If you’re looking to dramatically improve your competitive gaming experience, investing in a dedicated gaming keyboard is one of the easiest and best ways to get ahead.
Over the years, the best gaming keyboards have become more popular on Black Friday as many gamers appreciate their value more, as well as the fact that many of them can be quite expensive – especially since high-end keyboards tend to include custom macros, mechanical keys, RGB lighting, ultra-fast response times, higher build quality, and more premium features. But with the right Black Friday deal, you can easily pick up one of the more expensive models for under $100 or even under $50.
And if you happen to be looking in the mid or low end, sales will make those prices even sweeter. And best of all, there are now many options that offer almost the same experience as a high-end model at a lower price.
However, there are some deals you wouldn’t want to touch with a three-foot pole, and that doesn’t just apply to low-end models. Sometimes you might get what looks like an excellent deal on a high-end gaming keyboard, but doesn’t offer the features or build quality that should come with it.
But this is where we come in. We tested a lot of the best keyboards around, and we know what it takes to make or break a gaming experience, so we’re here to walk you through the process so you can get the best deal possible as we head into the holidays.
What to Look for in a Black Friday Gaming Keyboard Deal
So what should you look out for when shopping on Black Friday? There are some key points to remember when it comes to buying a gaming keyboard and ensuring the smoothest experience possible.
In general, gaming keyboards have such a wide range of features and designs to suit different needs of buyers. However, depending on which end of the price spectrum you want to buy from, there are tips and tricks that can help your experience.
The number one feature to look for when shopping for a high-end gaming keyboard is build quality. Most other functions are also important, but if the gaming keyboard is made of cheap plastic, then it will quickly fail. For an expensive keyboard, it should be made of aluminum alloy and the keys should be mechanical.
The former means that the keyboard body needs to be strong because of how much punishment they take, and most high-end keyboards need to be made primarily of aluminum. The latter refers to the fact that keyboards use membrane or mechanical keys. Mechanical switches have a switch under the switch, and membrane switches send an electric current between two plastic membranes. Mechanical ones are much quicker to click and last much longer than cheaper membrane ones.
Cheaper keyboards tend to use membrane keys and have plastic bodies, which can be detrimental to hardcore gaming sessions, but would be perfectly fine for more casual gaming and productive work. And some of the low and mid-range keyboards can even mimic the mechanical feel of the more expensive ones even with membrane keys. But keyboards in this category should never be more than $50, anything above that price range should at least have mechanical keys.
There’s one Black Friday-specific consideration we should mention, which is that you’ll see quite a few high-end keyboards getting deep notches this time of year. Here’s an example from last year:
Features that gaming keyboards should have are some level of customizable keys and/or macros (although the amount and level will vary by price point) and a fast response time, with 1ms or less being ideal.
Another factor you’ll want to look for is size, which depends on how much desk space you have. If you have a lot, then a full size keyboard and key pad is perfectly fine. But less space may require a keyless keyboard, which forgoes a key and is much smaller and portable. You can find the best mini keyboards in all price ranges, and many of them will be on sale during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Prices will be reduced on all types of gaming keyboards
We have years of experience finding the best tech deals around the holidays, so we know how Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales work. The past few years have changed the norm quite a bit due to the pandemic and the resulting supply chain issues, making things more chaotic.
Even with that, though, there are still plenty of consistent patterns to work with. The tech industry as a whole has many practices that have survived the past few years, such as the tendency to cut prices on older products to make way for newer models.
The latter is less likely to get a price cut, although you may see the occasional sale on such products, which may still be worth keeping an eye on for the latest gaming keyboards. Older keyboards aren’t the only ones that go on sale during the holiday season.
Also, since new technology usually appears either during the holiday season or early next year, demand for current-generation gaming keyboards will drop and retailers will be forced to cut prices as a result.
One of the best ways to see what gaming keyboard deals to expect this year is to look at what we saw last year. And to help you compare last year’s deals, we can bring you some highlights from our Black Friday 2021 coverage to showcase them.
Things to avoid with a Black Friday gaming keyboard deal
Unfortunately, the holiday season means more opportunities to sell mediocre gaming keyboards at prices that are often over-inflated but masquerading as a good deal. And while it can be difficult to root out every shoddy keyboard offering, there are ways to weed out the most egregious examples.
These tips apply more to high-end gaming keyboards, as there are usually more retailers trying to push less than Steller models on casual buyers while pretending to be premium.
Any high-end keyboard should be made of aluminum or steel alloy, period. If you are spending premium prices, then it should be made of premium material. This goes doubly for the keys, which should always be industry-standard Cherry MX mechanical switches.
In terms of specifications, the response time should be 1ms or less, and there should be customizable keys and macros. Of course, the type and amount of it depends on the price and type of gaming keyboard, with MMO games requiring more than any, but it should be a feature as hardcore and competitive games require it.
Features like RGB lighting are usually included, but they’re just window dressing—extremely expensive window dressing that can easily add tens of dollars to the price of a gaming keyboard. So if you happen to see a keyboard with it, but the specs are a little lower than normal, it’s a terrible deal.
Finally, there’s the eternal wired vs. wireless keyboard debate, and we’re here to tell you that it largely comes down to personal preference. There isn’t enough of a difference in response time to justify one or the other, so choose what works best for you and don’t fall for the extra charge for wireless because it’s guaranteed not to be worth the extra cost.
If you do go wireless and plan to play competitive esports, make sure the keyboard supports 2.4Ghz wireless and not just Bluetooth. Bluetooth has a higher input latency than 2.4GHz wireless, so it’s not as suitable for competitive gaming.
Today’s best deals on gaming keyboards
If you don’t want to wait for Black Friday, you can check out some of the best deals on gaming keyboards available right now.
https://www.techradar.com/news/how-to-buy-the-right-gaming-keyboard-this-black-friday/