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| Review sample provided by Akko |
One could argue that the keyboard is the most essential part of modern computing. It allows us to input commands, type up papers, and most importantly: play games! The tech that goes into your keyboard varies on the model and style and has definitely changed a bit over the last 40 years. For the modern gamer, mechanical keyboards have certainly become the norm with different switch types, form factors, and lighting options available to get the perfect look and feel for your setup. Custom keycaps and paint jobs can further highlight your distinctive style and truly make it stand out from the crowd. I was recently made aware of keyboards from Akko, who specialize in some fun and unique designs for their keyboards, and when the opportunity arose to check out some of their offerings I knew I had to take it. And oh my, does their World Tour Tokyo Board stand out in a fantastic way!
What’s In The Box
The World Tour Tokyo keyboard comes in a number of different sizes including full, tenkeyless, and 65%. In this review, I am covering the 65% model. The keyboard comes in an appropriately matching themed box complete with Mount Fuji and Sakura blossoms galore. The bright pink color scheme lends itself well to the balancing whites and blues and the whole thing is rather pleasing to look at. The opposite side of the box features the product name and other various locations and symbols from Japan. The last thing worth mentioning on the box is the keyboard’s switch type, which is notated along the top. Inside you will find your World Tour Tokyo Keyboard, USB receiver, USB cable, extra keycaps, keycap removal tool, and finally a user's guide.
Aesthetics And Build Quality
The first thing that stands out about the World Tour Tokyo keyboard is its striking pink and white color scheme. Just like on the packaging, the two colors contrast in a very pleasing way and it really stands out on my desk. I also dig that the included USB cable keeps up the pink color scheme as the base. But aside from the color scheme, there are a number of cool details on this keyboard that are a ton of fun to look at. Mount Fuji and Sakura blossoms adorn the space bar, and each letter and number bear both English and Japanese lettering. It can look a bit overwhelming at first glance but the pink and blue work well together here. I can’t speak to how well this board would work for someone fluent in both English and Japanese but for me, it serves its aesthetic purpose. With the extra keycaps included in the box, you can further customize the Japanese aesthetic to your liking with ease!
The last aesthetic touch comes from the built-in RGB lighting. Unlike most other keyboards of today, the World Tour Tokyo board doesn’t have keycaps that let the light pass through them to illuminate their lettering. This makes the RGB lighting more ambient as it shines out from beneath the keys. I have a love-hate relationship with this approach as it does look really good for what it does but at the same time, I love having illuminated keys as a personal preference. There are a number of RGB presets available to choose from and they can be cycled through using just the board itself with no additional software required, but more on that in a bit.
The 65% layout allows for the Tokyo World Tour keyboard to take up very little desk space which is ideal for cramped setups. The board feels a bit weighted to keep it from sliding around during use and gives the added bonus of making it feel very solid in the hands. While there is a bit of give if you try to twist it, there isn’t much so you shouldn't have to worry about damaging it during normal use. If you choose to use either of the two incline angles provided by the back pads, the middle of the frame does have a hair of give, but again nothing I personally find worrisome. The USB cable also attaches firmly to the back of the keyboard for anyone who wishes to use it in a wired configuration.
Gameplay
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Diving into using the World Tour Tokyo keyboard was an interesting experience for me. Up until this point, the smallest keyboard form factor I have used on a desktop has been tenkeyless, so the 65% layout provided a bit of a learning curve. Not much of one, mind you, but the different travel distance and placement to something like the delete key resulted in a few funny air presses on a phantom key. Speaking of phantom keys, having no labeled F keys really threw me for a loop for a while, but thankfully getting back their functionality is very simple with a press of the Fn key and the corresponding number key. A glimpse through the user's manual also reveals other Fn key shortcuts you might find useful, such as print screen. Unfortunately, there are no media control shortcuts under Windows so I have to use my Stream Deck for them instead.
Diving into using the keyboard for its everyday purposes, you will find little to complain about. The Jelly Pink switches that came preinstalled on my review unit have proven to be very capable of both simple tasks like web browsing and typing as well as gaming. The switches themselves are custom made with TTC and Gateron, with three types being available. Pink and White are a linear type switch while Blue is more tactile. The switches are swappable so you can change them out at any point for another type. The Pink switches have a nice clack to them, so if you aren’t a fan of audible keyboards you will need to pick up a set of o-rings to soften the noise a bit. I have yet to find any instances in my few weeks of playing to suggest the keyboard is missing a beat, so my playtime with it has been very pleasing. Best of all, the board works on legacy operating systems like Windows 98, where keyboard-only inputs are fairly common.
One of the more interesting things about this keyboard is its number of different ways to connect to devices. There is a standard wired connection provided by the included USB cable, 2.4 GHz wireless with the included USB receiver, and finally wireless connectivity through Bluetooth 5.0 communication. With these three options, you can easily connect to various computers, tablets, or game consoles. You can also swap between 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth modes on the fly, allowing the keyboard to be used for 2 devices nearly simultaneously. Though it is never recommended to use Bluetooth connectivity for gaming, as it can provide inconsistent results with input latency. Battery life for wireless operation will depend on your use of RGB lighting, but it can last for a good number of days in my setup with its built-in 1800 mAh battery.
For anyone looking to further refine the customization of their boards, Akko does offer software on PC or MAC to do so. The Akko Cloud Driver software lets you change settings for any non-system key to allow it to do any number of things, such as mimic a mouse button or control a macro function, which can also be programmed from within the software. With a click of the Fn slider bar, you can adjust Fn-hotkeys. There are additional profile slots available to users so you can build game-specific profiles, or ones for editing software to give you faster access to what you want to do. The software also provides an easy way to adjust RGB lighting on your keyboard to match your personal preferences and tastes compared to using its shortcut keys.
What It Could Have Done Better
As far as complaints with the World Tour Tokyo keyboard go, I really don’t have many outside of the few nitpicks I mentioned earlier with keycap lighting and lack of Fn-hotkeys for media control. Finding the Akko Cloud Driver software can be a bit more of a hassle than you would like, as the downloads for all of the various Akko products are all on the same page and it gets easily lost in the shuffle.
Verdict
The Akko World Tour Tokyo keyboard is a solid performer that stands out from the crowd thanks to its unique aesthetic design. The Jelly Pink switches feel great to use and the various forms of connectivity allow for use on any number of devices with ease. If the aesthetic design of the World Tour Tokyo keyboard isn’t quite your thing, check out some of the other designs Akko has on offer as I am sure there is something that will fit your tastes, and the brand has made such a strong first impression on me that I can’t wait to try out more of their products and designs!
