{"id":1231246,"date":"2026-02-25T16:57:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7VyvJfcPfscTdeHYFmGxLh"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:57:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:57:04","slug":"my-new-favorite-budget-gaming-keyboard-proves-the-best-gaming-keebs-dont-have-to-be-200-enthusiast-slabs-of-switches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/my-new-favorite-budget-gaming-keyboard-proves-the-best-gaming-keebs-dont-have-to-be-200-enthusiast-slabs-of-switches\/","title":{"rendered":"My new favorite budget gaming keyboard proves the best gaming keebs don’t have to be $200 enthusiast slabs of switches"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The rise of the mechanical keyboard for gaming was a real turning point for the tippy tappy PC-connected peripheral. Suddenly typing feel and response was a big thing<\/strong>TM<\/strong><\/sup> in gaming keyboards. Then the enthusiast gaming crew came in, deepening the rabbit hole for nerds like me to get lost in, and then the marketers and manufacturers got wind of it and now we have gaming keyboards that cost $500<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But fear not, that doesn’t have to price you out of the market, because we’ve seen some astounding, and astoundingly affordable gaming keyboards appear in the past few years. My personal favorite was the keyboard I’m literally typing on right now, the Mountain Everest 60<\/a>. A lovely little thing that sadly has been discontinued as Be Quiet! picked up the brand and subsequently released the best silent keyboard we’ve ever seen, the Light Mount<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So we needed to find a new budget champion, and our Reece has discovered one that actually surpasses the diminutive Mountain board in almost all respects: the bizarrely named Gamakay x NaughShark NS68<\/a>. While I do not get why there is an attached material tag, or why it says “SHRAK”, but it’s a $40 Hall effect gaming keyboard that has everything you could possibly want in an affordable keeb.<\/p>\n

The key sells are those HE magnetic switches, offering you access to the keyboard buzzphrase du jour, rapid trigger, offering you a dynamic actuation point for super quick switch response. Essentially, when you release a key it will be instantly be ready to hit again, no matter whether it’s completed its full travel. It also means you can alter the actuation point of individual keys on your board in general yourself, from hair trigger to actually having to hammer it home to make your point. Y’know, for when you want to type angry.<\/em><\/p>\n

You also get PBT keycaps, which are side printed instead of printed on top, configurable RGB, optional 8000 Hz polling, and a 65% layout. There are points where you can feel the compromises made to hit a price point, such as cheaper feeling plastic and a definite lack of polish on the software, but I’ll take that when the overall package is so alluring.<\/p>\n

A definite worthy addition to our pantheon of gaming keyboard greatness.<\/p>\n

Quick list<\/span><\/h3>\n