The anti-ghosting appears to solve the ghosting, a phenomenon that occurs in the keyboards. To know why this technology is so important, we are going to explain the concept of ghosting and we will relate it to anti-ghosting, do not buy a gaming keyboard without it!
Initially, it was a feature that was seen in mechanical keyboards, but today we see it in gaming keyboards: whether they are membrane or with a mechanical mechanism. It is a very useful feature that can serve us in-game, so we are going to explain what it consists of so that you can assess whether a keyboard with anti-ghosting or without it is worth it, let's get started!
What is ghosting?
It is a phenomenon in which when we press more than 6 keys, we get no response in the game. Basically, the keyboard does not issue any commands to the PC, and it seems that we are not pressing any. This may or may not be important, depending on the titles we play.
Normally, on keyboards, each key has contacts underneath, which are activated when we press it. However, these are not taken individually, but a matrix composed of lines and columns is followed. This allows the classification of keys into blocks, as we illustrate below.
Why is it done this way? For reasons of reliability and economy, since it is much cheaper to manufacture a keyboard with this system. However, this system leads to the ghosting effect when we want to press 2 keys of the same block, such as, for example, "S" and "W". On the contrary, when we press "M" and "R" there will be no ghosting because they belong to different blocks.
In the case of video games, the most commonly used keys are WASD, as well as "R", "C", "V", "E", "F" and "G". If our keyboard does not have anti-ghosting, we will press “W” and “S” at the same time, but we will not obtain the effect that we will have because it will fail.
And there are certain video games in which using key combinations or key commands makes life easier for the user. So, here, it will depend a lot on the use that you are going to give the keyboard, as well as your demands.
What is anti-ghosting?
Explained ghosting, it is necessary to explain what is the solution that peripheral manufacturers give to this phenomenon. To begin with, they were not very imaginative with the name of the mechanism, posing it as if it were an antidote: “anti-ghosting”.
The anti-ghosting is a feature that solves the ghosting, allowing us to press multiple keys and keypad enter all characters or command key to that combination. It is a function that occurs in gaming keyboards, since several keys are usually pressed at the same time, such as:
- W + SHIFT + A / D to run sideways
- CTRL + W / S / A / D to move stealthily or crouching.
- W + R to walk while reloading the weapon.
How is this functionality achieved? Establishing a more complex matrix in the layout of the keys. It is worth mentioning that we will see different anti-ghosting :
- 4 keys, which will mean that we will have anti-ghosting on the WASD keys.
- 16 keys, a layout proposed by many manufacturers.
- All over the keyboard.
In the end, all this translates into more money when we go to buy a keyboard because it is a more complex system and requires more detail or detail when manufacturing the peripheral.
How is it related to the N-Key Rollover?
This function is related to anti-ghosting for one main reason: the individual keystroke. The N-Key Rollover allows the keyboard to scan the key independently, regardless of the keys that we press simultaneously.
You may have seen it with the acronym of " NKRO ", which is its abbreviation, although others speak directly of "Rollover". It is a function that refers to the number of keys that we can press at the same time on a keyboard. NKRO keyboards are keyboards that allow all keys to be pressed at the same time, which are usually high-end, although we see exceptions.
Like anti-ghosting, we can see a partial (3, 6, or more keys) or total (all keys) N-Key Rollover. However, some may wonder what the "jamming" phenomenon is, which is basically pressing many keys at the same time, causing the keyboard to get stuck.
Why does jamming occur? The main reason is that the keyboard receives many input requests since we are pressing many keys at the same time. The main effect of this is that the keyboard captures a key or none, but this phenomenon has not occurred for a long time because technology has evolved.
Jamming was a phenomenon that occurred in the 90s and 2000s, which was characterized by the beep that the PC generated when we pressed all the keys at the same time.
Gaming keyboards with anti-ghosting
We did not intend to collect keyboards with anti-ghosting at first, but we believe that it can be useful for the purposes of knowing what we mean and when starting from several practical examples.
A good example of a keyboard with 100% anti-ghosting and Key Rollover on its keys is the Newskill Serike Ivory. It is a mechanical gaming keyboard that offers a very interesting quality-price.
For those of you who have a lower budget, you can opt for this Trust Gaming GXT 835 Azor, a membrane keyboard that brings an 8-key anti-ghosting.
If your needs are more demanding, we can find fabulous options like this G-LAB Keyz Rubidium, a mechanical keyboard with a total anti-ghosting of 105 keys, as well as with N-Key Rollover.
Then, if we raise the budget, we find very contrasted options like the Logitech G413, which has anti-ghosting and a 26-key rollover.
We hope this information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, you can leave them below and we will answer you quickly.
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