strafe rgb Can someone explain the upside-down keys on the Strafe (and others)?

I'm surprised I don't hear more about this, but why are all the symbol keys (brackets, semicolon, quotes, etc.) and number keys on the Strafe printed upside down? What is the reasoning behind it? Flipping the key doesn't work, because then the symbol is upside down (except for the quotation key, which, curiously, is the only one actually printed upside down), and the key's flat side is along the bottom, out of alignment with the other keys. I use it as a regular keyboard as well, and I can't get past that.

 

In all the reviews I read and watched before buying, I never heard a word mentioned about it. I noticed other Corsair keyboards are like this (but not all, strangely) and many other companies do it with their gaming keyboards.

 

But WHY? Can someone help me to understand the logic behind it?

 

Anyway, love the keyboard, but that is really throwing off my typing. I don't know if I'll return it over this, but I may have to.

So the !@#$%^&*() are all upside down?

They're oriented properly (so the '1' looks like a one and so-on), but they're inverted. So the symbols are on the bottom and the numbers on the top. It's very strange hitting Shift to type the symbol on the bottom.

 

That's true for all the other keys as well - the symbols that would be on the top on other keyboards are on the bottom here. For example, the greater-than and less-than symbols are on the bottom of their respective keys with the period and comma on top. Yet hitting Shift gives the greater and less-than symbols. The only outlier is the single-quote and double-quote; those are actually printed upside down.

 

And this is true for many gaming keyboards. Too weird.

That makes sense, and honestly those keys don't bother me so much. But why invert the other keys as well? I can't imagine people were complaining that not enough light was passing through the square brackets (or maybe they were, I don't know). And why print the quotation key completely upside down?

I guess they went ahead and inverted all keys with a double symbol, inverting only a part of them (the ones with the numbers) would have been even more confusing.

Good point, that's entirely possible.

This change was made because of how the LED is placed on the switch themselves. Since the LED is placed at the top and some people were complaining that not enough light is passing through the number keys, we've decided to switch them around.

 

Well, we can't please everyone..

 

I think you should put them back like "they are supposed to be"

 

Then just deal with how much light shows through to the numbers. Either make a light conduit on those number keys or just live with the amount of light that comes through.

 

Now you have an ANSI keyboard that is just totally screwed up.

 

I think you just lost my sale. I knew the numbers were flipped but not every symbol key on the keyboard.

I mean, it's not too hard to remember that double symbol keys are flipped. The main function of every key receives the brighter lighting this way. It is Corsair's design choice. I have no issues typing on any set of keycaps, not even the flipped STRAFE font caps.

 

Food for thought: the "way they are supposed to be" is likewise a design choice. Standards change over time. People innovate and deviate from the standards. Sometimes deviations fail, and other times they work just as well or even better than the accepted standard.

I had a moment of pause reading this, hours after ordering a K70 LUX. I looked down at my Logi G710 LED I have used for the last 4 years. Funny, it's number and symbol keys also have their symbols in the alternate up/down position. Suddenly, I recalled this faint memory of frustration when I first received it. Of course that lasted about a week and then like most people, I adapted. I suppose if you are a chronic hunt and pecker with no plans to improve, you should choose a keyboard very carefully.

Just bought one of these after having other corsair keyboards I was happy with. The inverted keys drive me nuts. Since I bounce between a number of systems (and keyboards), not having this standard is a real pain. Enough that I'll never buy another Corsair without looking for this detail... since it seems to vary model to model.

A Corsair Gaming keycap set can be purchased to replace the STRAFE keycap font set.

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/corsair-gaming-classic-k70-full-104-keys-set

A Corsair Gaming keycap set can be purchased to replace the STRAFE keycap font set.

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/corsair-gaming-classic-k70-full-104-keys-set

 

 

yeah but then you have the problem of only the symbols at the top getting lit up .....

 

I find it more annoying that the gaming key caps are painted tops that chips off through normal use and you can not only no longer see what was supposed to be there, but then they were free with the keyboard .... the double shot ones you buy separately don't have the symbols on the number keys although they seem to last longer its all swings and roundabouts lol

 

I would prefer there were 2 led's on each key for the money (one top one bottom) operating in tandem, although slightly dimmer individually so the light bleed around them isn't so bad .... that would give both halves of the keys glowing symbols and have the tactile double shot key sets fitted as standard to the whole keyboard and not offer the painted top ones except as a cheap replacement set....

 

maybe in the next revision of the line up in a year or two this can be done or maybe they can move the led from the top to the centre and use a see through plastic plunger instead of the solid coloured one but maybe Logitech wont let them do that because of the romer g keys doing it (cherry switches are better than romer switches in my opinion having used both for years)

 

but hey ho things are always undergoing evolution and corsair products are no exception to this, the cue software could be combined with the clink and have all the rgb ness in one place and only one program to run (hopefully later this year) maybe in a year or so when the refresh happens this will be fixed and we will all complain the keys are printed normally lol

I had a moment of pause reading this, hours after ordering a K70 LUX. I looked down at my Logi G710 LED I have used for the last 4 years. Funny, it's number and symbol keys also have their symbols in the alternate up/down position. Suddenly, I recalled this faint memory of frustration when I first received it. Of course that lasted about a week and then like most people, I adapted. I suppose if you are a chronic hunt and pecker with no plans to improve, you should choose a keyboard very carefully.

 

Wow... only after reading this and looking down at mine do I realize that it's also the case for the numbers... I'm stunned. Indeed the "default" is highlighted, and the "dim" are the shift functions.

I'm just boggled by the ' and " which are physically upside down, the symbols themselves.. And now typing in Word... I realize that that is actually what they look like before a word, and the others are the closing version.

 

/stunned

 

As a "blind typer" I've never really noticed it before.

This change was made because of how the LED is placed on the switch themselves. Since the LED is placed at the top and some people were complaining that not enough light is passing through the number keys, we've decided to switch them around.

 

Well, we can't please everyone..

 

Wouldn't a better fix be to flip the switch upside down so the light is on the bottom and passes through the bottom of the keys? Granted now you would have to change every key now, but you would have a "normal" keyboard layout that lights up properly.

This change was made because of how the LED is placed on the switch themselves. Since the LED is placed at the top and some people were complaining that not enough light is passing through the number keys, we've decided to switch them around.

 

Well, we can't please everyone..

 

It would have been nice if the alternate keys were included so it could be set as it is normally done in other keyboards.

I would even pay extra for a set of these keys with the inscriptions in their "proper" positions. I could even live with the inverted top-row number keys, as it's clear that numbers are the "primary" keystroke.

I had been bouncing between the K95 RGB and the SteelSeries Apex Pro and noticed this key problem. I have some suggestions: 1. Create the keys with the symbols in their traditional (non-gamer) locations, but put the LEDS for those keys at the bottom of the key. All symbols would be properly lit up. 2. Have the symbols in the traditional locations, but have the primary symbols a bit larger to get more light. 3. Offer alternative keysets.

 

PS. My current keyboard is a Logitech K740. Very well lit, scissor switches with non-gamer inscription placement. But it's pressures are high (65cN), so I want something with MX keys. If Logitech can do it, so can others. For now, NO SALE!!

Edited November 22, 2020 by DocDJ
adding suggestions