INTRODUCTION

   Compared to previous years there's no denying that gaming peripherals of all sorts are currently dominating the market and since we hardly have any time left to spend with our favorite game titles this is actually very good news for us since testing such products obviously requires spending quite a bit of time with these games. Now as many of you are aware mechanical gaming keyboards are very popular amongst gamers currently so more and more of the new players in the market release their own solutions based on either the original and more widely used Cherry MX mechanical switches or the rather new ones made by Kailh (the clones as i like to call them). One of those manufacturers is GAMDIAS and for the past three days we've been using their latest HERMES Ultimate Black mechanical keyboard (Cherry MX Blue Switches) not only with games but also with our daily tasks.

   GAMDIAS emphasizes on the fundamentals, complemented with creativity and service. GAMDIAS Technology was founded in 2012, with team of over 100 led by R.K. HAN, successfully creating the gaming brand known as GAMDIAS. Not only do we aim to set the bar for quality and practically, but also to go above and beyond in our designs. Further supplementing our motto: Gaming Art in Motion, we will continue to invest heavily on designs, transcending GAMDIAS products to an artistic pantheon. Our design team consists of a group of passionate gamers with limitless creative ideas. The design team' s mission is to highlight the special aspects of each product, just like the distinctive characteristic of the gods in Greek Mythology. Each of our gaming products is designed with a patented special feature; never ceasing to break the limitations of traditional thinking, and revolutionize the eSports industry. GAMDIAS aspires to offer its users a gaming experiences unparalleled to its predecessors. GAMDIAS will redefine the Electronic Sports (eSports) landscape for gamers worldwide. Backed by international award winning designers (Red Dot), innovative think tanks, and inspirational brand leaders, GAMDIAS will be the next generation of Gaming Gear.

   Unlike most mechanical keyboards including the latest ones we've reviewed from Deck and TteSPORTS the HERMES Ultimate Black Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is designed almost exclusively for gamers since it comes packing several special features. So aside the Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches and their excellent 50 million click life-cycle the HERMES Ultimate Black also features an 32bit ARM Cortex processor with 512KB of on-board memory for storing of profiles, full n-key/6-key roll over, 13 macro keys, 6 levels of brightness for the keys, headphones and microphone audio jacks, a powered USB port and a large removable wrist rest which can also be used to cover the keyboard when not used. Also thanks to the special "Element" design of the keyboard GAMDIAS claims that people can type up to 20% faster with less noise coming from the keys. It's been sometime since we've used a keyboard packing so many features so without further delay let’s see if they all work as advertised.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the Hermes Ultimate Black mechanical gaming keyboard inside a long and thick cardboard box the front of which is taken by a large product picture, a small clear plastic window that allows you to see the arrow keys, the GAMDIAS logo and the main features of the keyboard.

The specifications list is printed on the right side of the box.

All of the product features are listed at the bottom.

Some of the features packed in the GAMDIAS control software are mentioned at the top.

The features are also listed at the rear in 10 different languages right next to the package contents and system requirements lists, 4 product pictures and a small clear plastic window from where you can see part of the wrist rest.

Excellent packaging is almost always an indication of the quality we can expect from a product.

Along with the keyboard and its wrist rest GAMDIAS is also providing you with a quick installation guide, a paper with all of the product features and two stickers.

THE HERMES BLACK ULTIMATE

Thanks to the extra macro keys the HERMES Ultimate Black is actually larger than most keyboards out there and measures 474.85mm in length, 174mm in width and 39mm in height while it weighs 1148g.

A nice looking GAMDIAS logo is placed on the lower center of the keyboard.

Six macro keys are placed on both sides (3 on each) of the logo.

A column with 5 more macro keys is placed on the far left side of the keyboard.

Six of the F keys are also used as media keys (via the Fn key) while the 1-0 keys are also used for profile selection.

The F11 key can also be used to lock the entire keyboard when not in use while the F12 locks out the Windows keys.

At the upper right corner we see the usual lock LEDs and three more used for when you plug something into the forward ports.

Two extra macro keys are located right next to the up arrow (strange positioning however).

You can change between 6-key and N-key roll over from the scroll lock and Pause/break keys.

Here we see the Cherry MX blue mechanical switches and the "Element" design which is basically removable rubber dampeners placed around each key which allow for faster keystrokes and minimize the clanking noise of the keys.

The headphones and microphone ports are pass-through while as you will see later on the USB port is also powered.

Two rubber feet and two lifters are placed at the base of the HERMES Ultimate Black.

Using the lifters the highest end of the keyboard gets 15mm higher.

Here we see the two USB ports (one provides power to the USB port on the keyboard) and the two 3.5mm mini jacks (all plugs are gold plated).

The wrist rest is one of the largest ones we've seen and measures roughly 138mm in width.

I was surprised to see that the wrist rest connects with the rest of the body via two round magnets and although it can get detached very easily i think that GAMDIAS is on to something here.

You can also use the wrist rest to cover and protect the keyboard when not used.

HERA CONTROL SOFTWARE

Since GAMDIAS much like every other manufacturer doesn't offer a software CD in the bundle you will need to download the HERA control software from their support page.

The program does not install so wherever you decide to decompress it you will also need to run it from and wait until it's done identifying the compatible device(s) and download the available controls.

GAMDIAS offers one of the most comprehensive control panels i have ever seen that allows you to remap all of the available buttons, program the 13 available macro keys (in the 10 available profiles), create macros, adjust keyboard illumination via 6 levels (the last one is the typical pulsating one), assign sounds and timers to each of the keys, edit the sounds and timers you'd like to use, check the how many times and how fast/hard you've pressed the keys (stats) and you can also check the FW version (there's also a Olympics tab which was blacked out). Of course as you can see from the screenshots the control panel needs some work since at first it was hard even for us to navigate it (the font doesn’t help).

Here you can see the lowest and highest brightness levels of the keys.

CONCLUSION

   It's not often that we begin our cooperation with a brand new manufacturer and the very first product we receive by them happens to be top notch so the HERMES Ultimate Black mechanical gaming keyboard was a good surprise. Overall build quality is very high, the 13 macro keys can come in handy quite a bit in multiplayer games (especially since you get to use them with each of the 10 available profiles), the wrist rest is very comfortable (although a bit too long for my taste), the illumination of the keys works as advertised and the Cherry MX Blue mechanical switches are once again solid and only second to their red brothers (for me at least). The "Element" feature however along with the «thin» key caps reduces the feedback from the keys and it almost feels that you're using a membrane keyboard instead. For some people this "soft" feeling may be just what they are looking for especially since it does allow for faster typing but personally i like to have a good amount of feedback especially in games and while typing and this version of the HERMES Ultimate Black didn't offer that to me at least in the degree that I’d like (perhaps the version with the Cherry MX Red switches will). The HERA control software offers more options than any other keyboard control software we've seen to date but the strange font along with the many colors and images make it very hard to navigate and so we truly hope that GAMDIAS can "revamp" (or simplify) its skin to make things easier.

   Strong competition results in higher quality feature-rich products and lower prices something which is especially true for new players in the market and so the HERMES Ultimate Black mechanical gaming keyboard (GKB2010) by GAMDIAS currently retails for USD172.21 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 132Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Now i do realize that some people may not like the price tag of the HERMES Ultimate Black much but let's not forget that for example the Hassium Pro by Deck costs roughly 15% less but doesn't offer the same amount of features and although for regular consumers and professionals I’d obviously recommend the Hassium Pro because of its looks and quality for gamers the GAMDIAS solution is a clear winner and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design (For Some)
- Cherry MX Mechanical Switches
- 13 Macro Keys
- 10 Onboard Profiles
- 6-Key & Full N-Key Rollover
- 6 Brightness Key Levels
- USB Port
- Headphones & Microphone 3.5mm Ports
- Gold Plated USB Plug & 3.5mm Jacks
- Double Braided Cable
- Removable Wrist Rest
- HERA Control Software (Available Options)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Reduced Key Feedback (For My Taste)
- HERA Control Software Design