Alienware TKL Gaming Keyboard goes on sale today and I need one

There's something cool about using a gaming keyboard. It's probably the lights really, but also knowing they have been designed for the highest-performance operation gives me confidence. It also means that all those mistakes were completely down to my poor reaction speed. 

The good news is, that if you're looking to buy the best gaming keyboard, there's now a new option to add to your list. The Alienware Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard (AW420K) is on sale today, priced $149.99 (UK and Australia prices still to be confirmed). 

Yes, Alienware has joined the ranks of gaming brands offering this more compact form of keyboard, which lacks the number pad (hence ten-keyless). This means the keyboard takes up less of that precious space on your desk and it's also more portable, so you can carry it with you when you're on the move. 

Given the choice, I always prefer to use a separate keyboard with my laptop, especially when connecting it to an external display. If you're gaming on your laptop, it's the same thing – you want to move that bulky machine out the way and just have a compact keyboard and mouse in front of you. 

Some of the cool features on the Alienware AW420K include a detachable cable, three height settings and of course, AlienFX per-key RGB lighting for up to 16.8 million colours. 

The keys all feature Cherry MX switches and double-shot keycaps. There's a range of selectable profiles for your set up and customisable key commands and macros – all saved to the on-board memory. You can also disabled the Windows key when gaming to avoid accidental presses. 

The Alienware Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard is on sale now, and if you're a member of my family looking for ideas to buy me for Christmas, this is definitely a hint.