The Polish manufacturer Genesis has been selling PC components and peripherals with a focus on gaming since 2011. Besides chairs, cases, microphones and mice, they also offer mechanical gaming keyboards. We have tested one of them, the RX85 RGB, for you here.
Let us say in advance – the keyboard is only available in the American layout!
Specifications
| Key switch type | Kailh Brown |
| Material | Plastic, aluminum |
| Sampling rate | 1000 Hz |
| weight | 1009 g |
| Layout | US |
| Connection | USB-A |
| Features | RGB, anti-ghosting, N-key rollover |
| Scope of delivery | Keyboard, manual, palm rest |
| Price | € 49.99 * |
Looks and workmanship
The gaming keyboard reaches us in a visually high-quality cardboard box. Like the keyboard, this is primarily in black and red and thus underlines the product.
In the box we find the keyboard, a magnetic palm rest and a short manual – so everything you need, but nothing more.
The keyboard itself is visually striking due to the red body – whether positive or negative is up to everyone. The outer and back sides are made of red plastic, the rest of black aluminum. Beyond that, the font is striking – a futuristic font, possibly intended to represent the “gamer” look. Above the arrow keys, the Genesis logo shapes the look. The connection cable is fixed and can’t be replaced.
On the upper right side is a rotary switch for the volume. This can be turned almost silently and with a click you can mute the sound. Next to it are two buttons – one to toggle through the different RGB modes and one to activate the gaming mode – this deactivates the Windows key.
The back is entirely made of the red plastic – only four anti-slip pads complete the overall picture. The top two are attached to the feet, what’s nice here is that both when unfolded and folded, the pads are included.
The elevation changes the ergonomics, we find the angle appropriate and this facilitates typing on the keys which are quite high after all.
In summary – the workmanship is solid, but we are not really convinced by the overall impression. The large amount of red plastic makes the whole thing look a bit like a toy – it seems a bit overdone. However, this remains a matter of taste.
Software and RGB
The software is simple, but usable. Even though you can control the RGB lighting directly from the keyboard, it’s always nice to have the option. This allows you to create individual profiles to set different lighting modes. Admittedly – the software doesn’t offer many options. In return, the options that are available are well implemented.
Key assignments, RGB lighting, polling rate and macros are easy to set here, plus the software is resource efficient. The lighting modes are neat and quite usable, if necessary you can also do it yourself – but only for static colors.
The lighting itself is very well done. The colors are rich and the keys are well lit. If you look into the keyboard from the side, the buttons are properly illuminated – the overall picture is convincing. Changing modes is also easy via the keyboard – you can either switch through the options with the dedicated RGB button (the color profiles from the software are also displayed here!), or you can use the FN key combined with the block above the arrow keys. The illumination could only be a bit brighter.
Everyday and gaming test
Now that we’ve taken a closer look at the looks, we’re still missing the most important part – the performance!
The brown Kailh switches take some getting used to. The increased pressure required (60g for the Kailh Brown versus 45g for Cherry MX Brown) is noticeable. Before getting used to it, it was annoying at first, but after getting used to it, we now find it super. Especially when writing long texts, the typing feel is great.
But the keyboard can also keep up with competitors in gaming. If you like tactile feedback without the clicking of the blue switches, you will like it here. The switches are fast, have a fairly early trigger point and also feel good due to the smooth surface and the curvature.
The palm rest is good for the forearms and using it is easy due to the magnetic fixation. No annoying snapping/pressing is necessary – the rest holds super.
Conclusion
You can’t go wrong with the RX85 RGB from Genesis. The switches are good, the workmanship is okay, the design is questionable.
The typing feel is very good after getting used to it, and the performance is more than satisfactory. The only question is whether the price reflects the overall picture. At a price of around 80-90€ (current: € 49.99 *), the RX85 is in the upper mid-range segment. Here, instead of the Kailh switches, which tend to be cheaper, primarily Cherry switches are installed – one would wish for those here as well. Even though the Kailh switches perform well here, Cherry stands for quality – keyboards of similar quality with Kailh switches are partly available for a few Euros less.
Nevertheless, the overall picture is round. The keyboard doesn’t make any major mistakes, and you won’t find any real flaws. We give the Silver Award – if you are looking for a decent keyboard in US layout, you should definitely take a look at the RX85.
Genesis RX85 RGB
Workmanship
Features
Ergonomics
Software
Value for money
82/100
A solid keyboard in US layout. Nice lighting, good feel, but unfortunately quite a high price.
