Closer Look
Once the big wrist rest is placed, the Gamdias Hermes looks pretty big. The
product is absolutely solid, thanks to the sturdy ABS plastic used for the
entire structure. Every single key on this board is mechanical and features
Cherry MX Blue switches. We can find 5 "G" programmable keys along the left
side, and 8 "M" keys near the Space key and the direction keys; we think that
placing the last two "M" keys right there is a bit of a mistake as they are not
so easy to locate.
The keyboard also features an FN key, which let you use the secondary
function on the top of standard keys: we have F11 and F12 which features the
Lock key function, which completely locks the keyboard while not in use, and the
Game key, that blocks any Windows reaction to particular key pressures. Over the
others F keys, we find multimedia functions, like Volume Up and Down,
Pause/Play, and so on. The big wrist rest stays in place thanks to a couple of
magnets that fix it to the keyboard, a very simple and clever system which will
definitely be appreciated by many users which previously had trouble with
complex mounting systems. Unfortunately, we also had a couple of small problems:
a few keys, like Shift and Enter, are not so sturdy and actually move around a
little bit. Furthermore, we experienced a weird resonance effect, like an echo,
while pressing keys at a certain speed.
Front/Back
On the back side of the keyboard we find two feet to adjust the height of
the keyboard, and two rubber feet to ensure that the keyboard will not move,
even during the longest game sessions. The weight is also an important factor to
keep the keyboard in place and the Hermes weighs more than 1.6 kg. The cable is
sleeved and has four outputs, including: two USB, one for the keyboard itself,
and one for the USB Hub, and two audio jacks for Microphone and Headset. The USB
Hub is placed on the external side, and it is easy to use, thanks to the symbols
placed over the Caps Lock LED. It would have been better if these symbols were
backlit too, because it can be a bit hard to see
them.