Optical switches are the new craze in the PC peripheral world, and due to their laser precision and lightning fast speed, the technology is marketed heavily to the gaming community. But does it stand up to the hype? I tried out a mouse and keyboard combo from Bloody to see if I could get to the bottom of that question.
I won’t bore you with the excruciating details about how optical switches work, why they’re faster than traditional mechanical switches, why dumping a Mountain Dew on an optical keyboard won’t ruin it (probably), or how the switches seemingly last forever. Long story short, the optical switches actuate at 1.5mm (vs 2.0-2.2mm), respond as quickly as 0.2ms (vs 30ms), and since there’s no metal-on-metal contact or electricity flowing through the switches, you can literally submerge a Bloody keyboard in water and it will still work. That also means the switches will last longer than traditional mechanical switches that rely on a physical connection to fire.
I spent a couple months working and playing with a Bloody B945 Light Strike Optical Gaming Keyboard, and a Bloody SP80 Professional Light Strike Optical Gaming Mouse. Light Strike is Bloody’s brand of optical switches, and both peripherals take advantage of this technology. Let’s dive into the B945 keyboard first.
The B945 keyboard carries all of the standard features you find in a gaming keyboard. A couple style options of mechanical switches (clicky or linear), fully programmable keys, a game mode to prevent catastrophic Windows-key presses, and a plethora of lighting features. In fact, most of the Bloody keyboard line includes these features, as well as touting a diamond cut aluminum body, which is as attractive as it is solid.
What makes the B945 unique in Bloody’s line of keyboards is the left-side numpad. At first I assumed this keyboard was designed for left-handed gamers, however, the Bloody rep quickly pointed out that the left-side numpad has several advantages for all gamers. First, it puts your hands closer together which for most people is more ergonomic. They’re right, I was definitely more comfortable with the numpad out of the way. Second, if you do need to use the numpad, it not only keeps your right hand on your mouse, but it also puts the numpad much closer to your left hand, which is already on the keyboard. Finally, it puts a whole block of keys that are typically not used in games in a convenient place for assigning macros or other shortcuts. In lieu of dedicated macro keys, this is a great use for the left-side numpad. I programmed several of the numpad keys to functions I frequently use when streaming to Twitch. I can easily start or stop the stream, mute or unmute my mic, or switch scenes or sources with a quick shift of my left hand. I utilize the numpad frequently in my line of work, so switching to a left-handed numpad took a bit of practice, but I’m quickly getting used to it.
The keyboard functions very well, in fact, it’s easily the best feeling keyboard I’ve used for typing on a day to day basis. Initially I had the occasional double-press as my fingers got used to the seemingly weightless springy feeling, but after just a few weeks, those incidents were very rare. Since there’s less travel and less resistance of these keys compared to keyboards I’ve used in the past, the keyboard does feel faster when typing. After being spoiled by the B945 at my home office, I have a rough time going back to my old membrane keyboard at my work office, or my laptop keyboard anywhere in between. The Light Strike optical switches feel great, and I can’t see myself going back to a traditional mechanical or membrane keyboard after experiencing the difference. On the gaming front, the keyboard feels as responsive as you would expect, and the programmable keys work great. I wish there were a few dedicated keys for switching profiles, on-the-fly macro recording, and maybe a few macro keys, but as I mentioned earlier, the left-side numpad mostly makes up for this.
Unfortunately, the biggest issue I see with either peripheral isn’t with the hardware, it’s the software. Bloody is a Taiwanese company with a subsidiary in the US, and it is very clear that the software is developed for the Asian markets. The terminology used in the software is translated from its native language (presumably some form of Mandarin), and sometimes so poorly that it is difficult to understand what certain buttons in the interface do. It wasn’t until I watched several YouTube videos of people walking through how to configure the peripherals that I was finally comfortable clicking around in the interface without fear that I’d accidentally overwrite a portion of the configuration that I needed. The design of the software itself is not bad, in fact I’d say it was probably good in its native language, but it’s intuitiveness was literally lost in translation. That being said, once I understood what I was doing, the macro building functions are quite powerful and easy to manipulate. The GUI is also, to be frank, ugly, but the gaming market has historically chosen flashy/gaudy designs that I rarely agree with, so perhaps that’s just me. The important part is that the software functions well once you understand it.
Overall, the B945 keyboard is a solid option if you’re looking to step up to an optical keyboard. It touts a sleek design, plenty of features for most gamers, and a more ergonomic left-side numpad. The only issue worth mentioning is the frustrating software design and poor translation.
Like the B945 keyboard, there’s a lot to love about the SP80 gaming mouse. Its design is pretty simple; Left & right buttons, scroll wheel, two thumb buttons, and three more on the top under the wheel. All the buttons are programmable with the top buttons controlling sensor precision by default. Of course, the Light Strike Optical switches are present in the SP80 as well, however, I didn’t notice much of a difference compared to other mice. The mouse also has some nice RGB lighting accents along the sides, bottom, mouse wheel, and the Bloody logo right where you rest your palm.
The form factor and button placement of a gaming mouse are probably the most subjective, yet the most important aspects to gamers. In my average-sized hand, the SP80 is probably the largest mouse I’d feel comfortable using. The sides of the mouse have a nice texture to them with a lip making it easy to grip and lift the mouse when needed. The buttons are positioned well, although the top three buttons are a bit awkward to press. This is usually the case, at least for me, so I tend to use those buttons for less frequent actions. The thumb buttons are out of the way when gripping, yet placed well for quick access. The primary left/right buttons feel just right and are perfectly responsive. Scrolling the wheel is precise and snappy, but not too snappy. Pressing the scroll wheel felt a bit mashy at first, and I occasionally inadvertently scroll while pressing it, but that has improved over time.
The optical sensor boasts a 12,000 CPI resolution, which puts the SP80 at the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to precision. The high-resolution sensor coupled with the metal feet make the SP80 a smooth and precise mouse for both work and play. Being able to adjust the precision on the fly is a great feature that has become pretty standard on gaming mice, so the SP80 ticks that box adequately.
Again, the biggest issue I have with the SP80 is with the software. To make matters a bit worse, instead of distributing one piece of software to handle all their peripherals (as most gaming peripheral manufacturers do), Bloody has separate software to download for the mouse and keyboard. That means two tray icons, more precious memory, and very little integration between peripherals. The mouse software is similarly confusing due to poor translation. Again, once you get over that hurdle, the software works great, and enables all the same macro and button assignment abilities as you would expect.
As a bonus, Bloody threw in the MP-60R RGB Gaming Mouse Pad, which I can only assume was designed hand-in-hand alongside their long line of gaming mice in order to maximize precision. They did a fine job here. The cloth surface is very smooth and tightly stitched. The non-slip bottom sticks to my desk nicely and has not slipped on me once. The RGB lighting is a nice touch although the connector for the USB cable is a bit bulky and tends to get in the way of the mouse cord. That said, the MP-60R is a great surface and the SP80 glides very nicely over it.
Honestly, it pains me to see a great set of peripherals paired with sub-par software. The B945 and SP80 are truely top contenders in the gaming market, and once you understand the software, you can do quite a bit with macros, lighting effects, and button mapping. They feel great, they look great, and feature, dare I say, bleeding edge technology with their Light Strike optical switches. While the Light Strike switches didn’t seem to be significantly faster than traditional switches, they have a great feel and their durability means both peripherals should take whatever abuse I throw at them. On top of that, they’re priced reasonably in the market making them a good option for gamers on a budget. If it weren’t for the software, I’d have a hard time finding a reason not to give them a perfect score.