// PC GAMER — GAMING
I made two $50 gaming keyboards fight for my average-gamer affections, and for me there's one clear winner
In the battle of the silly naming schemes, we all lose.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Welcome to my own personal battle of the budget gaming keyboards, where I make two reasonably-priced input devices fight to the bitter end for my affections. Okay, so it's more about working out which one I'd actually spend my money on, but that hasn't got the same ring to it. Onwards!
In the left corner sits the Gamakay x NaughShark NS68, a keeb with the silliest name I've ever heard. Still, it's got a surprisingly good specs sheet for its $40 MSRP, although it's gone up since our review and is now often found for $50-$60 instead. It's been our best budget gaming keyboard pick for a while now, mostly because its value proposition is damn hard to beat for the cash—even with the price increase.
However, warming up in the right corner is the new kid on the block; the Razer Reclusa X Mini 65% is so fresh to the market, it hasn't even started shaving yet. But, being a proper mechanical mini keeb with a $50 price tag, it's sure swinging for the fences straight out of the gate. Something like that, anyway.
I'll be judging this battle based on five rounds. The first will be specs, the second, build quality. The third shall be looks, the fourth will be sound, and the fifth will be a real-world gaming test—judged subjectively by me, a (very) non-pro gamer.
You won't find any esports-level, picosecond-measuring switch testing here. I shall use each keeb for a day in the games I usually play, and pick the one I would buy with my own cash.
I have 38-year-old reflexes and a tendency to leave a match because I want a cup of tea, or I saw a dog outside my window. There will be no questions taken about my judging ability at this time, thank you.
First up, let's take a look at the specs sheets. The first difference you'll notice comes in the form of the switches, which in the Gamakay's case are Hall effect, but are purely mechanical on the Razer. Beyond the extra durability offered by Hall effect models, this also means you can fine-tune the x NaughShark's switch actuation point, which is darn handy.
But before you go leaping for the buy button, it's worth mentioning that the NaughShark's Outemu Peach Magnetic switches have a 40 g actuation force, while the Gen-3 Orange Tactile switches in the Reclusa come in at 50 g. That might not sound like much on paper, but in practice it does make for a significantly different feel.