Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard

Introduction

   Saitek is renowned for its lineup of game controllers, having produced a series of joysticks, gamepads and other controllers that have garnered a fair share of favorable reviews from both hardware sites and users alike. Having always supporting the gaming community, they were the first to introduce a backlit keyboard, back in 2004 with their succinctly-named "Gamers Keyboard". (sic) Soon after, they followed up with another backlit keyboard, the Saitek Eclipse, which was also received well. However, Logitech wasn't content to sit on the sidelines, and last year they released the G15, as direct competition to the Saitek Eclipse. Some saw the G15 as being superior to the Eclipse because of its extra features, however, Saitek was not going to take this challenge sitting down.

   They've recently released the Eclipse II, the successor to the original Eclipse, and have added a few improvements over the original. While there's no LCD, they've added multimedia controls, plus a dimmer to change lighting levels (instead of just preset brightness levels), and have also enabled the keyboard to glow either in blue, red, or purple. The Eclipse II seems to feature all the good that the original did, plus more - can it live up to the hype?

Specifications

   At first glace, the Eclipse II doesn't look all that different from the original. It's almost the same shape, and has a similar color scheme, though the key caps are now black instead of silver. The layout is a standard 104-key, with a normal Insert/Delete/Home grouping, rather than the grouping with a large Delete key and relocated Insert key. The keys are laser etched, as before, and thus allow the backlighting to shine through, making gaming at night (when most of it occurs), easier.

• Full specifications are available

   The changes were mostly a result of what people found lacking in the original Eclipse. Multimedia controls have been added, allowing you to play/pause/stop, move forward/backward, increase volume and mute from a set of buttons located in the upper right corner of the keyboard. No driver software is needed for this; the keyboard instead uses Windows XP's built in functionality, and it works quite well across many players. The wrist rest has also been redesigned, and is more like a traditional wrist rest, being straight and full-width. Furthermore, the keyboard is able to glow in blue, red or purple, adding two more colors to the mix, and the dimmer control replaces preset brightness levels for a wider range of lighting.

   Right away, you can tell from the black and silver accents that the Eclipse II is slated to be a gamer's or enthusiast's keyboard — this isn't for "regular" or mainstream users. It looks fairly basic, as far as keyboards go, as it comes with a traditional 104-key layout that isn't curved; additionally, the only extra keys are contained in a tiny area in the upper right corner. It's roughly the size of a normal keyboard, and almost all of the keys are normal-sized, except for the top row (containing the function keys), which is slightly less wide than regular keys. The spacebar is also slightly wider than most keys and is sloped so that your thumb doesn't hit it on an edge.

Saitek Eclipse II.

What's included.

Out of the package.

   All that's included is the keyboard and its wrist rest; no driver CDs or other stuff is needed, which is just fine by me. The Eclipse II, like its predecessor, has four large rubber feet so that you can be sure the keyboard won't be slipping anywhere and frustrating you during gaming. Compared to regular keyboard feet, which are usually the size of a paper clip, these are huge. There are also plastic feet that can be elevated to two different heights if you like having some tilt in your keyboard, though I don't think that's necessary. The included wrist rest works pretty well, and can be extended away from the keyboard if desired; it easily clips on and off from the keyboard, and I recommend it for use.

Traditional key layout.

Back.

Large rubber feet.

   The Eclipse II also feels very solid and tough; it has a weighted base that also helps keep the keyboard from moving, and as a result it weighs much more than keyboards nowadays. Typing on it gives a very firm feeling, and reassurance that it's not likely to break on you. The keyboard also provides good tactile feedback, as none of the key presses feel squishy; it's also not very loud either. These are the basic features that one expects from any quality keyboard, and the Eclipse II delivers them, allowing you to type fast without feeling any discomfort.

Wrist rest attachment.

Feet extended.

No extension.

   As far as the layout goes, the traditional full-size layout is better for some who don't like change. I personally prefer this old layout over the newer ones, as there aren't any surprises. The LED indicators for Num Lock/Caps Lock/Scroll Lock have been moved to the center top of the keyboard to make room for the extra multimedia and lighting controls.