The domestic brand Red Square offers peripheral equipment for the gaming segment. The company's keyboard section currently includes four models, and Oldschool is the most compact and affordable among them.
However, it has something to offer gamers: the solution is based on mechanical switches and supports “anti-ghosting” technology.
Specifications
- Connection: wired, USB
- Switch type: mechanical, clicky, Gateron Blue
- Number of keys: 87
- Number of simultaneous presses: unlimited
- Additional: button remapping, Win key disable, media functions via Fn
- Backlight: no
- Case material: aluminum and plastic
- Dimensions (W×D×H): 357×136×31-47 mm
- Weight: 744 grams (with cable)
- Cable length: 1.6 m
- Official website
- Recommended retail price: 3890 rubles
Package Contents
The packaging is traditionally made of cardboard. It features a photo of the keyboard, a brief description of the key features and capabilities of the solution.
All information is presented exclusively in Russian.
The delivery set is not diverse: in the box, the buyer will find only the keyboard itself and a small leaflet claiming to be a manual, combined with a warranty card.
Design
As the name suggests, the solution uses a classic design in a compact format — without a numeric keypad and additional keys. This allowed for sufficiently miniature external dimensions, only slightly exceeding the button block itself.
The bottom of the keyboard is made of black matte plastic. On the edge closest to the user, there are two large rubber feet, and another pair of feet is installed on the opposite side.
Next to them are two folding feet with their own rubber inserts, allowing the keyboard to be raised by about nine millimeters.
Given the model's weight, one might assume it would be difficult to move it during the heat of battle. However, in reality, the ribbed surface of the rubber inserts does not work very well.
A rather useful feature is the special cable groove, which allows it to be routed to any of the three sides.
The second (upper) half of the case is made of aluminum. Most likely, it is painted, but it is difficult to distinguish from pure metal by color — a matte silver metallic is used. Note that the metal sheet is quite thick, and the rigidity of the structure causes no complaints. To the right, on the only empty field above the cursor keys, we see the manufacturer's logo.
The buttons also have a traditional shape, construction, and size. Note the “narrow” Enter and wide Shift keys on both sides.
All buttons are made of black matte plastic. Visually, they do not seem very strong, but they should last several years, and then a more “serious” model can be chosen if there is interest. The markings are applied with white paint, which is typical for inexpensive keyboard models without backlighting.
Note that the English characters, which are in the upper left corner of the keys, are very large. The Russian alphabet in the opposite corner is generally well visible. However, of course, using one color can be confusing.
The markings on the function keys also attract attention. Moreover, some, abbreviated to two letters, are even difficult to decipher without getting used to them.
The keyboard has no additional buttons. Media player control is implemented using Fn combinations.
Caps Lock and Scroll Lock mode indicators are made in the form of a pair of bright blue LEDs. They are located on the right side of the keyboard under the top row.
The interface cable has a useful length of 1.6 m when exiting from the center of the back of the keyboard and 1.4 m when exiting from the sides. The cable is non-removable, of medium stiffness, has a filter near the connector, and uses a black fabric braid with white thread.
The USB plug has an elongated body, which, on the one hand, makes it more convenient to connect, but on the other hand, requires more space. Interestingly, the manufacturer claims to work with USB version 2.0, although testing showed that the connection is made via USB 1.1.
Additional Features
The keyboard in question is quite modest in its advanced features. In particular, no additional software is included with it. You can only use a few keyboard shortcuts.
The top row in combination with Fn gives “My Computer”, “Search”, “Calculator”, media player control, and volume adjustment.
Fn+Win allows you to disable this “harmful” key for games. Fn+F12 can be used to completely block all buttons. Fn+W is used to change the functions of WASD and cursor keys. The documentation also describes Fn+Print Screen and Fn+Scroll Lock combinations for switching the scanning matrix mode — in the first case, a maximum of six simultaneous keys are registered, and in the second, there are no restrictions on the number of simultaneous presses.
Practice
This keyboard uses Gateron Blue mechanical switches, of which the manufacturer only notes a resource of 50 million presses. Solutions from this manufacturer are often found in inexpensive mechanical keyboards.
Reviews of these switches vary greatly. Some users consider them an analog of Cherry MX Blue, while others believe that a comparison is out of the question. Perhaps the most accurate way to evaluate them would be a personal test.
We will tell you about our own experience using this keyboard. The most striking impression will be the loud click when actuated. On “long” keys, due to their design, an additional ringing sound is added to it. Against this background, the sound from the stem hitting is not so noticeable. So, before purchasing a keyboard for home, it is worth evaluating the importance of this characteristic not only for yourself but also for those around you. That is why we would not recommend the product as a universal solution.
The actuation force, according to information found online, is about 55 cN, with a clear non-linearity. Actuation occurs after approximately 2.5 mm of travel. The full key travel is 4.2 mm. The slight horizontal play of the keys was not very pleasing.
Gaming use was tested in World of Tanks, Battlefield: Hardline, Watch Dogs 2, Street Fighter V, and some other projects. The overall impression of the product after testing is a solid, inexpensive mechanical keyboard without any specific features. The keyboard is well suited as a first introduction to these types of switches.
Diagnosis
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Red Square Oldschool is the combination of traditional mechanical switches and a low price. The keyboard truly resembles “oldschool” products, which are often fondly remembered by computer users with serious experience. Yes, here you will not find multi-color backlighting, macro recording, or fine interface adjustments, but you will surely be able to experience the impressions of those years. The product can also be evaluated differently — an inexpensive compact mechanical keyboard for users who do not need various “bells and whistles” for which they usually have to pay extra.
The downsides include, perhaps, only the relatively loud sound of the switches actuating. Perhaps brighter colors should have been used in the case design, but this is not an unambiguous point.
Pro:
- Compact size
- Classic design
- Mechanical
- Large key labels
Contra:
- Loud actuation sound
- Neutral color scheme