Performance

The 1stplayer LANG MK8 keyboard supports N-key rollover USB, which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either, and as is usually the case with mechanical gaming keyboards these days, the right Windows keys is replaced by an Fn key. The Switch Hitter screenshot above also shows the functions with dedicated keys on the base layer of this TKL keyboard.

When first powered on without the software running, the keyboard runs through a boot-up sequence of backlighting before settling on breathing mode as seen above. There are onboard controls to change the backlighting effects, brightness, speed, and direction. The included manual may be short on details, but does the job in quickly conveying these, just in case the keyboard-specific secondary legends did not do the job.


Using the software drivers, I then set the keys to static lighting to test for light uniformity and light bleed. You can see here how stronger colors in single channels are quite accurate. However, when you add all three (R/G/B) to represent white, the keyboard does struggle and we end up with a blue-pink hue instead. Given the two-piece case construction and no floating keycaps thus, there is minimal color bleed here, however.

Here are some more of the lighting effects demonstrated, including what 1stplayer calls the Wave, Twinkle, and Radar effects. Lighting is more subtle than with the average gaming keyboard, with overall lower perceived brightness taking place through the keycaps.


For those wanting to see the lit Fire Base M6 mouse, here are some images and a video of the two together. Note again that there is no unified software here, so you can't synchronize lighting effects as well as hoped.

In addition to the onboard controls over backlighting, 1stplayer integrates function-specific controls. The manual again briefly summarizes the macro recording option via Fn+F12, which requires some practice, and the obvious ones associated with the rest of the Fn row are not clarified further. The secondary legends here do a decent job of indicating the volume and media controls you can get, in addition to some productivity shortcuts. Also, I will mention that the Caps Lock indicator LED is integrated into the switch itself, which is why I was originally confused about that switch being a different color. This may trigger some OCD, but the company says it is on purpose, as it keeps people from guessing whether Caps Lock is on or off.

Using the LANG MK8 will be fairly simple if you are used to a full-size keyboard, although those going from a membrane keyboard to a mechanical keyboard may want to first try out a switch tester to see which switch option they prefer. The software drivers are not as user friendly as you might expect from a more international brand, but they are still worth trying for the extent of improved customization on offer. Be it aesthetics or key mapping, it does enough to be a marketing feature that goes beyond the typical budget keyboard offering. The ability to swap 13 switches is neat, but there are very few use cases here even compared to having this on the whole keyboard. For example, you may like to have linear switches on the usual gaming combinations (WASD, maybe) and tactile switches elsewhere. As shown by their own other offerings, it would not have cost much more to make this a keyboard-wide feature, so it does feel like a letdown.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the LANG MK8 keyboard sample at ~115 WPM as it comes out of the box. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. The Gateron Red switch, in my opinion at least, feels better than the Cherry MX Red. There have been questions associated with quality control over Gateron switches in the past, with reported yields fairly low compared to the industry standard Cherry, and often, there would be some switches that passed QC but felt less smooth than a better batch. 1stplayer did aim to minimize this by lubing the switches themselves, and I will say that this particular combination may be one of the best linear switch typing experiences I have had to date.