Logitech announced a new frameless mechanical keyboard for gaming today. It’s called the G513, and it’s the successor to the G413, which has been a popular choice since its launch last spring. The company also announced new gaming PC speakers with the same Lightsync colored-LED technology you’ll find in the company’s gaming keyboards and mice.
Logitech brags of a 1ms report rate for the G513, but the main—albeit not unique—appeal of the keyboard is that it comes with two options for mechanical key switches built by Omron—the Romer-G Tactile and the Romer-G Linear. Logitech is notably not using the leading switch manufacturer, Cherry MX.
Logitech says the tactile switches have “soft tactile feedback during actuation for gamers who prefer direct feedback” and the linear switches “give you a smooth keystroke.” The G413 also had the brand’s Romer-G switches, but there was only one option. There’s an emphasis on materials here, too: the G513 is built from an aluminum-magnesium alloy, and it comes with a memory foam palm rest.
These days, every piece of gaming hardware seems to need a dizzying array of multi-colored LEDs, and Logitech isn’t skimping here. The keyboard uses the company’s Lightsync RGB technology with 16.8 million colors, too. Lightsync offers presets for certain popular games like Fortnight. There’s nothing radical here to distinguish this feature from Razer Chroma, of course, but if you’re the type of person who likes typing on an every-shifting rainbow, you’ll probably be satisfied.
Connectivity is USB 2.0. Other features include USB passthrough with one port, 26-key rollover, a game mode for deactivating the Windows key to avoid accidental presses, onboard memory for storing lighting profiles, and extra keycaps for W, A, S, D, and other keys that are important in many games. Like most companies that make keyboards like this, Logitech offers Windows software for customizing macros and lighting profiles, among other things.
In addition to the key switch choice, you can choose two finishes—Carbon and Silver. The keyboard is priced at $149.99 and will begin shipping in April.
The G560 speakers
As mentioned above, Logitech also announced new speakers intended for use with gaming PCs. The new G560’s claim to fame is that it comes with the Lightsync RGB tech, which is unusual for speakers. All the same stuff that applies to the keyboards and mice applies here, too—lighting that is supposed to change dynamically with gameplay, custom profiles abd pre-built profiles for popular games, and synchronization with other Lightsync hardware. The colored lights can also work as a visualizer when you’re playing music on the speakers.
The speakers in this 2.1-channel system are small, but Logitech claims the output is 240 watts peak and 140 watts average. DTS-X is supported for simulated surround sound. In other words, the audio quality probably won’t blow you away, but it’s good enough for most gamers. Logitech intended these speakers as a companion to its G502 gaming mouse—and probably the G513 keyboard, too.
The G560 is also expected to ship in April, and it costs $199.99.
