Established by ADATA in 2008, XPG was born with the goal of providing high-performance products to gamers. Functional, high-quality gaming components were the goal and here they arrive with the Summoner RGB gaming keyboard. Equipped with CHERRY MX Red switches, media controls, macro keys, and 100% anti-ghosting capability, the Summoner aims to take your gaming to the next level over a standard keyboard. Ride on the RGB light waves as we review the XPG Summoner RGB Gaming Keyboard.
Specifications
- Price: $149.99 USD
- Color: Gunmetal grey
- Face: Sandblasted Aluminum Face
- Weight: 951g
- Dimensions: 449 (L) x 135 (W) x 44 (H) mm
- Anti-ghosting keys: 100%
- Key Switch: CHERRY MX Speed Silver/Red/Blue
- Lighting Effect: 7 RGB lighting modes (Static / Breathing / Trigger / Explosion / Color Cycle / Color Wave / WASD mode)
- Macro Keys: 5
- Interface: 2x USB 2.0 type A, 1 Pass-through port
- Working voltage: 5v DC
- Polling Rate: 1000 hz
- Keystroke Lifestyle: Over 50 million strokes
Gaming keyboards are helpful when you are trying to take the next step into the world of competitive gaming but impact your experience no matter what level you’re playing at. Enter the Summoner, a peripheral that looks as good as it feels with its gunmetal grey color, RGB lighting behind every key, and CHERRY MX Red switches for reliable actuation to get you to the top of the leaderboards.
Comfort and Durability
This keyboard comes with a magnetically attached wrist rest, which is both comfortable and removable. This feature puts your wrists at comfortable and healthy angles while you put in the long hours into your favorite games. I also like that this piece is detachable in case you have a small desk and can’t spare the room.
The construction of the keyboard is good as well. It has had a few accidental drops when I was moving some things around and it didn’t have any ill effects from the falls. The aluminum build looks to keep it sturdy for your roughest of gaming sessions and even accidents like my own.
Switches, RGB, and Keycaps (oh, my!)
One thing that will make a huge difference in your gameplay is the switches you choose. Three options are available with the Summoner, Cherry MX Speed, MX Blue, and MX Red which we are reviewing today. These particular switches are very quiet and don’t have the loud clicky noise that the blues have, and they also require less force to have the key activate upon pressing it. They’re also completely linear for quick double taps or “priming” the key press. They’re very reactive to the pressure you place on them so some people may find them too sensitive but I enjoyed them. The anti-ghosting features built-in you will never miss-click in a game because of the keyboard.
Like many other keyboards that have been released recently, this board is completely RGB enabled for each key. The modes are Static, breathing, trigger, explosion, color cycle, color wave, and WASD mode. The RGB is limited to these selections, but they still look good even if customization is more limited. I like the breathing effect the most.
There are a few extra keycaps provided as well to change up the setup and help you quickly identify important keys without taking your eyes off the screen. These caps are red and go well with the gunmetal gray and the other black keys. The replacement caps swap in for the WASD keys, Windows and arrow keys.
Macros, Media, and Passthrough
Some players like to have their skills linked to one key rather than a combo. That is why XPG equipped this device with five macro keys that are attached to the F1 through F5 keys. F10 through F12 have also been dual purposed as media keys with a volume wheel and mute button just to the right of those. The Summoner also includes a USB passthrough, which is very important for those of us with more peripherals than we know what to do with. If you are like me, this device that you plug-in may be a USB hub so that one port turns into many.
Final Thoughts
The XPG Summoner RGB Gaming Keyboard is a durable piece of technology that has all the bonuses you would want in a gaming keyboard – except for advanced lighting controls. It is otherwise comparable to other devices of the same type but the price point might be a little high at $149.99 USD with that limitation.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of review.
