So far, the retransmission of e-Sport competitions is exclusively broadcast through WebTV specialized structures in this field. However, significant developments are happening. TV channels have shown a strong interest for e-Sport and begun to broadcast this type of event. Let’s see what the forces are.

CANAL +, BEINSPORT AND C8 GO ON E-SPORT

These three channels have decided to broadcast competitions. Each of them has created their own show on e-Sport.

BeINSport broadcasts every Monday its “BeIN eSports” program, which is hosted by two well-known personalities from the Internet community: Tweekz (Kevin Remy) and Domingo (Pierre-Alexis Bizot). This weekly magazine presents the results of the competitions (League of Legends, FIFA and many other games still) but also the latest news in this sector.

As for Canal +, we are entitled to the E-Sport Club, which offers news about competitions and gaming in general. It takes place every Sunday evening rather late (00:10) and covers many games like HearthStone, Overwatch, Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS: GO) and many others. The show is hosted by Olivier Morin and Fred Moulin who receive a weekly guest. Note, a section on the site of the show called “Décryptages”. It offers reports and files on the world of video games such as the comparison between sport and e-Sport.

At C8, the show is titled “Esports European League” or EEL. It takes place every Sunday. It covers tournaments of Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS: GO). The show is presented by Capucine Anav whohad as guests some of the best players from France and Europe.

ES1, THE CHAIN ​​DEDICATED TO E-SPORT

In development for two years, the channel ES1 was launched in December by the long-time journalist and gamer, Bertrand Amar (Bouyaka Productions and Bang Bang Management), and is published by the group Webedia. ES1 is mainly dedicated to e-Sport and offers various programs, magazines and documentaries. These various programs are animated by well-known community figures such as Ken Bogard, Trunkz and others who work on JVTV (the Web TV of jeuvideo.com) but also freelancers.

If the ES1 channel is only present on Orange TV yet, it will soon be available also at Bouygues Telecom and other networks in the future. The goal is to broaden its reach to meet an audience beyond the community of passionate gamers. In the end, e-Sport is making its way onto mainstream media which will allow it to become known to the general public. Whether they are amateurs, fans or not of video game.

In the keyboard world, there are two main technologies: one called membrane and the other mechanical. While mechanical keyboards were widely used at the beginning of microcomputing, they were gradually replaced by membrane models whose main attraction is their low cost and low noise. However,  thanks to technological developments, mechanical keyboards have become a major asset for video gamers. 

THE MECHANICAL KEYBOARD

The first mechanical keyboard dates from the 1980s, when it was popularized by IBM. At the time, it was a reference for his typing reminiscent of typewriters and was therefore particularly suitable for typists. On the other hand, rattling noise could be annoying after a day’s work. It has been largely replaced by the membrane version less aggressive for the ears. However, there was still a great advantage to the mechanical model, its responsiveness. Indeed, the use of a switch guarantees a very fast return and therefore very good responsiveness.

HOW IT WORKS ?

Each switch comprises a mechanical system composed of two main elements: a micro contactor associated with a spring. Advantage? Improved typing comfort and greater precision since we know when the key is pressed thanks to the special click emitted by the switch.

ADVANTAGES OF MECHANICS

This system offers a better longevity and more solidity, a mechanical touch can support many more strikes than a model with membranes and if one presses a little strong in the heat of the action, it is not likely to break a touch. The mechanical keyboard key also comes back almost instantly to the initial position and therefore offers a perfect responsiveness to the player who chained fast actions on keys close to each other. As the stroke of the key is long enough and the moment when the contact is effective is clearly marked, the player can trigger the action exactly at the scheduled time. This precision can decide the victory, for example when shooting a sniper. Remains the noise that certainly remains stronger than on a membrane keyboard but that switch manufacturers have largely mitigated with recent technological advances.

With the return to grace of the mechanical keyboard for gaming, switch manufacturers have declined the same system in several versions, marked by their color. The main ones are blue, red, black and brown. The differences are determined mainly by the pressure necessary to push the key and sometimes also by the race necessary to emit the famous “click”. In addition, the sound of the click is more or less pronounced. Reds are generally softer than blacks that require more support force. The blues are in the middle of the previous two in terms of support force but make a more significant noise. Players generally plebiscite it since it’s really a good compromise of speed and responsiveness. The browns offer the same resistance as the reds but with a more audible click.

Finally, the mechanical keyboards, which made their return about ten years ago, have become the exclusive domain of gamers. They are the only ones able to guarantee excellent precision and a very good reactivity, which is very important during competitions. And above all, they will satisfy all types of players, whether professional or passionate, especially as the price has become much more accessible.

THE MEMBRANE KEYBOARD

It consists of multiple layers of polyester on which is printed circuit board (see photo). As for the keys, they can be of different shapes and sizes, just like the material that constitutes them. There are soft, erased and hard keys. The operation is as follows: pressing a key will deform a first membrane that will come into contact with a deformable plastic pad which also serves as a spring (in green on the picture). In turn, the pad contacts the circuit that transmits the information to display the corresponding character.

The design is quite simple, which makes it possible to contain manufacturing costs. This technology also offers two major advantages: the striking is almost silent and the use of a membrane ensures a certain tightness, which is not to displease the addicts of coffee and other dangerous beverages for this type of device of seizure. This makes it the ideal choice for office use. On the other hand, the membrane keyboard has the disadvantage of low speed of return when pressing the key. The entry is, therefore, slower which is not ideal in gaming, especially for action games. In addition, it is difficult to anticipate exactly when the action will run once you start to put your finger on the sidelines, an important aspect for the demanding player.

If a mechanical keyboard is mainly linked to its switches that guarantee unparalleled precision and responsiveness, other functions are just as important to ensure maximum efficiency in the game: anti-ghosting, the anti-key Windows and even the backlighting. At The G-Lab, Keyz Carbon 2 and Keyz Rubidium are the two models that meet these criteria. Let’s see what these specific features bring.

L’ANTI-GHOSTING : INDISPENSABLE !

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. Ghosting is related to the design of the matrix that manages the contacts under each key. It consists of rows and columns (see diagram) and the keyboard controller interprets the interconnection of these rows and columns to execute the command.

In this case, the keys are not “independent” of each other, then the effect of ghosting. It is to overcome this problem that the anti-ghosting has been developed. Keyboards such as Keyz Carbon 2 and Keyz Meca have a more complex matrix that ensures that the simultaneous support of several keys does not generate erratic behavior. This ensures a much better efficiency in games where pressing on key combinations is essential (RTS, MOBA, MMO, etc.).

ANTI-TOUCH WINDOWS: TO AVOID MISTAKES

Today, keyboards incorporate many specific keys to ensure optimal use in office mode. This is the case of the famous Windows key that opens the “Start” menu or serves as shortcuts to open specific Windows functions. The concern is that this key may be inadvertently activated when playing what has the effect of blocking the action in progress. Result? The desired effect is not realized, which can lead to a loss of a game or a failure on a boss, for example.

To prevent this, Keyz Carbon 2 and Keyz Rubidium keyboards allow the “lock” of this Windows key so that it is not taken into account, even if it is pressed by mistake. Here, the locking is done by simultaneously pressing the “Fn” + “Windows” keys. Therefore, a “Winlock” LED indicates that it is effective. To disable it, just press the two keys simultaneously.

BACKLIGHT

The RGB backlight is an integral part of many player keyboards. It has even become a “trademark” since the RGB acronym is easily associated with gaming, regardless of the device (keyboard, mouse, headset and other computer cases). Although it is considered by many to be a gadget, backlighting has become a useful feature over time. It makes it easy to find the keys when playing in the dark, which is often the case in a LAN Party. On the other hand, some advanced functions are also proposed as on Key Carbon 2 and Keyz Rubidium. Thus, it is possible to activate the backlighting of some keys of your choice for greater efficiency.

Playing FPS, RTS, MOBA and MMO involves the use of certain keys that are not necessarily the same for each of one of these types of games. To quickly identify the keys to be pressed, the two G-Lab keyboards offer by default pre-recorded profiles that are accessible via the key combination “Fn” + the numbers numbered 1 to 6 above the letters QWERTY. Of course, they are customizable as you wish.

Finally, the choice of a gaming keyboard is not limited to mechanical keys but also to other functions such as anti-ghosting, features and backlight. They are important to ensure the best possible efficiency in all types of games and will be especially essential if you have the soul of a competitor.