INTRODUCTION
Corsair Gaming K95
The Corsair K95 Platinum XT is a wonderful gaming peripheral that is versatile and can be used for other things rather than just gaming. It has a dedicated software designed to allow you to program all its keys (including its 6 macro keys), as well as customize RGB backlighting. It’s well-built and features a comfortable wrist-rest. Its double-shot PBT key functions feel nice under the fingers and are durable enough. The good tactile response it has helps reduce typo mistakes. Sadly, though, it’s not fully Linux and macOS systems compatible.
SteelSeries Apex Pro
The Apex Pro from SteelSeries is also another peripheral most gamers will love that’s also very versatile as well. It has this one-of-a-kind actuation force setting which allows its user to customize the amount of actuation force and pre-travel distance required to input keystrokes. It can also be lowered during gaming for more responsive experiences, or raise it when typing to reduce making accidental keystrokes and reduce the amount of typos you make. This gaming keyboard has dedicated media key functions, is excellently build and comes with a comfortable wrist rest as well.
DESIGN
Corsair Gaming K95
The Corsair K95 XT keyboard looks very similar to its K95 predecessor. It’s a huge peripheral that measures in at around 18.3×6.7×1.4 inches and have a black aluminum-and-plastic chassis. The K95 has all the standard key functions, with media key functions located in the top-right corner, 6 programmable keys located on the left and some specific function keys on the upper left. All these items, by default, have textured caps with G1 to G6 plastered on them, which indicate they can be used as game functions. However, they can also be replaced with textured S1 to S6 caps that are included in the package in the event you want to use from streaming.
One of the main highlights of the Corsair peripheral are its discrete media key functions. They are simply a thing of beauty. It has an overall design style that’s both functional and pretty. It has an LED strip found at the top that helps make the keyboard a whole lot prettier. Its foam wrist rest is also way more comfortable than the plastic one you find in its original K95 predecessor. In fact, it might just even be one of the most comfortable palm-rests out there. The only downside with this gaming keyboard is that the extra columns make it hard for the user to center their hands as they would on a regular full-size peripheral.
SteelSeries Apex Pro
The SteelSeries Apex Pro gaming keyboard has a low-profile appearance with elevated keys and a steel-black chassis. Gaming peripherals like the Huntsman Elite by Razer used this elevated keys design-style very well, and it is just as beautiful on the Apex Pro as well. The keyboard measures about 17.2×5.3 inches which, as far as full-sized peripherals go, is kind of on the smaller side. It’s this way because absolutely no space that’s wasted at either side of the device.
The Apex Pro keyboard also comes with a magnetic palm-rest. Unfortunately, it’s not a plush and comfortable one but a rather hard one instead. It may not be that comfortable but it has an extremely sleek look with a black-matte finish and is way better than lacking a wrist rest altogether. But the top-right corner is where things get a little more interesting, Here you’ll get a volume dial, a tiny OLED display screen and button features to help the user navigate it. When you use all the 3 in conjunction, most keyboard functions can be controlled without the user having to ramage through the SteelSeries Engine software.
Where the SteelSeries Apex Pro peripheral distinguishes itself from all the other gaming keyboards on the market is the per-key actuation capabilities it has going on. Every switch on the laptop basically has an actuation point. Linear keys need the user to depress the keys completely all the way up. Tactile keys, on the other hand, actuate around halfway down. The trouble is, however, tactile and linear switches are useful for different applications and you could not have a peripheral that did both, until now. The SteelSeries keyboard, furthermore, allows the user to change actuation points; anywhere between 3.6mm and 0.4mm, and this is represented by SteelSeries Engine software’s 1-10 scale.
KEYS
Corsair Gaming K95
One of the best things about most Corsair gaming keyboards is that they often use Cherry MX key switches. While the less pricey mechanical key switches have gotten a lot better in the past couple of years, they still can’t really match the German comfort and efficiency of authentic Cherry MX switches. You can get the K95 XT with either tactile, clicky Cherry MX Blues, tactile, quiet Cherry MX Browns and linear, quiet Cherry MX Speeds. These keys also do very well when it comes to typing as well.
SteelSeries Apex Pro
The Apex Pro uses the new Omnipoint Switches by SteelSeries, which boasts a minimum actuation force of 0.4mm and response times of 0.7seconds. SteelSeries claims that each key switch can manage up to 100 million key presses until it dies, which is almost twice as long as traditional mechanical switches last. In fact, the company estimates that it should last you about 15-20 years before they have to be replaced, provided they’re taken good care of.
These Omnipoint Switches on the Apex Pro can either be tactile or linear, and is really quiet, as far as mechanical switches go. However, for all the benefits they have, they simply don’t feel that good as far as mass typing is concerned. No matter how the actuation is set, the key switches don’t provide that much resistance, which then results in an imprecise, soft feel.
FEATURES
Corsair Gaming K95
The Utility Engine (iCUE) software by Corsair is what powers the K95 XT, which is more or less the same as what it has always been. It’s still both a bit hard to use and incredibly robust. The iCUE software is designed to help the user customize the keyboard’s very-detailed RGB backlighting settings. However, it can also be used to link lighting profiles with individual programs and games, reprogram all the keys on the board or disable certain buttons during gameplay. It also has 5 onboard profiles, which is 2 more than what its predecessor had, but an indefinite number can be stored on the computer.
Setting up lighting profiles can sometimes prove really complicated, however, the tradeoff here is that there are some truly beautiful designs on the K95 XT, that you’d never find on most of the other mechanical RGB keyboards on the market. No one does interesting color profiles better than Corsair, and the K95 PLATINUM XT keyboard is no exception. In addition to all this, Elgato Stream Deck commands can be programmed directly to the 6 extra keys. When the user coordinates with this software, they’ll be able to program the 6 extra key functions to switch between shared GIFs, post tweets, launch programs, screens etc.
SteelSeries Apex Pro
The most noticeable features on the SteelSeries Apex Pro are the OLED display screen and the per-ket actuation. It’s also worth noting that the OLED display screen can be set to display an animated GIF or tiny static image, although cramming things into something as small as 128×40 resolution can sometimes prove a pain. Anyway, the OLED display screen can be helpful in titles such as CS:GO or with applications like Spotify, because it can show you info like song artist/title or kill/death ratio. But, this functionality won’t make sense to all gamers. It’s as easy to get all this information on the computer screen.
When it comes to the Engine software that’s used to power the Apex Pro, it’s both user-friendly and admirably straightforward. It can be used to set up different profiles for individual apps and games (especially because lighter actuation is what’s ideal in gravy game titles), adjust the RGB backlighting, reprogram all the keys on the board and so much more. The only big downside when it comes to the RGB lighting options is that they’re a little slim compared to what can be found on their fully programmable software counterparts in the Corsair.
PERFORMANCE
Corsair Gaming K95
With the Corsair K95 XT PLATINUM gaming keyboard, you can expect to have a great time with games like World of Warcraft and the like. The six extra media key features are incredibly useful when it comes to massive multiplayer online gaming, especially for high-level gamers that want to dedicate macros to some of their many skill rotations. With this keyboard, you won’t have many problems running most of the popular game genres out there. You’ll easily glide through Overwatch battlefields, command your villagers to build cities without you having to go through several menus in Age of Empires and consult your map between matches in Thonbraker. Furthermore, its breathable wrist rest and Cherry MX switches help make things even way easier.
SteelSeries Apex Pro
You can trust the SteelSeries Apex Pro peripheral to provide you with top-notch gaming experiences. You can test World of Warcraft, Baldur’s Gate, Age of Empires and Overwatch on it and you’ll find is an able companion that has the capacity to handle every gaming genre. Teleporting across battlefields as the character Reaper is just as easy as coming up with control groups for your legion of Yamato warriors. You can expect quick, responsive and accurate reactions when activating skills as a Panderen rouge or when highlighting clickable items when playing Forgotten Realms.
It’s worth keeping in mind when using the Apex Pro keyboard to play different game titles, the per-key actuation is sometimes really useful. Smashing the same key over and over again as fast as you can, is extremely useful in MMO, MOBA and FPS titles. For action/adventure games and RPGs, more deliberate keystrokes can prove beneficial. If this is something you might like, then the Apex Pro is something you certainly won’t regret buying.
VERDICT
The Corsair K95 XT peripheral is an expensive device, but no pricier than its predecessor and is slightly better in so many ways. The Elgato shortcuts could help simplify things a lot for streamers, the keycaps are smooth and the palm rest is big enough. Besides that, you’ll still get very good key switches, some incredibly attractive backlighting and a slid overall design. MMO players and streamers shouldn’t be scared of getting their hands on the Corsair K95 XT Platinum. If you have the money to spend on a high-quality full-sized gaming peripheral, then this is for you.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro gaming keyboard is kind of an experiment in some ways, and like with many experiments, it doesn’t have perfect results. The switches don’t have such a good feel to them, the OLED display does not add a lot to the overall experience and the space media bar leaves plenty to desire. With that said, it still as many legitimately impressive accomplishments as well. Per-key actuation is real now because of this device. True, it’s still a rather expensive option and it isn’t the best gaming peripheral out there, however, it just may be what the future looks like.
Bottom line, if you really had to pick between the two, then you’re best bet would be to go the Corsair K95 XT route.
