N-key Rollover in Mechanical Keyboards Explained

When you are in the process of buying a new mechanical keyboard, a lot of companies like to boast their “n-key rollover” as a great feature to get customers to buy it, but what exactly is n-key rollover?

N-key rollover is quite simple as it basically just means that the keyboard has the ability to scan each button press individually, and not miss out on any keypresses if you are pressing more than one key at a time. This feature is very popular among gaming keyboards, but nowadays it is a feature that is expected on all mechanical keyboards as it just makes the experience a lot more enjoyable because you don’t have to worry about your keyboard not recognizing keypresses.

The reason why you would want N-key rollover for gaming, in particular, is mainly because sometimes you are pressing down more than one key at a time, and if the keyboard doesn’t recognize that input, you could end up losing in the game you are playing.

If the keyboard has a number that has replaced the n in “N-key rollover” for example “ 4-key rollover”, that means that you can only press up to 4 keys at the same time and your keyboard will still recognize the inputs, but if you press more than 4, it will not recognize the inputs after the first 4 that you press.

Overall, N-Key rollover is a very important feature that is definitely a need in any keyboard that you are thinking about purchasing. So before you decide to buy one, make sure to check that it has this feature.