Why is the G502 so special? (K95 onboard memory macro issue)

I recently purchased the K95 thinking that the onboard memory worked similar to that of the Logitech G502 mouse. The G502 mouse is VERY simple in that any macro programed to a button and saved to the mouse's TRULY onboard memory works. It works without any additional software or driver needing to run in the background and on any system (whether that be a computer, KVM switch, and/or keyboard/mouse transceiver box such as the Venom X and Xim 4). I cannot for the life of me understand how a $200 keyboard that touts its onboard memory (for the on-the-go player) cannot do something that a $50 mouse does with ease.

 

The only way to get the K95 (or any of the onboard memory Corsair keyboards) to work on a Venom X or Xim is to run the keyboard in BIOS mode. However, doing this renders the onboard memory useless (i.e. the keyboard will not access the keyboard memory in BIOS mode). As such, running a K95 or K70 on a keyboard/mouse transceiver means the user will not be able to utilize the keyboard's ability to store and run macros.

 

The reality is that the K95 and K70 onboard memory is not truly "on-the-go" (as the G502's is) since a prerequisite to access the memory is that keyboard drivers -- at a minimum -- need to be installed on whatever system the keyboard is connected to (something that is not possible to do when used with a transceiver box). If the keyboard drivers are not present, the keyboard must be run in BIOS mode and -- in essence -- functions no different than any other $10 keyboard (aside from some lighting features).

 

PLEASE tell me if I'm missing something in terms of being able to access macros on a Venom X or Xim? Is there any way to run the K95 on a keyboard/mouse transceiver box without it needing to be in BIOS mode? Has anyone successfully run keyboard macros when connected to only a Venom X or Xim (or some other keyboard/mouse transceiver box connected to a PS4 or XBOX)? If not I guess I'll have to give the Logitech Orion Spark a try. Users have said the Spark does not suffer from the same limitations as those described here for the K70 and K95.

If you have the legacy K95 (Not CUE controlled), You will want to make sure you save the profile to the keyboard and then enable hardware playback.

Not sure what you mean. Keyboard/mouse transceiver boxes will not recognize the K95 unless it is in BIOS mode. 1) Where do I set "hardware playback" and 2) will it work (i.e. will it play macros) when I put the K95 in BIOS mode? If so, that's great! I'll have to go un-return the K95 I took back.

There a couple of K95 keyboard models. The legacy one (Vengeance branded) and the K95 Platinum has on-board profiles.

 

I cannot guarantee you that saving a profile to the the on-board memory will solve your issue (Depending on model) as there has been some KVM related issues with Corsair keyboards.