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Hey there everyone, his is Ryan from the Sound BlasterX team.
I just wanted to let you all know I'm here to answer any questions you may have regarding the Siege or Vanguard. I also wanted to give a bit of background on the "why" we've decided to venture into the brutally competitive gaming peripheral segment.
The Sound Blaster brand has been around PC Gaming since the well...since the beginning of PC gaming really. And all through that time we've innovated and striven to bring new technology to gamers and the gaming desktop to make the experience as exciting and cinematic as possible.
We've been watching the absolute magnificent resurgence of the PC gaming segment and seen the opportunity in the peripherals segment to do something different that would compliment our product lines and provide a full gaming accessory and peripheral lineup.
When the press has been asking about "Why would a sound manufacturer get into MIce and Keyboards?" My response has been "Why would a mouse and keyboard manufacturer get into audio products?"
If you're passionate about gaming and passionate about making good products...it's a pretty logical extension as long as you have the engineering talent to jump in feet first.
Our expertise for 30 years has been centered around audio, but we have a core of very talented product designers who are themselves gamers and when the opportunity to make peripherals was brought to the table they grabbed on to it and started the process with making products that are ones that we ourselves want to use on our desktops.
Coming to market with a "me-to" factory solution was not an option. By that I mean the multitude of peripheral clones out there that are simply marketing exercises for brands to slap their name on a factory default model and call it a "gaming" product by adding some LEDs or catching lighting.
The Siege and Vanguard are purpose built and intentionally designed to bring another flavor to the peripheral market. We KNOW how keyboards and mice are some of the most scrutinized peripherals on the market by the demanding gamer because they are essentially the primary interface point for a gamer to the game. So we wanted to make products that would bring a unique combination of tech and features to the market..not something to follow existing paradigms but something that a gamer who might have liked something "similar" to the Siege or Vanguard would find a PERFECT fit with them.
And once again we've decided to jump in the deep end...just like with our Katana we've come to Massdrop to launch our latest products to some of the most scrutinizing and demanding customers out there (at a great price of course!). We know this category is "new" to us in many peoples minds (we actually made mice and keyboards 13 years ago when I started at Creative), but are confident people who jump in now are going to really dig what these products are bringing to the table.
We hope you enjoy!
Ryan & The Sound BlasterX Team
BrainFlush
6860
Jan 25, 2017
DigitalRonynUsed Creative sound cards since I could afford them as a kid. Nothing wrong with you making other computer related stuff. Hope it works out for you. Sincerely.
BrainFlushThank so much for the support BrainFlush!
RampageZ
7
Jan 26, 2017
DigitalRonynHey Ryan! This keyboard looks great! You seem to have included all the right things , that people look for in a gaming/ mech keyboard such as rgb back-light, usb passthrough, minimal macro keys and of course a volume wheel. I would never buy a keyboard without a volume wheel. Also the design seems like it would appeal to all users, not just gamers.
But there are a lot of unknowns about this keyboard, that are not explained at all. Mostly about the rgb backlighting and software, but these are the things that put a keyboard like this in the premium segment (feature and price-wise). For example can you customize the backlight on a per-key basis? Can you customize the colors on the media keys and the "X" logo? Does the keyboard absolutely require installed software for customization/macros? Does it have in built memory - for storing your color profile and not loading it from software every time you restart your pc. Can you program/ download your own lighting effects like you can with the corsair cue software?
The answers to some of those questions can be deduced from the images, but that doesn't mean anything and does not guarantee that a feature will be included in the final product. I also understand that the software is still being developed and I am fine with that. So if you don't support a feature right now, but plan to implement it in the future that is perfectly ok.
eunu
158
Jan 26, 2017
DigitalRonynRampageZ expressed a lot of my own sentiment, including the use of Creative sound cards up until I came to Massdrop and got all HiFi. The K08 strikes an appealing balance between minimalism and personality, offers a very compelling feature set, and shows that Creative is looking to be on the forefront of keyboard trends--this keyboard looks eager to challenge the DasKeyboard 5Q, with some potentially important differences in materials and software goals accounting for the difference in MSRP.
What is holding me from jumping on this very attractive drop is the media key strip--they are all the same size and in a long line. They are like F keys in that they are identical to one another and require lifting completely from the home row, but unlike F keys they do not have the benefit of breaks to suggest which buttons are which. Great media keys can be nice-to-have for some people, but they matter to those of us who are heavy users. I for one keep an eye open for a solid standalone media control device just to not have to rely on keyboard implementations.
I like that Creative kept a USB port for the mouse. It would be nice to have another for a pad, thumb drive or card reader. Or that standalone media controller that may not exist. The simple row of macro keys is similarly handy, and reduces the need for the pad.
eunuLove this feedback. Definitely taken and will keep in mind for future revisions.
When we were speccing out the Vanguard one of our key goals was to have all the "extras" on the keyboard while maintaining a minimalist approach.
You can find a keyboard with Media Keys but not a volume wheel.or a volume wheel but no USB passthrough, or USB passthrough but no macro keys, etc...we wanted all of them. Our ID team did a great job putting it all into the Vanguard chassis IMO.
They told us MANY times "You know it would be easier if..." and we said "Yeah, but if it was easier it'd be like every other "gaming" keyboard on the market." So we definitely made it harder on them, but I think it's paid off in the end.
RampageZHey RampageZ! Thanks for the comment here.
I love your comment on the overall design of the Vanguard...you hit the nail on the head. We wanted something that would look great on a gamers desktop..or your office desktop as well.
Here's answers to the questions you posed above.
1. Yep, you can customize lighting per key. And you can customize the color on the X logo. The media keys are in white (non-customizable).
2. The Vanguard retains the last set of instructions you gave it for lighting. But if you want to program, etc you'll need the software loaded up.
3. Custom profiles are being added all the time and we're opening this up for users to add their own (and download, etc).