General Observations

The G15 has a fairly typical design and look. The color scheme isn't going to cause a ruckus with most desks and other computer area furniture as it is black and silver with a hint of blue (from the lights). There are two USB ports on the front side of the keyboard making it easy to plug-in an MP3 player or camera real quick, even add an extra mouse. The size of the keyboard is a little bigger than most general keyboards due to the extra keys on the left size but overall it's not a huge change. Most of the keys are in their typical places but you're probably noticing some new keys that aren't familiar.

Starting from the top left, you have a switch that is for the Windows key; when put on the computer end, the Windows key functions as normal but when moved to the right the switch disables the Windows keys for gaming mode. Everyone knows how when the bullets start flying and buttons are being smashed one of the worst things that can happen is a slip to the Windows key and having the game minimize. In the center of the keyboard you have the LCD, media controls, as well as some buttons to control the LCD (remember to enable Global Hotkeys if you're using WinAmp). To the right of the LCD resides a mute button and a backlight button. The backlight can be shut off, or raised to one of two other levels of brightness. This button also controls the backlight for the LCD; however should you wish to control the two independently, adjust the keyboard brightness with the button first and then go into the LCD Settings in the G-Series Keyboard Profiler software to adjust only the LCD (you can also adjust the contrast of the LCD here. We found the best setting to be at the lowest contrast as it removes a lot of smearing you see otherwise). On the very left side of the keyboard are the G keys; 18 programmable keys to help you come out victorious. The three small buttons along the top of the G keys are mode buttons (M1, M2, M3). Each button can be programmed once in each mode so you actually have 54 keys to program. The larger button directly to the right of the mode buttons is the macro key (MR). While it's better to set macros using the software interface when you're at the desktop, what about programming them on the fly for something new you just realized you might need in the game? Thats what the MR button is for. Just press it, hit the G key you want to assign the macro to, hit the keys you want, then hit MR again and the G key is now set to that macro. In preferences you can determine whether the time between the buttons you push is saved with the macro or not. We'll have more on the G keys and the software later.

Also on the keyboard is a cable routing system implanted on the underside. This allows you to take any cords from devices you connect through the keyboard USB ports and keep them out of your way. The LCD also folds shut which is great for storage and transporting between LAN parties.