Vortex Gaming

In any game, skill is the most important thing, regardless of equipment. However, in AOS or FPS games where victory or defeat is determined by a hair's breadth, the role of these equipment is more significant than you might think. In short, if a skilled gamer has good equipment, the effect is further maximized. Of course, even gamers without skills like me can sometimes be covered by equipment to some extent.

Especially in FPS games, the importance of gaming peripherals is further increased. Even if it is mentioned a few times in communities or YouTube, such as "Where are the good products?", it will be sold out in a short period of time. These peripherals, especially gaming equipment in FPS games, come in a surprisingly wide variety.

From mice used for quick movement and accurate aiming to keyboards where accurate input and fast response speed are important, and headsets for sound play (hereinafter referred to as saple). There are many other peripherals and equipment that you can additionally bring, but I think this level is the most important.

Among FPS games, there is one game in particular that makes a big difference depending on the equipment. Valorant, an FPS genre in which the bullet group is densely formed when you stop moving and shoot. As a result, most users who play Valorant mainly use the so-called breaking technique, which involves pressing and releasing the movement key, or pressing the movement key in the opposite direction to stop the movement.

When using this breaking technique, the influence of the keyboard is the greatest. This is because the input points are all different depending on the keyboard, so the difference is clear. To this end, high-end gaming gear brand SteelSeries introduced and released Rapid Trigger technology to use breaking technology faster and more precisely, and introduced it to all users last month.

I also experienced the Rapid Trigger function myself last month. Even for me, who is an FPS beginner, I definitely felt the difference when using it before and after applying Rapid Trigger. Instead, the disappointing thing was that if I had at least dipped my toes in FPS, I would have been able to provide a more detailed explanation, but I couldn't tell you more.

So I invited experts in this field. They are Valorant players from Nongshim RedForce, who are in such a high position in this field that it would be rude to call them experts. All of the players are practicing using the SteelSeries keyboard, so I think they have also used this function. Let's hear the players' reviews and various stories directly.

Q. (All) Please give a brief introduction of yourself.

정하이: Hello, I'm Lee Jung-ha from the Nongshim RedForce Valorant team.

마가레트: I'm Kim Ji-woo from the Nongshim RedForce Valorant team.

클라우디: I'm Gu Min-jae from the Nongshim RedForce Valorant team.

프록시: I'm Lee Do-kyung from the Nongshim RedForce Valorant team.

무브스: I'm Park Jun-seo, who is in charge of the flash vanguard in the Nongshim RedForce Valorant team.

Q. I'm curious if there have been any interesting episodes or absurd situations during the game or within the team.

정하이: There were a few funny situations, but one of the things I remember is that if the opposing team makes an unbelievably bold play during the game, an absurd situation is created and I can't help but laugh during the game. And our team has a lot of friends who are awkward with interviews, so it's fun just watching them when they do interviews (laughs).

클라우디: I'm really speechless when I die during a game because the opponent shoots while running or jumping without breaking... (laughs)

Q. Many athletes, gamers, and celebrities often have their own jinxes or routines. I'm curious if any of the players have any special jinxes or routines.

정하이: I don't think I have anything else other than drinking an energy drink on the day of the competition. In the case of our team's player Margaret, her hands are a bit dry, so her routine is to wet her hands with cold water, soak them, and then take them out to play the game, so she always carries a rice bowl with her on the day of the competition.

클라우디: My routine is to simply warm up my hands. These days, I'm following the training ground routine of demon1, an American Valorant pro gamer currently with Evil Geniuses.

Q. (All) Getting to the point, I'm curious about the keyboards you use. Of course, I know that Nongshim RedForce is currently using SteelSeries keyboards. Other than that, any keyboards you have used in the past or have good memories of are fine.

정하이: I like the mini layout itself, so I'm using the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini.

마가레트: I also have the same Apex Pro Mini.

클라우디: I also prefer tenkeyless or small layout keyboards, so I'm using the Apex Pro Mini.

프록시: I am currently using the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL, but before that, I mainly used the L company's G PRO X keyboard and VAXEE ZYGEN.

무브스: I'm using the Apex Pro Mini, and in the past, I used the Deck Hesium Turtle Ship Black Edition.

Q. (All) Additionally, I'm curious about what performance the players personally think is the most important in a gaming keyboard. For example, the key pressure should be light, or the key feel when pressed should be smooth. Or, there may be various positions, such as whether it is important that it is recognized well, whether it is heavy or light, or whether the importance of additional functions is great.

정하이: I think the most important thing for a keyboard is its response speed. And in addition to performance such as response speed, I think the product size is also important. I personally prefer the mini size.

마가레트: I prefer low key pressure.

클라우디: If you look at some people, there are users who press the keyboard hard when playing games. I don't press the keyboard hard when playing games, so I think the key pressure, which is important for input, is very important among the performance of the keyboard.

프록시: Personally, I like the clicky key feel like a blue axis, and I think the key feel when pressing the keyboard is important.

무브스: I prefer a keyboard that is pressed, released, and input quickly.

Q. (All) I think all users who play Valorant will be curious about this, so I'm asking. I'm curious how you use the settings in Valorant. It's okay to answer comfortably, including how you place the keyboard angle or posture.

정하이: It may seem unusual, but I use the keyboard angle turned vertically. In addition, I move the monitor forward as much as possible and pull it forward. Additionally, I lower the resolution to 1280x960 (4:3).

마가레트: I usually prefer things that don't lag or stutter. That's why I set all the settings to low and use the same resolution as Jung-hai, 1280x960 (4:3).

클라우디: I also use a resolution of 1280x960 (4:3). However, the in-game settings are a bit different. I use anti-aliasing at 4x and anisotropic filtering at x16. The rest are set to very low, and the mouse sensitivity is set to 1000 DPI sensitivity 0.21.

프록시: I set the resolution to 1920x1080 (FHD) and use it, and the mouse DPI is set to 800 sensitivity 0.275. All graphics settings are set to very low.

무브스: All graphics settings are set to low, anti-aliasing is set to 4x, anisotropic filtering is set to x8, and everything else is disabled except for shadows. The mouse sensitivity is 1600 DPI with a sensitivity of 0.202.

Q. I know that breaking technology is an essential element in Valorant, even for me who doesn't know much about FPS. I know that this is also related to the keyboard. In particular, the Wooting keyboard, which is famous in Valorant, is famous for its fast breaking response, so do the players know anything about keyboards that can be used comfortably for breaking?

정하이: Breaking is naturally one of the important elements in Valorant. Also, I only know that the Wooting keyboard you mentioned has a fairly fast response.

프록시: I only recently learned about the Rapid Trigger system, and I know that the Wooting keyboard became a bit famous after a player in the North American first division used it.

마가레트: Yes, I also know about keyboards that are optimized for breaking to some extent, and I wanted to try it because people around me said it was so good. But I'm already using the same Rapid Trigger function from SteelSeries this time, and I don't feel a big difference from Wooting.

Q. (All) This August 22nd, SteelSeries added a similar keyboard function, Rapid Trigger, that you just answered. Have you tried using it directly, and if so, is there a big difference between having the function and not having it?

정하이: Yes, I used it as soon as it was updated. After using it, there is definitely a difference between having it and not having it, and it seems reasonably good because even people who are using it for the first time won't have a long adaptation period.

마가레트: I have been using Rapid Trigger well since it was released. If I go into more detail, I feel like breaking is applied immediately when I take my finger off to apply breaking. Of course, it's not a huge difference, but it's true that it makes a subtle but big difference.

클라우디: The difference was bigger than I expected. Until now, I felt like it was a bit delayed even when I took my finger off the key, but this time, when I used this function, it responded quickly.

프록시: When I used Rapid Trigger, I was satisfied because the keyboard became more sensitive.

무브스: Since breaking is important in Valorant, the presence or absence of this function makes a big difference. In the case of the experience, I definitely feel that it has changed a lot compared to when it was not there before.

Q. I also used the new Rapid Trigger function of SteelSeries, which was updated in August, before preparing for this interview. Of course, I'm not as skilled as the players, and I actually learned the breaking technique by watching it on YouTube for a while, so I could only experience it in terms of functionality. I'm curious how the players felt when they actually used it in real combat.

정하이: I definitely felt the Rapid Trigger function when I used it in real combat. To be specific, breaking was definitely applied in urgent situations during play. However, I can't set the Rapid Trigger details yet, so it would be better if that part was improved.

클라우디: In fact, I think there are always moments when you have to break just by taking your finger off the key, even during a game or during practice. In those situations, I can definitely feel that my first shot accuracy has increased.

프록시: When I used it, it was definitely better because the response was faster than before. However, since it currently only supports an input point of 0.1mm, I hope there will be a software update in the future.

Q. Moving on, I'm personally curious. The flower of hardware is performance, but a pretty appearance also plays a part. Do you also look at the overall appearance when choosing a keyboard, and if so, what kind of appearance do you prefer? You can answer lightly, such as whether you think it's okay to have LEDs or whether you prefer a clean design.

무브스: I didn't really care about the appearance, but there are quite a few pretty products from SteelSeries this time. The performance is good and the appearance is pretty, so I'm going to go look around all the SteelSeries keyboards after this (laughs).

마가레트: Since the appearance includes the size, I like small mini layout keyboards.

클라우디: Actually, I prefer plain colors to products with flashy appearances. I don't really like LEDs.

프록시: As for the appearance, I'm almost satisfied if it's tenkeyless! I don't really care about other factors.

Q. (All) Thank you for agreeing to the interview. Finally, what do you want from the SteelSeries keyboard you are currently using? It's okay to say what you want or what you want to be added.

정하이: I'm currently using the Apex Pro Mini keyboard, and I think the frame itself is a bit high based on my standards, so it's more uncomfortable than I thought. So I think it would be good to have a dedicated wrist rest for that keyboard.

마가레트: There's not much I want. However, it would be great if you could add more good features in the future.

클라우디: Since it's a Rapid Trigger function that hasn't been released for long, it's still a bit difficult to change it freely. I'm looking forward to the future update of these adjustment functions and convenience functions.

프록시: I'm very satisfied with it now, so there's not much I want. I will continue to use it well in the future.

무브스: I personally prefer a lighter key pressure, so I wish it was a little lighter than this.

웹진 인벤Lee Hyun-soo Reporter
2023-09-21