a really slick and convenient volume control (a roller, not a button).-You can switch your profiles using the mini screen, so for instance, if you play an MMO which requires very different styles of plays, you can switch the profile on the fly which swaps your macros over giving you a hysterically large amount of macros to your disposal.-There is a switch to disable the "Windows" key which has plagued gamers historically (Hitting the windows key accidentally usually tabs you out of focus and throws your game out of whack).-The keyboard will detect a slew of games on your computer. It can scan on your computer and it will have a profile you can apply... so this feature was kinda neat for me, but those of you with 4TB drives filled with every Steam game under the sun installed, this might be cooler to you. Like for instance, they have one for League of Legends that while you are waiting to queue up, you can be tabbed out doing other things, and the screen will flash when the game starts... and while you are playing it will give you most of your personal statistics so you can see how you are doing. So that's kinda nice.-The lighting features are nice, but not as customizable as you might hope. Other keyboards can let you independently customize your keyboard, this one only lets you change all the keys the same color.The bad:-Placement of the macro keys REALLY stinks. Yes, they are off to the left of the keyboard, and that is pretty standard for keyboards like this... but they are RIGHT NEXT TO THE ESC KEY!!!! In games that require you to hit ESC a lot (which is pretty much all of them because that's how you get out of menus and such)... it will take you a VERY VERY long time to get used to not accidentally hitting one of the two top macro buttons accidentally throwing your game into a tailspin at a crucial moment. I'm very used to the ESC key being the highest most left facing key on the keyboard, but on this keyboard that is no longer true. If this is something that has been ingrained in your mind for the past decade, this will REALLY bother you. Imagine if the "Enter" button was just to the RIGHT of your "Backspace" button... how annoying would that be... if you can imagine that, than you will know where I'm coming from.-The mini screen is kinda lame.1. The frame rate on it stinks. The resolution on it is what you would expect for such a tiny screen, but the frame rate is so slow... you would swear it was 3-6 frames per second when you are all used to 30-60.2. The default apps for it are pretty unimpressive. You get a CPU monitor... a clock... a timer... and a bunch of things that are only neat for about the first day of you using it and you will forget are there after that.3. The YouTube app is a total troll. You can't search for videos on it!?!?! What were they thinking? How sweet would it be to load up a "How To" video on YouTube when you are playing a game and didn't want to tab out? Help on a quest? A quick tutorial? That would save you from needing a second monitor right? Well, unfortunately, the YouTube app only lets you view categories... like "Most watched, Most Discussed". So unless you want to conveniently watch "Charlie bit my Finger"... the app is pretty much useless.Overall, I wouldn't recommend this keyboard in its current state especially for the price. There are too many irksome things about it that I will be weary of in future keyboard purchases. Hopefully they will design a better keyboard, but for $200... that will likely be a LONG time from now for me. I hope I will eventually get used to the macros being right next to the ESC key... but that might take months. Until then, Logitech does make good peripherals, so I have high hopes that the keyboard will hold up.I hope you find this review helpful and if so, please tell me.