TL;DR: Best keyboard I've ever owned!

I've been using my new Keychron Q1 HE for a few days and love just about everything it has to offer. Build quality is outstanding. You could use this heavy keyboard as a bludgeoning weapon if you run out of ammo during the zombie apocalypse.

Adding 2.4GHz wireless was long overdue and works so much better than Bluetooth. I use the keyboard wired to my PC and via 2.4GHz to my M3 Air. I'm now fully hooked on magnetic switches. The customization options are pretty cool. Typing on my other mechanical keyboards just feels wrong now.

I'm going to get a different set of keycaps. A minor annoyance is not being able to tell if CAPS LOCK is active since you can't see any lighting change through the caps. There's no height adjustment so I got a pair of little flip up risers ($7 Amazon) to raise the keyboard to a more comfortable typing position.

I prefer a lighter touch, so bought a set of Gateron Dawn magnetic switches along with the keyboard. These hot-swappable switches can be difficult to remove. I tried several tools, but nothing worked. I didn't want to use too much force and risk damaging my keyboard, so checked a few YT videos. I found a solution by using a watch band removal tool, I was able to pry up the switches with ease.

I'm super pleased with this Q1 HE. At $220, it ain't cheap, but I think it's well worth the price. I couldn't add pics to this post, so here's a link to them: Q1 HE pics

I start this topic for two main reasons: On one hand to share my impression of this particular feature of hall effect keyboards, the analogue input and to look for some advice, tipps & tricks, workarounds from the community, as I'm completely new to this and I reckon many of you are not. :)

Yesterday I received my Keychron K2 HE. I don't wanna waste your time with general impressions, just this: I haven't been much into "premium" mechanical keyboards before that, just used a Logitech mecha. This one feels so much better in comparison and I'm going to keep it.

One of the main reasons I supported the Kickstarter for this keyboard was the idea of analogue gaming. A longstanding problem for me in many games was the question: Does it have a walk button? But if the keyboard itself can emulate a gamepad, I wouldn't need one.

Spoiler: It's a mixed bag.

First the basics. You'd always need a software layer on top of the keyboard, when you want to use the gamepad function. Like Steam input. Steam recognizes the K2 HE as a game controller regardless whehter your current mode has gamepad emulation enabled or not. You then have to initialize and configure it with Steam input, pressing buttons analog to gamepad inputs. If you're finished, Steam can then translate the set keyboard buttons as generic game controller input into games that support it.

I made a basic tutorial with pictures HERE

And this is the main divider: The support. Because some do, some don't. With some shades of grey inbetween.

Basically there are two types of games:

The ones that support any kind of input, even simutaneously, without a hickup. And those which do not. Among the first category are generally games who have native multi axis supports like flightsims, or games like Mech Warrior 5 Clans. For any other game it's a case by case situation and has to be tested.

To show these "shades of grey" here are some specific examples I tested, as even games who fall into the first category can have problems of their own:

• Indiana Jones & The Great Circle - FULLY COMPATIBLE (through Steam Input); no stopping of input or hitching of graphics, even when combining Frame Generation with a fps limit

• Cyberpunk 2077 - FULLY COMPATIBLE (through Steam Input)

• Star Wars Outlaws - COMPATIBLE, but technical hickups; if you combine Frame Generation with a fps Limit (and I know this is generally not a good ide, but it works normally in this game) and then combine the two inputs - Mouse for looking, K2 HE for emulating a generic gamepad - frametimes go wild. Only without a fps limit does it work. I suspect this is down to how Nvidia Reflex handles different types of input.

• Dead Space Remake - COMPATIBLE, but issues with the controls. The game always sees the K2 HE as a controller and when I first booted into the game I was constantly ADS and some actions like kicking happened at random; workaround is to erase all controller inputs you don't have mapped to the keyboard from the ingame menu and only leave those you need. For instance I only mapped left stick controlls to the K2 HE. But even still with this workaround the camera can jump when you walk to the side while also aiming.

• Horizon Forbidden West - NOT COMPATIBLE; like at all! The game has a hard cut between controller input and mouse/keyboard input. When I walk using gamepad emulation with the K2 HE and move the mouse, Aloy stops dead. Not working.

• Warhammer 40.000 Space Marine 2 - NOT COMPATIBLE; the game supports brand controllers by default - DualSense, Xbox Controller - but does not work with Steam Input at all. You'd have to disable it when you want to use a brand controller. Thus a generic controller or amulation of such through Steam Input is not supported

So, to sum things up, the one feature I was most looking forward to is a bit of a let down. But this also the reason, like mentioned initially, why I started this topic.

If you know any tipps & tricks, workarounds, please let me know. I guess Steam Input is not the only software layer I could wrap around the generic gamepad the K2 HE is emulating, so maybe this could solve some of the problems. Maybe it is possible to emulate an Xbox controller or a DS4? Of course I tried DS4Windows, but it does not recognize the K2 HE.

Within the configuration software (via browser) for the K2 HE there is a peculiar setting:

https://i.imgur.com/NC9KBS7.jpg

"Xbox". Natuarally I enabled it, hoping it would present either DS4Windows or Steam Input an emulated Xbox controller, but it just doesn't. It seems to do nothing and not work at all, unless I missed something.

So...what are your impressions of this glorious new keyboard analogue gaming world we're living in? :D