Apple’s First Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Aren’t Made by Apple at All

Apple spent some 2023 and 2024 mounting itself up arsenic a caller look successful gaming. But adjacent Apple doesn’t expect gamers to effort to play Baldur’s Gate 3 connected its low-profile, squishy Magic Keyboards and hand-cramping Magic Mouse. That’s right, Apple present has authoritative gaming keyboards. Before you deliberation the Mac shaper has yet moved connected from Magic peripherals, Apple has licensed its gaming keyboards and mice from Corsair instead. 

Corsair partnered with Apple to bring the $160 K65 mechanical keyboard and the $130 M75 wireless mouse to Mac. It includes each the authoritative Mac layouts implicit with CMD and OPT keys, and the relation enactment layout is modeled aft the Mac’s accustomed layout. That’s important due to the fact that Apple is expected to merchantability them straight successful Apple stores with the constricted Glacier Blue color, which is lone disposable in-person, and a achromatic variation disposable online. We tested the MacBook Pro 14 and Pro 16 with M4, the M4 iMac, and the redesigned Mac mini are each technically gaming-capable machines. Now, there’s a K&M to lucifer your Apple-brand hardware.

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

You could person ever utilized immoderate different mechanical keyboard. Apple mainstays could adjacent swap retired the keys to lucifer the Mac layout, but this is 1 of the fewer times successful Apple’s past it’s promoting a third-party peripheral arsenic if to archer anybody who would listen, “Yes, we’re superior astir gaming. Can’t you spot the keyboard’s sick RGB and chill bluish styling implicit there?”

Corsair sent maine some to enactment done their paces. The K65 is simply a 75% keyboard with a alloy sheet chassis and hot-swappable keys. It uses Corsair-brand MLX RED linear switches with 45g of actuation region and 4mm travel. Safe to say, it’s conscionable connected the close broadside of bouncy for my style. It has capable resistance; I don’t accidentally property keys erstwhile resting my fingers connected them. There’s a clacky dependable to them, but its dampened good capable I won’t overwhelm my coworkers connected the desks adjacent me. 

The keyboard feels precise solid, though it’s inactive alternatively plastic-y if you’d much utilized to classy mechanical keyboards. Then, of course, you’re introduced to the iCue software, Corsair’s mode of updating firmware and modifying the K65’s and M75’s RGB lighting. If you’re a Mac idiosyncratic unused to the communal bloatware that PC gamers experience, invited to the party, pal. 

The M75 ambidextrous gaming rodent feels robust successful the hand. Both the rodent instrumentality and near rodent fastener person a bully consciousness without being excessively distracting oregon mechanical. The close rodent fastener has a little instantly clicky dependable that caught maine disconnected guard. Without doing immoderate accuracy tests, it astatine slightest feels similar a beardown and speedy competitory mouse.

What Games are There to Play with Apple, Anyway?

© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

Using this keyboard, I perpetually reminded myself not to scope for the CTRL fastener alternatively of CMD, but successful games like Baldur’s Gate III, the musculus representation automatically kicks in. It’s besides a acold amended clip to play Resident Evil 4 with Corsair’s items than thing Apple offers. 

Still, erstwhile you deliberation of high-end gaming peripherals, you thin to deliberation of e-sports. Unfortunately for Apple, determination truly aren’t immoderate large competitory shooters, and determination are no Counter-Strike 2 or Call of Duty. Perhaps we’ll find much League of Legends players clicking astir connected Mac, but these peripherals aren’t indispensable for Apple’s gaming plans. 

Despite Corsair’s caller Apple connection, these peripherals aren’t astir arsenic casual to brace to Mac arsenic the tech giant’s keyboard and mice. There’s nary auto-detection. Instead, you indispensable usage Bluetooth, a wire, oregon the included 2.4 GHz dongles. The latest Macs, including the Mac mini, nary longer athletics USB-A ports. That poses a occupation for these existing peripherals, and Corsair’s reply is to see an Anker-brand USB-A to USB-C converter successful the box. This sticks retired similar a sore thumb and makes the dongles precarious if you ever situation determination your Mac and hide they’re there. You won’t beryllium capable to alteration immoderate of the keyboard oregon rodent settings unless you usage 2.4 mode oregon plug them successful directly. At slightest the included ligament is simply a USB-C to USB-C.

If you’ve utilized immoderate fig of gaming peripherals, the archetypal brace of real-deal gaming peripherals made for Mac won’t consciousness that distinct. And yet, I would alternatively usage the K65 alternatively than Apple’s keyboard. As for the mouse, is it adjacent a contest? The Magic Mouse is truthful poorly designed that Apple CEO Tim Cook can’t adjacent travel up with anything bully to accidental astir it. 

Apple made a batch of sound astir games similar Frostpunk 2 coming to Mac connected release, past high-profile ones similar Control and Cyberpunk 2077 making their mode to Mac aboriginal successful 2025. There are a fewer different games connected the horizon, arsenic well. I attended an Apple gaming showcase past week wherever the iPhone maker played games similar the brutally underrated Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and the excellent Resident Evil 2 remake on M4 Macs alongside caller iPads and iPhones. Prince of Persia won’t beryllium disposable until Dec. 3, and RE 2 volition travel up connected Dec. 10. 

But you’ll person to hold until February 2025 for Control. Cyberpunk doesn’t adjacent person a afloat merchandise day yet, though Apple confirmed with maine that it volition see the Phantom Liberty DLC (I honestly couldn’t ideate playing the crippled without it now). Other upcoming cross-platform games similar Neva or Wuthering Waves aren’t the titles that payment the astir from gamer K&M. For Apple to go a existent gaming haven, the answer—as always—is more.