Tt eSports Challenger Ultimate Gaming Keyboard Review

A Closer LookThe keyboard has an aggressive appearance featuring many straight edges and red highlights. It is all black apart from the front red trim and Tt logo. It is also clear that the keyboard uses a conventional layout with the standard QUERTY key layout and keypad. However, the F keys, esc button and the other top row keys are compressed to make way for the media and control keys.

The offending article. On the top right of the keyboard you will find the standard media buttons including volume control but unfortunately doesn’t include a mute button. Text to the media buttons you will find the brightness adjustment button and the profile button. The profile button allows you to switch between 5 customisable profiles that cover macros and lightning. So if you play an FPS as well as an MMO, there is no need to share the macro keys, you can have a dedicated profile for your MMO as well as the FPS. Theoretically it allows you to have up to 50 macros! It is also easy to tell which profile you are choosing as each one has it’s own colour indicated on the panel and the number will also appear on the bottom of your screen.

At either side of the keyboard you will find a set of macro keys. These are well positioned as they are really quick to get to from your hand on the WASD keys or your other hand on the mouse. The only disadvantage is that the first macro key is danger-close to the escape key and it is extremely easy to confuse the two because the macro key is where you expect the escape key to be. There are 5 on each side and are fully customisable. If you cleverly create different profiles of macros you can effectively have up to 50 different macros- is that enough spells for you?

The most unique feature on this board is the small cooling fan designed to cool your hand. Sound strange? It is! The fan can be plugged in to the right or left of the board and is theoretically a great idea. There’s nothing worst that sweaty hands on your keyboard and mouse.

I found that having it pointed on my mouse hand provides mild relief but it’s not really noticeable, plus it can be annoying due to noise. I think these fan specs should explain why the fan doesn’t fare too well in practise: 6,000 RPM, 21.7dB, 2.7CFM! The fan can be securely stowed in the specially made hole in the keyboard, it clips in place nice an solidly. Nice try Thermaltake, a good idea but it really does not move enough air and is too loud. If cooling your hands is a big priority I would strongly recommend a proper desk fan!

Looking now to the back of the keyboard you can see that the keyboard features two USB connectors as well as a microphone and headphone jack. All of this is done through a USB connection so unlike other keyboards with audio jacks, you don’t have to plug connections into your sound card. You will also notice a mini USB connection to the right, this is how the keyboard connects to your PC.

The cable that comes with the keyboard is high quality. The connections are gold plated and the cable itself is braided, so longevity should not be a concern. The fact the cable is detachable means less damage if you are carrying the keyboard in a bag as there is no stress on the connection. Notice that the keyboard acts as a 2x USB hub, an audio and headphone front panel, a media controller and a keyboard using nothing other than two USB connections, a great solution if your motherboard isn’t furnished with a grand array of USB sockets!