SteelSeries has announced and launched its new Apex Pro Gen 3 keyboards for PC gamers. These keyboards are packed with cutting-edge features, including an industry-first. Described as the "World's Fastest Keyboard," the new OmniPoint 3.0 switches include the industry's first Hall Effect Gen 3 sensor.
For those who have heard about the 'Hall Effect,' these new switches include the technology to deliver a fast and more accurate response. As the latest version of the company's magnetic switch technology with 40 levels of adjustable actuation from 0.1mm up to 4.0mm, adding the 'Hall Effect' delivers "20x faster actuation and 11x quicker response time," according to SteelSeries.
This is compared to standard mechanical switches, which deliver a response time of just 0.54 ms. The competitive advantage extends to the company's GG software, which fully uses the new switches to offer gamers a suite of options and keyboard profiles.
Here's a breakdown of the new Rapid Trigger, Protection Mode, and Rapid Tap features.
- Protection Mode - Say goodbye to accidental "fat-fingering" with Protection Mode, a SteelSeries-exclusive feature. This mode protects against accidental key presses by reducing the sensitivity of selected surrounding keys-never worry about blowing the most important cooldown again.
- Rapid Tap - Rapid Tap prioritizes the last pressed key in a pair without needing to release the previous key, enabling faster input and improved aim. With up to 5 key pairings, your counter-strafing, peeking, crouch-jumping, or slide-cancelling gets more responsive than ever.
- Rapid Trigger - Discard the limitations of regular actuation. With Rapid Trigger, gamers can repeatedly press the same key without waiting for it to return, at the slightest lift of a finger. No more missing multiple key presses if players ever need to spam a button.
The next-gen Apex boards also sport a premium build with switch stabilizers, factory-lubed switches, and damping foam. SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 Series keyboards are available in three variants - full-sized wired Apex Pro Gen 3 for $239.99 USD, wired Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 for $219.99 USD, and Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3 for $269.99 USD.