Software

There is no mention of software support anywhere on the product packaging or the Epomaker website. It is only when you go to the NIZ website that you see this page with links to Google Drive folders for the different products. The x87 folder in turn has two more folders, with "NEW X87 Key" being the one you want. Far too much trial and error going on here even before we get to the software. Here too is a lot of scope for confusion as the firmware for each keyboard has a code name. "BLE," "RGB," and "S" are used. "S" presumably stands for standard, "BLE" for Bluetooth Low Energy, and "RGB" at least is self-explanatory. So in this case, the correct firmware collection is in the x87 EC-S folder, which in turn has all the firmware files. Just take the most recent one and download it.

There is also a user manual that is surprisingly detailed and in pretty decent English in contrast to everything else, and this manual is for all versions of the keyboard, so most of the features listed here do not apply to my keyboard. It is still quite handy for the options that apply, including key assignment given the software user experience is questionable still. The software drivers need to be downloaded in three files, including two necessary DLL files. There is no installation to be done here—it is an executable that runs if the keyboard is connected or throws an error message if not.


By default, the home page and all options are in Mandarin. Thankfully, a button marked "English" translates everything into English, albeit poorly. This is where the aforementioned manual comes in handy again. The software scales poorly with high DPI displays and is apparently held together by straws as even hitting Esc closes the program completely. Without the manual, and in some cases even with, the user experience is lacking. This is a shame, and I hope the company gets enough resources to update it to further improve upon what is already an impressive keyboard.

I noticed some media colleagues not being able to customize the keyboard, and many others aren't even aware of the software option to begin with. The former is actually another reason why I want NIZ/Epomaker to improve the user experience and lower the language barrier further, but the user manual actually covers this. Fn + Pause/Break toggles between the Office and Custom modes, with an associated indicator LED underneath to show which mode you are in. Office mode is the default mode which does not allow any key assignment, so you need to be in Custom mode to do anything.

Once done, the software allows you to save and load configurations, although there is only one profile in Custom mode. There are two layers per mode, however, with the Fn layer also allowing key mapping. Clicking on a key of the virtual keyboard brings up the various key-mapping options, including single key assignment, a combination key assignment of up to six characters, a macro recorder that goes beyond the combi option and includes finer control over delay and editing the keystrokes to even insert mouse inputs, and what NIZ calls a "Simulate Key Stroke" that is under "Emulate" instead—I still don't understand how it differs from the other options. There are also a few preset options, including multimedia controls, mouse actions, and PC/macOS power functions. You can also update the firmware using the file downloaded previously, as well as set the program to count the keystrokes to show how often you have used all the keys if that interests you.