Logitech G18 gaming keyboard shows its not-so-ugly face
By Laura June 
posted Dec 10th 2008 9:06PM
posted Dec 10th 2008 9:06PM
We spied the Logitech G13 Gamepad when it was announced earlier today, and now Engadget Chinese has caught wind of something else that may be in store for us. The keyboard pictured above is apparently the G18, and we while we have almost no solid info on it, we can glean a few things, such as the apparent groupings of fast function keys on the left side of the board (some which seem to be numbered G11-G15), not to mention that tiny display at the center. We don't know when we can expect this beast to arrive, but the G13 Gamepad is expected in January so fingers crossed.
why can't they ever make an Ergo version of these keyboards?
I'd rather see a version with those thin keys like laptops have. Much more comfortable to press imo.
Strange, I prefer the big ol' noisy IBM Model M styled keys....
To each his/her own I guess.
I agree, they should make a Gaming Keyboard with Model M-esque keys.
I'd rather rather see a version with sharp edges. Much more comfortable to cut emo.
I've tried gaming on model-M style keyboards, and although they are much superior for essay typing and the like it just takes too much effort and time to press a key down compared to some of the laptop-style keyboards that it doesn't make sense for FPS gaming at least where your left hand is just resting on WASD waiting for a twitch signal from the brain.
That said, I dunno why you would need a G13 and a G18 as displayed, G13 is for game control, G18 would've been for chat and everything else (*ahem* work) but a model-M works much better for that.
If they could get a) a G13 with blue lighting b) a model-M style keyboard with the GamePanel display I would be sold on both in an instant. I loved, besides everything else about it, the blue motif of my original G15 and was very sad when I accidentally spilled a glass of water on it and found that there were no more blue G15s to be found. The GamePanel display also really comes in handy if for nothing other than having the time displayed on it so I don't lose track of the time while in a full-screen game. For those of you who suggest adding on a seperate clock altogether for $15 or something, well that's about what the GamePanel added to the G11 in order to make the G15 - $15, and of course the GamePanel could do so much more.
If that's an LCD. I'll pee my pants.
sir you might need some new pants :)
Oh come on, they couldn't have released this BEFORE christmas???
El Taco as in "I was completely wrong about the popularity of the iPod 'El Taco'"?
We are graced by thine presence...
What happens to your pants if its an OLED display!?
@ bookburnr
From what I've heard the LCD on their keyboards has a couple of nice features like seeing who's in Ventrilo/Teamspeak (who's talking, etc..) A bunch of other mods, too. I've considered it just for that feature alone.
FAKE!
This is clearly a Photoshop of some gamer's dream.
Yeah, I was just thinking that...
The ways the keys are lit up in the middle of the day is just a little 'suss'.
Not to mention there are some artifacts over the keyboard when there are none in the picture itself.
And that's either smudging on the bottom of the keyboard 'grip' thing, or someone hasn't taken much care of Logitech's latest prototype? Which I doubt.
I just jizzed my pants.
i looked at my phone and i saw you called.
and i jizzed in my pants.
I just ate a grape... and jizzed in my pants.
I love my G15, but I wish you could get it in a different color. The orange of my keyboard just doesn't jive with the blue from my PC and mouse.
I have a G15 (gaming keyboard, no idea what the difference is), and it's blue and looks awesome. I think the G11 is blue too, just has no LCD :(
You have an older one. The newer ones are orange and only have 1 row of extra keys (They don't call it a 'gaming keyboard' either)
Same here. I hate the dirty orange colour of the backlight on the G15. The G13 appears to have configurable backlight colours, so here's hoping it's the same for the G18. I'd upgrade just for that.
I JUST CRAPPED MY PLANTS
I'll give you an 'A' for effort....
hey good job! now they'll grow better! i bet bill has a big green thumb!
was it a super crap cuz you wrote in caps ???
I actually couldn't care less about this keyboard thing...
But everyone else was making "I just ___ my pants" comments and I couldn't resist!
Um, I would do a quick youtube search on "Jizz in my Pants" to figure out what everyone is quoting.
You are quickly becoming "that guy" who acts like he knows the joke, but is clearly missing it and trying to fit in. :-P It's okay, we still love you in a completely heterosexual way.
wow, that makes the design of the g13 seem SO MUCH more Logical....no pun intended.
if the pun was not intended, then why did you capitalize "Logical"?
Logitech makes quality keyboards. Too bad they're all vulnerable to my inability to keep dorito crumbs out of them :(
I like it already. I wish they would go with a different color too. I liked the first G15 with the blue.
Calm down guys. Seriously.
I agree. For some reason Logitech must have felt that this keyboard should cost roughly 20 dollars more than the G15. Hopefully the prices won't be as high as they describe because you can usually find their products at 2-40 percent off of what they sell it for at stores like Newegg.
: /
Just realized this is the full keyboard they are talking about. My point above is still valid about the gamepad.
/facepalm
Finally this thing makes sense, when they only posted the G13 thingy ever1 one was going insane i was worried if i post 'guys, this does not even make sense, we can't even use this without a keyboard' I would be persecuted with the lowest rank.
Also, remember guys the G15 has an LCD screen too. Suppose most of you were not old enough to 'jizz in ur pants' back then tho. I like the G15 better but the screen on this has a cool border and looks like it will click into place nicely when your not playing.
The G13 interests me, it will be good to finally retire my 1st gen G15. But this G18 keyboard looks fugly. Apparently I'll be looking elsewhere for a new keyboard
I'm a big gamer but I never saw the point in these big gaming keyboards like this. I prefer my ultrax keyboard over this. I find the flat laptop like keys better for gaming. I also prefer my hardware not so gaudy.
I just got my second gen G15 this year.
Great... I guess I will wait till someone release better software to display things on the LCD
Sideshow?
@Tankyu
That thought crossed my mind as well. I wondered why no one had thought of that yet, but it will probably be logitech's own proprietary version of it or something.
I still don't think this or the 2nd Gen G15 are proper successors to the original G15. Just like as good as the G9 is they didn't quite hit the same affect as the G5 for me love the laser engine of the 9 and I won't go back to the 5 I just would rather have had that laser in the 5's shell or in the Revolution's shell.
I'm in love with my first generation g15 (blue keys text lcd screen). Every version since the first has really seemed like a step backward in style.
That looks like a 2.5'', maybe 3'' OLED display.
...and my G15 marches on towards obsolescence.
Can I haz?
not OLED dude that would cost a fair bit LCD's can be very thin at those small sizes.
That monitor needs to be
3 times as big!
yay zoolander
ehh, im just happy cuz its backlit
Woo, now i can find a old g15 for cheap!
yay hobogadgets!
Hrm, not Widescreen? Would have thought by now WS is the way to go!
I'm excited to see where the mattress fits in.
(Click the read link if you are lost)
+1
Yay! I spilled milk all over my G15 and haven't yet repurchased it (and don't like the 'new' G15). Seems waiting has actually paid off for ONCE in the tech game. Hurry up to retail G18!
Am I the only one who thinks this looks like some kind of half-baked pre-production version? Tiny screen with a huge surround, crowded unorganized buttons at the top, and the orange, OH THE ORANGE. I
And I'll still end up buying the Ultrax for 15EUR and doing just fine.
" not to mention that tiny display at the center. "
It's an iPhone!
And next we will have a mouse with a color display ;)
http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/loginoki/index_eng
man i just bought a G15 too...I really wish you can change the color for the keyboard...you can do it for the G9 mouse so why not the keyboard?
If that's a 'not so ugly' keyboard then wtf is the ugly model like? That would be the ugliest keyboard I'd ever seen in my life, if I hadn't seen several other 'gaming keyboards'...
(Or maybe that line was sarcasm? In which case, sorry.)
Red lettering on black == ugly, and that counts for site designs too YOU HEAR ME!?!!
The orange is really amber. The most ergonomic color. I used amber on my first Zenith PC, way back in the very early 1980 to write code for e-mail and IM applications running accross T1, OC3, Tymnet and Telnet networks
No, Logitech you idiots!
No one liked the G15.2 because of it's annoying screen and shit colour, so why use the same type of screen and shit colours?
We want a nice screen (Colour is good though) with BLUE neons? Or at least something like AlienWare's LightFX and the G9 Mouse where you can change the colours yourself.
Although, seeing as no more information is known, maybe you can change the colours!
I like how there's 12 G-Keys, because 18 feels too much and the 6 on the G15.2 is just stupid.
Oh yeah, I own the G15.1 and I've used my mates G15.2 a fair bit, so I know enough about both keyboards.
This might look like a photoshop, etc but one thing that caught my eye is the G15 on Logitech's Website has had a price cut, and now it shows Limited Quantities Available... Which tells me that there is indeed a new version coming.