Granted, I use a USB 2.0 keyboard (cannot imagine why 3.0 would even matter for a keyboard, unless it has a hub - and a straight passthrough is better imho), but hell, even my motherboard has a single PS/2 connector on it (labeled as "keyboard"). I was puzzled over this, like: "why the hell is such an ancient connector still on this Z68 chipset board? One designed for overclockers, no less. ?"
Then I discovered, only PS/2 allows true nKRO (
n-key roll over). And as I discovered in my search for mechanical boards, quite a few have PS/2 capability (though you lose any fancy features iirc). Sometimes they are even described as "full NKRO with PS/2, such and such with USB". I think USB actually has a limit, but not all keyboards can even achieve that limit if they are cheaply designed.
The Blackwidow Ultimate, for example, has an "enhanced gaming optimized matrix" or some such that ultimately only allows for 6 keys simultaneously, at best (with modifier keys iirc). Whereas the Ultimate Stealth model (the one I have) has it better. I think the best I tested was 10 keys simultaneously; perhaps it was more, but I also think that was only 10 including modifiers.
Actually, after typing all that, I think I remember it better. At best, the regular Ultimate model allowed 3 standard keys, up to 6 or so depending on the specific keys in question (including modifiers, and game-focused keys like WASD). The Stealth, iirc, can do up to 6 standard keys, and up to 10 when you throw in modifiers. I believe that is the limit of USB.
However, I honestly don't care enough to require more than what the Stealth/USB offers - I only have five fingers on the keyboard during games, and I'm not playing speed-type MMOs or click-fests like Starcraft. (I do enjoy Diablo, but I'm not god at the game, and thus not proficient enough to test these types of limits). FPS games hardly bring the issue of KRO into play - for mechanical boards, switch type plays more into the FPS equation than anything else. At least, the standard BWU would have worked fine for BF-type games, if not for the blue switch. I did stumble into a limit on boards that had a standard, non "optimized" matrix under the switches (my experience with such were limited to dome and scissor switch boards).
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