Many people, both gamers and office workers alike, spend their days toiling away on throw-in keyboards.  While the peripheral may lack the glamour of a 27-inch display or 3TB external drive, those who make the decision to seek out a better keyboard rarely look back. That’s where the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. line-up of keyboards comes into view.

Sense and Sensibility    

Whereas the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 and S.T.R.I.K.E. 5 include lots of interchangeable pieces and some kind of mothership-controlling touchscreen, the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 feature set is built around the features that matter most for a keyboard with just a side of gamer style.  In addition to the normal keyboard keys, the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 has 12 programmable keys, a switch for locking the windows button lock, media keys, wrist rest and a gaming shell.  The standout feature, though, is the illuminated keyboard membrane, taken straight from the high-dollar S.T.R.I.K.E. 7.

At a price of $100, most buyers don’t care how many stickers come in the box. They want keys with flawless and reliable action and just maybe some unique style.  So it’s a good thing that Mad Catz must have had this notion in mind when creating the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3.

First Generation

The S.T.R.I.K.E. series is a new product line, and when looking at some of the secondary features, it’s clear this is a first generation product.  The software for the programmable keys is functional but there’s room for improvement.  The media keys seem to have been thrown in, and exist as six alternate F keys.  The overall shape of the keyboard hogs more desk space than necessary, and the wrist rest literally rests in place, giving it a cheap feel despite the slick look.

Keeps It Real

The keyboard’s membrane, the one lifted from the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7, by name means that the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 isn’t mechanical. Mechanical keyboards use a switch for each key, an old, expensive design that many swear by. Whether typing or playing a shooter like Battlefield 4, the keys feel like they were dipped in solid awesome. When crouching in-game or clicking the trusty Control + C, Control + V, the concave left Control key feel is a guilty pleasure.  My sole gripe with the keys is the spacing around the backspace area, too close to the F keys and too far from the Insert, Home and Page Up keys.

While the keys feel like they traveled back in time from one of those sexy planets on Star Trek, Mad Catz has managed some things with illuminated keys that seem like a breakthrough.  Not only can you set one of 16 million colors for the backlights, but the result just beats the crap out of the range of many other illuminated keyboards in my possession from Razer to HP, and even white light leaking  Apple.

Combine the Cylon-looking backlighting with either the glossy black or glossy white, and the keyboard looks better than most “gaming” style products deserve to.  The red model, on the other hand, seems a lot more like the typical “gaming” product eyesore. (The Amazon sales availability seems to back up this opinion on the three color options.)

Build Quality

The keyboard seems like a great choice for fighting off a zombie; it’s light but strong.  The top has a loop that seems inspired by carrying handles, but is too small for human hands, including my own childlike mitts.

As solid as the keyboard, keys, and nylon-braided cable feel, the unit provided by Mad Catz for review had 10 dead keys right out of the box.  The plus side of getting a dead-on-arrival unit, though, was getting to test the 2-year warranty and Mad Catz support.  I submitted a support ticket online late on a Thursday,  got an email back the following Monday, which had a support phone number. I called in, and after a brief chat with a support person, they promised to send me a replacement, which arrived within a week.

That’s really it for the warranty.  While it won’t cover bashing an intruder, it covers manufacturer defects.  After weeks of use with the replacement in a dozen games, and some 40,000 words of typing, I expect it will last until the end of time or until it is run over by a bulldozer, whichever comes first.

In Conclusion

The Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 is roughly $97 on Amazon as of this writing, which I think is $17 too high.  As it is, the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 takes the best part of the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7, the keys, while boiling off the more gimmicky fat, and most of the price. I defy anyone not in a mechanical keyboard cult to argue the with perfect feel of the keys or the impressive backlighting.  Still, if your idea of the perfect keyboard includes batteries and wireless functionality, the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 likely isn’t for you.

BUY NOW: Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 Gaming Keyboard for PC – Gloss Black

BUY NOW: Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 Gaming Keyboard for PC –  White

BUY NOW: Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 Gaming Keyboard for PC – Red

Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 Gaming Keyboard Review: Step Up Your Keyboard Game

For many, college is full of firsts — first dorm, first roommate, first surround system, first noise complaint, etc. And that’s where the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for PC and Mac come into play.

In truth, wanting or needing to watch movies and play games in surround sound without disturbing the other members of your domicile is not limited to college students. Roommates, significant others, children, corporate housing dwellers, cubicle neighbors — each one is likely to benefit from you not blasting Saints Row IV or Skyfall through an actual array of surround sound speakers.  At the same time, for the love of all sound gods, don’t limit yourself to Apple ear buds.

The Choice is Clear

Many “surround sound” headsets take your music, movies, and games, and, using fancy mathematical algorithms, fake a multiple speaker sound experience, but that is not the idea behind the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1.  Mad Catz gobbled up Tritton back in 2010, and the headset maker continues to pump out golden edges, at least if looks are to be believed.

These are some serious cans, with each over-the-ear coupling housing four separate drivers.  A left and right set of 30mm Front, 30mm Rear, 24mm Center and 40mm Sub drivers power the surround experience, which also means this headset requires a 5.1 surround source to push those drivers (as well as a USB jack to power it all).

Fortunately, even the dorm-dwelling laptop user can swap in a USB sound card like the Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1 to make the connection. Or, maybe an even better option are the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for Xbox 360 and PS3, which come with a necessary external decoder.  The user’s laptop would then just need some kind of optical out.

As for 5.1 content, not only are most 3D PC games made in the last seven years surround-ready, but DVDs and Blu-rays will shine as well.  In fact, users can even find .mkv, and other various video encodes, with stunning 5.1 tracks that are playable through VLC. The end result of all this equipment and source material?

Stunning surround sound in a comfortable and stylish package.

Tweaking

Of course, like any enjoyable surround sound set-up, the Trittons take some set-up tweaking.  Fortunately, the headset’s in-line audio control uses four illuminated buttons and a volume rocker to give the user the ability to push power where needed. Initially, I was bummed to see that the headset omitted an auxiliary port, but it turns out the Xbox controller mic port (found on the bottom of the in-line audio control) can be used as an aux port for a secondary audio source.

Jack of All Trades

Provided that you have a USB power source around to power it, the Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for PC and Mac do more than just provide surround sound.  The included, flexible and detachable mic is far and away a much better option for things like Skype and Ventrilo and Steam Chat than the tiny speck of a microphone that comes standard with most laptops.  Plus, it has a Mute Mic switch.  Good luck quickly finding one of those on that new laptop.

Worth Remembering

The aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper look of the headset is likely to turn heads.  In addition to the glossy Imperial white, black and a red are also options.  All three colors laugh at most other headset designs.  Still, carrying these around is no joke and, since Mad Catz only offers a two-year limited warranty, future owners need to keep this headset out of harm’s way.

In Conclusion

Mad Catz was nice enough to provide a set of white Tritton Pros for review, and they demolished my expectations.  Comfortable for hours on end, reasonably well-made, and powered by a sound design that reproduces games and movies in a range from good to hyper zen.  Anybody looking for true 5.1 headphones for their PC or Mac needs to give these a major consideration.  Once you’ve spent some time with their eight drivers, you may never be able to go back to a mere two-speaker headset again.

BUY NOW: Mad Catz TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for PC And Mac

OR: Mad Catz TRITTON Pro+ 5.1 Headphones for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Mad Catz Tritton Pro+ 5.1 Headphones Review