NKRO or "N-key rollover" is one of the main advantages of mechanical keyboards.
Rollover is how well your keyboard can correctly register multiple keys pressed at the same time.
There are several versions of rollover that are classified depending on the registration of the number of simultaneous clicks, the number of which may differ significantly. Some keyboards can easily register more than six simultaneous presses, while others will have trouble registering three.
Rollover is quantified as keystrokes, where n is the minimum number of keys that can be correctly registered when pressed simultaneously. This is often written in the short form KRO. For example, a two-key rollover becomes 2KRO.
Many inexpensive keyboards are only 2KRO, while higher-end keyboards (and many mechanical keyboards) are 6KRO or higher. If a keyboard can register all of its keys pressed at the same time, it is called NKRO.
There are exceptions to the rules, when budget gaming keyboards with 2KRO sometimes have special "zones" of more than two keys that will register (for example, the most loaded in W/A/S/D games).
What happens if you press more keys than the keyboard supports at the same time? This is when the effect known as "ghosting" occurs, or when the keyboard registers more presses than what was actually made. Using the example of 2KRO: if you pressed three keys at the same time, the keyboard can register up to 4 keys even though they were not pressed. This can be quite frustrating during gameplay. Luckily, modern keyboards have anti-ghosting protection systems called "anti-ghosting".
The anti-ghosting function actually blocks the registration of additional keys after reaching the rollover limit. So when you press three keys on our 2KRO keyboard, only two are registered and the third is blocked.
You can check the rollover version of your keyboard with the help of special programs and sites. You can also check by pressing and holding the largest number of keys that you use most often.
It is important to remember that rollover is a minimum, not a maximum. If your keyboard can correctly register six key combinations, but cannot correctly register one three-key combination, then it is a 2KRO keyboard, not a 6KRO. It should also be noted that quite a few keyboards provide the ability to switch rollover modes, so don’t be discouraged if the keyboard did not register all your presses. Read the instruction manual or user guide and find out what your keyboard can really do.
We hope this article helped you understand what rollover or NKRO is and decide which version you need.
