With only a few days left in 2015, it's time to look back at the hardware highlights we've enjoyed over the past year. In 2015 we encountered tricked-out new entries into the keyboard world, RGB updates of popular classics, and bifurcated space bars (!!!). We even threw six board into the hands of our in-office judges to see which emerged as the typing champion.

From gamer-focused powerhouses to high-performance typing tools, here's a look at the very best keyboards we tried in 2015.

Runner-Up: Logitech G910 Orion Spark

If you want a keyboard that wears its gamer-first design proudly on its sleeve, the G910 Orion Spark from Logitech is for you. Every key features a dramatic scooped design, making for some of the most gamer-friendly keys on the market. If you hit the wrong key on the Orion Spark, you have no one to blame but yourself. And whether you hit the right key or not, you'll benefit from Logitech's Romer-G mechanical switches, which are most similar to the Cherry MX Browns while still having their own distinct personality.

To cap it off the Orion Spark features full RGB lighting options, a futuristic design scheme, and even a place to hold your phone so you have easy access to Logitech's Arx Control app. It even comes with two distinct sizes of wrist-rest so you can tailor it to your specifications. You can pick it up right now on Newegg for $139.99.

Read more about the Orion Spark in our full review.

Runner-Up: Corsair Gaming STRAFE

The STRAFE (all caps, please) from Corsair is an example of what you can get from an experienced peripheral company at the top of their game. Taking much of what's popular in their K70 keyboard and tweaking it just enough to make the STRAFE distinct, Corsair offers the new board with red lighting and brown or red switches or full RGB lights with the same switch options (or, hey, even Cherry MX Blue!).

The reason the STRAFE deserves a spot among the best keyboards we tried in 2015 is that, at an extremely competitive price-point, it is hard to beat the combination of performance and features it offers. Optional textured gaming keys can be swapped in if you like, you can take advantage of the built-in USB pass-through, and Corsair's CUE software is one of the most robust offerings on the market. And while the non-RGB model only has red lighting options, the red accents under the keys makes the board look great whether lit up or not.

You can grab the red LED STRAFE for $99.99 or enjoy RGB fun for $139.99.

Check out our review of the red-switch, red LED model of the STRAFE for more details.

Winner: Cherry MX 6.0

Cherry, the company that manufactures the ultra-popular Cherry mechanical switches, also makes their own keyboards. Though their boards are generally regarded as high-quality, they are usually geared towards office, medical, or other professional uses. But, with the 2015 MX 6.0 keyboard, Cherry is offering an extremely comfortable, ultra-high-performance board that deserves the attention of gamers, professionals, and anyone who cares about their day-to-day typing experience.

Let's start by talking about the look. A gunmetal grey body and black keys sets the MX 6.0 apart from both your standard gaming and office keyboard selections. The lighting isn't RGB, just red on most keys and blue on keys with a toggle function, but it is powerfully bright, clean, vibrant, and able to be intricately adjusted with an on-board dimmer function that will absolutely allow you to get the brightness exactly where you want it.

The MX 6.0 doesn't offer macro keys or textured keycaps, but it does come with a large and comfortable rubber wrist rest and the technological advancement known as "RealKey technology," which Cherry claims makes the board the fastest in the world. Here's how the company explains it in their marketing materials:

"CHERRY RealKey analog technology - or in short CHERRY RK - is a completely new approach for reading key signals. Instead of digitally scanning the switching points, each key is simply connected to the analog controller."

While it's very difficult to tell how much the RealKey tech impacts your day-to-day experience on the MX 6.0, I did post my highest WPM typing speed ever with the keyboard, so it must be doing something right. And indeed, of all the boards I used this year the MX 6.0 offers the best feel and function for typing while also sporting Cherry mechanical switches (of course) that make it more than capable of handling a game as well. And if you happen to have any textured keycaps lying around from a gaming-focused keyboard, you can get the best of all possible worlds with the MX 6.0.

The Cherry MX 6.0 is currently available for $219.00 on Newegg.

Read our full impressions of the Cherry MX 6.0.