Causes appearing different at first glance revealing themselves to stem from a common issue are considered duplicate?

Question

Based on: When is a different question a duplicate and when it isn't?
and: Should different questions that yield similar/duplicate answers be closed?
adding to the general confusion duplicates are is this: Duplicate Questions: A Trial (has this been successful? i'm assuming negative)

What is the official stance on different questions with different thought processes behind them reaching the same answer based on a common root issue like: W, A, S, D, keys and shift aren't working together
and: How do I remove the limit on PC keyboard button presses?.

In the first question, which is assumed a duplicate, the person is asking if the rollover issue they are encountering is due to a faulty keyboard and if they should seek technical help. In the second case the question is clearly asking for the possibility of a software bypassing the issue (which i assume the user knows is a techical limitation but isn't aware it is a physical and immutable one).

Different questions, discussing the same background issue, thus similar answers, except the first one will have to address the fact this is NOT a broken keyboard, it is just how it was built while in the end the second one is answered by stating that this is a physical limitation that cannot be overcome trough software.

I believe users searching for one or the other would have issues finding theyr own case in the other question assuming they are not tech sawwy enough to understand the root problem being the same.
For example i do not think someone believing a piece of software could solve this for them would see theyr situation fit in a question that expressely asks if the keyboard is broken. Conversely i do not believe someone that assumes their keyboard only behaves like this because it is possibly broken is going to change idea reading that there is no strictly software solutions to their issue.

What is the general rule of thumb to be applied?

Answer 1

In your specific example, if you simplify the questions, you get:

• "I can't press more than 2 keys at once"
• "How can I press more than 2 keys at once"

Those, based on community moderation, would absolutely be considered duplicates. As a counterpoint, in the linked meta question, you have the following:

• "What happens when I try to catch a pokemon when my box is full"
• "What happens when I try to hatch an egg when my box is full"

Those, based on community moderation, have been considered different enough to warrant each keeping their question open.

Bear in mind that just because a question is marked as a duplicate doesn't mean it is immediately worthless. Duplicate questions, while should be avoided where possible, make the original questions easier to find, thus avoiding additional duplicate questions in the future.