INTRODUCTION

   The release of Grand Theft Auto V was enough for us to drop every review unrelated to gaming (ok not every single one but most) and focus our efforts in testing many of the available gaming peripherals we have here while playing this awesome game. Personally i have to say that i expected just a bit more from Rockstar especially since this is a 60GB game but still this past week flew by extremely fast thanks to it. Anyways i really don't know how many of you out there have limited space on your desks or how many attend LAN events but just like myself once (not too long ago) i imagine that in order to save space one of the first things that comes in mind is getting a more compact keyboard. Now finding a compact keyboard in the market is not that hard but finding a compact gaming keyboard with mechanical switches is not what I’d call easy, not if you're looking for one by one of the leading manufacturers. Tt eSPORTS is one of those companies that need no introductions and today we're taking a look at their Poseidon ZX Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.

   “Challenge is the game” highlights the philosophy to bring out gamers’ addiction in gaming and the ambition of reaching to the extreme. Tt eSPORTS, a gaming obsessed division from Thermaltake, is uniting gamers from all over the world in a unique & fascinating eSPORTS culture, inherited the spirits of Thermaltake, is an energetic, powerful, bold and intelligent challenger who never says “no” to the extreme competition. We do not only provide gamers the ultimate gaming gears but also fulfills the passion to achieve the ultimate success. Thermaltake has been a well-known brand in the gaming & DIY market for PC Chassis, Coolers and Power Supplies PSU for many years. The brand personality of unique, aggressive, vivid and stylish makes Thermaltake an expert in creating exciting things and fascinating environment for gamers and enthusiasts. Tt eSPORTS inherited the brand personality with unique and creative design by observing users’ behaviors and requirements. The fan cooling design on Tt eSPORTS Challenger keyboard demonstrate the brand spirit. It is the worldwide first keyboard with fan cooling function that could dry your hand sweats and blow tension away during cut-throat competition.

   The Poseidon ZX is a tenkeyless (no numeric keypad thus roughly 20% smaller compared to regular size keyboards) keyboard which just like several other models in the Poseidon line of mechanical gaming keyboards by Tt eSPORTS wears switches by Kailh. Up until recently the first choice for manufacturers would be to use mechanical switches by Cherry but thanks to a shortage they had a while ago (not any more) Kailh has gained ground so we've seen their switches in many models lately (rated at 50 million keystrokes i don't see why not). The Poseidon ZX also features full back-light 4 level illumination for the keys, full N-Key Rollover (NKRO), multimedia keys and is covered by a 5 year warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

You can see a large product picture at the front of the box along with the mechanical switch selection, the company logo and a certification stamp by Tt eSPORTS.

The mechanical switch selection is also present at the bottom of the box.

Turning the box around we see another product picture used to showcase its main features.

Packaging is quite perfect so no issues here.

Inside the box Tt eSPORTS has placed the Poseidon ZX keyboard, 9 red keycaps, keycap remover/puller, installation guide and a warranty card.

THE POSEIDON ZX

The plain looking Poseidon ZX weighs just 970g, features a nice black matte paint and measures 363mm in length, 143mm in width and 40mm in height.

Tt eSPORTS has placed their name and logo over the arrow keys and on the space bar.

F1 through F7 double as multimedia keys (previous track, play/pause, next track, stop, mute, volume up/down) with the help of the Fn key.

You can control the illumination of the keys via the F11/F12 keys (with the Fn key of course).

The windows lock key is placed on the upper right corner of the keyboard.

You can use the bundled keycap puller to remove keycaps either to clean or replace them.

Here we see the Kailh blue back-lit mechanical switches.

You can replace the black WASD/Arrow keycaps with the bundled red ones and as you can see the result is very nice looking.

However if you really want something special i suggest getting the aluminum keycaps by Thermaltake which not only look great but will probably never wear out.

At the base of the keyboard we see two long wire channels, 5 small rubber feet and two height adjusters.

The height adjusters are rubber coated so you don't have to worry about scratching your desk. By using the height adjusters the tallest end of the keyboard gets 12mm more from the desk.

Although the 1.8m long cable is not braided the USB connector is gold plated.

Here we see the illumination of the keys at the first and last level.

CONCLUSION

   Since we have had the opportunity to review not one but two Poseidon Z mechanical gaming keyboards in the past both of which left us with extremely good impressions we didn't expect anything less from the Poseidon ZX and although i have to admit that it took me a while to get used to the lack of the numeric keypad (GTAV makes use of these keys by default). The good thing about the Poseidon ZX is not so much the reduced size compared to let’s say the regular Poseidon Z but rather the sturdier design which is actually the result of cutting down its length by removing the numeric keypad. The how or the why however matters very little, what does matter is that the Poseidon ZX is a very sturdy mechanical keyboard which should keep going much longer than you'd expect. The driverless "nature" of this keyboard is something that many people will like since it's very easy to use and some may not since this means you get no macro keys and no profiles (personally i like the driverless feature more than having macro keys and profiles). As for the Kailh blue mechanical switches well this is not our first encounter with them so once again you're getting very good tactile feedback with quite a bit of noise (audible feedback) however so if you're looking for something quieter then black and brown switches are more up your alley.

   We all pretty much know that Tt eSPORTS follows a very good pricing plan with their products so it shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you that the Poseidon ZX Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (Kailh Blue Switches) currently retails for USD79.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 85Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). All said and done it goes without saying but if you happen to have lots of space on your desk and you don't attend LAN events then the Poseidon Z should be a better overall solution (and cheaper too). However if you do have limited space or you do attend LAN events then it doesn't get much better than the Poseidon ZX Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by Tt eSPORTS which is why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Kailh Mechanical Switches
- Size (For Some)
- Key Illumination (4 Levels)
- Driverless
- 5 Years Warranty
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Single Illumination Color
- No Macro Keys