Oh, I've played computer games over the years.
I wore out the joysticks on my brother's SEGA SC-3000 playing Star Jacker.
I remember doing pretty well on a hand-held version of Donkey Kong.
I've tried (and failed) to keep various incarnations of Lara Croft alive.
I got Crash Bandicoot all the way to the lab at Cortex Industries to battle his evil creator.
Then I had kids and the real games began.
Still, it wasn't long before I was installing games for them to play instead. I'd show them what to do and very quickly, they'd show me what I was doing wrong.
Then they were installing their own games and complaining our computer was too old, the internet connection was too slow and our family was super uncool and the laughing stock of all their friends.
Star Jacker suddenly seems to be a long time ago.
But if I was a gamer, I'd need a groovy keyboard, obviously...
The Masterkeys Lite L Combo from Cooler Master was an absolute revelation to me. I literally had no idea such a thing existed. Not once, in all my years of computer use had I thought to myself, "I wish my keyboard and mouse were flashing in rainbow colours right now."
In fact, at the risk of sounding like a complete fuddy duddy, I'm not a massive fan of flashing lights, full-stop. My two biggest bugbears are bluetooth devices and charging devices. I don't know why these things always have to flash coloured lights at you to let you know they're working. You can tell if the bluetooth is connected because noises come out of the right bits. You can tell if the charger is charging because it charges. Stop with your stupid lights already.
So you might think I'd be a hard sell when it comes to an RGB keyboard and mouse combo.
Except...
I do like things to match.
If you're a regular reader of these reviews, you'll know the glennzb household recently had to upgrade its PC due to the existing one melting. Somehow this meant a mid-level gaming rig appearing in the house and being installed in Monster Number Two's bedroom. I'm not entirely sure how she negotiated this turn of events, but I think it had something to do with cashing in early birthday and Christmas presents for the next 3 years.
The point is, the new computer glows red like a malevolent super-intelligence... which I suppose it basically is.
Again, while I don't really understand why it lights up, (I know it's running, otherwise I wouldn't be able to use it to type this review) at least it has the decency to light up in the best colour possible.
Of course, there's nothing like a new piece of kit to make the old bits that plug into it look decidedly shabby, especially when one of those bits is the keyboard from the Gateway computer I used to own in 1999.
Remember when PC's were that brownish-creamish-off-white-ish non colour? Yep, that's what I'm talking about. Obviously years (decades) of use meant that keyboard was more off-white than ever. Still worked though. And once or twice a year I'd tip it upside down and shake all the food out of it. Retro.
Needless to say, Monster Number Two didn't approve. She didn't want it attached to that shiny, new black-and-red box and she certainly didn't want it in her room.
Enter the Masterkeys Lite L Combo from Cooler Master. Black is still the new black, especially when you can highlight it in the colour of your choice. Of course, most normal people would go with red but there are few weirdos out there who insist on liking other colours. They'll come round.
There are several different ways to colour up the keyboard, you can pulse on and off, flash on your key press, have the whole palette flowing across the keys or even choose different colours for different sections (eg: number pad, media controls etc) All fun stuff but as I say, pretty sure everyone usually wants red on all the time.
The accompanying mouse also lights up in various modes and both it and the keyboard connect via USB. The leads were plenty long enough for easy installation.
The Lite L keyboard is not mechanical, but that didn't bother me as I have never used a mechanical keyboard so don't know what I'm missing. Instead it appears to be somewhere in between your stock-standard membrane setup and the fancy-pancy high-end (and much more expensive) mechanical options.
Cooler Master calls this a "mem-chanical" keyboard which results in a satisfying clackety-clack sound and feel and also means it's virtually spill-proof as each key is completely self contained. Whether any of this gives the hardened gamers out there much advantage I couldn't tell you. All I know is Monster Number Two gave it the thumbs-up and she puts in a lot more cyber-hours than I do.
The Masterkeys Lite L certainly seems durable, right down to the sturdy rubberised feet that pull out underneath. You know, the ones you always snap off accidentally on cheaper keyboards? No chance of that here, these babies are rock solid.
What I would have liked is some kind of helpful setup software. There's a brief manual in the box which explains how to plug things into computers, but absolutely no guidance on how to use the function keys to select the colours and patterns of your choice. This meant I had to do what I usually do; push all the buttons at random till I got what I wanted.
I was also slightly confused by the lack of an apostrophe. Oh, the physical key is where it's supposed to be (complete with the usual upper-case quotation marks) but there's no actual apostrophe printed on it. I spent ages looking for it and felt really stupid when I just pushed the normal button and my apostrophe appeared on screen.
I mean, what's that about?
Is the Masterkeys Lite L combo something you need? Of course not. But if you want your computing experience to look as cool as it feels, this a fun PC accessory that won't break the bank.
Click here for information and pricing details on the Cooler Master Lite L Keyboard and Mouse
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