The Art of Budget Gaming: A Review of the Challenger Prime Keyboard

In the world of gaming, keyboards are often seen as an essential component for an immersive gaming experience. However, not all gamers can afford high-end mechanical keyboards with individual switches. The general consensus within the gaming community is to opt for mechanical keyboards, but there are still situations where cheaper membrane alternatives are the way to go if finances are tight. One such example is the Challenger Prime keyboard from TTE Sports, which retails for a mere $30.

The Build Quality of the Challenger Prime

When it comes to build quality, the Challenger Prime is all right. The plastic housing is decent, but there is a flex when force is applied on the frame. This is almost an expectation for a keyboard in this price range. However, the aggressive design of the frame might be just what you're looking for, especially if you're into gaming-centric designs. One notable feature of the Challenger Prime's design is that it has a built-in wrist rest, which cannot be detached from the keyboard. While this may not be ideal for everyone, the slightly rubber bits on each side offer a surprisingly comfortable typing experience.

The Membrane Keys and Their Response

The membrane keys on the Challenger Prime respond well with tactile registration, although it took me a while to get used to their response since I use a mechanical keyboard as my daily driver. Throughout our testing, we've encountered no struck keys, which is great news. The travel distance of the membrane keys is short, allowing for fast rebound and quick actuations. However, this also means that they may not be suitable for gamers who prefer a more precise typing experience.

Anti-Ghosting and Macro Buttons

The Challenger Prime has limited anti-ghosting capabilities, with only six to eight keys being supported. However, the primary gaming zone is covered with WASD keys, space bar, left shift, and left control, making it easy for gamers to switch between profiles. There are also six programmable macro buttons on the left side of the keyboard that are within reach, which can be programmed to your preference.

The Lighting System

One feature that caught my attention was the lighting system on the Challenger Prime. The keys are not individually backlit, but the full backlighting is quite impressive, especially considering the price point. The three colors available – blue, purple, and red – are also a nice touch. Additionally, there's a large knob in the top center that can be used to adjust the brightness of the backlight, which gets surprisingly bright and will still be visible even in well-lit rooms.

The Driver Software

The driver software for the Challenger Prime is very clean and user-friendly. It has three different tabs: physical layout of the keyboard, profile settings, and advanced settings. The latter allows you to adjust the pulling rate, response time, and color of the LEDs, as well as brightness. This level of customization can be a great advantage for gamers who want to fine-tune their gaming experience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Challenger Prime is an impressive budget gaming keyboard that offers a lot of value for its price. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of high-end mechanical keyboards, it still delivers on its promises. The membrane keys respond well with tactile registration, and the six programmable macro buttons are a welcome feature. Additionally, the full backlighting system is quite impressive, especially considering the price point. However, as mentioned earlier, the build quality could be better, and the anti-ghosting capabilities are limited.

Recommendation

If you're looking for a budget gaming keyboard that can deliver on its promises without breaking the bank, the Challenger Prime is definitely worth considering. It's an excellent option for gamers who want to upgrade their typing experience without sacrificing too much in terms of quality. While it may not be the best option for serious gamers who require high-end features and precision, it's still a great choice for casual gamers or those on a tight budget.

The Hardware Canucks Dam Good Value Award

We would like to award the Challenger Prime with the Hardware Canucks "Dam Good Value" award, which recognizes keyboards that offer exceptional value for their price. The Challenger Prime may not be perfect, but it's an excellent option for gamers who want to upgrade their typing experience without sacrificing too much in terms of quality. With its impressive backlighting system, six programmable macro buttons, and clean driver software, the Challenger Prime is definitely worth considering for any gamer on a budget.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis video is brought to you by ncix.com great technology selection and service hey guys ebay here with hubbard canucks and if you're in the market for a gaming keyboard and one mechanical switches be prepared to pay the premium over the less tactile membrane keyboards the general consensus within the gaming community is to go mechanical but there are still uses where cheaper membrane alternatives are the way to go if finances are tight the challenger prime is one of those examples from tte sports that retails for 30 dollars but brings a surprising amount of features for such a budget keyboard so to kick things off the build quality of the challenger prime is all right with decent plastic housing there is a flex if force is applied on the frame but seriously that's almost an expectation for just 30 dollars the aggressive design of the frame might be just what you're looking for certainly a gaming centric design the wrist rest is built into the keyboard so you can't detach it but the slightly rubber bits on each side offer a surprisingly comfortable typing experience at the bottom we have anti-slip pads that do exactly that and smaller razors to angle the keyboard the membrane keys do respond pretty well with tactile registration travel distance is short allowing fast rebound and quick actuations it took me a while to get used to the way they respond since i use a mechanical keyboard as my daily driver and throughout our testing we've encountered no struck keys and that's great news anti-ghosting is limited to six to eight keys but primary gaming zone is covered with wasd keys space bar left shift and left control for the keyboard layout there are six programmable macro buttons on the left side that are within reach on the top there are three buttons to switch between profiles and quite useless buttons for my computer your default mail client and browser here we also find dedicated media controls which is nice to see especially considering this price point and there is a game mode built in that disables the windows key the cable is braided and it comes with proper logo at the tip to help differentiate between other cables nice the challenger's lighting is something that i fell in love with at first sight the keys are not individually backlit but ignoring that it is refreshing to admire full backlit keys on a 30 product we have three colors blue purple and red and the large knob in the top center adjust the brightness of the backlit that gets surprisingly bright and will reveal through even in well-lit rooms the driver software looks very clean with three different tabs and a physical layout of the keyboard with three different profiles to choose from and the option to create load and save the profiles are always welcome the macro setting tab allows you to program the six t keys on the left side of the keyboard to your preference and the advanced setting tabs help you adjust the pulling rate the response time and the color of the leds and the brightness so in conclusion the challenger prime is an impressive budget gaming contender with looks to satisfy that gaming appeal if you're into that the membrane keys respond well the six programmable macro buttons is a welcome feature plus full backlit system is a bonus finally the clean driver software rounds up for a substantial list of highlights and all at the 30 price point as for build quality you get what you pay for and in my opinion thermaltake could not have designed a worse looking keyboard seriously let us know in the comments if this appeals to anyone but the looks aside those with good tolerance levels will find it's extremely appealing for the price and loaded features for gaming and we would recommend the challenger prime since it's the best budget gaming keyboard out there that deserves the hardware canucks damn good value award as always consider subscribing for more similar content give us a like if you found this review helpful thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next onethis video is brought to you by ncix.com great technology selection and service hey guys ebay here with hubbard canucks and if you're in the market for a gaming keyboard and one mechanical switches be prepared to pay the premium over the less tactile membrane keyboards the general consensus within the gaming community is to go mechanical but there are still uses where cheaper membrane alternatives are the way to go if finances are tight the challenger prime is one of those examples from tte sports that retails for 30 dollars but brings a surprising amount of features for such a budget keyboard so to kick things off the build quality of the challenger prime is all right with decent plastic housing there is a flex if force is applied on the frame but seriously that's almost an expectation for just 30 dollars the aggressive design of the frame might be just what you're looking for certainly a gaming centric design the wrist rest is built into the keyboard so you can't detach it but the slightly rubber bits on each side offer a surprisingly comfortable typing experience at the bottom we have anti-slip pads that do exactly that and smaller razors to angle the keyboard the membrane keys do respond pretty well with tactile registration travel distance is short allowing fast rebound and quick actuations it took me a while to get used to the way they respond since i use a mechanical keyboard as my daily driver and throughout our testing we've encountered no struck keys and that's great news anti-ghosting is limited to six to eight keys but primary gaming zone is covered with wasd keys space bar left shift and left control for the keyboard layout there are six programmable macro buttons on the left side that are within reach on the top there are three buttons to switch between profiles and quite useless buttons for my computer your default mail client and browser here we also find dedicated media controls which is nice to see especially considering this price point and there is a game mode built in that disables the windows key the cable is braided and it comes with proper logo at the tip to help differentiate between other cables nice the challenger's lighting is something that i fell in love with at first sight the keys are not individually backlit but ignoring that it is refreshing to admire full backlit keys on a 30 product we have three colors blue purple and red and the large knob in the top center adjust the brightness of the backlit that gets surprisingly bright and will reveal through even in well-lit rooms the driver software looks very clean with three different tabs and a physical layout of the keyboard with three different profiles to choose from and the option to create load and save the profiles are always welcome the macro setting tab allows you to program the six t keys on the left side of the keyboard to your preference and the advanced setting tabs help you adjust the pulling rate the response time and the color of the leds and the brightness so in conclusion the challenger prime is an impressive budget gaming contender with looks to satisfy that gaming appeal if you're into that the membrane keys respond well the six programmable macro buttons is a welcome feature plus full backlit system is a bonus finally the clean driver software rounds up for a substantial list of highlights and all at the 30 price point as for build quality you get what you pay for and in my opinion thermaltake could not have designed a worse looking keyboard seriously let us know in the comments if this appeals to anyone but the looks aside those with good tolerance levels will find it's extremely appealing for the price and loaded features for gaming and we would recommend the challenger prime since it's the best budget gaming keyboard out there that deserves the hardware canucks damn good value award as always consider subscribing for more similar content give us a like if you found this review helpful thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next one\n"