REVIEW: Tt eSPORTS MEKA G-Unit Red Switch Edition Gaming Keyboard

Review: Tt eSPORTS MEKA G-Unit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Red Switch Edition

By: Christopher “Synther” Wilson

Back when I first got into computers, all keyboards were mechanical and there was no such thing as a “gaming” keyboard.  At some point, manufacturers went on the cheaper side of things and started to produce the standard membrane keyboards that you mostly see today.  In the last two years, though, mechanical keyboards have been making a major comeback.  And it seems that the large majority of that comeback is due to gamers needing something a little more responsive and durable than the standard keyboard you may be used to.

Tt eSPORTS has put out an impressive line of mechanical gaming keyboards over the years.  However, my favorite by far has been the MEKA G-Unit.  The G-Unit was available in Cherry MX Black key switches before and you can see my review on that model HERE.  This particular model uses the Cherry MX Red switches but the two keyboards are virtually identical in all other aspects. 

The Cherry Corporation came on the scene in 1953 and started to make keyboards in 1967.  They are actually the oldest keyboard manufacturer in the world.  Knowing that these guys know how to make mechanical key switches, they were the obvious go to for Tt eSPORTS line of keyboards.  The primary difference between the Cherry MX Black and Cherry MX Red switches is how much force is required to actuate the key switch.  The Cherry MX Black Switch requires 60 centi-Newtons of force to actuate, while the Cherry MX Red Switch only requires 45cN.  This makes the MEKA G-Unit with Cherry MX Red Switches responsive, a little bit quieter, and a bit easier to type on than the standard MEKA G-Unit.  In comparing the two keyboards, I personally found that the Cherry MX Black switches were just a tad bit more responsive than the Red.  I found this surprising as I would have expected the opposite.  However, this could just be due to my play style.  In either case, it should be noted that the key switches are rated for 50 million key strokes.  So, you can be sure that this keyboard is going to last you a good long time.

It isn’t just the keys that are durable, though!  This keyboard is sturdy.  The weight alone is enough to keep it from moving around on your desk!  But to go a step further, Tt eSPORTS has strategically placed rubber feet on all four corners, as well as placing them on the extendable feet.  This is an extremely nice feature that more keyboard manufacturers really should look at doing.  Tt eSPORTS has also thought ahead and supplied the keyboard with a removable cord, cord bag, and a keyboard case.  Because anyone that is going to be packing this kind of heavy metal for their computer is obviously going to go to a LAN party to show it off, right?

The back and the bottom of the keyboard has its own cable management system, while the removable keyboard cord is supplied with a Velcro tie.  They’ve made it extremely easy to keep those cables nice and neat!  Along with the cable management system, the back of the keyboard sports two USB 2.0 ports and analog microphone and headphones jacks.  This is a great idea for those headphones that don’t have a very long cord or for having an easy place to plug in your additional gaming peripherals.

In the upper right corner, the MEKA G-Unit has multimedia control buttons, Volume up/down buttons, a Mute button, as well as a button from controlling lighting on the keyboard.  In the past, I’ve used gaming keyboards that used a roller for volume.  Having buttons took a little getting used to, but I’ve found that you can get a lot more precision with the buttons. 

But when we’re not writing reviews, listening to music, or watching videos, we’re playing games.  And that is where the MEKA G-Unit Red Switch Edition really shines.  The keyboard has a 1000hz polling rate.  This means that in conjunction with those sensitive mechanical Cherry MX Red Switch keys, the keyboard itself is hyper responsive as well.  Just as with the standard MEKA G-Unit, the keyboard almost seems to read your mind and perform actions a split second before you’re consciously aware that you were going to do something!  It really is that good and that fast. 

Along the left side of the keyboard are twelve macro keys, labeled T1 though T12.  These keys can be set for a variety of functions and will do anything from multiple key presses to mirroring keys on the keyboard.  Along the left top of the keyboard are buttons for three separate profiles.  This means a total of 36 T-Keys!  But you don’t even have to actually use the profile buttons if you don’t want to!  The software for the keyboard has the option of setting the CTRL, ALT, or SHIFT keys to automatically switch the profiles for you.  This Instant-Shift-System means that you can set the keyboard for Profile 1 and automatically have the T-Keys switch to Profile 2 while holding down CTRL, for instance.  It should be noted that the macros you create for the keys are saved directly to the memory on the keyboard.  If you need to unplug and take the MEKA G-Unit to a tournament computer, for instance, all your macros come with you and you don’t need to install any additional software.  Directly to the left of the profile buttons is the Normal/Gaming Mode button.  When activated, this will disable the Windows keys on the keyboard and prevent you from dropping to desktop due to a miskey at an inopportune time. 

The MEKA G-Unit Red Switch Edition is not a fully illuminated keyboard.  However, it does provide white lighting in three separate areas of the keyboard.  Lighting zone 1 has WASD, left SHIFT, left CTRL, and the Spacebar lit.  Zone 2 has lighting for the arrow keys and zone 3 lights 8462 on the numeric pad.  Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock all have their own individual lights.  To round out the lighting on the MEKA G-Unit, the Tt logo at the top of the keyboard gently pulses in red.  Lighting has five different settings from off to the brightest intensity, while the final setting sets the keys to pulse with the Tt logo.

As far as software goes, the MEKA G-Unit Red Switch Edition hasn’t deviated much.  The software gives you a graphical interface of the keyboard and allows you to select the T-Keys you want to assign macros to.  Alternately, you can also select these keys to launch a program of your choice.  And this literally means any program!  Unlike other gaming keyboards that only give you a limited selection of programs to launch, Tt eSPORTS opens a window allowing you to launch any executable file you choose.  Why be limited to only being able to select Ventrilo for T1, for instance?  Why not select the EXE file for TeamSpeak3, instead?  This allows you to do just that.  The software package is robust and lets you do just about anything you would want to do with the T-Keys; gaming or regular everyday office work.

Ultimately, I would recommend the MEKA G-Unit Red Switch Edition keyboard to anyone that is looking for a new keyboard, gamer or not.  This keyboard is a dream to type on and one of the best gaming keyboards I’ve ever had the pleasure of using.  The macro keys make MMO or RTS games much more enjoyable.  I frequently use the T-keys in Dungeons & Dragons Online, for instance.  The additional perks, such as a detachable wrist rest, keyboard bag, and removable keyboard cord may sound like overkill to some, but they’ll immediately appreciate it when they go to their first LAN party and then be left wondering why other keyboards don’t offer the same functionality.  You simply cannot go wrong with the MEKA G-Unit Red Switch Edition keyboard.  It is the best at what it does.