Alienware has become famous for producing some the world’s most powerful and recognizably stylized desktop computer systems for 13 years, since 1996. Their Area 51 series PC desktops are historically famous to many and regardless of whether you love or hate the design Alienware has always been on the leading edge for including the latest technologies in the systems they produce. Although recently acquired by Dell, Alienware are continuing to produce their unique systems and are adding to their product line, evidenced by this review we have for you today.

On Tuesday, September 1st Alienware proudly released their TactX keyboard and mouse into the US with the UK to shortly follow. DriverHeaven received a production pair and obviously, the TactX name implies a focus on cunning ingenuity and precision, designed to appeal to serious gamers and others who realize it takes great peripherals in addition to a great computer to make an awesome gaming ecosystem. At DriverHeaven we can appreciate that environment and we’ll see if the Alienware TactX keyboard and mouse can secure a tactical advantage within it.


Overview of Alienware Tact-X Keyboard
The Alienware Tact-X keyboard is a USB keyboard that features 6 programmable macro keys and has the ability to store unlimited customizable user profiles. The WASD key cluster has anti-ghosting to cope with multiple key presses, and the Tact-X also uses Alienware’s trick AlienFX backlighting that allows you to choose from 20 individual shades in two different zones. The new Alienware Tact-X Keyboard is packed with the ultimate gaming features, giving you power and performance at your fingertips.

- Programmable macro keys
- Unlimited Profiles
- WASD gaming cluster with anti-ghosting technology
- Exclusive customizable AlienFX™ two-zone lighting

Features of Alienware Tact-X Keyboard

Things Just Got Personal:
Personalize your gaming experience with the exclusive AlienFX® two-zone lighting setup. Show off your team colors with 20 unique colors and up to 400 possible combinations.
Customize your macro keys with up to 6 different sequences per profile, making it that much easier to school your opponents. The new Alienware® TactX™ Keyboard lets you set up an unlimited amount of user profiles for each game so you’re always prepared for battle.

Equipped to Conquer All:
Lead your team to victory with a keyboard that’s packed with gaming essentials.

Stay Ahead of the Game:
Annihilate your competition with a barrage of deadly combos. With anti-ghosting technology built around the WASD gaming cluster, you don’t have to worry about signal failure when unleashing a round of commands at once.

Stay in Control:
The easy-access multimedia buttons let you manage your music, movies and games right from your keyboard.

Expand Your Territory:
The 6-foot, high-speed USB 2.0 cable gives you more flexibility in your gaming setup, letting you simply focus on total domination.

Get Comfortable:
The removable palm rest allows you to adjust your keyboard to best suit your gaming needs.

Dimension ( Self Measured ) :
Length: 48.3CM
Width: 23.65CM ( Without Wrist Rest )
Width: 29.5CM ( With Wrist Rest )
Height: 3.3CM
Weight: 909g

Thanks
AceCombat™
Alive With Adrenaline™



This post has been edited by AceCombat: Jan 2 2010, 04:09 PM

Let's move on to the packaging


This is one big black box, the box has nothing attracted me.


Except the big Alienware logo on top of it.


Wow You can see the keyboard is nicely placed inside the box with a wrap of a protection plastic bag.


In order to take off the cover, you must go through this cute Alienware logo, it has two on each corners.


2 USB? Yes!!


This Tact-X keyboard requires 2 USB port to power it up, one is for the keyboard and one is for the back-lighting power supply.
I've tried to plugged in only the primary USB but the keyboard is not detected at all.


Thanks
AceCombat™
Alive With Adrenaline™







This post has been edited by AceCombat: Jan 2 2010, 02:44 PM

Take a closer look on the keyboard, shall we?


The long awaited Keyboard is finally here, it took me one month plus waiting for it to reach from USA to Malaysia
The keyboard is hot and spicy and sexy, it's one huge keyboard, and the plastic quality is very well built.


The famous Alienware logo ( an Alien head )


The WASD cluster key with anti-ghost technology, take a look over there, it has some strange symbol on top of it, only the WASD keys have it, it represents something like the wording from the movie " Predator" , remember?


Profile Switching Keys, you can save unlimited profile but you can only choose either 3 of them at the same time, you need to replace the profiles based on the situation.


The number pad area, which is normal compared to other keyboards.


Overall typing area, space bar is long enough for me, on top of the picture, there's a key to disable the Windows Key, just to prevent you accidentally press the Windows key instead of the ALT or CTRL keys


The Enter button is quite small for me, I like those big "L" shape one actually, but is ok, this is Alienware mah


4 arrows buttons.


Side View of the keyboard, the dimension is really


It looks so damn sexy when the wrist rest is attached, right?

Thanks
AceCombat™
Alive With Adrenaline™



This post has been edited by AceCombat: Jan 2 2010, 03:14 PM

I dont even use the keyboard yet, but sorry, my hands are both itch like hell, time to disassemble the keyboard for further inspection
Taking the keyboard off need to loosen almost 25 screws


Meltrend R31BG764, I found no information about this product, guess it's totally cheap and new no datasheet at all.


Other side of the keyboard, the place where the 3 profiles switches located.


Right multimedia keys section, ribbon is obviously exposed.


Left side of Multimedia Keys.


Logitech OEM product. This is USA model.



Since I've disassemble the whole keyboard, it's good for me to mod it too, how about make it a Carbon Alienware Tact-X?


Carbon wrist rest


Time to cut some carbon sticker for it Measuring the sticker.


Yeah!!! Carbon look keyboard body.


Precise cutting eh?


The camera flash makes the carbon turns into brown color, it's actually black.


Side look at number pad after Carbon mod.


Overall looking of Alienware Tact-X Carbon Edition

Thanks
AceCombat™
Alive With Adrenaline™








This post has been edited by AceCombat: Jan 2 2010, 03:38 PM

Software Installation.

Firstly, I've received a DOA CD from Alienware keyboard package, the CD is spoilt and unable to read
So I downloaded the software from Alienware website by choosing an Area 51 rig.

The software installation took around 5 minutes, and then we can get the keyboard customized


I've assigned some of the function onto each macro key.


You can assign direct function onto them too.


This is macro keys manager, in here you can edit all your macro keys that recorded before.


Or you can get a direct shortcut recorded directly with browsing the desired files.


This is useful for some lazy users
you can assign your online signature, or your favorite sentences into the macro and whenever you press the key, the whole text will be pasted onto the selected area

AlienFX Editor:
This is the most interesting place for whole keyboard and software, this is the place where you can customize your whole keyboard.


First, you can choose to get a basic edit or an advance edit.


So with Basic one, you can choose two zone lighting, which is the body part and the multimedia key parts.


See? I can have 400 different of combination from 20 choices


This is advance setting, this setting alert user when the incoming event is occuring, like if I customize Blue to email, whenever there's a new email hit my inbox, the whole keyboard will turn to blue color instead ur default color


Violet and White combination is total darkness


Conclusion:


Pros:
1. WASD cluster and anti-ghosting
2. Full customizable color for each event and show off purpose. ( Saitek Cybord )
3. Pretty good built quality
4. Silent operation
5. Good wrist rest design
6. Simply and sexy

Cons:
1. Not worth the money paid
2. 6 macro keys only
3. DOA CD from Alienware
4. Might get sticky after long time usage.
5. 2 USB port required.


So, I personally think that this is an awesome keyboard, even though the features of the keyboard is not that much, the only thing that attracted me the most is the full customizable color lighting effect. And the built quality of the keyboard is quite good, thick and not cheap plastic and the keys finishing are fairly well. The noise generated from the keys are pretty quiet, it can be considered as silent gaming keyboard, when gaming, sometimes I pressed the first macro key instead the ESC button, as the distance between both are very near, FPS gamer will fall in love to WASD cluster and anti-ghosting keyboard.
since this is the first keyboard that come out from Alienware, so I hope to see a better one for the next upcoming model.

Open discussion from now on.

Thanks
AceCombat™
Alive With Adrenaline™









This post has been edited by AceCombat: Jan 2 2010, 04:08 PM

Feel free to discuss about this keyboard.
Sorry about the delay, it should be done around 2 months ago, this is the first unit in Malaysia, officially from Alienware USA.

This post has been edited by AceCombat: Jan 2 2010, 04:11 PM

It's totally white at night while slightly aqua when morning

I got mine for almost rm400 shipped here

Where is it oh?

Where is the Mothership thread?


Can, with some charges

Depend on color, those like blue, green and red is very obvious, light color is a bit blur

if i can get either Valo or K8000 then i'll sell it, but it's one nice keyboard to match ur rig theme :-)

That one is super solid, and heavy enough
the only thing that make me consider until now is without backlight

Yup, soft is quite soft la, silent wise, i think G15 Clancy is mroe silent a bit, just a bit.

Actually, this keyboar dis mostly based on the G15 Rev2.0, they just replaced the LCD to the multimedia key with the Alienware logo there and comes with 400 color combination

Carbon is from Ace meimei only
But it hink you guys can go for other choices if you have good budget.