TL;DRCall it 8 out of 10. I like it, but theres plenty of room for improvement. It delivers on its promises of being a keyboard and having programmable macros.
About me:I figure I will tell you a bit about myself so you can decide if this review will have any meaning for you. I do not play video games. I make hacks for them. I test hacks for them. I do not play them. I also write code. I use a slightly modified dvorak layout tailored to my coding style. This is actually the sole reason for me getting this board. I wanted my cut/copy/paste back on my left hand.
The goodThe macros can be stored in hardware.
The volume roller is perfect. Im really happy they didnt go with a diamond knurl.
You can turn off the backlight.
The nigglesThe cable is SUPER stiff.
Even with the backlight turned off, there are typically 4 LEDs that will remain lit: the macro record button, the active profile button, the backlight cluster toggle, and numlock. Granted, I can turn off numlock so no biggie there. The macro record and active profile being constantly lit, fine, fair enough. But why the heck is the backlight cluster toggle button lit when the backlights are off? Im not talking about the backlight intensity button, Im talking about the button that switches the backlighting from all keys to a few keys like the wasd cluster. It's always there, a persistent little niggle eating away at your satisfaction with your $150USD purchase.
You cant adjust the backlight intensity presets. You are stuck with 33% 66% and 100%. There is also an "easter egg" setting that will crank it up to like 150% or some such nonsense if you plug it in to usb3 and hold some combination of buttons. DUMB. 66% is already nearly blinding and 100% glows like the sun. A half intensity "easter egg" would have been much nicer. 33% is fine though, I'm actually quite happy with it.
pictures of backlight and media keys http://imgur.com/a/TQ1KC
Which reminds me, Im pretty dissatisfied with the placement of the media keys. Its not a big deal, They are just kind of tucked out of the way. If I used them frequently, it would probably matter more, but with casual use I guess it's almost nice that they stay hidden when you arent using them. In fact, if they were put on cherry switches instead, they would probably get in the way of the volume wheel which would really piss me off.
The BadIf you dont use the legs, this board will be a massive wobbly piece of ****. RMA it as much as you like, it apparently wont matter. If you use the legs though, its fine and dandy.
The modifier sizes are dumb as hell. Just as an example, right shift is like 3x while left shift is 2x. I still havent gotten batteries for my calipers so I cant measure real precisely, but the spacebar seems to be like 6.8x. Good luck finding a replacement for it...
The neither here nor thereThey really went out of their way to make this board an incredible pita to mod or repair.