Best Mac Gaming Keyboards
1 Razer BlackWidow Chroma, Clicky RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, 5 Macro Keys - Razer Green Switches
Extreme Durability- Razer mechanical switches are rated up to 80 million keystrokes and come with a 2-year warranty.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Solidly built with a nice heavy weight to it, the Blackwidow feels like the premium product Razer intended it to be. When gaming, this feel contributes to a nice sensation that confirms that each individual key press is activated exactly as intended. But what sets Razer apart is that they use a white membrane to "back" the keyboard switches, making the lighting effects much more powerful and giving the colors added "pop". If you're looking for a keyboard to compliment that high-end, custom PC rig you've built (and want performance to match it's looks), you should have the Blackwidow Chroma at the top of a very short list..."
"This keyboard is rather nice. I use emacs a lot and the macro keys have become rather helpful."
"I bought this particular gaming keyboard not because I'm a gamer, but because you can control the color and intensity of EVERY SINGLE BACKLIT KEY INDIVIDUALLY!"
"Got it for myself as a birthday gift but today after about one month of light use, 7 keys LEDs aren't working properly. I'm really disappointed because I love the pass through USB and headphone jacks as well as the bright colors on it."
Customizable RGB Lighting: Match your system's look and personalize individual key lighting from a spectrum of 16.8 million colors.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"- Get the Brown if you like that light typewriting feedback. - Get the G810 Logitech Romer-G if you prefer more of a stiffer feedback (solid spacebar) and want RGB lighting. So the layout for the G610 is exactly the same as the G810, except it lacks the RGB color lighting (it's just plain white) and it uses a different switch for the keys. If you're unfamiliar with mechanical keyboards, there are different types of switches that they use that provide different feedback response/sound etc, and what the most popular types are referred to them as MX Red, Brown, Blue switches. If you really like that clicky noisey typewriter-like feedback feeling, then you'll want to go with the Blue switches (G710) - what I believe to be a true mechanical satisfying feeling, BUT it is NOISY. The Red switches are a significant different feeling experience where it's made for speed because it responds without having to press the switch all the way down for a "click" feeling; it has a mushy feeling, so if you're not a fan of that, it may not be for you."
"In practical terms, what you'll notice is that these keys have a shorter keystroke than most mechanical keyboards, they are MUCH quieter, and they just simply feel crisper and more response -- almost like there is less rattle in the keys (notwithstanding the extraordinarily hard use my old G710+ saw). Now for compatibility issues: ' As I said in my title, this keyboard *works* with the Mac but is not YET *compatible. This means that if you plug this keyboard into your Mac, it will work exactly like it's supposed to. Every single key works across platforms because of the way they are programmed, and Macs are designed to work with this standard programming. '. I mean that Logitech has not yet released software specifically for this Keyboard that makes it compatible with the Mac. Second, because I think Logitech will release Mac compatibility updates in due course. When I first received it, the G710+ was not Mac compatible -- there was no software for Mac, and I could not customize keys. But, within several months, Logitech released an update for Mac compatibility, I was able to customize keys, and basically I gained full compatibility with the keyboard as if I was using a PC. I suspect the exact same thing will happen with this keyboard and that Mac users will find before long that it's fully compatible. UPDATE (4-21-2016): Today I received an automated update from Logitech that makes this keyboard FULLY COMPATIBLE with the Mac 10.11.4 OS."
Razer Synapse 2.0 is cutting-edge software that functions as the Razer DeathStalker’s brain, automatically syncing the gaming keyboard to a cloud server, while saving your individual settings.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It has a very responsive touch to the key strokes."
"The keyboard is quite a bit bigger than expected and the gap between keys seems unnecessarily large for a gaming keyboard."
"It's a bit of an understatement in that key bindings tend to be overlooked for lefties, and I've run into quite a few games *cough*Bethesda*cough* that won't let you change certain keys in the game settings."
"After I figured that out the keyboard worked fine but stays in chroma cycle mode with no way of changing it. I feel like the spacing between the keys is a bit larger than the stock Mac keyboard but the more you use it the easier it becomes to use."
"It doesn't lay as flat as my old one and took some getting used to, but there doesn't seem to be too many options for gaming keyboards with low profile keys."
"The keys are low which sounds good in theory but I have had a hard time avoiding pressing multiple keys at the same time so it's not a good keyboard for me to use for gaming."
"The only complaint is that the labels on the keys are light grey and don't stand out too well from the dark grey color of the keyboard."
"I have purchased a mechanical razer keyboard in the past and loved, but i wanted something a little more low key for work in the office."
Best Mac Gaming Keyboards
Use Logitech Gaming Software to customize RGB lighting and F1-F12 key macros. Customizable RGB Lighting: Match your system's look and personalize individual key lighting from a spectrum of 16.8 million colors.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"- Get the Brown if you like that light typewriting feedback. - Get the G810 Logitech Romer-G if you prefer more of a stiffer feedback (solid spacebar) and want RGB lighting. So the layout for the G610 is exactly the same as the G810, except it lacks the RGB color lighting (it's just plain white) and it uses a different switch for the keys. If you're unfamiliar with mechanical keyboards, there are different types of switches that they use that provide different feedback response/sound etc, and what the most popular types are referred to them as MX Red, Brown, Blue switches. If you really like that clicky noisey typewriter-like feedback feeling, then you'll want to go with the Blue switches (G710) - what I believe to be a true mechanical satisfying feeling, BUT it is NOISY. The Red switches are a significant different feeling experience where it's made for speed because it responds without having to press the switch all the way down for a "click" feeling; it has a mushy feeling, so if you're not a fan of that, it may not be for you."
"In practical terms, what you'll notice is that these keys have a shorter keystroke than most mechanical keyboards, they are MUCH quieter, and they just simply feel crisper and more response -- almost like there is less rattle in the keys (notwithstanding the extraordinarily hard use my old G710+ saw). Now for compatibility issues: ' As I said in my title, this keyboard *works* with the Mac but is not YET *compatible. This means that if you plug this keyboard into your Mac, it will work exactly like it's supposed to. Every single key works across platforms because of the way they are programmed, and Macs are designed to work with this standard programming. '. I mean that Logitech has not yet released software specifically for this Keyboard that makes it compatible with the Mac. Second, because I think Logitech will release Mac compatibility updates in due course. When I first received it, the G710+ was not Mac compatible -- there was no software for Mac, and I could not customize keys. But, within several months, Logitech released an update for Mac compatibility, I was able to customize keys, and basically I gained full compatibility with the keyboard as if I was using a PC. I suspect the exact same thing will happen with this keyboard and that Mac users will find before long that it's fully compatible. UPDATE (4-21-2016): Today I received an automated update from Logitech that makes this keyboard FULLY COMPATIBLE with the Mac 10.11.4 OS."
"The MX Brown switches are a little bit lighter and easier to press than some of the other switches, so for the first few days I noticed I was "fat-fingering" neighboring keys several times throughout the day."
Best Mac Gaming Keyboards
Use Logitech Gaming Software to customize RGB lighting and F1-F12 key macros. Customizable RGB Lighting: Match your system's look and personalize individual key lighting from a spectrum of 16.8 million colors.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"- Get the Brown if you like that light typewriting feedback. - Get the G810 Logitech Romer-G if you prefer more of a stiffer feedback (solid spacebar) and want RGB lighting. So the layout for the G610 is exactly the same as the G810, except it lacks the RGB color lighting (it's just plain white) and it uses a different switch for the keys. If you're unfamiliar with mechanical keyboards, there are different types of switches that they use that provide different feedback response/sound etc, and what the most popular types are referred to them as MX Red, Brown, Blue switches. If you really like that clicky noisey typewriter-like feedback feeling, then you'll want to go with the Blue switches (G710) - what I believe to be a true mechanical satisfying feeling, BUT it is NOISY. The Red switches are a significant different feeling experience where it's made for speed because it responds without having to press the switch all the way down for a "click" feeling; it has a mushy feeling, so if you're not a fan of that, it may not be for you."
"In practical terms, what you'll notice is that these keys have a shorter keystroke than most mechanical keyboards, they are MUCH quieter, and they just simply feel crisper and more response -- almost like there is less rattle in the keys (notwithstanding the extraordinarily hard use my old G710+ saw). Now for compatibility issues: ' As I said in my title, this keyboard *works* with the Mac but is not YET *compatible. This means that if you plug this keyboard into your Mac, it will work exactly like it's supposed to. Every single key works across platforms because of the way they are programmed, and Macs are designed to work with this standard programming. '. I mean that Logitech has not yet released software specifically for this Keyboard that makes it compatible with the Mac. Second, because I think Logitech will release Mac compatibility updates in due course. When I first received it, the G710+ was not Mac compatible -- there was no software for Mac, and I could not customize keys. But, within several months, Logitech released an update for Mac compatibility, I was able to customize keys, and basically I gained full compatibility with the keyboard as if I was using a PC. I suspect the exact same thing will happen with this keyboard and that Mac users will find before long that it's fully compatible. UPDATE (4-21-2016): Today I received an automated update from Logitech that makes this keyboard FULLY COMPATIBLE with the Mac 10.11.4 OS."
Best Mac Gaming Mice
Surface tuning calibration: Easily calibrate the optical sensor to get best tracking performance for your specific mouse pad surface.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The round-ish shape of the mx518 makes it more resistant to shock than the angular protruded shape of the main buttons on this one."
"It is also technically longer than the G9, but most the extra length is due to the longer main 2 left/right mouse buttons. This ends up also making no difference on my clawgrip style because I am still able to click those 2 main mouse buttons closer to the palmrest side of the mouse. - Buttons - You get 11 programmable buttons with the G502 vs 9 programmable buttons with the G9. The 2 additional buttons are defaulted to "DPI shift" located at the tip of where your thumb lies, and the "profile switch" button located south of the mouse wheel. The 2 DPI up/down buttons are moved to left of the left mouse button. Switch to go free scrolling is now located on the front of the mouse just south of the mousewheel which is much better (and makes it used more) as I don't have to look down and turn over the mouse to switch modes. Middle mouse button still stiffer than I'd like but much improved over the G9. This makes the G502's middle mouse button actually usable for me. Logitech does not market the G502 as the successor to the G9/G9X, but the form factor, weight tuning, buttons, mousewheel, and sensor all certainly have the feel of the G9/G9X. I get 3 extra buttons with the G502 (counting the middle mouse as an extra button as I could never use the G9's because it was so stiff). Again, I think it would be great for larger hands as well due to the longer main left/right mouse buttons accommodating a range of hand sizes, but I'll defer that to other reviewers with larger hands."
"Best mouse i've ever used even after 2.5 years of use. My thumbs are a bit on the wider side and this mostly happens if i'm caught off guard in a game and I kind of jump with my hand. This is a great mouse that's held up over the years."
"As an aside, I've used one of these on a hard Razer Scarab gaming surface and the other on an iXCC Gaming Mouse Pad."
"The weight cover on the underside is magnetic, so only time will tell how big of a pain it'll become, but if you don't open and close it a lot, maybe it'll last. I like the spin mode of the mouse wheel, but the feel of the normal scroll is a bit too much for my taste. Now I have a mionix and it works great, not dirt, no bad readings."
Best Mac Game Headsets
【NOISE ISOLATING MICROPHONE】Headset integrated onmi-directional microphone can transmits high quality communication with its premium noise-concellng feature, can pick up sounds with great sensitivity and remove the noise, which enables you clearly deliver or receive messages while you are in a game.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Clean deep bass. •CONS: 1. made completely of plastic. 2. small bit of static if you use them for recording. 3. super sensitive mic (this may not be a con). 4. the usb and 3.5mm jack are in the EXACT same place (meaning you can't power the lights and use the set at the same time unless you have another power source such as a small power stick if you plan on using it with xbox one or ps4). •VERDICT: if you're a regular person like me with a family and responsibilities, on a budget, or or looking to get into online gaming then by all means get them. Ignore all the bad reviews and try them for yourself, they sound good, comfortable, and if they break the company has some good customer service and are willing to try and resolve your issue (I tested this personally) even if you're out of warranty."
"I've been gaming all my life, and yet here I am as some twenty something and I have yet to purchase gaming headsets for a surround sound advantage to help immerse myself in games."
"These headphones make a great first impression with their stunning appearance and nice blue lights. These headphones give the clear sound needed for getting the slightest edge while gaming. The well-defined sound coupled with amazing isolation lets you hear in-game footsteps or objectives better than you ever could have with cheap earphones or speakers. The headphone’s comfort, fit, flexibility, durability is suitable for long gaming sessions. The mic will pick up your voice very well at any angle so you can clearly give instructions and objectives to your teammates. The only thing I found negative about these headphones were the fact you need both the USB and sound 3.5mm plug. The powerful sound drivers are spacious and can give you a nice punch that will make you feel like you are within the game itself. Along with the volume dial on the headphone cable, you also have a microphone mute near the same place."
"Ear fit is a little uncomfortable & you have to adjust sounds on the console to a high setting to hear for a theatre experience."
"The headphones made a static noise that he and his online friends could both hear. My husband has now had the 2nd headset for a week and has no problems with it."
"I like the feel of this headset, its light weight, doesn't hurt my ears, sounds alright."
"This seller and their product is top-notch and this headset it's worth more than I paid."
Best Mac Game Controllers
Edition: Controller. The Steam Controller lets you play your entire collection of Steam games on your TV-even the ones designed without controller support in mind.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"* Program any button to any xbox 360, keyboard, or mouse functions (including multiple, e.g. Alt+Tab). * Program independent (horizontal / vertical) (sensitivity / axis inversion). * Select commonly used community created layouts for Steam Games (and tweak them yourself!). * Configure your controller for non-Steam games. * Grab buttons (Ring Finger / Pinky Finger). * 2 Touchpads (can be mouse, joystick, anything in between, as well as DPads, WASD / other key configurations, screen area selection (e.g. minimap), hotkeys (up to a 4x4 grid, I believe), /and more/! * Standard xbox-feeling layout (left / right movement, joystick below, grips, and gyro may take some learning, and ABXY buttons are considered small by many). * Haptics! Want to make that gyro function control a mouse? Or, the right trigger soft pull change your mouse sensitivity to low while changing your scope button to your fire button, while enabling gyro and turning the mouse trackpad into a dpad on full pull, with your melee button becoming a quick unscope button... Or however you'd like. You can make any button on the controller switch the mode of the trackpad to the hotkey selection. The possibilities are endless, and all you need is to program it once in Big Picture; no, you don't have to use big picture to play your games, only to program the controller. Well, the Gyro function, the Hotkey Trackpad function, and the Area Selection function... Those are all new in the last update from a few days ago."
"What an incredibly versatile controller! -Those wacky buttons on the bottom of the controller. I honestly have been hoping controllers from every console would implement snappy paddles for a long time. ("Dual-Stage Triggers"). The Game-cube controller was the best feeling triggers before the Steam controller because of this feature. The Steam Controller has really, really clean and snappy feeling triggers. I just discovered today that you can assign haptic feeling to the triggers too, so if you just bind a button or a key to a soft-pull, you can have the whole controller 'thunk' when you pull it in slightly. In Counter-Strike, I do most of my aiming with the touch-pad because it feels intuitive, but when I want to aim just a tad right, I just keep my finger on the touch-pad, and move my controller a smidge towards the right. The gyro controls are so accurate and intuitive, I can control my automatic fire-spread, which is a level of precision that I can't achieve with anything else other than a mouse. The controller gives me tactile feedback on how much I'm adjusting my aim using the gyro controls. You're going to have to get used to it, just like any other controller. Or, if you're playing a flight game, you can set the gyro controls to pitch/yaw/roll control your plane while based tilt the controller (if you want). Summary: It takes getting used to, but after day five, you'll be complaining about how the Xbox controller has soggy-feeling triggers and doesn't let you aim right. I was vexxed at first by my thumbs going to the wrong place thanks to using an xbox controller, I was concerned by how different the inputs felt, but after going though the menus and making my own controller configurations for games, I don't think I can go back to any other controller. After I get a game all set up, I finally feel like I can forget that I'm using a controller, and really play the game, not fight with the controls."