At the 2016 International CES expo, Kingston announced three new gaming keyboards, the Alloy RGB, and two new mechanical switch options for the Alloy FPS keyboard. To begin with, the Alloy RGB is a line of mechanical keyboards unto itself, featuring RGB LED-illuminated Cherry MX RGB switches across its spectrum. It is based on the same design as the original Alloy FPS keyboard the company launched back in October 2016. The company launched two more variants of the Alloy FPS, featuring Cherry MX Red and Cherry MX Brown switches. Market availability of the Alloy RGB is slated for Q3-2017, it is yet to be priced. The Cherry MX Red and MX Brown variants of the Alloy FPS will launch later this month, priced at US $99.99.

Cherry GmbH, the German-American computer peripheral-device maker best known for its mechanical keyboard switches, has announced a new addition to their Silent line of switches. The new Silent Black switches join the company's Silent line-up of Silent Red, Silent RGB Red, and Silent RGB Black. Cherry MX Silent switches are not particularly new, but until now, they were limited to linear Red switches, and were used exclusively on Corsair products (such as the STRAFE RGB Keyboard). Now, though, Corsair's exclusivity has come to an end, leaving other companies free to implement the Silent switches onto their own keyboards.

The "silent" operation is achieved via a rubber pad which dampens the sound of both the switch bottoming out and the rebound noise. Otherwise, the switches' specifications are identical to those of their non-silent counterparts. It's also worth noting that both Red and Black switches are linear, meaning there's no extra click within the key travel. The Silent Black switches are specified for 60 cN +/- 20 cN actuation force (against the 40 cN of their Silent Red counterparts), 2mm +/-0.6 pretravel, 4mm /-0.4 actuator travel, <5 ms bounce time, and are rated at 50 million key presses.

GIGABYTE introduced the Xtreme Gaming XK700 mechanical keyboard. Featuring a brushed aluminium top, and a standard 104-keyset (with 22 hotkeys enabled using the Function key), the XK700 combines Cherry MX RGB mechanical switches with advanced electronics by GIGABYTE the offer full-NKRO over USB, anti-ghosting, and 512 KB of onboard memory to locally store hotkey sets and lighting profiles. The lighting can be managed using GIGABYTE's RGB Spectrum software, letting you set any of 16.7 million colors to individual keys, sets of keys, or even set groovy lighting effects. They keyboard also offers finely tuned front elevation adjustments, a set of orange keycaps to highlight your favorite keys, and a set of wrist bands. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Ever-increasing its offerings within the KM570 and KM870 lineup of mechanical keyboards, G.Skill has recently put up a product page for yet another iteration of their KM570 keyboard: the Cherry MX Speed Silver equipped KM570, which joins the companies' offerings of Blue, Red and Brown Cherry MX switches.

The Cherry MX Speed Silver switches feature a shorter - and therefore faster - 1.2mm (as opposed to the more common 2mm) actuation distance with a light 45G switch weight. Constructed with a 50 million keystroke durability and a smooth linear key response as well as contoured keypads for greater comfort, the KM570's other features include macro support with on-the-fly macro recording, per-key lighting customization with seven lighting patterns, full n-Key rollover and 100% anti-ghosting technologies, as well as shortcuts for Windows functions, keyboard functions, media playback and volume control.

The RIPJAWS KM570 MX with Speed Silver switches comes in at $109.99, $10 more than the companies' Red, Blue and Brown offerings, and $10 less than the equivalent offerings with RGB lighting capabilities.

Cougar today announced the Attack X3 RGB gaming keyboard. A variant of the Attack X3 launched in December 2015, the Attack X3 was unveiled at the 2016 Computex expo. It features RGB LED-illuminated Cherry MX Black, MX Red, MX Blue, and MX Brown mechanical switches.

The brushed aluminium face-plate of the keyboard adds to the illumination of the keys. Its electronics offer N-key rollover, letting it register any number of simultaneous key-presses; and 1000 Hz USB polling-rate. The keyboard can store up to three sets of macros onto its onboard memory. The bundled Cougar UIX software lets you program these macros, and set RGB lighting profiles. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, expands their mechanical keyboard lineup with the addition of the RIPJAWS KM570 RGB mechanical gaming keyboard. Perfectly tailored to gamers' needs with a simplistic and fully performance-focused keyboard, the keyboard features genuine Cherry MX RGB keyswitches, which are rated for up to 50 million keystrokes with the same keystroke feel and an even longer durability.

The KM570 RGB series keyboard will be available in the classic choices of Cherry MX switches in linear Red, clicky Blue, and tactile Brown! Each Cherry MX keyswitch is tuned to a precise 2 mm actuation point - feel the difference that Cherry MX switches bring to your typing and gaming experience. Through the G.SKILL driver system, immediately gain the ability to customize the keyboard to your liking. Choose from the various lighting effects or create your own elaborate lighting zones in full 16.8 m colors! With an included on-the-fly macro recording system, tunable through the software, arm yourself with the tool needed to excel in your game or your daily work.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the ROG Claymore and ROG Claymore Core mechanical gaming keyboards. Claymore is also the world's first RGB LED-backlit mechanical gaming keyboard with a detachable numpad design. Both keyboards feature Cherry MX RGB LED switches, ASUS Aura Sync RGB LED technology for synchronized light effects with various Aura-compatible products, and exclusive fan control hotkeys when paired with an ASUS motherboard for a superior gaming experience.

ROG Claymore is the world's first RGB mechanical keyboard to have a detachable numpad design that allows users to use it as a full-size keyboard at home, or as an 80% TKL (an abbreviation of 'tenkeyless', which refers to the lack of a numpad) mechanical gaming keyboard at LAN parties. The detachable keypad can be placed to the left or right of the keyboard to suit different scenarios - on the left side of the keyboard as macro keys for MMO gaming, or on the right for a more traditional keypad placement. ROG Claymore Core is a compact TKL mechanical gaming keyboard and does not have a detachable numpad.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is excited to announce the release and availability of the RIPJAWS KM570 MX mechanical gaming keyboard, featuring genuine Cherry MX keyswitches and full keyboard customizability without additional software. The genuine German-made Cherry MX keyswitches, available in flavors of red, brown, and blue, is the world's highest quality keyswitch that will let each keystroke feel exactly the same for 50 million keystrokes and an even longer durability.

Building upon the same foundation as the high-end KM780 series, the KM570 MX mechanical gaming keyboard is designed specifically for no-nonsense gamers and perfect for minimalistic typists who want a wide range of keyboard customizations. For an easy setup, the KM570 MX is simply plug-and-play, with no additional software required. This means no hassles when moving your keyboard from PC to PC, and all keyboard settings are controlled and stored on the keyboard itself.

HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the HyperX ALLOY FPS Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is now shipping in Germany, UK, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The full-size mechanical gaming keyboard has a space-saving layout allowing gamers to maximize desktop real estate for FPS mouse movement. The HyperX ALLOY FPS keyboard features Cherry MX Blue Mechanical switches to provide the tactile feedback and performance to support extreme gameplay and enable players to be the best gamers possible.

Built with a solid steel alloy frame, the HyperX ALLOY FPS keyboard features Cherry MX Blue Mechanical switches, HyperX red LED backlighting and six preset LED modes - including a custom mode. The keyboard also offers Game Mode to easily disable the Windows key to prevent game play interruptions, along with 100 percent anti-ghosting and full N-Key rollover functionality. For added flexibility and performance, HyperX ALLOY FPS features an easy access USB charging port located on the back of the keyboard, additional HyperX red-colored WASD/1234 keys, a detachable braided cord, and mesh travel pouch for protection and storage on the move.

Friedrichshafen/Auerbach/Hamburg. German private investment company GENUI and the Cherry management has announced the acquisition of the international Cherry Group from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Excellent growth prospects for the computer input device manufacturer and its employees will result from the investment.

"It was very important to us to find a new owner for Cherry that would offer the company and its employees a solid future with good prospects," explains Michael Hankel, ZF member of the Board of Management responsible for Cherry. "GENUI offers precisely such a future and is therefore an outstanding partner for Cherry." ZF will sell its 100-percent share in the subsidiary as it concentrates investment in its core business. The Cherry Group posted sales of roughly €80 million in 2015. It has 380 employees worldwide, 280 of whom work at the company's headquarters in Auerbach, situated between Nuremberg and Bayreuth.

Cherry, makers of the Cherry MX mechanical keyboard switches, and keyboards under its own brand, today announced the MX Board 9.0, a high-end mechanical gaming keyboard featuring Cherry MX RGB switches. Measuring 500 mm x 220 mm x 65 mm (LxDxH), the keyboard comes in variants featuring RGB-lit Cherry MX Blue, MX Brown, and MX Red switches. The Cherry MX Board 9.0 is characterized by an inward-curving design that makes keys along the top easier to reach, an overall asymmetric design, and a large rotary multi-function dial. Cherry didn't announce pricing or availability.

CORSAIR, a leader in high-performance gaming hardware, today announced the immediate and worldwide availability of its new LUX range of mechanical keyboards. Building on the phenomenal success of the CORSAIR K70, K70 RGB and K65, the new LUX range adds a host of new features and improvements. With enhanced lighting, USB pass-through and a back-lit optimized key cap font, CORSAIR LUX keyboards retain the core-design, premium materials and commitment to quality that has earned the CORSAIR K-series over 300 global media awards, making them the benchmark for high-performance keyboards.

Alongside the signature CORSAIR aluminum construction and 100% German-made Cherry MX keyswitches, the LUX range adds an enhanced internal lighting controller, allowing for finer color adjustment and even more vibrant patterns and effects. Paired with CUE (CORSAIR Utility Engine) software, stunning lighting effects are just a few clicks away.

It's not just with the iconic Durandal Spectrum, Tesoro's RGB LED treatment extends to some of its other popular gaming keyboards, too, such as the Colada spectrum. This keyboard retains the feature-set of the original Colada, but with Cherry MX RGB switches, and software with which you can set any of 16.7 million colors for each of the keys, or even some groovy lighting effects that respond to your keystrokes.

Tesoro gave the keyboard that put the company on the map, the iconic Durandal G1N, the RGB LED back-lighting treatment, with the new Durandal Spectrum. This variant of the Durandal features Cherry MX RGB switches, and its software lets you assign from 16.7 million colors to each individual key, as well as program some groovy multi-color lighting effects. The rest of its feature-set is consistent with the original Durandal G1N/L keyboard.

Fnatic Gear gave its flagship Rush G1 mechanical gaming keyboard the RGB LED treatment. The Rush G1 now comes with Cherry MX RGB mechanical switches, with control over color-lighting for each key. The keyboard retain's the original's minimalist 104-key layout, with a Function key enabling additional macros and system shortcuts. The keyboard comes with a 2-port USB hub. It also features a detachable palm-rest.

Ozone unveiled a colorful new variant of its compact Strike Battle mechanical gaming keyboard, the Strike Battle Spectra. The keyboard features multi-color RGB LED key backlit illumination. The keyboard features a compact 80-key layout that does away with the num-pad, and features Cherry MX RGB switches. Also featured are 30 macro keys (using a function key activation), 64 KB of onboard memory to store the lighting and macro profiles, and electronics with anti-ghosting capability.

EpicGear unveiled the White RGB variant of its Defiant mechanical keyboard. This keyboard combines a black rubberized palm-rest with a matte bright white face-plate, and slightly off-white keys that have Cherry MX RGB switches under them. Each key can be made to light up in a different color. The keyboard features a simple 104-key set, with Function key enabling more media keys, but also includes a mouse scroll-wheel that acts like a volume control, and which you can push to mute/unmute. The company also showed off a gunmetal trim of this keyboard.

G.Skill unveiled two new additions to its RipJaws gaming keyboard lineup, the KM770 and the KM550 MX (pictured in that order). The KM770 offers RGB lighting though Cherry MX RGB keys, Full NKRO with 100% anti-ghosting, the ability to reprogram every single key, dedicated media and macro keys, and an LED volume display. The KM550, on the other hand, features a simpler layout, with media keys bound to the Function key, and a single reddish orange key illumination. This keyboard comes in a variety of Cherry MX switch options.

Cougar brought two new mechanical gaming keyboards to the Computex floor, the Ultimus and Attack X3 RGB. The Ultimus features a simple and elegant design with an aluminium face-plate, a simple 104-key layout with Function key enabling various system macros, full N-key rollover in USB mode, and RGB LED lighting along its Cherry MX mechanical switches. The more familiar looking Attack X3 RGB is just a variant of the Attack X3, featuring RGB LED back-lighting the the keys. Not much else has changed from the original.

Corsair, a leader in high-performance gaming hardware, today announced the newest entries to its celebrated line-up of mechanical keyboards, the K70 RGB RAPIDFIRE, K65 RGB RAPIDFIRE and K70 RAPIDFIRE. The first keyboards in the world to feature the all-new Cherry MX Speed switch, the Corsair RAPIDFIRE family's linear mechanical key switches actuate at a distance of just 1.2 mm. 40% Faster than a standard Cherry MX key switch, the Corsair RAPIDFIRE range gives gamers the edge when every millisecond counts and the outcome of a match rests on a single key press.

The RAPIDFIRE family of gaming keyboards build on Corsair's legendary legacy of quality and innovation, retaining the aircraft-grade anodized brushed aluminium construction and German-made Cherry MX key switches that has helped make the Corsair K70, K70 RGB and K65 best-sellers among gamers, PC enthusiasts, or anyone who simply demanded more from their keyboard.

Razer, a world leader in connected devices and software for gamers, today announced a new line of mechanical keyboards for gamers, the Razer BlackWidow X series.
The new line of keyboards is a pared down minimalist version of the original Razer BlackWidow by removing the protective top cover and exposing the military-grade metal top plate construction that is found inside all current Razer BlackWidow keyboards. The original Razer BlackWidow with the inner metal chassis and additional protective top cover will continue to be sold as a premium model to the Razer BlackWidow X.

The stripped-down, minimalistic design of the Razer BlackWidow X line allows Razer to establish a new, lower price point for premium mechanical keyboards without compromising any of the core features for which the Razer BlackWidow is renowned. The Razer BlackWidow X series includes models Powered by Razer Chroma technology, which unlocks customizable lighting on each key, with 16.8 million colors and a variety of lighting effects. Customized profiles can be created on the Razer Synapse software and shared with millions of other users via the Razer Chroma Workshop. In-game Chroma lighting effects are also integrated into popular game titles, including "Call of Duty: Black Ops III", "Overwatch", "Blade and Soul" and more.

Logitech today announced the expansion of its mechanical gaming keyboard lineup with the Logitech G610 Orion Brown and the Logitech G610 Orion Red. Both products feature Cherry MX mechanical switches, as well as customizable bright white LED key backlighting and dedicated media controls. These full-size mechanical gaming keyboards integrate industry-leading technology and quality of construction in a uniquely crafted design to deliver peak performance for a pure gaming experience.

"Keyboard enthusiasts want a variety of options," said Ujesh Desai, vice president and general manager of gaming at Logitech. "Our new G610 Orion keyboards deliver a clean, sophisticated design along with a choice of mechanical switches." Every aspect of the Logitech G610 Orion Brown and the Logitech G610 Orion Red - from the simplest details, such as fingerprint-masking matte texture and a durable braided cable, to the most complex details, including advanced bright white LED key backlighting - is precisely engineered. The result is industry-leading technology and quality of construction in a uniquely crafted design.

Cooler Master, a leader in design and manufacturing computer components and peripherals, today launched a selection of keyboards for gamers to choose from. Minimalistic design meets brilliant illumination in Cooler Master's first RGB mechanical keyboard series with Cherry MX switches. The MasterKeys Pro L is the full-size version, and those seeking a compact version can go with the MasterKeys Pro S, a tenkeyless design.

"The MasterKeys Pro offers multiple lighting modes. Presets include Color Wave, Breathing, and other responsive effects. You can choose between red, brown, or blue switches to match your tactile preference," said Kevin Yang, Peripherals Product Manager. "And you get all the features, whether you prefer a full size keyboard or a tenkeyless design. In addition to easy-to-use software, we are working on a Software Development Kit (SDK) to truly help Make It Yours."

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the Horus GK2000 mechanical gaming keyboard. It has a built-in 32-bit micro-programmed control unit (MCU) and 4 MB of onboard memory, plus an intuitive ROG user interface that allows users to customize macro and function keys for complex multi-key commands with just a single keystroke. ROG Horus GK2000 has a premium, high-quality feel and has CNC-processed aluminum accents with a special topcoat finish. It also features a removable palm rest, 2-way adjustable feet, and a detachable stand for mobile devices.

Built-in 32-bit control unit
ROG Horus GK2000 has an embedded 32-bit MCU and 4 MB of onboard memory that processes and stores macro functions as well as lighting and profile settings. Users can program up to 80 macro commands for mouse, PC, and media-control functions. They can also program the keyboard to initiate complex multi-key commands with one keystroke. A total of 10 user profiles can be stored in the onboard memory, and users can simply drag and drop profile settings saved on their PCs to transfer them to the keyboard.

The new ROCCAT Ryos MK FX represents the chance to opt for both style and performance when you search for the perfect weapon for your gaming arsenal. Purpose built for hardcore gamers, the Ryos MK FX is the most advanced mechanical gaming keyboard on the market. Using all of ROCCAT's industry expertise and gaming experience, the Ryos MK FX boasts an amazing feature set, headed up by its impressive 16.8 million color per-key RGB illumination. It also features precise Cherry MX switches, two ARM processors and ROCCAT's intuitive Swarm driver software for easy yet, deeply customizable illumination options.

The Ryos MK FX offers fully configurable, ROCCAT-enginereed Per-Key RGB illumination in two convenient modes: preset and custom. This means you can add awesome special effects in 16.8 million colors to your keystrokes, configure your keyboard to highlight your in-game and application key bindings, your modifier keys, your system controls as well as your macro sequences and cool-downs plus much, much more.