Cosmic Byte CB-GK-15 Triton Gaming Keyboard Review

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    Cosmic Byte CB-GK-15 Triton Keyboard

    Having already reviewed and being impressed by Cosmic Byte’s top-end model in its gaming keyboard lineup, the Black Eye Mechanical keyboard, I was always curious about how the mid-ranged and their more affordable options in this segment would fare.

    So, today we’ll be taking a look at the Cosmic Byte CB-GK-15 Triton Gaming Keyboard which is an affordable option for people looking for a gaming keyboard for a price of around Rs. 1,200.

    The CB-GK-15 Triton is a full-sized membrane type keyboard with complete per-key RGB. The RGB has 8 levels of brightness and 7 different colours. There are 8 backlight effects that can be controlled on-board or using a software. It also has 26 anti-ghosting keys and key life of up to 10 million strokes. In addition to all this, it also has 6 macro keys and dedicated media buttons. It weighs about a kilogram and has a very aggressive gaming design profile.


    TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

    • Model: CB-GK-15 Triton
    • Interface: USB
    • Backlight: 7-Colours RGB Backlighting, 8-Effects, 8-Level Brightness Adjustment
    • Anti-Ghosting: 26 Anti-Ghosting Keys
    • Scratch Resistant Keys: Easy-Clean Keys with scratch-resistant inscriptions
    • Key Life & Type: Up to 10 Million Keystrokes, Membrane Type
    • Internet Hotkeys: Home (FN+F10)
    • Media Hotkeys: Volume Up/Down, Play/Pause, Stop, Prev, Next, Mute
    • Dimensions: W/H/B – 516mm/35mm/222mm
    • Keyboard Weight: 900 grams
    • Cable: Braided
    • Cable Length: 1.8 meters
    • Software: To control LED lights and assign Macros to 6 Gaming Keys

    IN THE BOX:

    • Keyboard x 1
    • User Manual x 1

    THE GOOD:

    The moment you open the packaging and take out the keyboard, you realize that this is a huge keyboard. The design is quite outrageous and not for people with small tables, majorly due to the extra macro and multimedia buttons it has. The whole chassis is plastic, and although it’s that big, it’s not a heavy keyboard. It feels and looks exactly how a gaming keyboard in this price range should. So, aesthetic wise, as long as you have a table big enough to accommodate it, you’ll love the design.

    The moment you connect it to your PC, the whole keyboard lights up, except the macro and multimedia keys. You can choose from 8 different effects with a total of 7 colours. It has per-key RGB which is not that common in this price range. Although not very bright, the RGB still makes a lot of difference when it comes to the overall look of the keyboard. Not the best you can find for sure, but the backlighting does its job well.

    About the keys, as mentioned before that it is a membrane-type keyboard, so I wasn’t expecting a lot. There is nothing special about the feedback or the feel of these keys. Typing or gaming on it feels exactly how you would expect from any other membrane type keyboard. But it’s alright considering its price. You really can’t expect mechanical keys at this price range. So, if you have used membrane keys for gaming or typing and don’t mind it, you’d feel right at home with the Triton.

    In addition to the standard keys, the keyboard also features 6 extra macro keys, along with 10 dedicated media buttons. The macro keys can be programmed using software which can come in handy for gamers and people working on editing software or even Excel.

    Coming to the software, it was nice to see affordable keyboards like this coming with dedicated software for customization. This is something which was missing on even the top-end model Cosmic Byte offers, which costs almost four times the Triton. The software can be downloaded from Cosmic Byte’s website.

    It can be used to change and customize the lighting effects, programming the macro keys and adding customized functions to each key on the keyboard. It has a pretty clean UI and the process of recording macros is also quite straightforward. I recorded several macros and experienced no issues at all.

    One tip though, the keyboard has a dedicated button to toggle the backlighting on and off, which can also be done with FN+PrtSc button. So, in case you need more than 6 macro keys, the toggle key can also be mapped to be used as a macro.

    The keyboard uses a braided cable, as is common with most gaming keyboards. It is 1.8 meters long which is more than sufficient. The cable feels tough and I don’t see it breaking anytime soon.


    THE BAD:

    Here I will be talking about some of the stuff I believe can be improved on the Triton.

    To start off, let’s talk about the design. As I mentioned before, it does not have a very conservative design profile. This keyboard shouts out the fact that it’s meant for gaming and nothing else the moment you take a look at it. Although there is nothing keeping anyone from using it for any other purpose, I really can’t see anyone using it in offices or any official work for that matter. It’s just not designed like that.

    And due to that design and the key placement, it’ll take some time for anyone to get accustomed to this layout. I myself hit the G1 macro key instead of Esc so many times when I started using it, that it became almost annoying. But this isn’t necessarily a con to be honest, as I got used to it with time.

    Another thing I believe has some room for improvement is the RGB brightness. As I mentioned before, the RGB sure makes the keyboard look good, but I think it’s just not bright enough. If you ask me, I’d rather have no RGB and better-quality keys. Plus there’s no RGB on the spacebar or the macro keys, which is surprising to see, considering you have backlighting on the logo as well as aesthetic side grills. I really can’t think of a reason why the macros wouldn’t have backlighting too but then again, it’s not a deal-breaker. But the fact, that it has programmable macro keys at this price, alone is enough to justify the lack of backlighting on them.


    CONCLUSION:

    The Cosmic Byte CB-GK-15 Triton is a great affordable option looking for customizable gaming keyboards in the price range of between Rs. 1.2k-1.4k with RGB and macros keys. It aces all the basic functionalities you’d expect from any gaming keyboard, provided, you don’t mind using Membrane type keys.

    I would also suggest that you take a look at the dimensions of the keyboard before ordering because it might end up being too big for your setup.

    The cons I mentioned are not at all deal breakers in my opinion and can be overlooked since the Pros outweigh them heavily.

    So, the Cosmic Byte CB-GK-15 Triton, considering the price it retails for, is an easy recommendation for anyone in the market for a feature-rich gaming keyboard and do not have a lot of cash to spend. You won’t go wrong with this one as long as you keep your expectations realistic.


    You can buy the Cosmic Byte CB-GK-15 Triton from:

    Flipkart, Amazon, or Cosmic Byte Official Site

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