As a gamer, a writer, a full-time student, and a chat room and instant message addict, I tend to go through keyboards pretty quickly. I've been on the look out for a solid new multipurpose USB keyboard, and I managed to score the opportunity to test the soon-to-be-released Das Keyboard Professional, the new iteration of the infamous Das Keyboard. Most of you will probably remember Das Keyboard as the slick, hacker-inspired, symbol-less keyboard. The Professional is a new, more mature version of that original board, which I've found to be a treat for typing and gaming alike. Currently, the new units are only available in US keyboard layouts. More information on the two models can be found on the official website.

The Professional strives to be the dream board for touch typers and gamers. While the other new model, The Ultimate, maintains the traditional lack of inscriptions, the Professional puts them back on for the sake of the average typist. This USB keyboard, which is compatible with PCs, Macs, Linux boxes, and game consoles, sports a 6.6 foot high-quality USB cable and acts as a USB 2.0 hub: two ports are located discreetly on the right side of the unit, allowing you to clean up the clutter around your machine for cables that you frequently add and remove. The real stars of the show here, though, are the keys.

Touted as the "best mechanical key switches available," the Professional keys are composed of gold-plated key switches engineered by German-based Cherry Corporation. With each keystroke, a light click echoes. For an idea of how it sounds, take a listen to this recording I put together while typing this article. If you're not a fan of noisy keyboards, this won't be the one for you: no keystroke goes unheard. For those of us that prefer the click, though, you'll receive the kind of satisfying tactile feedback that hearkens back to the typewriter age; only, the keys are said to outlast normal keyboard keys by up to 40 million keystrokes. The keys are easily removed and easily cleaned, and offer an impressive amount of response: those with a lighter touch will love how easy it is to press keys and how good high-speed input response is.

As a gaming keyboard, the Professional does away with the cosmetics and opts out of the additional data screen for the sake of pure key response bliss. The most noteworthy add for gamers is the "n-key" rollover, which allows input of up to 12 key presses simultaneously without jamming. This means that those vicious bouts of num-key spamming during a World of Warcraft duel will go unhindered by the computer's cries for input mercy.

Because of this refusal for needless cosmetics, the Das Keyboard is a minimalist's dream. Like the great keyboards of the early age of home computing, the Das keeps its hard edges and straight lines in almost all places, while feeling slightly more hip and modern, thanks to a black glossy finish. There are two small feet to prop up the keyboard as per usual, and some small pads to prevent scratches and hold the unit nicely in place. Keys are suitably concave; the home keys sport the small risers to let you know where your fingers are. The only color on the board comes from the subtle LED lights for the Lock toggles, which glow a dim blue. It may not have the white grace of, say, an Apple keyboard, but doesn't make any sacrifices to performance for the sake of style.

Without question, the Das Keyboard Professional is a great product for touch-typists and gamers looking for simplicity and quality above all else. It doesn't have very many frills, and it's loud, but the USB hub is a nice addition, and the keyboard is built remarkably well. The true testament to the unit, though, came when I found myself hesitant to want to pack up the review unit and send it back. Though it's hard to avoid high subjectivity in the matter, there's something distinct about the feel of the Das Keyboard that you just won't find anywhere else. Sure, there are cheaper keyboards that rival the Das in simplicity, and more expensive ones that outdo it in functionality, but none feel as good as the Professional. Your hands will come to crave it.

Verdict: Buy

Manufacturer: Das Keyboard

Price: $129.00 ($99 pre-order special on now)

Connectivity: USB (supports USB-to-PS2 converters)

Release: Summer 2008

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