PC gaming is a unique beast, encompassing multiple aspects that are important to those who dive into this vast and equally expensive hobby. Each user has a specific preference when it comes to building their battle station. For a few, performance is the most important, forgoing RGB colorization to save a few bucks on components. Putting together a setup that expresses your personal taste doesn’t just come in themed cases and pretty lights, it can come in the peripherals you use, and this is where the folks over at Glorious Gaming come in.
Known for creating some of the coolest lightweight mice I have ever used, Glorious Gaming doesn’t just have standard hardware, but offers a sense of aesthetically pleasing components for the fashionable keyboard lovers out there. With their new KeyCapsules program, Glorious Gaming is dropping a limited number of custom keycaps on the first Tuesday of every month starting on May 7th. Kicking this program off the right way, Glorious Gaming sent us their first set they call the GPBT Sketch.
Now, I’m not someone who goes out and builds an expensive custom keyboard. But, the more I look at what some companies such as Glorious Gaming are doing, making this sub-hobby more accessible, I think the doors are really opening up for me and many others out there. Glorious Gaming already has their own buildable keyboard kits, so it only makes sense to offer the KeyCapsules program.
So, how do these keycaps hold up after hours of me slamming my eczema riddled fingers upon them? Let’s take a look.
Everything but Sketchy
As I said before, I’m not a “keyboard guy” per se. I typically stick to stock keys on almost every keyboard I have ever used and felt it was just easier to spend more money on something good that will last me two to three years without making it feel like something that represents my personal tastes. From the ergonomic split Microsoft one I used in the past to my most current- the ASUS Falchion, I never considered swapping these bits of plastic or even switches until now.
While keycaps seem like something simple to pick and choose, I must state that not every keyboard is treated equally and your milage may vary when it comes to picking your style. With devices such as my ASUS Falchion, I couldn’t swap out all of my keycaps. I cannot say that this is a fault on Glorious Gaming because the amount of keys you get covers almost every single setup you can think of; it is completely on ASUS for using incredibly specific sizes that are unique to their brand. Not exactly proprietary, but very close to an extent that could be literally measured.
I have seen keycaps that feature vast gradients or employ a selection of vivid color ways that attributes itself to something that stands out amongst the sea of stock keyboards out there. There are also crazy themes that that borrow from popular franchises like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. Here though, I feel like the GPBT Sketch emit this style akin to graffiti on a wall or chalk on a blackboard; it embraces the namesake.
A majority of the keys have this black blocking with a white accenting on the curves and edges of each key with the type-facing present on the front of each key opposed to the traditional top side we are all used to. It seems like an odd placement but when it comes to the finished product, I actually don’t mind it. I’m rarely looking down to see if I am hitting the right key.
What I also like about this particular set is how the WASD and arrow keys have their own personal colors. Yellow, red, blue, and purple colors pop out amongst the sea of black and white keys while also retaining that unique “sketch” aesthetic. If you don’t like the colors, there is some good news as Glorious included standard keys that remove the colors and stick to the rest of the keycap’s aesthetics for a more unified look. It was very thoughtful of them and adds a bit of that pizazz to your setup.
Durable and Stylish
Each keycap is derived from PBT polymer which makes each one strong, but this set is not double shot, meaning that there are no transparent elements with either the type-facing or the white accented elements. But, there is a slight concession here, especially if you use a motherboard with RGB lighting. Since the lighting comes between the keys, it actually illuminates the letters and numbers for easy readability. On top of that, since all the accenting is white, colors bounce off it. When emitting bright, vivid colors, my keyboard looked like it came right out of the TRON universe.
There are some other really neat accommodations; a few of the number caps are low-profile compared to others. So, if you are a gamer who plays titles like Diablo and only use keys 1 to 5, those can be swapped. There are so many options when it comes to this set, I am just impressed. Many times before when I looked at keycap sets, they were awfully particular in which type of keyboard you were using, so it’s nice to see this complete package even if the Falchion wasn’t fully compatible.
I’ll say it again, these keycaps can take a beating. I tried to scratch off the black areas of one of the keys I wasn’t going to use and found it to be quite resistant. According to Glorious, they use a dye-sub printing method to produce this style. They were able to withstand my usage for a while which is a good change of pace compared to a few of the cheaper keycap replacements I have seen before. This makes sense as to why the type-facing has been moved to the front of the keys, so that your oily fingers don’t impact the lettering.
After many hours of use and then jumping back to the stock caps for a second, I found myself really liking the curvature of the caps. At first I felt the top didn’t have a ton of space for my sausage fingers, but I also found myself not accidentally hitting other keys when I am typing in a rush.
A Suspicious Amount of Keycaps
I previously stated how Glorious Gaming included a large amount of keys and I am not kidding when I say that. Upon opening up the GPBT Sketch, I was met with several trays of caps. It felt slightly overwhelming because I am using a much smaller keyboard than most users and there were tons of extras to a point where I was questioning if I forgot something or if I placed the wrong keycap down on the wrong switch.
We have the standard QWERTY keys along with your typical control, alt, and FN keys. What is interesting is the inclusion of a command keycap for those who are gaming on Mac (yes, there are a few). I mentioned before how there are the multicolored WASD and arrow keys included, which is, once again, a nice addition.
Unfortunately, in this particular case, because I am using the ASUS Falchion, I couldn’t replace my backspace and enter keys, nor could I swap out my spacebar because as I stated before, ASUS uses specific measurements when it comes to developing their keyboards. In this case, when I pulled off the spacebar from my Falchion, the metal stabilization bar came with it. There was no amount of key lube that would get it to operate as it once used to. To add insult to injury, the spacebar within the kit was much too large. So, I ask that you heed my warning yet again as I awkwardly try to jump in my games.
Finger Licking Good… No… Wait…
With everything said and done, I can say that even though all my keys couldn’t be swapped out, I really enjoy what Glorious Gaming has done here with these particular keys and while the future is a mystery, this is definitely a program I can see many fans get behind.
Once again, Glorious Gaming will be releasing these keycaps on the first Tuesday of every month with a limited capacity between 500 and 1000 total units available. So, if you are a fan of what they have done before, visit the Glorious Gaming website and see if there is anything that pops out. Also, stick around Seasoned Gaming as we have plenty more in the future regarding Glorious Gaming and their products. As for now, I’ll be seeing what I can do about replacing this keyboard.
