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As part of its expanding range of gaming keyboards, Logitech has released a couple of new Cherry Mechanical offerings under the G610 Orion brand.  Constructed of industrial grade plastic for a strong, robust appearance that is strong enough to handle the heavy workload of a gaming device, these keyboards are designated as either Brown or, as in the case of my review model, Red. 

This colour has nothing to do with the outward appearance of the G610 Orion devices as you quickly realise when unpacking the tethered keyboard.  Instead the Brown or Red designation is to do with the colour of the Cherry MX switches built into the keyboard.  With the Cherry MX Red switch you get a 45g actuation force and linear travel making the keyboard a little quieter in operation.

With dimensions of 153 x 443.5 x 34.2mm (W x D x H), the G610 Red connects to a host computer via the permanently attached USB lead.  The length of this lead is 1.83 metres which should help in the position of the keyboard.  You can also adjust the angle height at which this keyboard sits.  This three step adjustment lets you set the keyboard angle to 0, 4 or 8 degrees while rubber feet ensure there should be no problem with slipping during the heat of battle. 

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Once attached to the computer, a backlight feature springs into action.  A pulsing light highlights the legends of the various keys plus the Logitech logo which sits in the top left corner of the keyboard.

Running across the top of a standard keyboard layout is a row of function keys.  A navigation keypad separates the main keyboard arrangement from a number pad.  There are also dedicated media keys that can be used to control audio and video playback.  These controls allow you to play, pause, cycle backwards and forwards through tracks plus adjust and mute the volume.

To get the best out of this keyboard you need appropriate software.  However no software is actually provided with the keyboard package.  Fortunately you can download Logitech Gaming Software.  The necessary website of www.logitech.com/support/g610-red can be found in a mini Setup Guide booklet into in the box when looking for the necessary software.

As the supplied website is the reservoir for numerous items of software, the simplest way to locate the required Gaming Software is to make use of the site’s search feature.  You will need to select whether to download the Mac or Windows version and choose either the Windows 7 or Windows 10 with the latter option.  Once downloaded and installed you could find, as I did, that Windows Firewall will initial block this utility until you grant it access.

The Logitech Gaming Software is your gateway to the functionality available with this G610 Red keyboard.  This Gaming Software opens with a graphical representation of the G610 Red keyboard.  Arranged below this representation is a row of icons which allow you to switch between the different types of actions as you customise your Logitech device.

Probably topping the list of available tasks is that of creating named profiles designed for specific purposes or particular games.  You can assign your chosen commands to what the software refers to as G-keys but are otherwise known as Function keys.  When assigning commands to particular keys you have a choice of options depending upon what you want to achieve.  You can assign a keystroke combination or record a multi-key macro.  A macro can consist of key events, delays and other aspects.  You also have options to include a message communication, mouse movements, apply media controls and make use of shortcuts linking to a program or website.

The Logitech G610 Red is a well constructed keyboard that will provide a range of customisable features to supplement its main task of helping the user come out top during games.  Logitech has priced this keyboard at £104.99.

http://gaming.logitech.com/en-gb/product/g610-orion-red-keyboard