At first we would like to thank Thermaltake for offering a sample of their Tt eSPORTS Poseidon Z Forged Mechanical Keyboard for testing and reviewing.

 

 

About Tt eSPORTS:

 

““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 Challerger 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.”

 

Product Features:

 

FLAWLESS ALUMINUM LOOK…SLEEK!

 

You will never get bored looking at it or using it! The splendid black brushed aluminum faceplate Mechanical gaming keyboard with illumination designed to have a feel of stylish whenever you use it. The shine of the keyboard makes it extraordinary!

 

THE ADJUSTABLE GLOWING BACKLIGHTING

 

Fully keyboard with stunning blue metal plate that enhances the gorgeous backlighting! Offering levels of adjustable brightness with an additional pause-break lighting effect plus pre-configured lighting zone combinations that make it cooler!

 

MARVELOUS MACRO KEYS

 

Never mess up the keys again…the Macro Keys, make it easy! Comes with 10 additional macro keys (T1-T10) for gaming efficiency with 5 profiles for a total 50 programmable macro on its normal mode plus a total of 100 programmable macro on Game Mode! This will surely let you access extra the skills and commands such as switching equipment presets like you are in total control!

 

ONBOARD DAC AMPLIFIER USB AUDIO MCU

 

With the DAC Audio Microcontroller Unit (MCU) containing digital programmable gain amplifier, audio output quality is beyond satisfactory for gaming with the 48kHz/8kHz sampling rate and 16-bit PCM ADC operates at 8/16kHz for the Microphone input. DAC amplifier definitely gives a deep, powerful, clearer and balanced sound.

 

ADVANCED INSTANT SHIFT SYSTEM (I.S.S.)

 

Never get busy changing profiles again! Simplifying the complex way of changing profiles. The I.S.S. (Instant Shift System) allows users to use either the Shift, Ctrl, or Alt key to quickly switch between macro groups and give immediate access to all 100 macro keys).

 

Tt CERTIFIED SWITCHES

 

The Tt eSPORTS Certified Mechanical BLUE & BROWN switches are built for speed and durability, offering a pronounced tactile feel and audible click feedback. These switches were specially chosen by our pro-gamers and engineers, and we believe in them so much that we’re offering the world’s first 5 year warranty on a Mechanical gaming keyboard.

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

 

The PC gaming keyboard territory is another extremely active area with various manufacturers launching more and more interesting products with different innovations in order to keep up with current tendencies. Poseidon Z Forged is one of the examples from Tt eSports which incorporates blue switches (non-Cherry MX but Kailh), plenty of programmable buttons and a solid metal plate for extra durability and a professional look. The product is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, which we found to be heavier than expected which told us that we were dealing with a pretty heavy keyboard inside:

 

 

 

The back side of the packaging explains us the main product components:

 

 

 

After lifting the top cover, we will get to see the main product, which is wrapped inside a transparent plastic bag for additional protection:

 

 

 

As documentation, Tt eSports has included a Warranty Policy leaflet but also a Multi-language Quick Installation Guide:

 

 

 

 

As all high-end peripherals, we are getting a fully-braided data transmission cable along with an optional wrist rest:

 

 

 

The USB cable is gold-plated and the connectors have a custom design printed to them:

 

 

 

The “Forged” moniker is not there for nothing, this version sporting a brushed aluminum layer which reinforces the keyboard and gives it quite a professional look. This aspect is also increasing the overall weight of the product so we are dealing with a total of 1.47kg:

 

 

 

On the left side of the keyboard we will get to see T1 to T5 programmable buttons:

 

 

 

The Function keys do also double as multimedia controls:

 

 

 

 

The F10 key doubles itself as a Profile switcher, with F11 we can switch between pre-configured LED light presets and with F12 we can shift to Game Mode which practically disables the Windows key:

 

 

There is an optimal space between the directional keys and the rest; the Up and Down keys are also in charge of changing the LED brightness:

 

 

 

On the top right corner we have the Profile LED along with the Tt eSports logo:

 

 

 

This is not all! We also have an additional set of programmable keys on the right side of the numeric pad:

 

 

 

Here is a look on the side of the keyboard, which shows in more detail the thickness of the brushed aluminum top layer:

 

 

 

The keyboard is also equipped with two extra USB ports for plugging in low-powered devices and nearby we do also have a headset and microphone jack; these do not link directly to our sound card but the keyboard has a dedicated DAC Amplifier USB Audio MCU (16-bit Holtek USB Audio controller) to take care of them:

 

 

 

If we look on the bottom side of the keyboard, we will see that it has quite a big footprint since its dimensions are 503 x 156.2 x 43mm; on the top we will be also able to observe some routing channels for the USB cable:

 

 

 

In the middle, the manufacturer has placed a sticker which gives us an idea on the power ratings:

 

 

 

The top feet are also fitted with rubber so the keyboard will be steady on the table at all times:

 

 

 

Here is a closer look at the USB connector where we will have to fit the included USB braided cable:

 

 

 

After plugging in the keyboard to our PC, we will get to see that it will light up automatically thanks to one of the included presets:

 

 

 

Some other presets are also included in order to cover some of the available game types:

 

 

The supplied software is quite intuitive, with the profile selector on the top area of the interface, while modifications to the button configuration can be done while in Game Mode:

 

 

 

The Light Option tab will open up in a new window and here we can define new lighting modes for each available profile; as effects, we can select different light intensities, pulse mode or turn the LED lighting completely for the current selection of keys:

 

 

 

Back with the Game Mode activated, the Key Assignment menu will activate itself:

 

 

 

The T Key menu allows us to select one of the defined macros to be mapped to a specific programmable key:

 

 

 

The Single Key menu can change the mapping of a specific key with a single function:

 

 

 

Of course, we can also reset each key to its default functionality or launch a specific program; we do also have an Instant Shift Sys. Function, which allows users to switch between macro groups:

 

 

 

Speaking of macros, the Macro Key Setting menu includes the usual options to record a specific macro, but also adjust delays, ignore delays or insert a default delay value:

 

 

 

Despite the fact that the Poseidon Z Forged mechanical keyboard does come with Kailh switches instead of the usual Cherry-MX, we haven’t found any differences right away and as many other people which have tested switches made by this brand, they were not disappointed by their quality. Keep in mind that the Blue versions are not as silent as Reds or Browns as they are made to have a perceptible tactile feedback and an audible click to them. This keyboard also brings to the table a metallic internal chassis and a top brushed aluminum layer, extra programmable keys on both sides, multimedia keys, a full blue LED lighting system with preset settings and adjustable light intensity but also a dedicated audio controller.

 

If we need to customize the keyboard in more detail, we need to download the dedicate utility from the product web page and work with it until we define our preferred profiles. More LED-related settings can be also modified here.

 

This high-end keyboard from Tt eSports can be found online for about 173 Euros, which we think that it’s quite fair for what we have offered.

 

Tt eSports Poseidon Z Forged Mechanical Keyboard is Recommended For:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Thermaltake for making this review possible!