INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   For the past 5 years or so we've literally witnessed a rain of gaming peripherals designed and manufactured by a large number of companies around the world, some well-known ones and some well not so much. Regardless however no matter how many gaming peripherals we get to test most of them seem quite similar in both design and features while only a handful really steal the show each year (and that's not even certain) either because of their innovative nature or due to their second to none performance. Now as many of you know purely gaming oriented keyboards are perhaps what we see least when it comes to gaming related peripherals (mice and headsets are obviously more in number) and although many manufacturers keep releasing extremely durable mechanical keyboards their lack of features robs them from that classification. Of course currently in the market there are quite a few "pure" gaming oriented keyboards by manufacturers such as Razer and Logitech but as with all things there's always something above everything else and the latest S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 gaming keyboard by Mad Catz aims for the throne.

 

   Mad Catz is a leading global provider of innovative products for the interactive entertainment industry. Mad Catz develops and markets accessories for videogame systems and PCs under its Mad Catz (casual gaming), Saitek (simulation), Cyborg (pro gaming), Eclipse (home and office) and TRITTON (gaming audio) brands. Mad Catz also operates e-commerce and content websites for videogame and PC products under its GameShark brand, develops, manufactures and markets proprietary earphones under its AirDrives brand and publishes and distributes video/PC games. Mad Catz distributes its products through most of the leading retailers offering interactive entertainment products and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia.

 

   When Mad Catz announced the availability of the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 i was caught of guard because honestly when you're dag up inside a room and you have to prepare countless reviews and arrange several giveaways you really don't have time to check with all your contacts (my leg injury was also partially responsible for that). Still one of the latest S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 gaming keyboards did find its way to us and we've been putting it to the test ever since against my all-time favorite G19 by Logitech and the TteSports MEKA G1. Now if i had to describe the S.T.R.I.K.E.7 gaming keyboard I’d probably say it belongs in the cockpit of a small spaceship (if you check Chris Roberts Star Citizen you will see what i mean) since it really looks like nothing else I’ve ever seen. Specifications wise i was surprised when i learned that the S.T.R.I.K.E.7 is not a mechanical keyboard but rather a membrane model much like the G19 by Logitech. This is not necessarily a bad thing since I’ve been using the G19 since launch without the slightest problem so unless you plan on keeping a keyboard for a decade it shouldn't matter at all. I could mention everything else about this keyboard in this paragraph but its better if i show you which is also why we did our best to make this by far the most thorough/complete S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 review possible.

 

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 arrived inside a large white box with a product picture at the front, the Mad Catz logo and a few words about the Venom screen.

 

 

Another product picture is placed at the top of the box right next to a picture of the box containing the extra WASD/Arrow keys.

 

 

The Venom gaming app screens are all placed at the bottom.

 

 

At the rear of the box we see 3 more product pictures and the features list in 5 languages.

 

 

Beneath the top box cover there's a drawing of a large mechanical scorpion.

 

 

All of the bundle pieces are placed inside formed pieces of cardboard.

 

 

The bundle is above impressive and so you will end up with two keyboard pieces (QWERTY, number pad), the Venom screen, a small glossy button panel, three adjustable wrist rests (one with a knob/button), case with extra WASD/Arrow keys, allen key and a longer connection cable, LCD/main body connection cables, AC power adapter, user's manual, combat pilot and Damage Inc. promotion papers and the usual warranty information paper.

 

 

 

THE S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 PART 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The small plastic case includes replacement WASD and Arrow keys, an allen wrench/key (thanks to Tyler for pointing this out to us - we didn't pay much attention to it), a key remover, 6 screws and a longer connection cable (you will see where you need to use that later on).

 

 

The two main body pieces (QWERTY, number pad) are separate by default but you just need to bring them together to get yourself a normal sized keyboard.

 

 

Compared to other keyboards the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 has a shorter space button but a larger one in width (so it's quite easy to use).

 

 

The C1-C5 keys you see right above the arrow keys are fully programmable macro buttons placed slightly lower than the rest to avoid pressing them by accident.

 

 

Some of the F keys (F5-F12) can also be used as the top special keys of the number pad.

 

 

A large section of the bottom is made by metal making the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 extremely sturdy as a whole.

 

 

Even the height adjusters are made out of metal and rubber and as you can see they offer a good lift distance from the desk.

 

 

You can also use screws to secure the two keyboard pieces in place (and the small macro button panel).

 

 

Now if some of you are wondering how the various parts of the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 communicate together that's easy and so Mad Catz has placed several connectors on each part which in turn connect to the Venom screen (seen later on).

 

 

 

THE S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 PART 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's move to the wrist rests. The first one is also the strangest one of the three due to its design.

 

 

This palm rest has a scroll wheel and a two buttons, one which can be configured for normal use and another which when pressed lowers the height of the palm rest (only when the palm rest is extended all the way).

 

 

You can adjust the length of the palm rest by just pulling it outwards (at full extend you can also lower it with the side button).

 

 

The same applies for the other two palm rests as you can see above.

 

 

The small glossy button panel can mostly be used with macro commands and i really suggest securing it with screws since it can get removed very easily.

 

 

As you can see the 3.2 inch Venom touch screen pretty much steals the show and is without doubt one of the main reasons behind the high cost of the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7.

 

 

There are a total of 8 rather small buttons around the Venom screen and a round knob-like area that houses just a LED and the Mad Catz logo over it. The downside with the Venom part of the keyboard is that most of those 8 buttons don't feel very sturdy (at least not for the price of the keyboard).

 

 

Behind the Venom screen we see the two keyboard connectors (the screen is the part which connects to your system and the power), two USB 2.0 ports and an extra leg/stand for increased stability.

 

 

Another one of the things that make the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 a great keyboard is that you can configure it according to your needs so the Venom screen, glossy button panel and the small wrist rest can all get mounted on the number pad leaving the main QWERTY keyboard alone. Now remember the long connector cable i mentioned in the beginning? Well you will need to use that instead of the prefited one if you choose one such configuration as the one above.

 

 

Membrane keys may not be as sturdy as mechanical ones (for example MX brown or Red ones) but they are softer (for those who like soft keys) and almost inaudible when pressed.

 

 

I also decided to change both the WASD and arrow keys with the provided red ones since not only they look better but it's also easier to distinguish thanks to their red rubber lines.

 

 

 

All the cables found in the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 are double braided and the USB connector is as expected gold plated.

 

 

Worth mentioning is that to secure the screws (for securing the parts together) you need to use the provided Allen key (you can ualso se a screwdriver but not as easy).

 

 

Since the G19 by Logitech has been up till this day my favorite gaming keyboard i thought it would be nice if we placed it right next to the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 to see which one is larger and naturally the Mad Catz offering is slightly larger.

 

 

However we decided to take things just a step further (mostly out of curiocity) and weighted both keyboards with my high accuracy scale (also used to weigh CPU Coolers). I know this is not the best proof regarding build quality but i think it does matter even a little. So the S.T.R.I.K.E 7 weighs a total of 1783g while the G19 weighs just 1155g.

 

 

 

USING THE S.T.R.I.K.E. 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you plug the keyboard into your system all the keys and the round part next to the Venom screen will light up red.

 

 

Now what i liked a lot is that the used LEDs also light the base of the keys and not just the top of the keys.

 

 

At default the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 has two more color modes, blue and purple.

 

 

Mad Catz has setup an entire page exclusively with drivers, software and profile updates for the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7.

 

 

The Smart Technology control panel has a total of 3 different modes and for each of them you can remap keys, assign commands to the Venom screen, create macros, assign apps to the Venom screen, check for driver updates and contact support.

 

 

 

 

THE 12 VENOM GAMING APPS

 

  

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately unlike the LCD screen found on the G19 the Venom screen can't be used with YouTube and other game specific apps (until now anyways). However Mad Catz has preconfigured a total of 12 app screens from where you can control media playback, adjust the system volume, adjust the keyboard backlight color and brightness, check the time via an analog clock, use a stopwatch, use 2 different countdown timers, lock/unlock windows shortcut keys, change the Venom screen language, perform a screen recalibration, set screen brightness and fade out timer, launch the assigned macros and apps, write a journal (once you press the + you can write with the keyboard) and finally you can use the Venom screen with TeamSpeak.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Before i started using the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 i too was somewhat disappointed to hear that instead of mechanical switches it used membrane ones not only because that means reduced life for the product but also because of its high price. However after using it for quite a bit I’m fairly certain that durability will not be an issue (unless like i said you plan on using it for a decade) and at the same time the keys feel a lot better when pressed than mechanical ones. Now it will take some time for people to get used using such soft keys (took a couple of days for me) but in the end i really think you won’t ever look back. Overall the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 is a very high quality keyboard which is not only innovative in every possible way but it’s also a real jewel for your desktop (if you happen to like sci-fi) and extremely friendly to left-handed people. Now i do want Mad Catz to introduce new features for the Venom screen (and they just might) and i also want to see better quality keys around the same screen but like i always say we just can't have it all in life so i can settle just with extra apps.

 

   Much like the R.A.T. 7/9 gaming mice the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 brings several innovative features never seen before on the table and because of that it also (like the R.A.T. 7/9) costs quite a bit and more specifically USD269.99 inside the USA (Newegg) and around 280Euros inside the EU. True such a price tag is over twice as much as the best mechanical keyboards out there but do keep in mind that just like the R.A.T. 7/9 gaming mice the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 is not aimed towards casual users and gamers but rather enthusiasts and hardcore gamers who always want/need the best gaming peripherals around and are willing to pay the extra premium to get them. Regardless however there's no denying that although not perfect the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 is at the top of the food chain currently and for that it walks away with our Platinum award.

 

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Innovation
- 3.2 Inch Venom Touchscreen
- 12 Gaming Apps
- 24 Programmable Keys
- Full Button Illumination
- 7 Part Modular Design
- Rear USB Ports
- Extra WASD/Arrow Keys
- Control Software

 

 

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Membrane Keys (For Some)
- Venom Screen Buttons (Not Too Sturdy)