I've always found Hall Effect switches hard to get used to, but with the third generation of its Apex Pro keyboards, SteelSeries has some tricks up its sleeve that may help smooth the adjustment. In addition to its new OmniPoint 3.0 switches, the company added some buzzy new capabilities, like Rapid Tap (also known as SOCD), to match competitors. And it has an interesting new Protection mode for those of us with sloppy keypresses.
The Apex Pro Gen 3 keyboards come in three flavors: a $240 full-size keyboard, a $220 TKL model (that is, a "tenkeyless" keyboard without a number pad) and a $270 wireless TKL model.
One of the advantages of Hall Effect switches is the ability to customize the actuation and reset points (described in my Corsair K70 review). SteelSeries says the improved sensors in the new switches make them more precise and consistent, though the 0.1mm high actuation point hasn't changed -- that's a nearly instantaneous keypress register. The highest is 4mm, nearly the complete travel distance for the key.Â
With the fast switches, you run the risk of lots of accidental keypresses and repeats. So SteelSeries introduces a new Protection Mode: For selected keys, it temporarily lowers the actuation level of the surrounding keys to make the accidental press less likely to register; it somehow knows the difference between intentional and accidental. I really can't wait to see how well this works.
SteelSeries has also added a feature to bring the new keyboards up to speed with competitors: Rapid Tap, also known as SOCD, which SteelSeries has been beta testing since early August. It fixes the phenomenon of a character stalling out when you hit two keys which trigger opposite movements. The Rapid Tap fix is to automatically release the first key, even if you're still pressing it, when the second keypress registers, essentially bypassing your physical responses to get that character moving quickly.
Both Protection Mode and Rapid Tap are in the SteelSeries GG software, which means they should probably work with older Apex Pro models. The software will also come with GG Quicksets, presets for the actuation levels and handful of features optimized by game to get you started.
Hardware upgrades include improved stabilizers for less wobble and the use of a different lube; those plus more foam mean the keys have a produce a lower-frequency sound (thockier) and a different feel (foam usually makes it feel like a softer landing).
The wireless model has a faster connection to the 2.4GHz dongle, but the connection types haven't changed from the smaller Apex Pro Mini. Nor has the rated 40-hour battery life, sadly.