Know Your Type: Five Mechanical Gaming Keyboards Compared
Tt eSports Poseidon ZX Design
Beyond the blue LED backlight, there aren't are lot of frills to cover. It's compact and thick with a weight of 2.1 pounds, making it the second heaviest keyboard in this roundup, though by a slim margin -- the other two TKL planks, Cooler Master's QuickFire Rapid-i and Corsair Gaming's K65 RGB, weigh 2.05 pounds and 1.9 pounds, respectively.
The Poseidon ZX has a matte black finish and a gently sloped bottom in place of a wrist rest, one of several features Tt eSports sacrificed for a more budget friendly price. It also lacks a built-in USB hub and audio ports, macro keys, braided cabling, and most other gaming amenities, though it does bring something to the table that none of the other keyboards in this round up do.
Red colored key caps! Check your packaging carefully, because hidden in a section of the cardboard that appears to exist simply for reinforcement during shipping is a set of extra key caps intended to replace frequently used gaming keys. There are nine in all, including the WSAD keys, arrow keys, and a dragon icon to place wherever you wish, like in place of the ESC key or Windows Lock key.
They're a neat idea, though the light red color is somewhat pinkish and clashes with the blue (LED) and black (keyboard) color scheme -- white keys might have been a better choice. Alternately, if you want to spend a bit of coin customizing the Poseidon ZX, Tt eSports sells zinc alloy metal key cap packages for $19. The company says they're compatible with most cross-shaped stem switches
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The F1 through F7 Function keys double as media controls, while the F11 and F12 keys can adjust the backlight brightness, or turn it off altogether. A little further to the right is the Windows Lock key, which sits sandwiched between the Print Screen and Pause/Break keys.
A dragon logo on the spacebar adds a bit of gaming character to an otherwise standard looking TKL keyboard. Even with the logo etched into the spacebar, the Poseidon ZX wouldn't look out of place in an office setting, though the lack of a number pad might limit its appeal at places like Dunder Mifflin.
The bottom line in terms of design is that it's a basic keyboard for gamers, professionals, or anyone else wanting mechanical key switches at a budget price (comparative to some other mechanical planks, that is).
The bottom line in terms of design is that it's a basic keyboard for gamers, professionals, or anyone else wanting mechanical key switches at a budget price (comparative to some other mechanical planks, that is).
