Page 2 - A Closer Look - Keypad Hardware and Software
The Turtle Beach Command Series KP7 is a dedicated keypad that gives users some flexibility. It can work as a standalone item or can be fully attached to the Command Series KB7. In terms of dimensions, it is 113mm wide, 184mm deep, and 29mm tall. This depth increases to a matching 256mm depth with the keyboard when the palm rest attached. In terms of mass, it weighs 254g and 308g with the palm rest. It has a similar design and build quality as the keyboard, which is not too surprising, but I found the keypad to be stiffer due to its more compact size.
At the top, there are two dedicated lights to indicate Num Lock and Game Mode. Next, there is a circular button that toggles Game Mode, although this does not synchronize with your keyboard. When you do toggle the game mode however, this changes the input of the keys underneath. As you can see, the KP7 has more keys than what would be typical in the number pad area. The top row of keys has F13 to F15, plus a dedicated button to toggle the profile for the keypad. Just to note, the legends on the top row are all printed on, so the backlight will not shine through. This is very strange and inconsistent with the rest of the keys. Underneath, we have a standard cluster of the number pad, in a slightly altered layout. For example, the "+" and "Enter" keys that are normally larger buttons have been duplicated and split into two buttons. There is also a column of dedicated macro keys, followed by a small volume knob and a weirdly shaped space bar at the bottom.
There are a second set of functions on the Turtle Beach Command Series KP7 as marked on the keycaps. These are active when Game Mode is enabled for the keypad, which changes the KP7 into the left side of the keyboard. This includes a WASD with the arrow key cluster. The surrounding keys become the same letters as you would expect on the keyboard. Furthermore, the left column of keys, from top to bottom, changes to Tab, Caps Lock, and Shift. Continuing the bottom, "0" becomes Ctrl and the bottom Enter key becomes Alt. The period key in between is marked with the Windows logo indicating it should open the Start Menu, but Game Mode disables Windows keys from activating, so it does not ever do anything. This way you can place your left hand on the side and still have all the necessary keys within reach for gaming while adding four macros for anything else.
The underside of the Turtle Beach Command Series KP7 is like the keyboard with a pair of two kickstands at the back to raise it up. There are similar rubber pads around the keyboard and on the kickstands to keep them in place without sliding about. There is a label to indicate the product name and serial number. The base has another array of triangles. The back of the keypad has a single USB Type-C port to connect to your computer if it is not installed on the side rails.
If you want to use the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 with the KP7, Turtle Beach has used a set of rails, pins, and contact pads to connect everything. It reminds me a bit of the first generation of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, although it is not the same either. I would not recommend karate chopping or shaking it at this point, but in my use, it stayed attached while I was moving the whole unit around. Once the keypad slides fully down the rail, the pins on the keyboard will contact the pads on the keypad and form a connection. There are rails on both sides of the KB7 and KP7, so you can attach it in either orientation. However, there is no locking mechanism to secure the two together.
You may think the Command Series KB7 and KP7 works well together, but there is a lack of cohesion highlighted in its design. From the layout, it is not clear if you should mount the KP7 on the left or right side. If it is on the left, this makes sense for gaming. Turtle Beach has touted this ergonomic layout so that when your hand sits on the arrow keys, your thumb can reach the small space bar. However, the top row of keys with F13 to F15 are a bit strange when you consider it is to the left side of F1. The curved top right corner of the keypad is also a bit strange against the 90-degree top left corner of the keyboard. It also requires a bit of training of muscle memory to use a number pad with your left hand. On the other hand, if you slot the KP7 on the right, this makes sense as a number pad, but it becomes useless for gaming since you now need to place your left hand on the right side. The side rails are not smooth or quick in detaching and attaching, so the process to change sides is finicky. The only way the KP7 makes sense for both numbers and gaming is to plug it directly into your computer.
To say my usage experience with the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 and KP7 has been eventful would be an understatement. While I am quite used to tenkeyless keyboards, there were some things that I had to adjust to with the KB7 and KP7 combination and more problems on top. On a physical sense, while a touchscreen is flashy and new, it made me miss the buttons that normally are above the arrow key cluster. I am a touch typist, and this makes it hard to slow my typing just to ensure I am pressing the proper key. I use Delete a lot more than most people and so having to stop, look down, and ensure my finger lands in the right spot every time is frustrating. I might get used to the positioning after some time, but it cannot replace having physical keys there. I ended up putting the keypad on the left side, but this meant I had to learn how to use the number pad with my left hand. Personally, I do not think there is an ideal spot for the KP7 if you need it for both use cases.
My biggest issue with the Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 and KP7 is the overall implementation. To be clear, the keyboard is fully capable for gaming when it is working properly. However, the keyboard was very slow to power up. When it is powering on, the screen shows "loading" and the keyboard is unresponsive. As such, I could not hit the keys to enter my BIOS menu. In fact, I was often waiting for the keyboard to login to my PC. Secondly, keys often got stuck in place for no reason, and the only fix was to power cycle the keyboard. The large volume knob on the keyboard often kept increasing or decreasing the system volume even after I stopped moving the knob. Thirdly, the volume mixer screen was often not in sync with the system volume. The worst thing was my Command Series KB7 always stopped functioning whenever I re-positioned the KP7 from one side to the other, and I had to disconnect and reconnect the device before it would work again. Given the slow startup of the keyboard, this only compounded my frustration. It is possible these are solely issues with my review sample, but they are also very irritating for any user.
Looking at Swarm II for the Turtle Beach Command Series KP7, its menu is divided into three sections for analog functions, assignment, and illumination. Analog functions are the same as it was for the keyboard, although interestingly Turtle Beach has implemented multi-input for the KP7. Assignment is where you can re-assign keys on a per key basis, including macros. Finally, the illumination has similar levels of customization. I would have liked to see a way to make it force sync the lighting settings with the KB7, so users do not have to set up the same settings at once.
Unfortunately, I found Swarm II to be laggy and buggy. During my testing, it took forever for the KB7 to be recognized and initialized in the application. When I made changes to the keyboard screen, it would save on each change and block the application with a splash screen, so I had to wait after every individual change. I would recommend making a template and apply a menu at a time, as the keyboard takes a long time to load these pages. Changing the background of the screen was again awfully slow. There were also times where the application and what was loaded on my keyboard were two different layouts and there was no way to force synchronize. Finally, I was able to make the application consistently crash by pressing M2 on my KP7 multiple times. Overall, the software has many areas to improve and fix.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Keyboard Hardware and Software
3. A Closer Look - Keypad Hardware and Software
4. A Closer Look - Disassembly and Internals
5. Conclusion
