What Keyboard Does Typical Gamer Use?

Switches and actuation

The SteelSeries Apex Pro is sold with OmniPoint switches. The board has RGB and a non-hotswappable PCB, so the switches are fixed to the board and you can't swap them in and out like on a hotswap model. If you want to try different switch types, look at the alternatives below.

Each alternative comes with a different switch:

• Razer Huntsman V3 Pro: Razer Analog Optical, also non-hotswappable.
• Corsair K70 RGB MK.2: a wide choice of Cherry MX types, from Red, Brown and Blue to Silent, Speed and the Low Profile versions.
• Xtrfy K2 RGB: Kailh Red.

So the Corsair is the one to look at if you want to pick a specific switch feel. The Razer is the closest in spirit to the Apex Pro's OmniPoint approach.

Key binds

His Fortnite layout is on the table above. A few things stand out in practice.

• Jump stays on Space and crouch on L-Ctrl. Sprint is on Caps Lock instead of a key near WASD.
• The harvesting tool is on 1, and weapon slots 1 to 5 are on 2 through 6. The number row runs in order, with the pickaxe first.
• Building pieces use keys around the movement cluster: Wall on Q, Stairs on E, Roof on L-Shift, Trap on T, Rotate Building on R and Building Edit on F.
• The Disable Pre-Edit Option is off.

A full-size board gives plenty of room for a layout like this. Everything he binds sits in the main block of keys, so a TKL or compact board with the same key positions would work too.

Should you buy Typical Gamer's keyboard?

The Apex Pro is a full-size board, so it suits players who want the numpad and a standard layout, and who have the desk space for it. The alternatives trade off size, weight and switch feel:

• Razer Huntsman V3 Pro: the same length, but 6.1 cm wider and 0.46 cm lower. It uses Razer Analog Optical switches.
• Corsair K70 RGB MK.2: 280 g heavier, 2.3 cm longer, 0.1 cm wider and 0.46 cm lower. It has the widest choice of switches.
• Xtrfy K2 RGB: 241 g heavier, 0.1 cm longer, 0.3 cm wider and 0.66 cm lower. It comes with Kailh Red switches.

The Apex Pro is the lighter option next to the Corsair and Xtrfy. All three alternatives are full size with RGB and non-hotswappable PCBs, so none of them gives you hotswap flexibility. Choose by the switch type you want and how much desk space and weight you're happy with.