As keyboard enthusiasts, the quality and feel of a keyboard are of the utmost importance to us. But there’s another component of modern keyboards that many connoisseurs debate about – RGB keyboards.
This question might have made its way up to your mind as well, are RGB keyboards worth it? Well, that is the question I’m here to answer for you.
RGB keyboards are great for their aesthetic appeal. However, RGB lighting should be an extra feature, not the main selling point. If the companies main focus is RGB lighting then that should be a red flag. There’s a good chance the rest of the keyboard is sub-par and not worth it for the RGB alone.
In this article, I’m going to basically talk about everything related to RGB keyboards and their usage and functionalities in the peripheral industry. So, sit back, relax and, read this article till the end if you want to know whether RGB keyboards are worth it or not.
Table of Contents
What is an RGB Keyboard?
Let’s start off on a more basic note. What is an RGB keyboard exactly? Well, an RGB keyboard is an LED-backlit keyboard that illuminates all the color combinations of the three colors red, green, and blue.
There are about 16 million colors that modern RGB keyboards are able to exhibit which is an incredibly huge number. The RGB keyboard industry has boomed in the past 5 to 6 years because of the success of LED-backlit keyboards for their aesthetics and color cohesive abilities seemingly satisfying the visual urges of many gamers and computer workers alike.
But visual aesthetics alone shouldn’t be enough for us to pay extra money for an RGB keyboard, right? That’s why answering the question, “what purpose does RGB actually serve in a keyboard?” is very important for us.
In my opinion, RGB keyboards are like a coin with two sides. One is the side with all the amazing functionalities and benefits that come with their use. And the other side is filled with many flaws and cons that RGB keyboards bring with them. For that reason, I’ve decided to go into detail about both sides of the coin so we can truly understand if RGB keyboards are worth it. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons that RGB keyboards come with.
Advantages of an RGB keyboard
When you think about RGB lighting, you don’t really think it actually brings any functionalities and advantages to the table right? Well, it does. Let’s take a look at all of the pros and benefits that RGB backlit keyboards have in them.
Visually Aesthetic
The first and foremost reason for the incredible popularity of gaming keyboards with RGB lighting is none other than its visual aesthetics. The beauty that 16 million colors bring to the computer table – pun intended.
Users and gamers especially love and enjoy seeing neon bright lights being emitted from their peripherals and that is why people love RGB keyboards. It really is definitely one of the best advantages that come with RGB backlit keyboards. The visual appeal of a non-RGB vs. an RGB keyboard is drastically in favor of the RGB keyboard without the shadow of a doubt.
Color Cohesion
Ever since RGB has been introduced in the peripheral industry, color cohesion has become an incredibly important factor for the mental satisfaction of a computer user. This is another epic advantage that RGB keyboards bring to the table.
RGB keyboards allow you to combine all of your RGB peripherals and get them to exhibit the same color together in unison making for an incredibly beautiful cohesion of colors. You might like to choose a single color combination for doing work or a different one for gaming and even multiple ones for different games depending upon your liking and whatever satisfies your gaming needs.
Helps Maintain Focus
The most important function that RGB keyboards come with, in my opinion, is helping maintain focus with color combination customization options. In keyboards where each and every key is individually customizable, you can change the colors of the keys for the particular task you’re performing.
For example, if you’re gaming, you can change the WASD colors to something more vibrant to distinguish them from other keys. You can change the color of Macros as well as the whole letter area of the keyboard if you’re writing an article or something. The possibilities are endless and RGB keyboards are making this happen.
Lets you Choose Your Own Color Combinations
Another epic advantage that the RGB factor brings to keyboards is offering the ability to choose your own favorite color combinations for your keyboard’s backlight.
If you’re a purple lover, you can change each of the keys to a different shade of purple reaching the peak of happiness and if you’re a fan of Blue, you can do the same with Blue. Let your imagination run wild because RGB keyboards allow you to make all the different kinds of color combinations your mind can think of.
Low-Light System Usage
One very important advantage that RGB lighting in keyboards has is the ability to keep your type and play games using the keyboard without having to keep the lights on and disturbing others.
With normal keyboards, you won’t be able to see anything in low-light or in a dark environment. But with RGB keyboards, you’re going to have the backlight illumination along with the imprint on each key allowing you to see and press the right key for the right function. This by far has to be one of the most useful benefits of RGB keyboards in comparison to non-RGB keyboards.
Cons of an RGB Keyboard
We looked at all the amazing advantages that RGB keyboards have, but let’s look at the flip side of the coin and take a look at the disadvantages and cons RGB keyboards come with.
Marketing Tactics
One huge disadvantage of RGB keyboards is the fact that companies are basically using RGB to market their keyboards without even explaining anything about them at all.
This means that one thing you’ve noticed a lot on keyboard boxes and advertisements nowadays is the constant talk about how it comes with addressable RGB and backlights instead of talking about the actual functional benefits that the keyboard brings. This is a major flaw of RGB keyboards that their RGB is used as a marketing tactic.
Less Functionality, More Flashiness
Another big problem with RGB keyboards is the lack of actual functionalities and features with just the flashiness of RGB. Yes, it is true that even cheap keyboards come with RGB now because of how popular and easily attainable the technology has become but a huge flaw is RGB being preferred by developers over usable features.
These features may include key rollover, multimedia functions, ergonomics, and much more. Cheaper RGB keyboards have nothing but RGB to offer. The quality is not even as good as standard keyboards which take away all the flashiness of the RGB. This is a major con in my opinion associated with RGB keyboards.
Not Everyone Enjoys Bright Lights in their Peripherals
RGB love is also a matter of personal preference and taste. Some people are incredibly fascinated by RGB and love seeing the different varying colors on their keyboard breathing and twitching all the time.
However, there is a large portion of gamers and computer users who aren’t huge fans of RGB. For them, RGB is just a nuisance. Having a PC free of rainbow puke as they say is extremely important. For these people, brightly lit RGB keyboards aren’t the greatest choice and in fact, RGB keyboards are a really big problem. This includes most writers and programmers.
Are RGB Keyboards Worth It?
Now, we know about both the perspective of RGB keyboard enjoyers and deniers. So, the million-dollar question is, are RGB keyboards worth it? Well, in my opinion, yes they definitely are. But I don’t speak for everyone. You might have a different perspective.
The reason I think RGB keyboards are worth it is that they’re something new and innovative. And now that we’ve looked at some of the advantages they bring with them, we know that they aren’t just for flashiness or visual aesthetics.
Furthermore, I believe that RGB technology being used in keyboards can actually grow to become even more usable and functional. Newer techniques of using RGB in peripherals are being developed as we speak.
So, in my opinion, RGB keyboards are definitely worth it since they’re not as expensive as they used to be in the past. But one thing that you should definitely look out for is the other features and specs that those RGB featuring keyboards come with. If they’re not useful otherwise, then there’s no need to use these flashy keyboards.
Conclusion
RGB keyboards are a great invention. And they’ll keep getting better and more easily attainable for the consumer market. All you need to do is look for the right specs and features along with the RGB aspect of a keyboard.
Once you’ve got the perfect combination going on, having RGB on your keyboard is definitely a great add-on. So, you don’t need to hesitate to get an RGB keyboard for yourself. I hope you learned a lot from this article. Have a great keyboard experience with your own RGB keyboards.