Getting a Topre for gaming. Need help choosing.

[Muirium]

The only game I've had problems with using a HHKB for was battlefield and that game is garbage anyway and noone should endure it.

However, for some games controller is better, like scottc said. Specifically, something like hack and slash games imo.

And opinion that Topre is the same as membrane is ... well, I'll put it down to being inexperienced or not have used a membrane board in a long, long time.

Battlefield 1942 was good. Loved me a bit of Vietnam and Battlefield II in the day, as well. Which was more than 10 years ago, yikes…

If you want a laugh, you should see me use thumbsticks. I'm up against the ceiling, no the floor, no the edge where they join, no the corner of the room, no just got shot again. Always been this way with them, even when I was an active player and the PlayStation 2 etc. came along. Ugh! I kept to my beloved keyboard and mouse controls (learned right around the same time, so it wasn't just the Old Man Hates New Things effect) and all was well, until Windows gaming began to die as consoles took over. I gave up for many reasons in the end.

Had some hopes for the capsense pads by Valve. Tried them for hours recently at a friends. So much for that…

[adhoc]

I still like to play a game here and then, however with age my tastes have become very picky. Maybe it's due to time constraints more, so if I decide to dedicate some time to a game it really has to tick many boxes on my criteria list.

By battlefield I meant the newer ones - BF3 and 4 are utter garbage. BFBC2 was something I quite enjoyed. 1942, II etc were naturally really good

Gaming on computers has taken a turn for the better in past few years I feel. There's many quality titles available nowadays. I get to really enjoy 3-4 games a year and those are worth the entire hobby in my opinion

[Chyros]

The game that literally has an intro video telling you not to use a keyboard and mouse at all?

Surely you're not going to advocate something as revolting as a controller on a mechanical keyboard forum though? ;D

I'm advocating the right tool for the job! Which, for a platformer, isn't usually a keyboard... If this were a mechanical pencil enthusiast forum and someone asked how to dig holes in their front garden to plan pots in, I wouldn't doggedly tell them "YES! OF COURSE, USE THE PENCIL YOU PLEBE!" For games like FPSes, keyboard and mice are clearly superior, but for things like Super Meat Boy controllers are more comfortable.

It's probably just me, but I can't use controllers, I find them horrible xD . I just can't deal with them, I find them slow and fiddly xD . Some controllers hurt my fingers after use, as well, like the Xbox one.

[Muirium]

Yay, there's two of us!

But surely an insane fullsize layout posse enthusiast like you at least admires the hideous girth of the 360 controller? If Japanese hands can grasp it, sir!, it is too small for purpose.

[Chyros]

Yay, there's two of us!

But surely an insane fullsize layout posse enthusiast like you at least admires the hideous girth of the 360 controller? If Japanese hands can grasp it, sir!, it is too small for purpose.

I don't really like any controller I ever tried, but the (enormous) xbox one was better than most as my hands are fairly big and I have long fingers.

[cookie]

Some games won't even allow you to change the controls. Try playing something like Super Meat Boy on a HHKB, I guarantee you're going to have a great time :p .

For those pesky candidates I use Joy2Key and play them with my 360 xbox controller.
I had the same problem with "The Binding of Isaac", those games are better of with a game-controller anyways

[Chyros]

Some games won't even allow you to change the controls. Try playing something like Super Meat Boy on a HHKB, I guarantee you're going to have a great time :p .

For those pesky candidates I use Joy2Key and play them with my 360 xbox controller.
I had the same problem with "The Binding of Isaac", those games are better of with a game-controller anyways

Yeah, the controls are fixed on that one too. I played that on an XT for a while ^^ . And of course many DOS games, but I don't think many people beside me play those xD .

[Sankart]

And opinion that Topre is the same as membrane is ... well, I'll put it down to being inexperienced or not have used a membrane board in a long, long time.

Hear that Chyros? Seems like you're inexperienced.
Well, sorry for the insolence of not praising Topre above everything else, especially the HHKB, which is

by far the best board out of all of them bar none.

Except for some improvements (which really are huge in comparison to some) it is very close to other rubberdome keyboards, denying that and calling it closer to a Piano than a rubberdome is nothing but delusional in my opinion and doesn't help a potential customer in any way. You can belittle other peoples opinion as much as you want to, but the feeling of Topre is much closer to rubberdome keyboards than it is to usual mechanical switches.

[Spikebolt]

I love my HHKB but I wouldn't use it for gaming. Mainly because I feel the F-row is invaluable for some of the games I play, such as Starcraft or even Dota. More keys reachable by my left hand are... handy!

I love softer switches so my opinion is kinda biased. I would totally get a 45g uniform Realforce for gaming. I think it's still very good for typing and way less tiring for gaming.

The best option would be to try them out but it's hard to find friends with Topres

You can belittle other peoples opinion as much as you want to, but the feeling of Topre is much closer to rubberdome keyboards than it is to usual mechanical switches.

Yes, this is true. Topre is closer to rubber dome than any other switch and this is because Topre actually uses rubber cups with a spring. The difference is that rubber domes wear down fast, become inconsistent and gritty, that's what makes them so shitty. Some rubber domes are actually pretty decent at first.

EDIT: also rubber dome does not necessarily mean membrane, I think you're confusing the terms.

[cookie]

I play, such as Starcraft or even Dota. More keys reachable by my left hand are... handy!

I'd love to know for what you need F keys in dota?

[Spikebolt]

I play, such as Starcraft or even Dota. More keys reachable by my left hand are... handy!

I'd love to know for what you need F keys in dota?

Sure thing, here are my Dota2 keybinds

F1: Select myself
F2: Select courier
F3: Courier delivery
F4: Courier speed

1: Select myself + all units
2: Select all units, excluding myself
3-6: I manually bind them to creeps (necro units, jungle creeps, etc)

QWER: Skills
Alt + QWE ASD: Items
H: Stop and Hold
Spacebar: Taunt

ZXCV: Skill level up

[Chyros]

And opinion that Topre is the same as membrane is ... well, I'll put it down to being inexperienced or not have used a membrane board in a long, long time.

Hear that Chyros? Seems like you're inexperienced.

I think "membrane" isn't a very good word here. That BTC board doesn't even have a membrane, btw (it uses a proper PCB). A much more appropriate word would be "rubber dome". But denying that Topre is a rubber dome switch or like a rubber dome switch is just stupid, that's like saying steak isn't really a type of meat or tomatoes aren't really red because they both really obviously are.

I'm definitely inexperienced though 8) .

(btw I'm actually typing on that BTC right now, it's doing some office duty as I needed the Zenith in a few recent videos)

[Spikebolt]

Topre is definitely like rubber dome but definitely not like membrane. I think it's just a term mix up, that's all.

[cookie]

I play, such as Starcraft or even Dota. More keys reachable by my left hand are... handy!

I'd love to know for what you need F keys in dota?

Sure thing, here are my Dota2 keybinds

F1: Select myself
F2: Select courier
F3: Courier delivery
F4: Courier speed

1: Select myself + all units
2: Select all units, excluding myself
3-6: I manually bind them to creeps (necro units, jungle creeps, etc)

QWER: Skills
Alt + QWE ASD: Items
H: Stop and Hold
Spacebar: Taunt

ZXCV: Skill level up

Interesting, don't you use the spacebar at all? I played a lot Dota on my HHKB and never missed the function keys.

[Spikebolt]

It all comes down to personal preference, really. In Dota it's probably a luxury, in Starcraft I feel it's a necessity.

[Muirium]

Topre is definitely like rubber dome but definitely not like membrane. I think it's just a term mix up, that's all.

A mixup that shall never die!

Topre haters: I'm into IBM too — I have a Kishsaver as well as an HHKB — so I know real switches. The HHKB is right up there with them. It's a fantastic wee board.

Capsense makes all the difference. As does the premium build, caps, legends, and significantly better domes than everything else out there. Rubberdome ain't a dirty word. Rubberdome ***OVER MEMBRANE*** is our enemy!


@Chyros: An XT, you say? I've been there too!

I completed Sniper Elite V2 using an XT, so it's definitely possible! I did it on hard. And I upped the difficulty even further by using my Magic Mouse! Chording on the keyboard because your mouse can't… that's NKRO put to good use.

There's something endlessly grin-provoking about sneaking around right behind a bunch of soldiers, ssh silent!, on such a loud keyboard. You sound like a bloody machine gun every move you make.

[Chyros]

In truth, I think Topre is excellent, easily among my favourite tactile switches. I can see why it's an endgame switch for people. I just find it deluded that some actually refuse to acknowledge that it's a rubber dome switch. Which, like Muirium said, really isn't a dirty word. I'm not a snob at all, I'll happily use rubber domes as long as they're good. I just don't really like the HHKB's tiny layout, I find everything about it impractical. Which is why I wish Topre would send me a Realforce 104, because I think I'd actually have a lot of good things to say about it xD .

[Muirium]

DT is full of "Cherry shilling?" That's shit right there!

You've seen how cross Kbdfr gets with me for slighting MX, as I so habitually do. He's not wrong to correct me. If anything, there's a mild anti-MX bias around here. Interestingly, DT is a whole different story regards Cherry's caps, which are widely loved. Albeit not so far by me.

Edit: All that replying to a deleted post? Scaredycat!


@Chyros: Fullsize Topre's aren't so fantastically expensive if you've a good way to import from America or Japan. Tenso handles the latter quite nicely. Go on!

[adhoc]

And opinion that Topre is the same as membrane is ... well, I'll put it down to being inexperienced or not have used a membrane board in a long, long time.

Hear that Chyros? Seems like you're inexperienced.
Well, sorry for the insolence of not praising Topre above everything else, especially the HHKB, which is

by far the best board out of all of them bar none.

Except for some improvements (which really are huge in comparison to some) it is very close to other rubberdome keyboards, denying that and calling it closer to a Piano than a rubberdome is nothing but delusional in my opinion and doesn't help a potential customer in any way. You can belittle other peoples opinion as much as you want to, but the feeling of Topre is much closer to rubberdome keyboards than it is to usual mechanical switches.

You've misread my post. That's all. You mixed up rubber dome and membrane. It happens.

And by the way, topre isn't even my favorite switch for pure typing, it's a Cherry.

And yes, DT is full of Cherry shilling. Everywhere I post I even remotely like Topre there's a shitstorm of posts calling me out how I'm wrong. Geekhack, on the other hand, is plenty-o' Topre shilling.

[Muirium]

Man, you're giving Seebart a run for his timeline blitzing today! My answer is, uh, above…

[adhoc]

Mmm...I know, I removed my post because I didn't want to add oil on fire, so to speak. Terribly sorry about that. I'll go back to my corner as the outsider who prefers HHKB over all boards, though.

Terribly sorry for not having the same opinion as the crowd. Ta-ta

[Muirium]

I love the HHKB too, man. Your problem isn't your opinion. It's your bullshit argumentation style!

[seebart]

I knew this thread would go "Toprelistic", that's why I got out early... ;p

[adhoc]

I love the HHKB too, man. Your problem isn't your opinion. It's your bullshit argumentation style!

I know you do. You're probably quite right regarding argumentation, but then again I almost exclusively post on DT from either a smoke break or a toilet break, so I don't want to write long posts from my cell phone.

That said, I still don't really understand the urge of some people to tell someone else they're wrong for liking one thing over another.

I knew this thread would go "Toprelistic", that's why I got out early... ;p

Yeah, quite a shock, considering the title of the thread, isn't it?

[Sankart]

That said, I still don't really understand the urge of some people to tell someone else they're wrong for liking one thing over another.

citation needed

Everywhere I post I even remotely like Topre there's a shitstorm of posts calling me out how I'm wrong.

citation needed

You mixed up rubber dome and membrane. It happens.

I actually thought you mixed those two up, since nobody in the thread ever talked about membranes until you brought them up.

[seebart]

Mmm...I know, I removed my post because I didn't want to add oil on fire, so to speak. Terribly sorry about that. I'll go back to my corner as the outsider who prefers HHKB over all boards, though.

Terribly sorry for not having the same opinion as the crowd. Ta-ta

Preferring HHKB you're actually an insider here at DT. HHKB shillin' to the max. I don't like HHKB, but I sure can appreciate Topre. Just be happy kbdfr is not a moderator here.

[1391401]

I have a Logitech G710+ and a Realforce 87U, as well as a 104U silent. If you thought the G710+ was a bit too light, you don't want 45g Topre switches because the weighting feels pretty close to the G710+, in my opinion. If you're going to buy a Realforce, get the 87U (55g). Personally, I prefer variable weighted, but that would be far too light for you.

[Chyros]

@Chyros: Fullsize Topre's aren't so fantastically expensive if you've a good way to import from America or Japan. Tenso handles the latter quite nicely. Go on!

Even if something isn't insanely expensive doesn't mean I can afford it though xD . I had to sell a bunch of keyboards and live off of bits of cheese and milk for tea for two weeks, LITERALLY, just to afford Project L, and that was less expensive .

[Muirium]

Mind to factor in the fact that once you have a Topre, you won't even want to look at 90% of your other boards. Let alone use the buggers. Shift the lot up front!

Since I've had 24/7 access to Topre, only my Model Fs and a handful of things like Space Invaders and Montereys have really stayed competitive. I'll pull out something else from time to time but it rarely lasts the day.

(Although to be honest, for the last few months, I've barely been at my desk to use a mech, period. Thank lap topping HHKB and lots and lots of iPhone tapping. The Kish ain't nearly as mobile at 3kg and TKL sized!)

[seebart]

Mind to factor in the fact that once you have a Topre, you won't even want to look at 90% of your other boards. Let alone use the buggers. Shift the lot up front!

Since I've had 24/7 access to Topre, only my Model Fs and a handful of things like Space Invaders and Montereys have really stayed competitive. I'll pull out something else from time to time but it rarely lasts the day.

(Although to be honest, for the last few months, I've barely been at my desk to use a mech, period. Thank lap topping HHKB and lots and lots of iPhone tapping. The Kish ain't nearly as mobile at 3kg and TKL sized!)

Not true for me. Topre is way down on my top five list, which still makes it a winner.