Driver

Even though we can use the keyboard without installing any software, installing SteelSeries Engine 3 will ensure you get the most out of the APEX M800 as it allows us to program keys, set lighting profiles, and more.


Upon opening the software, we are introduced to this screen, which is essentially your toolbox to the software. If you have multiple SteelSeries products, they would all be viewable here, and you would be able to customize them via this screen.


One area I want to bring attention to early on is the "GameSense" tab. I really enjoyed messing around with this in CS:GO. It basically recognizes that we are playing a game and uses the LEDs to feed us information, such as ammo, health, and kills. Although it only enforces information we already have available on screen and really is a gimmick, it is pretty fun to use. I am not going to go too in-depth here as I don't have a ton of games for which the profiles were set up. I also only had a limited amount of time to play games as I sought to concentrate on the feel of the keyboard instead.


If we go back to the "My Gear" tab and click on the APEX M800 and "Illumination" tab, we will be taken to this screen from which we can tell the LEDs to do pretty much whatever we want.


Clicking on one of the preset templates on the right-hand side is the fastest way to change the look of the keyboard; settings such as RainbowFeline will instantly change the keyboard's look. There are many different options here, including static LED profiles; some are shown on the next page.


One thing to note is this little toggle switch that lets us change whether we want the lock keys to follow the theme you have set for the keyboard when enabled. I kept this feature on, so when I pressed caps lock, it always showed in white regardless of what theme the keyboard was on. You can click on the sample color and change it to whatever you like by using the color palette.


As mentioned, you pretty much have limitless control over what your LEDs do on the SteelSeries APEX M800; on the left-hand side of the keyboard, we also have a control area with which to change the color of each individual key, or as I am doing in the picture, set sections by dragging a box over the keys I wish to change. Another thing to note on this screen is that you can change what happens when the keyboard goes idle. You do have the exact same customizable features as when it is active. You could have all the keys turn off after the keyboard has not been used for a set period of time, for instance. If you want it to go crazy with flashing colors to make sure you haven't just dozed off at the desk, such is also possible. I quite like this feature even though it is more of a gimmick instead of a feature everyone needs.


If we look at the "Key Bindings" tab, we see an option on the right to change language settings, to make sure that what is displayed matches the layout we are using. More interestingly though, we have the area where we can program all the keys on the left-hand side.


This area lists a number of zones, such as the "Macro Key Zone", which refers to the six dedicated macro keys; the "Function Key Zone" refers to the F keys, and so on. If you make any macros, they will be appear here in purple, so I currently have, as you can see, two made macros in my "Macro Key Zone." One types "techpoweup.com" and the other runs a save command in Photoshop.


There are two ways to program a key. Either select the key from the list mentioned above or click on the key you wish to program on the keyboard graphic. Once you do, this screen will pop up. You can program any key to do anything you like; in this list, we see all the keyboard functions, grouped into categories. So we could, for example, make the "alt" key into an "A" or an arrow key. There is also a quick-record button, which is far easier to use than finding the correct key in the list. Simply click on the key you want to change to then press the key you wish to change it to.


If you want to do a little more with the keys, such as set them as mouse buttons or to a recorded macro, you will need the drop-down box "Keyboard Buttons" at the very top in the picture above; it will give you all these options. To record a new macro for a key, simply click on the "Record Macro" button.


Once you have clicked on the button to record a new macro, we are taken to this screen. Press start to then type whatever you want to record. As you can see, you can record delays between key presses; these can be also edited at any time.


The delays can be completely deleted to give you a more fluid macro, useful for when you want to use them to type texts or commands rather than to game.

This is just a very brief look into the software as there are far more options and features available (like being able to play snake and set the keyboard to react to music), but I think it is safe to say that it is extensive and easy to use.

Performance

Using the SteelSeries APEX M800 was a very comfortable and easy experience, and I really enjoyed doing so. According to SteelSeries marketing, the APEX M800 is the "World's Fastest Keyboard", and they have the above key comparison to show us how their QS1 switches differ from other popular brands. Now, if SteelSeries are implying that their switch is faster than any other due to its lower actuation point, they would have been perfectly correct as it actuates at 1.5mm rather than 2mm, like a Cherry MX red. However, Cherry has now also released a Cherry MX Speed switch, which has an actuation point of just 1.2mm, which does unfortunately throw a little bit of a spanner in the works for the above infographic. Having said that, there are other areas which increase speed whilst using a keyboard, such as the key profile, keycap design, and dedicated macro keys, so there are plenty of differences that will forever be argued about. What can't be argued, though, is that the APEX M800 does perform well once you get used to it, and it does feel faster than the majority of its competitors.


We have talked a lot about the lighting options during the review, but here is how they actually perform; these are just two of the preset options which use a lot of colors and motion. The LEDs are very bright, but can sometimes have an almost pastel look about them depending on how you set them up.


Here are two presets with a single color; again, very bright and very well done, you can also set some presets to react to a keypress, which is rather nice.


Sometimes, too many flashing lights can distract you from your gaming; SteelSeries has actually given us some static presets also, such as the "FPS", "Glock Fade", and "MOBA" settings we can see above. "Glock Fade" is probably my favorite static-lighting option as it really does look like the CSGO skin; the colors match wonderfully even if they don't look completely correct in the picture above.


I also mentioned the LED on the side. I want to show you this LED even though it really is a gimmick. It does look great, is RGB, and matches the keys surrounding it.


In this American Flag preset, we can see how bright the LEDs are in a well-lit area; this picture is taken whilst a small spot lamp points at the keyboard. As you can see, the LEDs are fine to use in the day as well as at night.