The G810 Orion Spectrum RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is that piece of gaming equipment that can make the difference between gold and platinum.
If you understand that reference, chances are that you also know how important LED lights are to gamers these days.
A big chunk of gaming enthusiasts adorn their rigs with lighting systems that vary from splashy to elaborated to useful.
Logitech's G810 Orion Spectrum Keyboard aims to be a Swiss knife sort of accessory: it markets itself as a performance-focused, fast-response mechanical keyboard that not only looks gorgeous, but also helps you with your office work productivity, as well.
In terms of size, Logitech made the G810 Orion Spectrum as compact as possible for a full-size keyboard. It's about as wide as the keypad-fitted Apple Keyboard, and the design resembles the aforementioned device as well. In other words, it sports a simple, clean, even minimalistic look. Users may customize the colorful RGB lighting into a subdued, single color backlight.
The G810 shows its roots as it continues the lines of the G410. Just like the previous model, the G810 makes use of Logitech's custom-designed Romer-G switches that the manufacturer claims to be extremely similar to the Cherry MX Brown switches.
What this means is that in everyday typing you will get a softer clicking noise than in standardized mechanical keyboards, but will maintain the tactile feedback. This makes the G810 both reliable and comfortable.
The newer model steps away from the G410 in the sound and functional areas. The G410 was definitely noisier, and it missed some of the features present in the G810. For example, the volume control wheel and neatly rounded media control keys are a welcome addition for a gaming keyboard.
This makes the G810 feel as much more than just a gaming accessory.
Logitech markets the G810 as having the fastest actuation of any keyboard on the market. The Romer-G switches sport dual actuation points, meaning that should one of them break, the other will respond to your typing like nothing ever happened.
One minus of the G810 is that it lacks a USB pass through. It would have been nice to have the mouse go directly into the keyboard, as was the case with the G710+ variant.
In the presentation video embedded at the end of this article, Logitech touts that the G810 sports performance driven design.
The manufacturer gives access to predefined game profiles in its accompanying software, virtually lighting up every possible combination of controls to suit your gaming needs.
Logitech's support for game-specific key binding covers a few hundred titles with custom lighting profiles. Normally, these profiles assist you by highlighting important controls but can also act as entertainment buffs. One example: while the police is tailgating you in Grand Theft Auto V, the keyboard will flash red and blue.
What's more, the proprietary app that comes with the keyboard detects your already installed games and applies the relevant lighting profiles.
Ubisoft has signed an agreement with Logitech that if you purchase the G810 between now and April 1, you get the highly anticipated Tom Clancy's The Division for free.
The price point for the Logitech G810 Orion Spectrum will be of €189 (about $200) in Europe or $159 in the U.S.
