Nordic Supply Game Shrimp Review

We dwell in an plentiful and cheap world gaming keyboards, however discrete gaming consoles are a unusual assortment of rarities and uniqueness. Some, like Razer’s Tartarus They differentiate themselves from customary keyboards with ergonomics which might be snug to carry in your hand and extra buttons. Others, like Cooler Grasp control BoardAttempt to preserve issues as compact and customizable as attainable.

The Shrimp ($79.99), a brand new gaming keyboard from Danish gaming {hardware} distributor Nordic Sport Provide, retains issues easy. It is successfully half a keyboard, with all of the keys you discover on the left facet of a file 60 percent Format, beginning with key “5”. These 25 keys provide you with simply sufficient to play most PC video games in a reasonably compact and really acquainted bundle. With a few trims for consolation and magnificence, The Shrimp seems like a stable alternative for avid gamers who, for no matter cause, desire a separate set of keys only for gaming, however do not wish to purchase, carry, or retailer an entire new set of keyboards.

Kiz Shrimp Cocktail

Not like different keyboards, The Shrimp is solely a mini keyboard. It is small and large on the identical time, a plastic rectangle of 1.69 x 4.91 x 5.41 inches with 25 keys. You get each key you’d discover on the left facet of an everyday keyboard, plus a half-sized area bar. This offers you all of the keys you will have to play aggressive video games comparable to first-person shooters or motion video games that require quick motion. With some inventive in-game mapping, you can too get away with taking part in different forms of video games that spill out over a typical keyboard, like RPGs, however you will end up fighting MMOs and different genres that require a fully-functional row of hotkeys. (Nevertheless, you may all the time offload hotkeys to your proper hand with a MMO mouse.)

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

Whereas The Shrimp stays true to the look of the basic keyboard, small adjustments seem in some components. The keycaps really feel barely bigger and wider than you will discover on bigger keyboards, permitting your fingers to relaxation within the valleys of the concave surfaces. The caps additionally characteristic outsized labels and clear sides, which look enjoyable and permit loads of RGB gentle to shine by.

Beneath the caps, you will discover The Shrimp that includes Gateron G Professional Yellow keys. It is linear, much like the “crimson” type switches from Cherry and others, and it provides very snappy actuation, making it supreme for aggressive gaming. Gateron Yellows switches require extra power than Class Crimson switches; Gateron Reds require 45g of energy to activate, whereas Gateron Yellows require 50g. Having examined dozens of keyboards with Crimson switches and a pair with Yellows, I can inform the distinction between the 2 and like the heavier press, because it reduces press errors. I count on most customers, nevertheless, will not discover the distinction except they alternate between the 2.

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

Along with the keys, The Shrimp options two clickable dials and a mute button within the upper-left nook. One dial is a basic quantity management, whereas the opposite adjusts the sample and brightness of your RGB lighting. These controls work nice, aside from one wonky implementation: tapping the quantity dial technically acts as a play/pause button, however the place most keyboard play/pause buttons work in context on no matter app is at present open, this one appears to work nice. Unique with Home windows Media Participant. The play/pause shortcut, Fn + S, works throughout apps, however utilizing that is a little more difficult.

With most gaming keyboards, the issue will be simply resolved by resetting the play/pause command utilizing the configuration utility. Nevertheless, Shrimp is among the few PC gaming peripherals that doesn’t have any software program assist. You may nonetheless set entries in particular person video games, in fact, however you may’t make international adjustments. You can also’t create customized macros or create customized RGB lighting settings, and you may’t select colours on a key-by-key foundation. For many avid gamers, this may not make The Shrimp any much less practical than some other keyboard, but it surely’s undoubtedly an issue for creators and energy customers with extra particular wants. Nordic Gaming Provide is wanting into making a companion app for The Shrimp, in line with an organization spokesperson, however I would not purchase one should you’re relying on expanded performance afterward.

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

Shrimp additionally comes with a big, plump wrist relaxation to match its giant, plump base. It’s extremely stable, but padded sufficient to really feel snug resting your arm on for prolonged intervals of time. This rigidity ensures that your wrist is completely in keeping with the keys, minimizing wrist motion. Given the scale and variety of the keys, you not often should make greater than very slight sideways wrist motions whereas gaming, making the cushion/relaxation combo a stable ergonomic possibility. With the remainder, The Shrimp extends at 8.84 inches longer however nonetheless compact, so you may nonetheless simply transfer it in your desk to no matter inclined place feels applicable.

Verdict: The keyboard is only for enjoyable

For higher and for worse, The Shrimp stands an ocean other than mainstream peripheral video games. However, a 25-key mini keyboard for gaming is a good concept. Its feel and look, whereas fairly tame, is cool and funky. On the identical time, the dearth of configuration software program, which cuts out customary options like remapping and lighting customization, makes the keyboard really feel half-baked. None of its points actually disqualify—most avid gamers will fortunately use macros and per-key lighting management—so we would argue the nice outweighs the unhealthy.

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

At $79.99, The Shrimp prices just a bit lower than the highest priced Razer Tartaros Pro and the Color Master Controlpad. Additionally it is an affordable possibility The best gaming keyboards We examined it. Then once more, you will nonetheless want a keyboard for every little thing apart from gaming, so this is not precisely a good comparability.

Finally, this board is for laptop computer homeowners who simply need a greater keyboard answer for gaming — avid gamers who journey so much may discover The Shrimp’s smaller footprint helpful. We are able to additionally see that it is a good match for the employee who cannot or choose to not use a mechanical keyboard throughout work hours, however desires one thing extra snug when gaming at dwelling. Should you’re trying to sport on mechanical switches, however do not desire a full keyboard, The Shrimp is price consuming.