The Hexgears Immersion A3 Keyboard Made Me Love Writing Again

Original Post:The Hexgears Immersion A3 Keyboard Made Me Love Writing Again by thegamer.com

Maybe it’s the three coffees and rush of a bustling, Zoomer-filled news department that always has me bursting with ideas, but I’ve never had writer's block. At least, not in that exaggerated way you see in films, like when Gale Weathers angrily scrawls “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO WRITE” into her Word document in Scream 4.

The closest I’ve ever come to writer's block is getting sick of the physical motion of typing and the monotony of pressing keys on a keyboard. Nothing exaggerates that like using a cheap, flimsy bit of plastic you got for £3 in a grocery store; they feel like those fake Sing and Learn laptops. But that’s been my life for a few months now, so I was overjoyed to get my hands on the Hexgears Immersion A3, a low profile mechanical keyboard.

Out of the box, it feels premium. The metal board is impressively sturdy, and the ultra-slim keycaps lend themselves to a sleek, elegant design. The keyboard also uses Kailh switches, and you can choose from either Linear, Tactile, or Clicky. I was sent the Linear batch, which as Hexgears details, are incredibly smooth. They make typing fast much easier, which is brilliant for writing, but the anti-ghosting and input lag features are also perfect for the rapid-fire precision required in shooters.

Linear Kailh switches are also refreshingly quiet for a mechanical keyboard. There’s still that satisfying clickity clack that makes writing up articles like this so fun, but it’s not so obnoxiously loud as to drown out everyone you’re talking to over Discord. They’re a perfect fit for what I use my computer for — typing fast and playing one too many boomer shooters. But what’s doubly impressive is that these are hot-swappable Kailh keys, so you can always replace them if you want to try something new, which makes this a flexible keyboard as well as a stylish one.

Typing on a bad keyboard is like trying to make a good cup of tea in the microwave — everything feels dirty. Thankfully, the Hexgears A3 Immersion keys are as soft to touch as they are snappy to listen to. The only quibble I have is that the flaps don’t raise the keyboard nearly enough, keeping it mostly flat, which often sees me hunching over my desk. I’ll worry about my back when I’m 30, though.

The big draw of the Hexgears A3 Immersion is its LED display in the top right. It shows the time, date, and battery life, given that the keyboard is Bluetooth. There’s a dial and a few buttons next to it, which you can also use to open up several menus that allow you to fine-tune the RGB colours without needing a third-party app. It’s a handy luxury to have, but that’s not the draw.

The best part of this display is that it has an entire tab dedicated to a customisable GIF. Using the Hexgears software on your PC — so long as the keyboard is plugged in — you can add whatever image you want to the display just by uploading it. I had Sonic running on loop, Daxter shaking Jak awake (it looked like he was trapped in my keyboard), and for Halloween, spooky skeletons.

Note: There are also several Bluetooth keys, so you can switch between devices with ease.

The only big drawback, especially for a gaming keyboard, is that it’s tenkeyless. For one, this gives you far less room for custom macros, but in more complex games with a wider array of key binds that spill onto the numpad, it’s especially tedious. For writing and shooters, the Hexgears A3 Immersion is a wonder, but trying to use it in an MMO or strategy game can be fiddly.

I’ve been using the Hexgears Immersion A3 for around a month now. There might be some niggles like the low flaps and lack of numpad, but the low profile board, quieter keys, sturdy plate, and sheer customisability easily make this one of the most satisfying keyboards I’ve ever laid my fingertips on.