Corsair K83 Wireless Entertainment Keyboard Review

Performance

This is a wireless keyboard, so remember to charge it up before use. Fortunately, it had plenty of power out of the box, so I can get right to the action.

The mouse design is really clever, and since it’s laid flat, I can rest my thumb over the two buttons, while using my index/middle finger to track on the pad. It’s not a standard layout, but laptop users will adapt pretty darn quickly to the layout.

Analogue Controller or Keyboard?

Well, this is a funny one, a thumb stick on a keyboard? Well, that’s what we have, and it’s quite a nice one too. It has a good grip to the top of it, making it easy to control. Obviously, don’t use it like this, I’m just showing you the stick.

As for everything else, it’s nice having the volume control up at the top there.

Holding the keyboard with your right hand feels comfortable too. Obviously, you can quickly transition from the mouse to the thumb stick.

You can also easily reach the rear trigger, and another back button located on the underside of the keyboard. For gaming, that’s a big advantage, as you can map all these as you see fit.

GAMING!

If you’re a big PC gamer like me, you may also want to play on the biggest screen in the house. Using my Nvidia Shield TV and GameStream, I often do just that. Now, with the K83, I have both a keyboard and a controller in one, sort of. For example, when it comes to FPS gaming, I have WASD controls, which are obviously fantastic. The mouse isn’t ideal for FPS gaming though, but that’s where the analogue stick comes in. It’s certainly easier than the mouse pad, but perhaps a standard controller would be the better solution.

The stick is great though, and for 3rd person and 1st person single player games, I found it quite adept. A bit of Skyrim worked just fine, a bit of Battlefield V… worked, but I got my ass handed to me in multiplayer. I do suck though, so don’t put all that on Corsair’s fancy new controller.

It’s quite compact overall, and really light. The Lapboard they had was pretty big and made my legs warm. It’s also a bugger to store. This thing, however, I can chuck it down the side of the couch and have no issues. Plus, it looks superb and guests are always asking what the heck it is.

LED Lighting, Of course!

The white LED lighting is pretty weak, but in a dark room, it’s more than enough to guide you without being so bright it takes away from your movie night.

I especially love the ring around the mouse, it just looks pretty cool, but again makes it easy to see the boundaries. Either way, when using Plex, or navigation of YouTube, and my favourite website eTeknix (…or maybe reddit…), the versatility of the K83 is unmatched.

Overall, the K83 is quite the box of tricks. I’d love to type more of this review, but to be honest, I want to go back and play some more Two Point Hospital on the big screen. I’ll be using the K83, of course!

How Much Does it Cost?

The Corsair K83 Wireless Keyboard launches today with an MSRP of $99.99. It’s showing on Amazon here in the UK for £109.99. However, that may be a pre-launch holding price, and I suspect it’ll drop quickly later today or tomorrow. Either way, I think if you can get one for under £100, you’re doing well.