IQUNIX EV63 Ghost in the Shell Edition Keyboard Review

Hall effect switches in a rock solid build

If you are a fan of the Ghost in the Shell anime franchise, this is far more than just a “branded” product. If you are not a fan of Ghost in the Shell, then the hardware on offer from IQUNIX with the EV63 series of keyboards in any form is worth your attention. And yes, I know this retails for $249 USD. Luckily, as befits the investment, this probably is as far up the premium ladder as it gets for a 60% keyboard.

This keyboard is built on IQUNIX’s 3rd-gen Hall Effect Sensor PCB, with Keytok Nova magnetic switches (capped with double-shot PBT). These hall effect switches offer an extremely twitchy 0.01 mm Rapid Trigger and 0.125 ms latency thanks to a 8 KHz polling rate (with 16 KHz scanning). This level of responsiveness is not required for everything, but thankfully the actuation is fully configurable in software.

The keyboard is a tray mount design (PCB screwed into standoffs at the base), and with its aluminum case it feels extremely solid. It’s an interesting overall effect once the responsive linear switches are factored in. Light and bouncy on top, heavy and solid on the bottom.

Exploring the Ghost in the Shell keyboard

This is one of those products where the packaging immediately informs you of its premium nature. We will get to the keyboard and its design next, but first enjoy this photographic tour of the unboxing process.

Under the slipcover the product box itself is adorned with themed printing, and lifting the lid reveals an insert featuring stills from the classic film. Moving a bit further, we encounter an accessory box with a dust brush, keycap and switch puller, and L-shaped cable (1.5 meter length).

The package also includes the keyboard (naturally), a user manual, and extra keycaps.

And now for our first look at the keyboard itself.

Usage Impressions and Software

It’s hard to convey just how heavy and robust this keyboard feels, so I’ll just say it feels heavy and robust. But the light feel of the keys themselves was surprising. I haven’t had any experience with any KeyTok switches, and this Nova is a very responsive switch (it bounces back instantly) with a ridiculously fast actuation in its default configuration. This is a linear design, and feels very smooth even when bottoming out every key press as I do.

Just how fast are these keys? The actuation range starts at just 0.01 mm (barely touch it), and it goes all the way up to 3.1 mm (bottom it out). So, if you are a heavy-handed typist as I am, and not always gaming, the instantaneous actuation can easily be adjusted. But how, you may ask? Allow me to introduce you to their web-based software, which did not like FireFox but worked well otherwise:

This web-based software is as full-featured as any standalone application, with a level of performance customization I have never seen before. You can completely tailor the experience until this keyboard feels exactly the way you like it (among other options), and there is full customization of lighting, as well.

In short, you will probably find the setting you need to make this Ghost in the Shell flavor of the EV63 perform to your exact preferences.

My own experience started off with a learning curve, as the initial actuation felt unbelievably light and was too much for me (does the term “fat-fingered” mean anything to you?). Once I chose a more familiar actuation distance, I was right at home.

As to acoustics, the key presses have a satisfying, buttery-smooth feel that sounds a bit brighter than the expected “thock” from a damped keyboard like this at lower pressure, and rises to a louder, brighter sound when you strike the key hard.

Please watch the embedded video clip (below) as I demonstrate the sound of the keyboard from low to high pressure levels:

Final Thoughts

Keyboards are obviously a very personal thing, but if you value quality construction and like the idea of being able to configure your actuation from an unfathomable 0.01 mm all the way to 3.1 mm, then this keyboard is worth the money. The Ghost in the Shell design elements are cool, even if you aren’t a fan of the franchise. We have the “Shell Core” variant, and there is also a “Cyber Blue” version. You can check them both out at the IQUNIX site by clicking here.

In short, IQUNIX has a very impressive 60% keyboard in this special version of the EV63, and the price starts to make sense when you see exactly what’s under the hood. You can mod this, and some enthusiasts build up their own keyboards from parts (luckily, I have not been bitten by that bug yet), but for a pre-built solution with this level of customization I think IQUNIX will be hard to beat.