Technologies

Best Gaming Keyboard for 2022

Defeat your enemies or at least make losing more enjoyable with the finest switches, keycaps and lights.

When it comes to gaming keyboards, there are far too many options to choose from. PC gamers know that it’s one of the most important tools in their arsenal, so choosing the right one can be an overwhelming and seemingly impossible task. Paired with a great gaming mouse, the keyboard is how you make your conquest. We’ve done the work for you, so you don’t need to take a risk on a keyboard that might be subpar.

For models that’ll have a little less impact on your wallet, check out our best gaming keyboards under $100. But if you can spend more, you’ll get features such as higher-quality switches and general construction, discrete media keys and controls, a wrist rest and more. And if you don’t know what a membrane keyboard is or the difference between an optical switch and a mechanical switch, the buying advice section at the bottom will help.

Just like picking out a new gaming mouse, getting the right gaming keyboard has a lot to do with personal preference (and budget). As for the two authors of this list, Josh likes tactile switches — ones where you can feel the actuation point — but doesn’t like clicky key switches that make a sound. Lori likes clicky and tactile because she likes to feel the actuation point and likes the mechanical sound for gaming, but uses a hybrid membrane-mechanical Razer Cynosa v2 at work for the click and the bounciness of its membrane. Long years of stiff-action piano keys and having learned on a manual typewriter have turned her into a pounder.

You might also find some keyboards great for gaming but not like them for day-to-day typing. For example, those same Cherry MX Red switches that are great for gaming might be too light for some typists. Linear switches, like Cherry MX Reds, don’t have the tactile feedback that a Cherry MX Blue has, but because of their low force and smooth actuation they’re preferred for gaming, especially where multiple taps of the same key are necessary. If you have a chance to test out different keyboards to determine your favorite switch type before you buy (such as Cherry MX Brown, Cherry MX Red and others), I highly recommend it. You can check out this glossary of keyboard terms to help narrow your preferences.

So, are you ready to find the best keyboard for your gaming needs? Read on for a closer look at 10 great options.

More gaming recommendations

Best Gaming Laptop for 2023
Best Wireless Mouse for 2023
Best Gaming Chair for 2023
The 30 Best Video Games of the Decade, Ranked
Best Low-Lag HDTVs for Serious Gamers
Best Gaming PC for 2023
Best Gaming TV: Low Input Lag and High Picture Quality
Best Cheap Gaming Laptop Under $1000 for 2023
Best Board Games in 2023 Gloomhaven, Marvel United and More
Best Drones for 2023
The Best VR Games for Escaping to Other Worlds
Best Game Subscription Services: Here’s How to Choose

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Aug. 20, #1523

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,523 for Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a fun word. Two letters repeat, so don’t forget once you find a correct letter, you can reuse it in another spot. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has two separate repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel, and it’s one of the repeated letters, so you’ll see it twice.

Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter.

Today’s Wordle answer begins with L.

Wordle hint No. 4: Animal kingdom

Today’s Wordle answer is an animal.

Wordle hint No. 5: Second meaning

Today’s Wordle answer is a domesticated pack animal of the camel family.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is LLAMA.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, No. 1,522 for Aug. 19, was ROWDY.

Recent Wordle answers

Aug. 15, No. 1,518: LEVEL

Aug. 16 No. 1,519: MATTE

Aug. 17, No. 1,520: LOUSY

Aug. 18, No. 1,521: ISSUE

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 20, #801

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle No. 801 for Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is a real headache. The NYT puzzle writers are really pulling some obscure connections out of the air, and I did not do well today at all. Need some help? Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Ebony and ivory.

Green group hint: They go together.

Blue group hint: Spinning.

Purple group hint: There’s a bend in these.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Black-and-white things.

Green group: Pairs of rods.

Blue group: Things that rotate about a vertical axis.

Purple group: Rods that curve at one end.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is black-and-white things. The four answers are domino, piano keys, yin-yang symbol and zebra.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is pairs of rods. The four answers are chopsticks, claves, knitting needles and ski poles.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is things that rotate about a vertical axis. The four answers are barber pole, carousel, ceiling fan and lazy Susan.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is rods that curve at one end. The four answers are candy cane, crochet hook, crook and crowbar.

Technologies

Made by Google Pixel 10 Event Watch Party: Watch the New Phone Reveals With Us Tomorrow

Our live show begins Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT) and will lead right into the Made by Google event.

The Pixel 10 series will get its big reveal on Wednesday, and you can watch the Made by Google event right alongside CNET’s editors.

Starting at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT), the Pixel 10 watch party will kick off on CNET’s YouTube channel. Hosts Bridget Carey and Iyaz Akhtar will review and analyze details and rumors about the Pixel 10.

Preshow guests include CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland, who will share what we already know about the Pixel 10 (Google’s been openly teasing the phone line for weeks). Minutes before the event begins, Senior Editor Mike Sorrentino will call in from the show floor.

Next comes the Made by Google event, which starts at 10 a.m. PT and will be broadcast on our livestream.

When the Made by Google event wraps, our post-show begins with CNET Senior Editor Abrar Al-Heeti and Mashable’s Timothy Beck Werth calling in to discuss all the reveals.

Want to join our show? You can leave questions or comments using the live chat on CNET’s YouTube page.

CNET is also running a Pixel 10 live blog throughout the event, and you can check out every Pixel 10 rumor we’ve heard so far.