If you have played on standard keyboards, you have probably not managed to perform actions by pressing several keys simultaneously. This is called ghosting. In other words, the keyboard controller is not able to interpret pressing multiple keys at the same time. Anti-ghosting has been developed to overcome this problem.

THE ORIGIN OF GHOSTING

You should know that the contacts under each key are not taken into account individually but rather in their switching configuration following a matrix of rows and columns (see diagram). Each “square” then forming a block (in green on the image).

Finally, the controller (electronic brain of the keyboard) interprets the support on a key through the interconnection of lines and columns. For example, if the “E” key is pressed, the controller identifies the key by analyzing the row and column. Below, line 2 and column 3 equals the letter “E”.

This system is simple, reliable and inexpensive to make but is also the source of ghosting. By simultaneously pressing the letters “Z” and “G”, there is no problem since the controller easily identifies the coordinates of the two keys: line 2 + column 2 for “Z” and line 3 + column 5 for “G” “. On the other hand, if the three “Z” “S” and “D” keys are pressed simultaneously, the controller will have no trouble identifying the “Z” and “S” keys (line 2 + column 2 and line 3). + column 2). But he will not know if it is the “D” or “E” key that is pressed because it belongs to the same block.

As a result, it can also validate one of the two keys or both. In reality, the controller will consider five possibilities and this is called the ghosting effect.

For players, the solution is to redefine the shortcuts to prevent the selected keys are on the same block but it is not always very ergonomic in the sense that the keys may be too far apart.

The Anti-Ghosting

The anti-ghosting keyboards thus propose a more complex matrix that can be extended on the whole keyboard or a part like the keys dedicated to the displacement “Z + Q + S + D” and the special keys like “ALT”, “CTRL” and “MAJ”. Obviously, this type of keyboard requires a specific development of the matrix which also explains their price a little higher.

Therefore, the solution is to opt for a keyboard incorporating this type of technology such as Keyz Rubidium or Keyz Carbon V2 The G-Lab. Thus equipped, you will not have problems by simultaneously pressing several keys which will allow you to be more effective in the different games.

The first edition of ZLAN took place on the weekend of May 11th in Arles, France. This LAN brought together 196 players who competed in duets on ten video games, with €50000  of cash-prize! The G-Lab partnered with Zerator to support this project! Back on a tournament like no other ! 

ZLAN By ZeratoR

Adrien Nougaret, aka ZeratoR, is the organizer of the ZLAN. This French streamer and videographer based in Montpellier is especially known for its let’s play on Twitch and Youtube gaming broadcast, as well as for e-sport event organization such as the Trackmania Cup.

Ready, Set, Play! 

The 49 duos competed on ten different games, including TrackMania 2 Stadium, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Minecraft, Portal 2, H1Z1 Worms and Bomberman.

The participants also faced a dictation test,  that ZeratoR had written himself !

The Grand Champions

The Oserv team, made up of Wingobear & Nykho, won the first edition of the ZLAN ! The winners won  a trophy and €40000, the second won € 5000, and the third and fourth € 2500.

Congratulation  to Libe & TheGuill84, who finished first of the Minecraft Tournament and won The G-Lab prizes!

The event was broadcast live online and gathered more than 2,010,634 unique viewers throughout the weekend. More than 7,081,921 live views  with a peak at 115,000 viewers in the evening.

With such success, ZeratoR has announced a second edition of the ZLAN, scheduled for 2020!

Increase your performance by discovering the technical signification !

HEADSET GLOSSARY

IMPEDANCE	Ohm	Expresses the resistance of the headphones to the alternating electric current that passes through it. Its value changes according to the frequency.
SIZE OF THE DRIVERS	mm	On a headset, each earphone embeds a kind of small speaker, called “Driver”. On the driver of a gaming headset, the membrane is generally round and is measured in millimeters on its diameter.
SENSITIVITY	dB	Sensitivity is the maximum sound level (or SPL, Sound Pressure Level) that a headset can deliver from a given power.
FREQUENCY OF ANSWER	Hetz	The majority of headphones are supplied between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, since this is the audible frequency range for the human ear.
7.1 DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM		Sound virtualisation technology that directly adapts Dolby Pro Logic IIz signals (7.1 surround sound). It is starting to appear on some headsets that accept a USB sound input. In some games, where this spatialization allows the position of enemies infiltrating from the rear to be identified by ear. From now on, 3D does not only apply to the image and the representation of the game universe, it also applies to sound. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

MECHANICAL KEYBOARD LEXICON

SWITCH	The technology of the switch hiding behind the keys and buttons of the mouse or keyboards. For example, the keyboards are opposed to the mechanical switches to the diaphragm switches.
ACTUATION FORCE	Pressure required on a key to push it to its activation distance. The higher the force, the greater the feeling of “stiffness” of a key.
DISTANCE OF ACTIVATION	Distance traveled by pressing the key to consider the key pressed. The maximum distance for pressing a key is 4mm.

LEXIQUE CLAVIER

KEYBOARD LEXICON	Computer color coding system. The RGB LEDs are able to provide illumination on a palette of 16.8 million colors for aesthetic purposes.
NUMBER OF HITCHES	Number of keystrokes: Membrane keyboards are designed to last between 1 and 5 million hits. Mechanical keyboards, these are tested to support up to 50 million keystrokes.
MACROS	Sequences of actions (key sequences, mouse clicks or expectations for example) that simplify the execution of repetitive tasks. You can also use the Macro Repeat feature to run a macro continuously and stop it at any time.
N-KEY ROLLOVER	The rollover meanwhile is slightly different. A keyboard that limits its rollover to 3 will allow the simultaneous activation of only 3 keys. This nomenclature is written as follows: #KRO (where # is the number of keys allowed) NKRO (where there is no limitation, a full rollover) Many mechanical keyboards have a 6KRO, but it is possible to find 8KRO or NKRO. An NKRO is less common, but allows a variety of combinations that has almost no limit!
ANTI-GHOSTING	Ghosting is the non-activation of a key pressed when other keys are. A membrane keyboard is reasoned in rows and columns, if you press simultaneously the three keys “Z” “S” and “D”, the controller will have no trouble identifying the keys “Z” and “S”. But he will not know if it is the “D” or “E” key that is pressed because it belongs to the same block.

LEXICUS MOUSE

DPI – SENSITIVITY	Means “dots per inch”. They match your mouse resolution. The higher this value, the more the mouse is able to record information over a given distance, which makes it more accurate.
ACCELERATION MAX – SPEED	Maximum speed that a mouse may experience before the sensor malfunctions. These technical terms essentially measure the accuracy of your mouse.
POLLING RATE – REACTIVITY	How often the mouse will send its information to the computer through the USB port. A polling rate of 1000 Hz means that the mouse information (moves, clicks, etc.) will be sent to the system every 1 millisecond.
OPTICAL	The optical sensor works by means of an LED that emits light on the surface on which the mouse rests and which transmits the movements to the sensor via the lenses. The movements are thus calculated and reproduced on the screen in a more or less precise and sensitive manner according to the number of DPI assigned to the sensor.
LASER	The LED is replaced by a laser wich reduces the area to be analyzed and therefore the latency between the movement and its retransmission to the screen. As a result, the cursor movement will be much more precise. The laser sensor has another important advantage: it works on reflective surfaces (a glass table, a painted desk or on a plasticized mouse pad) in contrast to the optical sensor.

GAMES LEXICON

FPS	first-person shooter, Ex: Call of Duty; Counter Strike; Overwatch.
TPS	Third Person Shooter – as opposed to FPS where the player sees his or her character from the back. Ex: Fortnite; GTA…
MMORPG	Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG), allow players from around the world to simultaneously access a persistent universe, the most famous representative being World of Warcraft. Ex: World Of Warcraft; Guild Wars.
Point and click	Adventure game, mainly on PC, where the player uses the mouse cursor to explore the sets and thus perform different missions and riddles. Ex: Syberia; The Secret of Monkey Island.
RPG	“role-playing games” are games wich allow the player to embody a character who can gain experience and whose attributes will evolve throughout the game. Ex: The Witcher 3; Skyrim; fallout…
RTS	“real-time strategy”, games to put in opposition to turn-based strategy games, which are often war games or simulation. Ex: Starcraft; Warcraft 3; Age of Empire
MOBA	This is a multiplayer genre, usually played with two teams of five players. The goal for each team is to destroy the main base of the opposing team, by means of the characters controlled by each player. Ex: League of Legends; Dota 2; Heroes of The Storm…
LAN	Local Network Competition. Based on the LAN’s abbreviation, and means “Local Area Network”. If originally the term was used to describe a competition in “lan” (so without internet network), the term is still u sed to describe a gathering of players who play against each other (even if all the competitions of our days require internet). Ex: Lyon Esport; Dreamhack; Montpellier Esport Show; Gamers Assembly.