Customer Ratings & Reviews

Nice Keyboard easy to install Swarm II Software ok

First impressions out of the box were honestly a bit mixed. The keyboard felt solid and built well, but it is big. With the touchscreen and extra vertical row of keys along the left side, it's bigger than a standard full-size keyboard. While it takes up a bit more real estate area wise, it's actually slimmer in height. The upper case looks nice and typing on the keys felt good overall, but had a little less travel than I'm used to. I also like the fact that the usb cable isn't permanently attached, making it a little bit more portable, although the size is more prohibitive of that in this case. Things then began going poorly when I first plugged it in. Starting out, I wanted to see how the keyboard functions on my macbook before trying it out on my gaming PC. Although there is no software support for MacOS, the keyboard is still supposed to function as a basic keyboard. So I plugged it in to my hub, and was met with a power warning that the keyboard needed additional power and to plug it directly into my MacBook. I have a powered hub too that easily handles power hungry accessories. Even so, I plugged it in directly and it did start to work as a basic keyboard, for about 2 minutes. It then started acting weird. Keys would create weird character inputs before the keyboard seemingly became unresponsive. Seemingly because after several minutes, all the keys that were pressed when it seemed unresponsive, all of a sudden started showing up in my editor that I was testing on. With no software support (on MacOS), I couldn't check for an update and since this keyboard is meant for a gaming PC, I ruled it out of being in rotation for productivity use. Now I take it to my gaming PC, and what it was meant for. For testing purposes, I wanted to see how the keyboard worked without downloading the SWARM app or checking for updates. Since I had another gaming keyboard with a detachable usb-c cable that was already routed, I tried using that cable first, and nothing. My PC wasn't recognizing any connected keyboards. I know not all usb-c cables are created equal, but I thought since it was from another high-quality gaming keyboard, that it should work. Definitely not the case here, so I routed the included Turtle Beach cable. This time the keyboard lit up, so I load up a Steam game, start playing, and get no response from the usual 'WASD' inputs. I check the connections and decide to restart my PC with the keyboard connected from the start. With everything back on and restarted, the keyboard seemed to finally be working, so I load up the same Steam game again, and the inputs are working, for about 2 minutes again before keys started acting weird and not doing what they're supposed to. At this point, it's time to install the SWARM app and see if there are any firmware updates. Sure enough, there is. I run the first update, and it gets stuck at 0%. I hit 'try again', this time it runs, but then as it gets to the 'optimizing your device' part, it all of a sudden no longer detects my keyboard. So I unplug it, plug it back in, and it finishes. After, there was yet another update available, so I run the second update and this time it gets all the way through up until it said it was at 100% of 'optimizing your device', but still spinning as though it was still working on it, and I think it just froze here. I walked away for about 30 minutes and came back to the same screen, so I closed the SWARM app completely and opened it back up. I check for updates and it says the keyboard is now up to date, and keyboard seems to be working normally at last. As rough of a start as that all was, I was ready to give this keyboard 1 star, but knowing the updates should have hopefully fixed the bugs, I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. Which means now we can actually get to the part of this review where we actually get to use the keyboard and talk about how it works. First up, now that I have the SWARM app, I play around with some of the settings and features. I customize the small touchscreen and re-map some keys to what I like. As I'm doing all this I'm testing it all out and didn't run into any bugs. Now it was time to game, and I gamed, for hours and hours, and I'm happy to say there were no glitches. I liked the feel, and the game was as responsive as I was used to with my other gaming keyboard. Things were working smoothly. So smoothly that I now felt confident in this KB5 replacing the gaming keyboard I was using previously. Plus the extra macro keys should come in handy in the future, the game I was playing currently wouldn't really benefit from them. One feature that I do truly love is the scroll wheel for controlling volume. It makes it so easy to adjust on the fly without thinking or even having to look down, and clicking it to mute is easy to do as well. The most obvious feature though is the nice little touchscreen in the upper corner. I like how customizable it is, but in all honesty, it's a bit gimmicky and isn't very useful for me, mainly because the sensitivity of it was a little off. I'd have to press certain commands just right in the perfect spot for it to work, in some cases no where near the center. Personally, the only use I'll get out of it is just having a screen with apps that I use more often since those are larger buttons that work better and isn't something that can be done as easily otherwise. Lastly, while I do like having a wrist rest, I wish it was cushioned at least a little bit. I'm not a huge fan of the hard plastic rest. In the end, this KB5 keyboard was able to redeem itself. Truth is, had I started out with the SWARM app and getting the firmware updated, I would have never experienced most of what I did to start, although the update glitches may have still popped up. Removing that, I ended up at 4 stars out of 5. It works great for gaming, has all the customization options I need, and after letting my daughter use it for a few days, she decided she likes it better than the gaming keyboard she's been using, plus the audio control wheel is becoming a must-have. It wasn't enough to earn that 5th star though, with the update issues and an app that honestly could use some more polish, along with a touchscreen that also needs some work, as well as a cheaper feeling wrist rest, it lands firmly at a 4 out of 5. The core functionality though as a gaming keyboard is what makes it a more solid 4.

I've been using the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 for a while now, and overall, I've been pretty happy with it. There are some genuinely useful features here, a few that are more gimmicky, and a couple of things I think could have been designed better. First, I really like the full-size layout. I've never been a fan of TKL keyboards. Something about losing the number pad just feels wrong to me, especially when I'm using the keyboard for more than gaming (which I do). The KB5 preserves the full layout while adding five dedicated macro buttons on the left. Additionally, the low-profile switches are really nice. They're smooth, have a good feel to them, and are whisper quiet. This isn't at all your typical noisy mechanical keyboard that clacks out loud. I installed the included textured WASD keycaps. They look neat and feel nice and grippy. The 2.4-inch touchscreen in the upper-right corner is probably the feature that gets the most attention. It's certainly unique, but I don't think it's particularly useful for actual gaming. Trying to interact with a touchscreen in the middle of a game isn't very practical. Where I do like it is for monitoring system information and launching specific applications. That's where it feels less a gimmick and more useful. I'm also pleased by both the display brightness and timeout controls. I don't need the display perpetually illuminated, but when I do need to use it after it times out, a simple tap wakes it back up. It's a small feature, but one I use more than I expected. I've also tested the advertised 8K polling rate, and it really does get down to around .125ms. That's truly impressive, but I'm not going to pretend I can tell the difference between this and a lesser polling rate. A standard 1K polling is plenty for me; I'm not a competitive gamer, so this is one of those features that doesn't really make a difference in how I use the keyboard. The volume barrel is another feature I like for quick and easy volume control. It doesn't take up the space of a slider which would be more intuitive, but I have to say it's in a weird spot. I'd much rather see it on the right side next to the number pad. Here, it would be more accessible and make more sense to me, especially being able to intuitively roll it left and right. The detachable palm rest is basic at best. It's plastic and sticks out from the aluminum keyboard, making it feel more like an accessory attached to the keyboard than something that was designed to be part of it. It works, but I think they could have done a little better here. Not every feature is something I care about, but the things I do use are useful. The touchscreen is better as a little information and control panel than it is as a gaming feature, the 8K polling rate is mostly overkill for someone like me, and the palm rest could be better. The basics, however, are spot on. I adore the full-size layout, the switches feel great and are extremely quiet, and the extra controls and touchscreen give the keyboard some functionality that you don't get with other keyboards. The KB5 is not perfect, but I do welcome it to my gaming ecosystem.

Pros: - Works as Plug & Play. - Touchscreen works like a more flexible streamdeck. - Quiet, Tactile, and Smooth switches. Cons: - Palm rest included is a hard plastic and uncomfortable for long sessions of gaming. - Touch screen sensitivity is low. Out-of-the-Box: Turtle Beach included in the box the Command Series KB5 keyboard, snap-on Palm rest, USB-C to USB-A braided cable, and a key-pulling tool with 4 alternative keys. The 4 alternative keys can technically be used anywhere but are shaped to replace the WASD, to provide additional texture for the movement keys most games use. I was pleased to find that the Command Series KB5 was Plug-&-Play, meaning it didn’t require any software to be used immediately. Though, to use the touchscreen requires the Swarm II software, which Turtle Beach conveniently provided a link to download on the touchscreen when you first turn on the keyboard. Software: The Command Series KB5 uses the Swarm II app for updates, configuration and customization. I’m familiar with the Swarm II app from previous Turtle Beach devices, I find it to be easy and straightforward to use. I still think Swarm II best feature is having all the settings easily accessible from the device tab. I did have some issues getting Swarm II to launch, but after a restart that resolved itself. In Swarm II you can set the different applications that can be launched from the touchscreen, such as Steam or Discord, which is helpful if you don’t have a streamdeck or other controller for quick launching. Build & Feel: The Command Series KB5 is a full sized low profile keyboard, with only 27mm/~1in of height when flat on the table. A major part of this is the Low-Profile Mechanical switches, which have low key actuation and travel distance. The key caps remind me of a laptop keyboard, both in feel and typing. The front plate is made of brushed aluminum with the back of the keyboard being a hard smooth black plastic. Unfortunately, the palm rest is made of the same material as the back of the keyboard, a hard black plastic. I found it to be uncomfortable during long durations of use, like a late-night gaming session. It did raise my hands up to the right level to use the keyboard comfortably, but if you’re going to include a palm rest for a gaming focused keyboard, at least make it comfortable for long durations of use. I ended up removing it to use a foam palm rest instead as my palm started to get sore after a couple of days of using it. The key caps have a good smooth tactile feel, but for a gaming keyboard I would have preferred a bit of texture on the keys over a completely smooth key. The included alternative key caps would be nice, except that the texture on them doesn’t really provide any more grip compared to the default smooth keys. It’s a preference, but I like matte textured key caps with a bit of grip, especially for tactile focused keyboards. Gaming on it worked well, my biggest complaint was the palm rest comfortability. The low-latency is helpful in more competitive games, but for average gaming it is less important than say a stable internet connection. I’m always cautious about using features like ReacTap SOCD, because in competitive games it is seen as a macro input for directional movement enhancement, but for casual gaming it is a fun feature to help improve your movements. Just check the Terms of Service before enabling it in online PvP games. Touch Screen: The touchscreen is the focus of the Command Series KB5, which works like a more powerful stream deck providing quick control for media and apps, being customizable in the Swarm II app. I found the touchscreen sensitivity to be lower than I would have preferred, it responded like a screen with a slightly too thick screen protector on it. It took a while to get the required touch down paired with the right motions to navigate. I was underwhelmed by it. I found being able to customize the applications I could open on the quick panels was the best part, as it made quickly accessing websites or tools as easy as clicking on the task bar, but could do so from the keyboard with less clicks. Switches: The Low-Profile Mechanical switches are the main reason the KB5 is as low-profile as it is. With an actuation distance at 1.2mm and key travel distance of 3.1mm, this is on the low end for most keyboards, the typing can feel a bit too sensitive or shorted as the keys activate quickly and bottom out sooner than you might expect. The short travel distance does take a bit to get used to, it is more like typing on a laptop or membrane keyboard than a traditional mechanical keyboard, the feel is very similar to chicklet keyboard typing. The switches are very quiet and tactile, there is a noticeable muted click but it isn’t loud. That is thanks to the pre-lubed stabilized keys. Overall, the typing is smooth and responsive. Conclusion: The Command Series KB5 keyboard by Turtle Beach is a good take on a low-profile mechanical keyboard. The built-in touch screen is an added benefit, like having a more flexible stream deck built right into your keyboard. But the sensitivity of the touch screen does make it a little difficult to use accurately, which is unfortunate. The included palm rest should just not be included; it raises your wrist up to the right height but is not comfortable over long durations of use. Overall, I don’t dislike using the Command Series KB5, but it leaves a lot to be desired which makes it a maybe consider it for my recommendation.

The Turtle Beach KB5 keyboard is a great keyboard for those gaming and also doing a little more, while purchasing on a budget. The main star of this keyboard for me is the built in touch display. While being a full size keyboard this might not be the best choice for those just gaming, but its perfect for people like myself who want the number pad and the ins/del keys. Pros - Built in Display - Short actuation distance - Pleasant softer mechanical switches Cons - Turtle Beach Software - Missing features of higher end keyboards The build quality of this keyboard felt pretty nice. Solid plastic body, light enough weight but not too light. The keys all felt really responsive and springy, while having a satisfying press. Not clunky like other mechanical boards, but didn't feel like a membrane keyboard. The included cable was of nice length and material. The included detachable wrist pad is very comfortable. The volume bar being clickable was a nice addition as well as satisfying to use. As far as features go, this is a pretty straight forward device. The touchscreen has built in controls for numerous things like playing music and such. Its also setup so that you can create your own macros for whenever you're using certain programs. I didn't get too heavy into using it yet, but I could see it being quite handy. Outside of that, its your typical keyboard. Its lacking features like Rapid Triger, hall effect, adjustable actuation. But it also comes in much cheaper than most keyboards that do that don't include a touchscreen. The only real problem I had with this keyboard was the software. Swarm II just feels like it has a long way to go to compete with other peripheral software. It simply lacks a lot of features that you'd find elsewhere. On the other hand, its very simplistic, its very straightforward with what it offers. If it weren't for the touchscreen I wouldn't have installed it at all. The biggest issue with the software though was its inability to install firmware updates on the keyboard. No matter what I tried, with support or in my own troubleshooting, could I get the keyboards firmware update to install. The keyboard is working fine so far, so its not a big issue, but still something to be concerned with.

I'm a hardcore gamer and PC builder. I have built at least 50 PCs for myself and others in my life, all of which have been high end gaming machines or personally for other uses such as a home server. In that time I've used a significant number of different keyboards, from the very cheap to the very expensive Packaging: To start, it's packaged like every other keyboard out there, nothing really special here, it has the keyboard, cable and some literature. Use: Here's the interesting piece. It is a gaming keyboard, there's no denying that, it runs in conjunction with the Turtle Beach SWARM II application which also controls my mouse. In general it's decent, I've not had any glaring issues with it. You can set up your macros and manage lighting and effects. It's decent but doesn't do anything groundbreaking. The keyboard itself uses the thin chiclet style keys rather than full size keys which are not my favorite. In use the travel is smooth without any clickyness, and it is responsive, for the most part. Here's where the issue lies though. This keyboard has "boot up time" you can see it happening when your computer powers on, and strangely even after the screen lights up it is not always ready to accept input, this is important because I was using this to troubleshoot a new PC build and frequently it was not ready to accept input before the DEL to enter the BIOS was gone from the screen and would require me to reboot it again (and since power was not lost to the keyboard on reboot, it would not go through the reboot cycle and it would take the DEL in time). In addition if you reboot your PC repeatedly sometimes the keyboard, while appearing to be on and operational, wont let you input any commands. In that case I've had to pull the cable and put it back in to get it to work. I thought this was just an issue with a single one of my PCs but it happened on multiple PCs (I tested this because it was a strange behavior). In gaming and normal use it works great without any instability or issues, it just seems to be repeated reboots that causes the problem. Overall: Good keyboard, fun to use if you understand the minor issues it has for repeated reboots, hopefully a firmware update comes out to address this.

This Turtle Beach KB5 is a great looking and seemingly endlessly customizable mechanical keyboard. Anyone who likes mechanical keyboards will love this one. Starting with the physical keyboard it's low profile and lightweight, being just over 1" thick including keycaps and weighing just under 2 pounds. The switch plate is brushed aluminum screwed onto a plastic case/chassis. The case has six rubber non-slip pads on the bottom and a pair of adjustable kickstands. The switches are Turtle Beach's Titan low-profile pre-lubed linear mechanical switches. They're smooth and quiet (except for the clack) and have a solid feel to them. The keycaps are premium double-shot PBT. The keyboard has a 2.4 inch 3-page touchscreen display. Each page can be changed (using Turtle Beach's Swarm II app) to one of 23 different preset templates ranging from computer controls to various app and various game controls or you can create your own customized templates. Use the Swarm II app to customize key functions and create macros for use in any of the four keyboard modes available - Primary (standard keyboard functions), FN mode, Game Mode, or Easy Shift mode. Easy Shift mode is an additional layer of functions accessible when in Game Mode. The Swarm II app itself doesn't have much how-to help and can be overwhelming. I recommend going online to the Turtle Beach site downloads and downloading the Command Series KB5 Quick Start Guide. It fully explains keyboard functionality, touchscreen information and short-cut keys for accessing/switching keyboard modes. There's a long list of preset gaming macros for specific games in the Swarm II app. It's easy to just pick out the macro you want to use for a particular game and assign a key. If the function or game isn't listed, then you can create your own. It's a twostep process - first create the macro, then go to keyboard assignments to assign the trigger key. There's a pressable roller on the top left of the keyboard that they label as a Volume Barrel which is its default. Roll it forward to increase volume or back to decrease and press to mute. However, like everything else it can be customized to do other media commands like roll forward or back for next song/previous song and press to pause/play. Or mouse actions can be assigned to it. Finally, compared to everything else, the RGB customizing using Swarm II is simple and straightforward. Do lighting by preset grouping like main keys, WASD keys, number keys, arrow keys, FN keys or individual keys or groups you choose. The RGB lighting is beautiful - the key switches are translucent, and the keycaps have short skirts so the RBG lighting glows not only through the keycap legends but all around the keys themselves and reflects off the aluminum switch plate. See my photo! The keyboard comes with braided USB cable, attachable wrist rest, keycap puller and textured WASD keycaps. It took me quite a while working with the app and keyboard to understand all the possibilities and how to enable and use them. Only then did I come to appreciate everything this keyboard has to offer and is capable of. This keyboard is awesome! I give it two thumbs up!

Setup: It was very easy to set up, literally plug and play. It took about 10min to setup and customize. I installed it and was able to download the SWARM II software and update the firmware in that time. I customized the screen so that I can have a mix of productivity, media control and screenshot/record. It was a quick draft style customization but it was pretty simple. Build: It has a very solid build, the keyboard as zero flex, it is lightweight enough that gives it a modern sleek look without compromising on the quality. The wrist pad is very comfortable, it’s surprising how comfortable it considering it is plastic and not a cushion. It attaches easily and is a nice large enough shape that provides support. Typing: The actual keys have a very premier feel, the travel is smooth, quiet with a satisfying click. The spacing of the keys, the media programmable keys are spaced very conveniently and out of the way to eliminate accidental pressing. The ability to program the macro keys is always useful and the inclusion makes the keyboard that much more useful. Touch Display: The display is a little gimmicky but surprisingly useful, I programmed it to do screenshots/screen record, multimedia controls and shutdown. I do catch myself reaching for the screen more often than I thought I would. Controls: The volume barrel style control is very easy to use, perfectly placed and a breeze to use. RGB/Software: The software is very easy to use; it isn’t as easily customizable as other software. To me I did find a bit of a learning curve to customize it to my taste. Overall, its easy software to assign macro functions and button re-assignment. There are also templates for the screen and pre-loaded functions depending on the game being played. Negative: I can’t say I have come across a true negative, a manual or guide to the software would be nice but that might be my preference and what I am used to Overall: I think any tech enthusiast who likes to have the modern new toys and loves the aesthetics of sleek modern devices will love this keyboard. I think a gamer or social media user will also love the versatility and flexibility of the assignable keys and functions to enhance gameplay or content creation.

Up to this point I really liked and enjoyed Turtle Beach products, I own a couple of “mice”, and I feel like those are solid and very stylish products. However, with respect to this Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 mechanical keyboard, the same cannot be said (or felt), and I feel inclined to give it a 3 out of 5 rating, and most likely not to give it a high recommendation. This is my first time with an "advanced" mechanical gaming keyboard, and from an overall view, at first glance, it feels like a decent and solid product, but I think it soon becomes evident that it falls short in two important aspects: 1) the lack of a true mechanical feeling, and 2) the need of a better integration between the customization software (the SWARM II APP) and the Keyboard (the latter seems fixed after the latest updates). Otherwise, the keyboard is fine, it has a good weight that keeps it in place while gaming, contains some of the other common controls for similar gaming keyboards such as the volume control, you can assign macros, assign specific actions to keys, etc. There are 5 on board profiles, and you can create more stored profiles. Its Command Touch Display is very useful to provide easy access to multiple common options such as taking a screenshot, accessing the gaming bar, selecting the snipping tool, among others. Two things that would have been nice to have are: highlighted and reinforced WASD keys (I frequently use them when playing racing games), and a softer arm rest. Anyways, little by little I am starting to like the KB5 more and more. - Cons: need more mechanical feeling, software integration issues, no cushion arm rest. - Pros: Touch-enabled Display, highly customizable, heavy, low profile. >> Swarm II Software integration Connecting the keyboard to the PC and tapping on the “Download SWARM II” in the Command Touch Display brings up Web Browser that points where to download the software: neat! No need to scan any QR code or find where the download page is at. In my case, on my first try I didn’t download the software, I already had the software installed, since I own other Turtle Beach products, so I just needed to perform a software update, which I did. After installation, the App seemed to recognize the keyboard; however, it couldn’t update the keyboard’s firmware (software). Any attempt to update the keyboard would end up in the App showing an “Optimizing your device” message in an endless cycle. I decided to uninstall the App, before installing a freshly downloaded one (I did this several times). After each attempt to do a “clean” install, there were no improvements, the same thing, the same strange behaviors; for example, the keyboard would be lit even if the PC was turned off; another example, if I closed the SWARM II App and started it again, the App wouldn’t recognize the keyboard until I unplugged and plugged it! Not a pleasant experience at all. Luckily, I was able to get ahold of Turtle Beach technical support who were gracious enough to patch the software updates and I was finally able to update the keyboard, and correct some of the initial issues I saw; for example, after the update the keyboard was only on when the PC was on (the Command Touch Display would start when the PC started up and would shut down when the PC was shutdown); and for the other example, there was no need to unplug/plug the keyboard to get it recognized by the App. Everything seemed fine after this last update. This is a highly customizable device, and when doing the customization, most of the options worked fine, for instance I was able to customize the Command Touch Display options through the App, and the lighting. At least one setting, the Light Effects one, was not working as expected, only two of the lighting options had a “preview” on the App and only those two showed on the keyboard, all the other ones didn’t have a preview nor would be applied to the keyboard. At some point, things seemed to start working (I don’t recall what I did, perhaps the latest update I tried). In summary, I spent quite a bit of time trying to configure the software (uninstall/install), removing other software from other keyboard/mouse manufacturers (per Turtle Beach tech support) to make the keyboard usable to what I wanted to experience. >> Mechanical keyboard The keys feel softer than what I would have expected from a mechanical keyboard, they feel like pushing down on keys from one of those old keyboards (which are not mechanical). For a quick comparison, I have other less advanced mechanical keyboards, and when switching the KB5 for those ones, I can feel the difference in the mechanical feeling. I am surprised none of this is featured in the product description, or perhaps I misunderstood some description or feature or characteristic that would have contributed to this not-so-mechanical feeling. I understand that it is a low-profile keyboard, but if you expect to get the full feeling of a mechanical keyboard, even at a "medium" soft level, perhaps this is not the best for you. Once you get passed this "annoyance", meaning, once you get used to the feeling of the keyboard, the keyboard seems just fine. Nevertheless, it took some time to get used to the keyboard, I would frequently touch the Caps Lock key instead of the A key (not sure why this was happening). I used for a couple of days straight to do programming, and playing games, but I don’t use it all the time as I would have liked to.

While not perfect, I do love the Turtle Beach KB5 full size wired mechanical gaming keyboard. It’s spacious, has the type of switches I prefer, lots of keyboard customization, all at a great price. My qualms are small with one being able to be fixed in future software updates. This screen could be a game changer and while it does add some handy features (especially if you’re a streamer) there is a lot of functionality that could be added to push this across the finish line. Let’s start with what this keyboard’s main use is. Being a keyboard, which it excels at doing. It’s a full size keyboard and I do mean FULL size. It took a little bit to get used to because it's so spacious but boy do I love it. They are linear switches (soft, no click) which I like but might not be everyone's choice of key switch. It is surprising they don’t offer other switch types for folks who don’t like linear. Now onto the software. Swarm II is solid software for customizing the keyboard and makes it relatively easy for getting the display up and running. RGB customizations, macro keys, etc are all really easy to adjust on the fly! I’m a fan of the software. Where it does fall flat is how much I can customize the display. I was really hoping the Discord integration would allow me to map custom sounds to buttons and other features of Discord Nitro, but it is actually quite limited in its integration. You can have one click channel join, and audio controls but that’s it. I know other gamer displays have that functionality so hopefully it’s something that Turtle Beach will add in the future. Other weird things about the display are, it has a timer button but it can’t go above 10 minutes so I can’t use it as a pomodoro timer for work. It can do 10 minutes so I’m not sure why it can do all double digit times. The built-in game specific macros are all for old games (It has Mass Effect 2 but not 1 or 3?) so that’s not super handy and you will find yourself having to add your own macros which is fine. This is a very impressive keyboard on the hardware side and the software side has a great starting point with a lot more room to grow. I’m excited to see future updates add more features so I can truly make this display a part of my routine and less of an occasional use feature. Pros: Excellent spacious keyboard Easy setup Great keyboard customization Great price Sturdy build quality Cons: Only Linear smooth switches available Lack of customization with display

Personally, I think the new Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 keyboard holds a great balance between quality and affordability. Simply put, when you compare this keyboard with other keyboards offering similar features and functionality, the KB5 beats them in terms of price. Right out of the box, the keyboard felt high-quality, and its full-size design makes it a good choice for gamers as well as everyday productivity users. A single removable USB-C cable powers the keyboard, which is great, especially considering that the keyboard features a 2.4” Command touch display and full-keyboard-zone RGB lighting. Once the keyboard was powered on, the command touch display lit up, showing the default shortcuts, apps, and macro list, all of which can be customized based on personal preferences. Turtle Beach’s Swarm II software is required to manage the keyboard and access all kinds of settings, including updates, creating macros, launching app shortcuts, audio controls, and more. The keys are comfortable, and the 8K wired polling rate makes the keystrokes feel super smooth and responsive. My favorite features of this KB5 are the full-size layout, dedicated number pad, five dedicated macro keys, overall comfort, and, of course, the command touch display with all the great functionality it has to offer. The physical clickable volume barrel is another great feature to have. I personally like having dedicated physical audio control rather than adjusting the volume through Windows controls. Adjusting the volume with the roller is super convenient. The low-profile design also keeps the keyboard slim, while the detachable wrist rest provides additional comfort. In addition, the adjustable kickstands allow me to set the keyboard at my preferred typing angle. In terms of gaming, the KB5 keyboard really shines. The keystrokes feel incredibly responsive, precise, and rapid, which made my gameplay experience different and to next level. I especially appreciate the textured WASD keys, which provide better grip and control during gaming. Overall, the KB5 offers a great combination of quality, performance, comfort, and features at an affordable price. In addition, the keyboard is also excellent at typing and doing all kinds of non-gaming work.

I wanted to love the Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 almost immediately after taking it out of the box. Visually, this is one of the more interesting keyboards I have used in quite a while. Unfortunately, actually getting everything working proved considerably more difficult than I expected. Starting with the good, the hardware itself is excellent. The KB5 has a distinctive industrial appearance with its aluminum-reinforced top plate, exposed hardware, low-profile keys, integrated display and volume control. It manages to look like a gaming keyboard without looking quite like every other gaming keyboard on the market. There is something almost niche about the design that I really enjoy. I also really like typing on it. The low-profile mechanical switches are quiet, smooth and responsive without the clacky soundtrack that accompanies many gaming keyboards. For those who need to be observant of their noise output will appreciate it. I have another gaming keypad that can probably be heard from orbit when I get going on it. The KB5 is dramatically quieter. The best analogy I can come up with for the typing experience is somewhere between a very good laptop keyboard and a mechanical gaming keyboard. You get the low-profile, relatively effortless feel of the former, but there is still enough travel and response that it doesn't feel vague or mushy. Whether that description sounds appealing will probably depend on what you normally type on, but I have found it extremely comfortable. The integrated touchscreen is also a nice touch. Being able to assign shortcuts, macros and other controls directly to the keyboard has a lot of potential, and the RGB customization, dedicated controls and overall feature set give you plenty to play with. Unfortunately, this is also where my experience became considerably less enjoyable. The KB5 is unusually particular about its USB connection. Turtle Beach specifies that it should be connected directly to the PC and does not support USB hubs, and in my experience it really meant it. I had trouble with multiple connection arrangements, and even a front-panel USB port connected directly to the motherboard headers didn't behave reliably for me. Ultimately, the keyboard was happiest occupying a dedicated USB port directly on the rear I/O of my motherboard. That isn't necessarily a deal breaker, but it is a surprisingly restrictive requirement for a keyboard, particularly on a modern desktop where USB hubs and shared peripheral arrangements are common. The larger source of frustration for me, however, was Swarm II. There is quite a lot you can configure through the software, including RGB lighting, macros, profiles and the functions available through the touchscreen. The problem was getting the software and keyboard to consistently agree with one another. I encountered communication problems, firmware-update headaches and settings that did not always behave the way I expected. Even something as simple as building useful shortcuts for the touchscreen occasionally became an exercise in working around the software rather than simply configuring the keyboard. Some of those limitations aren't entirely Turtle Beach's fault. For example, I wanted to build a clean Spotify shortcut and discovered that Spotify itself doesn't make accomplishing exactly what I had in mind particularly straightforward. But small obstacles like that compound the more fundamental issue: configuring the KB5 already requires more patience than I think a keyboard in this class should demand. Interestingly, I experienced similar firmware and setup frustrations with another recent Turtle Beach peripheral. In both cases, once I got through the setup process, I liked the physical product considerably more than I liked the process required to get there. That is ultimately where I land on the KB5 as well: there is a genuinely good keyboard here. In fact, the hardware is good enough that I was willing to keep troubleshooting it because I wanted to use it. I love the appearance, I enjoy typing on it, I appreciate how quiet it is, and I like what Turtle Beach is trying to accomplish with the integrated touchscreen and customization. At the same time, a keyboard simply shouldn't require this much troubleshooting. I had the tools available to dig into what was happening and eventually work through most of the problems I encountered. A typical buyer shouldn't need to do that, and I wouldn't blame someone for simply putting it back in the box if their initial experience mirrored mine. The KB5 feels a little like hardware built for a world in which software integration is completely seamless: connect it, tell it what you want everything to do, and it simply works. If we lived in that world, I would be considerably more enthusiastic about it. We're just not quite there yet, and that gap is what keeps an otherwise impressive piece of hardware from being as easy to recommend as I would like. As hardware, I think the KB5 is distinctive, comfortable and genuinely appealing. As a complete product experience, the software and setup still need refinement. If Turtle Beach can smooth out that side of the equation, there is a lot here worth liking.

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 Full-Size Wired Mechanical Gaming Keyboard for PC is an excellent choice for you gaming needs. With true 8K polling, you get 0.125ms latency for extreme precision. It features a 2.4 inch ultra-responsive Command Touch Display for profiles, macros, stats, apps, audio management, streaming, and more. It has low profile Titan mechanical switches with 50 million keystrokes lifespan. It also features ReacTap technology to ensure you get smooth rapid keystrokes. The keyboard feels perfect for me without the wrist pad, but they do include one that clips into the bottom of the keyboard. The height of the keyboard is adjusted by two legs on the backside of the keyboard, and there are two heights you can adjust this to. The key strokes are short which I love, because it registers ultra fast and resets instantly to be ready again. The Turtle Beach Swarm II software is easy to install and use. You get access to all the additional settings like preset RGB profiles and you can also customize one. You can also edit macro keys and FN keys, as well as setting up the your 2.4" Command Touch Display. I really like that I can monitor my CPU and GPU by simply glancing down at the display. Before I used to run and overlay with this information on it, but it did distract from the games I'm playing. One thing I wish was different is that the RGB lighting is too dim for my liking. Even at the highest setting it's just not bright enough. Especially solid colors likes like purple. It's fine in a dark room, but if you have any kind of sunlight in your room, it tends to wash it out. Overall this is an excellent gaming keyboard, and I really enjoy using it.

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 is a full-size mechanical gaming keyboard that has a bit of a retro-industrial styling and with having many ways to customize it as a modern keyboard. Made for gamers, professionals as well as everyday use. The KB5 looks great with its metal frame, great looking accent color and some exposed screws. It is a full-size keyboard with a complete number key. The kickstands help adjust its height and the palm rest it's a bit hard but helps rest while it looks great. The mechanical switches are soft and offer a bit of a quiet keystroke, the keycaps feel very comfortable and i do like that they can be changed easily. It does come with a keycap puller and extra keycaps. I really like the touchscreen in the top-right corner, using the Turtle Beach’s Swarm II software both the keyboard as well as the screen can be customizable to my liking, and it can store different profiles with shortcuts, macros, media controls, and more. When it comes to RGB lighting, it looks great, best of all I can change the mode from the keyboard as well as the software. Overall, the keyboard is super customizable, it is responsive, it has a premium feel and look. I really enjoy the RGB lights that can be customized to my liking.

The Turtle Beach Command Series KB5 keyboard is an full size gaming keyboard that is highly configurable, with a small configurable touchscreen that takes the place of many special purpose keys. There are also five macro keys on the far left side. Lighting is per key and also highly configurable. Nicely, some configuration is possible using the keyboard alone, although for full configuration the Turtle Beach Swarm II software is required. Another nicety is that the keyboard cable is a detachable USBA to USBc cable. There is a roller at the top of the keyboard for volume and mute (by pressing it). Out of the box there is the keyboard, a USBc to USBa cable, detachable wrist rest, 4 extra keycaps & puller, and quick start guide. Setup was quick: attach the cable, plug the keyboard in, and download the Swarm II software. The wrist rest attached firmly enough, can be easily detached for travel and was comfortable enough. The keyboard was a bit fiddly to start, but after a (mandatory) update from Swarm II it was fine. The touchscreen comes with a startup nag flag to download the Swarm II software, but thankfully that can be programmed for other functions. The Swarm II interface is not the most friendly or intuitive interface, but once you get used to it, it's ok. It does have a fairly large footprint since it can control all Turtle Beach accessories. Programming is awesome! Their are 5 profiles that can be separately programmed for different applications or games. Not only can the macro keys be programmed, but many of the other keys can be programmed for secondary functions in combination with a 'function' key. There are a number of macros and key assignments for popular games already available in the Swarm II software. In use, both with games and general use, I had issues with the key operation. There is NO tactile feedback to the keys. The keys are so sensitive that resting my fingers on the keys was sometimes enough to trigger unwanted keystrokes. With about 1mm of travel to trigger and no feedback until the key hits the bottom of the travel, I found my hands getting tired trying to hover over the keys. Another problem had to do with real estate. The keyboard is so large (2" wider and 1" deeper) than a standard full sized keyboard. In spite of the size, the macro keys are too close and not different enough from the standard keys. More than once, I found myself hitting the macro keys next to the shift and control keys on the right by accident because of the reach. The Turtle Beach KB5 gaming keyboard is a tremendously configurable keyboard with a nice useable touchscreen interface. Just make sure the key feel and spacing works for you.

Turtle Beach Corporation is a premier American gaming manufacturer based in San Diego, California. Turtle Beach released a new Command Series KB5 full-size wired mechanical keyboard. A 2.4" programmable touch screen lets you oversee system stats without interrupting your game. You can also trigger macros, customize profiles, and adjust sound & apps with this full color touch display. The Titan low-profile mechanical switches are phenomenal! They actuate at just 1.2mm, provide positive feedback with dampened sound and are rated at 50-million keystrokes. Further enhancing the keyboard feel, double-shot PBT keycaps with textured WASD provide excellent grip and endurance. I love the matte finish on the keycaps. Swarm II software is quick to connect and can configure RGB illumination, which is visible on each key. The included 5.9 foot braided cable connects USB-C to USB-A. KB5 features an 8,000 Hz polling rate, updating every 0.125 milliseconds! This is eight times faster than the standard 1,000 Hz rate, and produces much lower input latency and delay. CONCLUSION: Turtle Beach KB5 elevated my gameplay, and has become my favorite gaming & work keyboard. The subtle points are perfected, such as adjustable height, and retained palm rest. KB5 earns my highest recommendation.

I am impressed by this keyboard and all its cool features! It honestly blends so many cool features together that I can’t believe the price is as low as it is. The touchscreen alone is super cool and almost overrules one of the major issues I am having with this keyboard: the typing experience. I am normally a pretty big fan of red linear switches, but for whatever reason, the execution on this keyboard has many people having numerous typing issues, to the point where I just had to give up and go back to my old keyboard. The switches felt mushy, and while pleasingly low-profile, they tended to get smashed together, causing me many issues getting the inputs correct. I would absolutely be willing to try a blue (clicky) or brown (tactile bump) version of this keyboard because that would probably go a long way toward making this a much more usable and pleasant experience. The screen is so dang cool that I wish I could just rip it off and attach it to my daily driver normal keyboard. I was able to get it set up to launch Steam and other apps as well as to get it to monitor my CPU and GPU use and temperatures, which is so rad. Not to mention, it can do full media controls like volume, pausing, and playing. Unfortunately, no number of cool features can remove the key responsibility that this keyboard has, which is to perform well with typing and general key inputs. This would honestly be akin to praising an automobile for its touchscreen radio features while ignoring key elements such as its acceleration and handling. This keyboard is built with some awesome potential, I just thinking it will need different switches and spacing of the keys to really shine. Thanks for reading and I hope that this helps!

you have to deal with some firmware update bologna and troubleshooting, but once everything is up to date, it works very well and the screen is very convenient, aesthetic, and fun. would reccomend

Cool design plus able to pic some cool color themes with the app as well as easy to use

It just wont work, if you use the software you can usually get it to work for the first week, then the screen wont respond. After that it will fail any updates and it will permanently brick the keyboard. The features are nice, it was very pretty looking, but it sucks to use. The screen feels like a 2013 touch screen it takes forever to respond to touches after the 2nd update. If you dont have issues with it, its probably the best keyboard for the price. I however didnt wven attempt the K7 due to this and went to a galleon instead, its a shame the software is so bad, we want you to succed turtle beach from all the headsets back on 360 days.