Apple’s First Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Not Made by Apple at All

an apple use both 2023 and 2024 to establish themselves as the new face of the sport. But even Apple doesn’t expect players to try to play Baldur’s Gate 3 to its low-end keyboards, Magic Keyboards and manual mouse. That’s right, Apple now has official gaming keyboards. Before you think the Mac maker is finally over the magic peripherals, Apple has licensed its gaming keyboards and mice from Corsair instead.

Corsair has partnered with Apple to bring the $160 K65 mechanical keyboard and $130 M75 wireless mouse to the Mac. It includes all the official Mac layouts complete with CMD and OPT keys, and the taskbar layout is modeled after the typical Mac layout. That’s important because Apple has to sell them directly in Apple stores with a limited Glacier Blue color, which is only available in person, and a white version available online. We tested the MacBook Pro 14 and Pro 16 with the M4, the M4 iMac, and the redesigned Mac mini all technically capable gaming machines. Now, there’s K&M to match your Apple-brand hardware.

You could have used any other mechanical keyboard. Apple mainstays can swap keys to match the Mac’s design, but this is one of the few times in Apple’s history that it promotes a third-party peripheral as if to tell anyone who will listen, “Yeah, we’re serious about gaming. . Don’t you see the sick RGB of the keyboard and the cool green style over there?”

Corsair sent me both to learn their ways. The K65 is a 75% keyboard with a steel plate chassis and hot-swappable keys. It uses Corsair-brand MLX RED linear switches with 45g of actuation distance and 4mm of travel. Safe to say, it’s just right for my style. It has enough resistance; I don’t accidentally press the keys when I put my fingers on them. There’s a clacky sound from them, but it’s subdued enough that I won’t stress my colleagues at the desks next to me.

The keyboard feels very solid, though it’s still plastic-y if you’re not used to keyboards on high-end devices. Then, of course, you’re introduced to the iCue software, Corsair’s way of updating the firmware and adjusting the K65 and M75’s RGB lighting. If you’re a Mac user who isn’t used to the usual bloatware that PC gamers encounter, welcome to the party, friend.

The M75 ambidextrous gaming mouse feels solid in the hand. Both the mouse wheel and the left mouse button feel good without being too distracting or shifting. The right mouse button has a slight clicking sound that caught me off guard. Without doing any accuracy tests, it at least feels like a powerful and fast competitive mouse.

What Games Are There That Can’t Be Played With Apple, Anyway?

Using this keyboard, I always reminded myself not to reach for the CTRL key instead of CMD, but in games like that Baldur’s Gate IIImuscle memory kicks in automatically. And it’s the best time to play Resident Evil 4 with Corsair products than anything Apple offers.

However, when you think of high-end gaming peripherals, you often think of e-sports. Unfortunately for Apple, there aren’t really any competing big shooters, and they are not Counter-Strike 2 or Call of Duty. Maybe we’ll find out more League of Legends players by clicking Mac, but these peripherals are not needed for gaming programs Apple.

Aside from Apple’s new Corsair connection, these phone components aren’t as easy to pair with a Mac as the tech giant’s keyboard and mouse. There is no automatic detection. Instead, you have to use Bluetooth, a cable, or the included 2.4 GHz dongles. Recent Macs, including the Mac mini, no longer sport USB-A ports. That creates a problem for these existing peripherals, and Corsair’s answer is to include an Anker-brand USB-A to USB-C converter in the box. This sticks out like a sore thumb and makes dongles vulnerable if you dare to move your Mac and forget it’s there. You won’t be able to change any of the keyboard or mouse settings unless you’re using 2.4 mode or connecting them directly. At least the included cable is USB-C to USB-C.

If you’ve used any number of gaming accessories, the first pair of real money gaming accessories for Mac won’t sound that different. And yet, I’d rather use a K65 than an Apple keyboard. As for the mouse, did I even say the competition? The Magic Mouse is so poorly designed that Apple CEO Tim Cook can’t even come up with anything good to say about it.

Apple makes a lot of noise about games like Frostpunk 2 comes to Mac when it’s released, then top pieces like Take control again Cyberpunk 2077 they’re making their way to the Mac in early 2025. There are a few other games on the horizon, too. I went to Apple’s trade show last week where the iPhone maker he played games like being brutally underestimated Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and very good Resident Evil 2 reorganize on M4 Macs and the latest iPads and iPhones. Prince of Persia won’t be available until Dec. 3, and RE 2 will follow on Dec. 10.

But you will have to wait until February 2025 Take control. Cyberpunk it doesn’t even have a full release date yet, although Apple has confirmed with me that it will include the Phantom Liberty DLC (I honestly couldn’t imagine playing the game without it now). Some upcoming cross-platform games like Neva or Wuthering Waves are not titles that benefit the most gamer K&M. For Apple to be a real gaming platform, the answer—as always—is more.