Mionix unveils Zibal 60 backlit mechanical gaming keyboard

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Mionix has officially entered the mechanical keyboard market today, unveiling its gaming-oriented "Zibal 60." The 'board is outfitted with Cherry MX Black switches, which have a linear (non-tactile) travel, require about 60 grams of force to actuate and are typically favored among FPS gamers.

Considering that demographic, the company humorously says that the Zibal 60 has "rage-proof durability," pointing to its 1.6mm-thick steel frame. We assume the "frame" bit is referring to the use of a plate-mounted switch, and not the keyboard's exterior body, which is presumably plastic.

Plate-mounted switches are secured by a sheet of metal as opposed to being mounted solely to the PCB. Naturally, this is more durable, but you probably don't want to challenge Mionix's rage-proof claim as the company's warranty only covers manufacturing defects and not user-sustained damage.

The Zibal 60 features green multi-level backlighting that can illuminate the entire board or just the WASD gaming cluster. It's worth noting that the image above has been enhanced a bit by the company, so the backlighting might not be entirely accurate. The lighting looks too clean if you ask us.

The spec sheet mentions support for up to six simultaneous key presses (6KRO) via USB, but it doesn't say anything about NKRO via PS/2. Nonetheless, 6KRO should be sufficient for FPS players. The top right side sports an I/O hub with two full-speed USB 2.0 ports along with audio and mic jacks.

You'll also find media keys which are operated by a modifier that has replaced the left Windows key, a removable wrist rest, and it looks like the company might throw in a plastic keycap remover. Pricing starts at $150/€150 and although preorders open today, the board won't ship until June.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/43312-mionix-unveils-zibal-60-backlit-mechanical-gaming-keyboard.html

 

[BlindObject]

Nice. I've just found out about mechanical keyboards not too long ago and now that I have a Rosewill Mechanical I can never go back to those flimsy standard keyboards. This just feels too good to type. I like these Mionix because it has the back lit keys.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

The Rosewill board seems like a great value from what I've read (Filco guts etc.) Any word on when they'll be back in stock?

 

[BlindObject]

No idea, I'm just glad I got it for my birthday.

I love showing it to people, they get mind blow.

 

[Siavash]

This is very cool, I wish I had one

 

[LinkedKube]

I've had nothing but bad luck with rosewill products.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

All these backlit keyboards are cool and all but a big disappointment for those of us using multiple languages. It would be nice to be able to buy a set of keys for other languages. I use Russian Windows keyboard layout (unfortunately there are no true Russian typewriter layout keyboards available) so all the keys are in the same locations as English keyboards. If they just made keys with for the cyrillic alphabet with transparent letters for the backlighting that would be awesome. But the keyboard makers don't care about multilingual users.

I do like the green though... so far i've only seen blue, orange, and red. I think green would probably be the easiest to read (and brightest), with orange being next.

 

[Mionix]

Stig... some say...... that Russian layout is on its way

 

[Leeky]

Wouldn't it have been so much easier to just say "Stig, we're working on it now and hope to have it available by x date"? :haha:

Your product looks nice btw - I'm the market for a mechanical keyboard myself, as my current Raxer Lycrosa gaming keyboard has stupidly hard keys and plays havoc with me touch typing.

So do you do a UK layout?

 

[Mionix]

Leeky have you never seen TopGear.... hahahah

UK, USA, DE and Nordic are up first in June ...... Then RU, FR, SP, CN very soon after

 

[Guest]

Lol Leeky, its a Topgear reference. Search youtube for "stig some say"

 

[Coodu]

This looks really solid, I'll be replacing my Logitech G110. I was looking at the BlackWidow as they were on sale here a little while back but I might wait for this

 

[fpsgamerJR62]

I'm actually planning to buy a Razer Black Widow mechanical keyboard, just haven't decided whether it's worth paying more for the Ultimate model over the regular one. If I remember correctly, the Black Widow used Cherry MX Blue switches compared to the MX Black switches on this keyboard. I don't know if there is any practical difference between the 2 types of switches in terms of gaming performance.

 

[dualkelly]

I am sick of "gamer" keyboards that have SUCKY windows keys that cant be assigned in the game... a gamer does not need such silly keys truly.

 

[Leeky]

Leeky have you never seen TopGear.... hahahah

UK, USA, DE and Nordic are up first in June ...... Then RU, FR, SP, CN very soon after

Didn't click since our STIG wanted Russian keys... :haha:

Thanks, I might consider an investment.

 

[waqasr]

fpsgamerJR62 said:
I'm actually planning to buy a Razer Black Widow mechanical keyboard, just haven't decided whether it's worth paying more for the Ultimate model over the regular one. If I remember correctly, the Black Widow used Cherry MX Blue switches compared to the MX Black switches on this keyboard. I don't know if there is any practical difference between the 2 types of switches in terms of gaming performance.

I have Razer Black Widow KB, It is a very good KB but The only issue I have with it is the lay out of M keys on the left side, I get confused some times because of them apart from that I really like the KB. It has a very nice feel to it. I would not recommend the Ultimate version since it does not offer much for the amount of extra money you pay
for it. If you have any questions feel free to ask me.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

I'm actually planning to buy a Razer Black Widow mechanical keyboard, just haven't decided whether it's worth paying more for the Ultimate model over the regular one. If I remember correctly, the Black Widow used Cherry MX Blue switches compared to the MX Black switches on this keyboard. I don't know if there is any practical difference between the 2 types of switches in terms of gaming performance.

Blue switches have a lighter operating force than blacks and they have a tactile bump as well as an audible click. However, their reset point is somewhat "far" away from the operating point, meaning you have to let the key rise a bit before being able to actuate it again. Also, because of its tactile bump, there is a steep pressure increase prior to actuation. Both make it difficult to ride the operating point or do "quick" double taps etc.

Blues are commonly favored among RTS gamers and folks who type a lot. While you can't ride the operating point, the tactile bump/click assures the user that a key has been pressed (something like 2mm into the travel). Conversely, since the blacks don't offer that feedback, you're more inclined to press the key all the way down to ensure it's actuated and this can be fatiguing as blacks are heavier than other cherry switches.

I use blues for work and gaming (FPS included). I have no issues, and I'm confident most people wouldn't have any reason to complain. Blacks offer a minor edge to certain gamers (and hey, every bit counts) but in my opinion they're not ideal for an even divide of typing/gaming. If you're deterred by the blue's reset point or clickiness, you might want to check out a board with brown switches (tons to choose from).

Browns are considered to be the best compromise for people who type and game a lot. They're lighter than blues, they have a very light tactile bump and they are non-clicky. Their reset point is set right next to the operating point, meaning double taps shouldn't be hindered etc. Unfortunately, while there are tons of browns boards around, I can only think of one with backlighting: X-Armor's recently launched U9BL-S.

I am sick of "gamer" keyboards that have SUCKY windows keys that cant be assigned in the game... a gamer does not need such silly keys truly.

You can easily remap the key via the Windows registry or AutoHotKey. Make it whatever your heart desires.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

mionix said:
Stig... some say...... that Russian layout is on its way

Some say, the Stig was so happy he chose not to stab 30 baby penguins to death.

 

[Guest]

£150 smackeroonies for a Keyboard? Obligatory OMG.. Thats what I'd pay for a NAS or a low power PC but even £30 for a keyboard pains me. Sorry Crucial M4 SSD will give me better bang for Buck.

 

[Guest]

I like my Mionix Naos 5000 - it's like it was designed for me. Other than the cheap plastic covers on the bottom, I'm incredibly satisfied with my purchase.

That said, I'm pretty happy with my Sidewinder x6 right now - and $150 for a keyboard doesn't sit right with me. I only paid $50 more for my new CPU, an AMD 1090T. Even 8GB of DDR3 ran me a mere $75.

For that price, changeable LEDs would be nice. I also don't appreciate the integrated media controls - why not just have buttons for them? This is a desktop keyboard, for Emperor's sake, not some friggin' netbook.

Which leaves, from what I can tell, three major advantages of the Zibal 60:
1. Backlit keys
2. Mechanical keys
3. USB Hub, sound ports.

Mechanical keys are indeed an advantage, but there are other such keyboards out there - Das comes to mind. Depending on the quality, at best we can expect the Z60 to be as good as a Das keyboard - which runs about $130.

Backlit keys are nice, if you want them. Personally, I've never needed them.

For $150, I'm pretty disappointed that the USB hub is only USB 2.0. USB 3 is getting to the point of being feasible for most budgets, so it's surprising to see a high end hardware manufacturer like Mionix go for the older tech. The sound ports are nice, but I suspect most high-end users (ie, Mionix's target market) use USB headsets these days. Still, this is a unique feature - I don't see a lot of higher end keyboards including it.

TL, DR: Based on the previews I've seen so for, the Z60 is disappointing. I had high hopes when I saw the countdown timer - Mionix impressed me with the Naos 5000, even though there was a typo on the inside of the (very nice) box. This all could change of the Z60's mechanical keys is better than the keys on Das keyboards, or if other unique features are announced - but otherwise, the $150 premium doesn't buy you enough extra features, IMO.