INTRODUCTION

   Lately whenever i hear people talking about gaming peripherals mechanical keyboards seem to always steal the show and that's somewhat justifiable in a way since they do offer impressive MTBF times and tactile feedback compared to regular membrane keyboards. Of course not all is black and white in the market and so we've seen quite a few membrane keyboards during these past 2 years that share equally good MTBF times and offer a good amount of feedback as well like the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 and S.T.R.I.K.E. 5 by Mad Catz and the APEX and APEX [RAW] by SteelSeries all of which we have reviewed in the past. Well it seems that Mad Catz is not ready to halt their S.T.R.I.K.E line of gaming keyboards and so just recently they announced the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 gaming keyboard which is basically a cut-down version of its more expensive brothers featuring just basic functionality without sacrificing key precision and MTBF.

   Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (NYSE MKT: MCZ) is a global provider of innovative interactive entertainment products marketed under its Mad Catz® (gaming), Tritton® (audio), and Saitek® (simulation) brands. Mad Catz also develops flight simulation software through its internal ThunderHawk Studios™; operates flight simulation centers under its Saitek brand; publishes games under its Mad Catz brand; and distributes games and videogame products for third parties. Mad Catz distributes its products through most leading retailers offering interactive entertainment products and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For additional information please go to www.madcatz.com.

   Although the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 is far less eye-catching and comes with very limited features compared to the S.T.R.I.K.E.5 and S.T.R.I.K.E.7 models that's not necessarily a bad thing since that means it's also smaller and weighs less so for consumers who may also want to use it in LAN events it's much easier to carry. Mad Catz has used their custom-crafted P.U.L.S.E. membrane technology for the keys which provides precise tactile feedback (require 60g of actuation force), anti-ghosting capabilities for up to seven simultaneous keystrokes and up to five times longer MTBF compared to regular membrane keyboards. That's not all however and so the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 also features RBG backlighting with 16 million color variants in 3 different brightness modes, 12 programmable macro buttons and a very convenient windows key lock switch. Of course the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 lacks any kind of screen like its far more expensive brothers but as we already mentioned that's not necessarily a bad thing. So time to see what Mad Catz has dished out this time.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

At the front of the box Mad Catz talks about their P.U.L.S.E membrane technology right next to a large product image and a smaller product image informing us of the color placed inside the box.

All three available colors can be seen at the top and again the one in the box is ticked.

Information about Mad Catz is placed at the bottom of the box.

The features of the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 are explained in depth at the rear and showcased using a large product picture.

Although the keyboard comes with a removable wrist rest to make certain that these two don't "hurt" each other during shipping Mad Catz has placed them above and beneath the cardboard box.

Just like the keyboard the bundle includes just the basics such as a large quickstart guide, technical support and information paper and 6 red stickers. Worth mentioning is that the glossy parts on both the keyboard and the wrist rest are covered with plastic films.

THE S.T.R.I.K.E. 3

The S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 gaming keyboard looks great largely thanks to its glossy exterior (that's a dust/fingerprint magnet however) and the red/black color combination (that doesn't apply with the other two models however).

Just like with its brothers the model name is imprinted on the right upper corner.

The very first 7 macro keys are placed on the top left right next to the Windows key lock switch and a mode button which is obviously used to switch between all available modes.

F5 through F12 double as media and brightness keys with the help of the Fn key.

Two metal feet with rubber coating are placed at the base of the keyboard along with a large sticker containing information like the units’ serial number and electrical requirements.

By using the two metal feet you can raise the rear of the keyboard 15mm from your desk.

Even at a quick glance it's very easy to notice the special membrane key technology used by Mad Catz.

You can mount the removable wrist rest just by placing it beneath the keyboard since it doesn't really attach to it. That's good in a way since it requires almost no effort from your part but also bad since if you pick up the keyboard the wrist rest will not stay with it.

With the wrist pad the keyboard measures 508mm in length, 200.66mm in width and 71.16mm in height with a weight of 1179g.

The cable is braided with the same color combo as the rest of the keyboard and finishes on a gold plated USB connector.

USING THE S.T.R.I.K.E. 3

As always since the keyboard doesn't come with a software CD you will need to access the Mad Catz support page to download both the drivers and the control software.

The software starts with the Mad Catz logo something i consider to be a nice touch.

Through the Mad Catz software you can map the 7 mode buttons at the top with one of the available commands (you can even create your own).

You can also create your own profiles, adjust the illumination and download all the latest drivers, software updates and available profiles.

Above we placed some shots with red, yellow, purple and blue illumination to get an idea (they all look quite nice but blue even more).

CONCLUSION

   We are currently using 3 keyboards with our 3 testing rigs and one of them is the quite amazing S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 which offers a large array of features not seen with other keyboards which is also why we decided to use it ourselves. Well i can say for certain that if Mad Catz hadn't released the S.T.R.I.K.E. 5 and S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 models we would be using the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 instead. The size is just right so although people with large hands can use it at the same time it doesn't take more space than needed and it's quite short thanks to the fact that it comes without any kind of screen. The keys are pretty much the same as its larger brothers so although not as hard as mechanical ones they do offer good tactile feedback and are not entire inaudible something that many will like and some will not. The illumination system is very good since it lights up both the interior of the keys and around them so it seems identical to that of the other two models while the control software is once again very easy to navigate and use. My only slight problem with the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 is its removable hand rest since it doesn't really attach to it so it can come off with the slightest movement of the keyboard. I know this is not very important but we did find it slightly annoying so we thought everyone should be aware of that.

   At this exact moment in time the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 Gaming Keyboard by Mad Catz retails for around USD99 inside the USA (Amazon.com / price depends on the color combo) and 96Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Now just like with the other two S.T.R.I.K.E models there will be many people who will judge Mad Catz for the price of the S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 but rest assured that it offers plenty of features and can easily go up against other similar offerings in the market. Of course Mad Catz neglected to add extra macro buttons like they did with the two higher end models something that would go a long way with gamers and it would also make the price tag a lot more tempting. That being said Mad Catz has once again introduced a high quality keyboard with a good number of features but the fact is that it could be better and that's why we give it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- 12 Programmable Keys
- Full Bottom Illumination System (16m Colors/3 modes)
- Windows Lock Switch
- Braided Cable With Gold Plated Connectors
- Color Availability (Red/Black - White/Black - All Black)
- Control Software 

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Membrane Keys (For Some)