Over the past 15 years Azio Corporation has provided the computing community with innovative peripherals based on three core design elements: convenience, entertainment and accessibility. One such peripheral is the MGK 1 backlit mechanical gaming keyboard on our review bench today that features an aluminum top plate for durability, a controllable backlight for low light and night time use, and an array of shortcut keys for multimedia controls and quick OS application access.

The MGK 1 gaming keyboard uses a red plastic bottom case enclosed with a brushed aluminum top plate anodized in gunmetal gray, hopefully making for a nice desktop statement. The snap-on palm rest is dimpled and feels like it could give your palms a massage as they slide over the surface.

The mechanical keys for the MGK 1 use the Kailh Blue version switches with a 50 million cycle life span and 4mm travel for an audible and tactile feedback. The keys are backlit with a white LED that you can adjust by using the Fn + 12 key to toggle between ON / OFF / REACTIVE settings, and the Fn + F10 or F11 keys for the illumination level.