Gigabyte Osmium Keyboard: Great Design, Poor Accuracy
Conclusion
This is a honestly a tough call. The Aivia Osmium's build quality is excellent, the Ghost macro programming software is top notch, it effectively supports 25 macro keys, offers USB 3.0 pass-through so you don't lose access to a valuable port, runs off dual USB 2.0 ports without a hitch, and the audio jacks work flawlessly without introducing any line noise. The actuation force is also remarkably low; this keyboard could be a great fit for people with certain kinds of RSI.
But balanced against all those positives is the key bounce issue we discussed, and because of it, I can't rely on this keyboard for accurate output. Search boxes and browser navigation bars still end up filled with strings of "w" or "s" because I inadvertently rested my hand on those keys while browsing the web. The latter I can deal with by putting my hand elsewhere, but I cannot resolve the key bounce issue without an update from Gigabyte. Even if I sit and focus specifically on typing as lightly as possible, double-strokes with some keys still happen.
When we asked Gigabyte about this issue, the company told us it was aware of the problem and was looking into it, but didn't say exactly when a solution would be available. If Gigabyte fixes the issue via a firmware or software update, we'd definitely recommend the Osmium (and we'll notify you if that happens). In terms of build quality and features, the board is great.
As things stand though, $129 is simply too much to pay for a keyboard that has trouble fulfilling its most basic function -- accurately transferring input from fingertip to screen. Technically, it's priced competitively with other Cherry Red-based gaming keyboards, especially considering the Aivia Osmium's extensive feature set, but the key bounce issue is impossible to overlook.
But balanced against all those positives is the key bounce issue we discussed, and because of it, I can't rely on this keyboard for accurate output. Search boxes and browser navigation bars still end up filled with strings of "w" or "s" because I inadvertently rested my hand on those keys while browsing the web. The latter I can deal with by putting my hand elsewhere, but I cannot resolve the key bounce issue without an update from Gigabyte. Even if I sit and focus specifically on typing as lightly as possible, double-strokes with some keys still happen. When we asked Gigabyte about this issue, the company told us it was aware of the problem and was looking into it, but didn't say exactly when a solution would be available. If Gigabyte fixes the issue via a firmware or software update, we'd definitely recommend the Osmium (and we'll notify you if that happens). In terms of build quality and features, the board is great.
As things stand though, $129 is simply too much to pay for a keyboard that has trouble fulfilling its most basic function -- accurately transferring input from fingertip to screen. Technically, it's priced competitively with other Cherry Red-based gaming keyboards, especially considering the Aivia Osmium's extensive feature set, but the key bounce issue is impossible to overlook.
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