Multiple levels of Macros
The set-upA quick visit to the SteelSeries website allows you to download the driver and launch the installer. You can access the software at any time either by clicking on the logo in the task bar, accessing your programs via the Start Menu - or much easier than that, by simply clicking on the SteelSeries logo situated just to the right of your function keys on the keyboard. The user interface is extremely simple to use and has a basic layout, which consists of a picture of the keyboard (see below.) You can set-up and rename profiles and on the keyboard you can switch between them instantly. Customising each profile couldn’t be simpler. When you click on a key, a menu pops up where you can change its action - disabling it, using it to launch an application, or adding a macro. You can even specify timings between each button. You can do this for as many keys as you want and then access a list of all the macros that you’ve programmed at any time by clicking on the relevant tab on the right hand side of the screen. Of course, the keyboard also has multi-layers, so you can program more commands via the ‘F’ keys and ‘Numpad’ via the ‘Bar Lock’ and ‘Pad Lock’ buttons. The Shift's strenghts lie in the sheer amount of customisation that you can do, and this software package makes it simple to get to grips with setting up your profiles.
Within the software, you also access a stats screen where you can record your gaming habits. While gaming, the software tracks your button presses on the keyboard and then shows you, in colour-codes, the keys that you most use, as well how many actions you carry out per minute. This allows you to then optimize your keyboard settings based on the way you play, suggesting how you could change your lay-out to help improve your performance. It’s a feature that many gamers probably aren't going to need, but it’s interesting to see ways in which you can potentially improve your set-up that you may not have thought of. If that’s going to give you a better performance in the long run, then it’s a worthwhile addition.
Overall, we've had no complaints with the software. It was easy to set-up (less than a minute) and the manual is crystal clear in its instructions with diagrams to help you to get to grips with programming multiple commands if you plan to use them. Even without help though, we were able to navigate and program our profiles with little effort.
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