Back in 2022, a well-known gaming hardware company released their 8,000 Hz polling rate mechanical keyboard.
In 2023, other companies followed in releasing 8,000 Hz aka 8K mechanical keyboards and today, I am reviewing the Spigen ArcPlay Dual 8K Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
This may come to a surprise to people as Spigen is pretty much known for releasing protective phone and tablet cases and chargers.
Well, that has now changed as Spigen takes its first step in the competitive gaming hardware and accessories field by releasing their first gaming keyboard, the Spigen ArcPlay Dual 8L Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
The keyboard is only available in black but before we get into the review, let’s first discuss what is 8K or “8,000Hz” means.
So, we know people are familiar with 4K when it comes to video and people think “high quality HD video” that is better than 1080p.
So, for keyboards, do know that the industry standard is 1,000Hz polling rate. But boosting the polling rate up to 8,000Hz, what does that mean? Well, the polling rate means the speed that your keyboard (or 8K mouse which are also available) is communicating with your computer. So, it’s more or less the frequency that the devices sends information to your computer.
So for keyboards, we learn about latency (ms) and now with polling rates, it’s measured in Hertz (Hz).
So, this means that the latency drops with the higher amount of Hertz.
Does this even matter? Well, my feelings is that the technology advances are always welcome but for one to be better at a game, while hardware is important, practicing and honing your skills is even more important.
While not everyone will be come a professional e-sports competitor, having an 8K keyboard is great because the lower the latency, the more precision there is.
But will software developers release games that would even take advantage of 8K? That’s a tough thing because an 8K keyboard is considered as premium and this premium keyboard is sold for $190. That’s quite expensive and for software companies, not everyone will be investing in a 8K keyboard, so those buying it are those who have the money to afford it and those who are definitely going to compete and need to reduce as much latency is possible.
For me, having reviewed a plethora of gaming keyboards expensive and not as expensive, this Spigen mechanical keyboard is my first time trying 8K. It also is the first time I am reviewing a Spigen gaming product.
So, what comes with the Spigen ArcPlay 8K mechanical keyboard? For one, you get the cable, key puller, brush and also extra orange and dark grey keycaps.
The switches are Cherry MX Brown switches and utilizes Spigen’s Dynamic Pipeline Technology for higher scan and polling rates. It also features double-shot PBT keycaps and sound absorption.
For the most part, I do like the overall feel of the Cherry MX Brown switches on this mechanical keyboard. Right now there is only one version, so not sure if Spigen will release other colors.
As for the mechanical keyboard itself, you have the volume knob on the upper right. But it also operates as a multi-function dial that allows you to control media, scroll, screen brightness and keyboard brightness.
You will need to download the ArcPlayHiveInstaller (at this time, it’s version 1.37) from the Spigen website.
With the ArcPlayHiveInstaller, you can easily set the polling rate from 1,000 Hz to 8,000 Hz and can see the frequency of the signal sent to the PC.
In addition, you can also program key assignments, LED colors, Macro and Settings modes.
For LED colors, this is where you can set one of the ten RGB effects, to have or not have reaction effects, game mode on/off and also to control LED speeds, brightness and more. For program key assignments, you can program buttons but most will probably want to set their knob to do volume, prev/next, monitor brightness, keyboard brightness and scroll.
It’s important to note that the knob does not function as a button, so when pressed, you can’t cycle through settings, just only adjust what you selected. Volume is set as default.
And for those who depend on caps lock and num key lights, this 104-key keyboard does feature that.
For the most part, as a mechanical keyboard, it works really well but just know that what you are paying for is the ability to get 8,000 Hz polling and if 8K does make sense for you to have now, then go for it. Some feel it is a gimmick, but when you think about the technology, it makes sense of why it would be better, but would it make a huge difference in how you play the game and will you even notice it?
But do know that it’s still early and gaming companies haven’t take advantage of this technology. If anything, the higher polling rate is preparing for what may be big things to come. But for the price, you’ll have to decide if going with a higher polling rate vs. a gasket mounted mechanical keyboard is more worth it to you.
Overall, I do like the Spigen ArcPlay Dual 8K Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, as I do find it to be a keyboard that has worked great. It’s not too loud or too quiet, and the functions work well for me but that’s comparable to other inexpensive gaming keyboards. This mechanical keyboard is set at a premium price and what you will be paying extra for is that 8,000 Hz polling rate. So, ask yourself is that worth it for you?
If so, then the Spigen ArcPlay Dual 8K Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is recommended! But for the most part, this is a wonderful gaming debut from the Spigen brand.
