Emprex Keyboards Review

Cheetah gaming keyboard

I wasn’t expecting much from this keyboard, given that it can be picked up online for as little as £9.00 with an RRP of around £12.00, which is obviously a fraction of the cost of many other gaming keyboards that are on the market.  I gave it a go none the less in a few games of Battlefield 3, Ghost Recon Online and Shootmania Storm, things didn’t go too badly either, it a competent little keyboard, it’s not earth shattering in any way what so ever, but I didn’t run into any problems with it either. I did like that it had a Windows lock key and anti-ghosting capabilities though, given that it’s priced about the same as any standard office keyboard which don’t usually have either of these features, so it definitely adds to the value for money.

The keys feel nice enough to use too, I would compare it to just about any low cost membrane keyboard within this price range, that’s no bad thing though, given that the majority of PC users use a standard membrane keyboard day in day out and have done for many years, so it’s pretty much what most of us are used to in that respect.

Chiclet keyboard and mouse

This keyboard clearly wasn’t designed for gaming, its style and design make it well suited to a bit of light typing and web browsing, but I really like the light touch, flat design keys on this keyboard, it features a really nice click response that makes typing really easy, as such I couldn’t resist trying it out with a few demanding games.  I really enjoyed using it on things like Battlefield 3, while its not built for the job its good to know that its still capable of holding its own with a few games when you’re taking a break from typing emails and checking Facebook.  It’s pretty light weight too and thanks to this it makes it perfect for resting on your knee to type, or if you generally need to be a bit more flexible in the office than be tied right to the desk with it.

The included mouse isn’t fantastic, it’s a little small for my liking and is more like the mini USB editions that you get for laptops, it worked well enough but wasn’t offering much use beyond light web browsing, but its obviously not intended for gaming use so I won’t hold that against it.

Wireless MCE Keyboard with Trackball

It’s immediately apparent that this is the more expensive of the three keyboards, build quality and the overall design looks great and the feel of the keys is really enjoyable to type on.  The only issue I have with this keyboard is that it doesn’t feature a number pad and had a key layout similar to that of a laptop, but this is obviously on purpose, keeping the design of the board narrow to make it more convenient to use from the couch rather than the desk.

I already have my PC hooked up to the big screen as my 2nd monitor for watching movies and gaming, using this keyboard to browse the web, type a few emails and of course use Windows Media Centre and XBMC was an absolute joy.  The large selection of multimedia keys along the top are a big benefit, allowing you to pause, play, skip, mute and open context menus with ease when watching a movie or playing back some music and the track ball mouse is surprisingly accurate and responsive. While it’s not going to be any good for gaming, it is perfect for navigating around your computer or the web with ease.