Apple spent both 2023 and 2024 setting itself up as a new face in gaming. But even Apple doesn’t expect gamers to try to play Baldur’s Gate 3 on its low-profile, squishy Magic Keyboards and hand-cramping Magic Mouse. That’s right, Apple now has official gaming keyboards. Before you think the Mac maker has finally moved on from Magic peripherals, Apple has licensed its gaming keyboards and mice from Corsair instead.
Corsair partnered with Apple to bring the $160 K65 mechanical keyboard and the $130 M75 wireless mouse to Mac. It includes all the official Mac layouts complete with CMD and OPT keys, and the function row layout is modeled after the Mac’s usual layout. That’s important because Apple is supposed to sell them directly in Apple stores with the limited Glacier Blue color, which is only available in-person, and a white edition available online. We tested the MacBook Pro 14 and Pro 16 with M4, the M4 iMac, and the redesigned Mac mini are all technically gaming-capable machines. Now, there’s a K&M to match your Apple-brand hardware.
© Photo: Kyle Barr / GizmodoYou could have always used any other mechanical keyboard. Apple mainstays could even swap out the keys to match the Mac layout, but this is one of the few times in Apple’s history it’s promoting a third-party peripheral as if to tell anybody who would listen, “Yes, we’re serious about gaming. Can’t you see the keyboard’s sick RGB and cool blue styling over there?”
Corsair sent me both to put through their paces. The K65 is a 75% keyboard with a steel plate chassis and hot-swappable keys. It uses Corsair-brand MLX RED linear switches with 45g of actuation distance and 4mm travel. Safe to say, it’s just on the right side of bouncy for my style. It has enough resistance; I don’t accidentally press keys when resting my fingers on them. There’s a clacky sound to them, but its dampened well enough I won’t overwhelm my coworkers on the desks near me.
The keyboard feels very solid, though it’s still rather plastic-y if you’d more used to classy mechanical keyboards. Then, of course, you’re introduced to the iCue software, Corsair’s way of updating firmware and modifying the K65’s and M75’s RGB lighting. If you’re a Mac user unused to the common bloatware that PC gamers experience, welcome to the party, pal.
The M75 ambidextrous gaming mouse feels robust in the hand. Both the mouse wheel and left mouse button have a good feel without being too distracting or mechanical. The right mouse button has a less immediately clicky sound that caught me off guard. Without doing any accuracy tests, it at least feels like a strong and quick competitive mouse.
What Games are There to Play with Apple, Anyway?
© Photo: Kyle Barr / GizmodoUsing this keyboard, I constantly reminded myself not to reach for the CTRL button instead of CMD, but in games like Baldur’s Gate III, the muscle memory automatically kicks in. It’s also a far better time to play Resident Evil 4 with Corsair’s items than anything Apple offers.
Still, when you think of high-end gaming peripherals, you tend to think of e-sports. Unfortunately for Apple, there really aren’t any big competitive shooters, and there are no Counter-Strike 2 or Call of Duty. Perhaps we’ll find more League of Legends players clicking about on Mac, but these peripherals aren’t necessary for Apple’s gaming plans.
Despite Corsair’s new Apple connection, these peripherals aren’t nearly as easy to pair to Mac as the tech giant’s keyboard and mice. There’s no auto-detection. Instead, you must use Bluetooth, a wire, or the included 2.4 GHz dongles. The latest Macs, including the Mac mini, no longer sport USB-A ports. That poses a problem for these existing peripherals, and Corsair’s answer is to include an Anker-brand USB-A to USB-C converter in the box. This sticks out like a sore thumb and makes the dongles precarious if you ever dare move your Mac and forget they’re there. You won’t be able to change any of the keyboard or mouse settings unless you use 2.4 mode or plug them in directly. At least the included wire is a USB-C to USB-C.
If you’ve used any number of gaming peripherals, the first pair of real-deal gaming peripherals made for Mac won’t feel that distinct. And yet, I would rather use the K65 rather than Apple’s keyboard. As for the mouse, is it even a contest? The Magic Mouse is so poorly designed that Apple CEO Tim Cook can’t even come up with anything good to say about it.
Apple made a lot of noise about games like Frostpunk 2 coming to Mac on release, then high-profile ones like Control and Cyberpunk 2077 making their way to Mac early in 2025. There are a few other games on the horizon, as well. I attended an Apple gaming showcase last week where the iPhone maker played games like the brutally underrated Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and the excellent Resident Evil 2 remake on M4 Macs alongside recent iPads and iPhones. Prince of Persia won’t be available until Dec. 3, and RE 2 will follow up on Dec. 10.
But you’ll have to wait until February 2025 for Control. Cyberpunk doesn’t even have a full release date yet, though Apple confirmed with me that it will include the Phantom Liberty DLC (I honestly couldn’t imagine playing the game without it now). Other upcoming cross-platform games like Neva or Wuthering Waves aren’t the titles that benefit the most from gamer K&M. For Apple to become a true gaming haven, the answer—as always—is more.
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