Introduction

1STPLAYER (also referred to as 1ST PLAYER on their website) is a relatively unknown company for most non-Asian readers of our website. It is a Chinese company formed in 2010, and until I was contacted by their representative, I mostly knew the brand for highly esoteric products in their steam punk series, which did not necessarily leave me with high expectations, and I suspect I was not alone in that either. The company must have decided it was time for a marketing campaign in the west and contacted many other media websites in the last few months of 2018 to get coverage of their products. In particular for the product being reviewed today: the Bullet Hunter MK6 keyboard was sent out to coincide with a revamped English website, and the company hopes to get more eyes on their products as a whole accordingly. Covering as many different brands as possible has always been an interest of mine, so here we are thanking 1STPLAYER for sending us a review sample.


In an age where most keyboards are manufactured in Asia, and China in particular, and supported by software drivers and after-sales benefits elsewhere, it seems mechanical keyboards in the more budget-friendly realm either tend to be feature-nerfed to not compete with higher-end, higher-cost variants or are localized to specific regions and not accessible globally. There remain precious few brands that venture from an Asian background into global sales, and we have seen some excellent keyboards offering good value for money from them before. The Bullet Hunter MK6 from 1STPLAYER is a full-size keyboard with dedicated media buttons that follow a certain layout formula used to good success from a few others, and yet there is more going on under the hood. The company promises RGB backlighting with onboard controls, as well as a software driver to help complete the package. We will examine all these and more in the review and start with a look at the specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Packaging for the Bullet Hunter MK6 keyboard is on the simpler side of things with a predominantly black-wrapped cardboard box. On the front is the company and product name (and not even the whole name) in English and Mandarin, along with some salient features all in small print. On the back is an interesting take on product illustration, treating the box as the keyboard surface and showing off the various keys and buttons (and volume wheel) as they would be on the actual keyboard inside. The sides have more writing and a random spider logo that has been used with other 1STPLAYER products before, but feels irrelevant here. More random writing is seen above a double flap in the center that keeps the contents inside in place during transit.


Opening the box, we see the keyboard itself in a wrap with the keyboard cable in the cardboard cutout compartment below. The accessories are housed in this separate layer, which is not large or deep enough to contain them all and results in some spillover. There is also a mini-CD underneath the keyboard itself, and it contains the software driver installer for the keyboard. This is one of many signs of 1STPLAYER not understanding the status of the average end user in many countries today as it is a relic of the past as far as I am concerned. For the cybercafe owner who wants to get new RGB keyboards that light up and have mechanical switches to use with computer systems that retain CD/DVD drives, however, I can totally see the appeal. Again, this is a region-specific thing but one that can lead to a prejudiced impression of the company in some parts.

The second set of accessories includes replacement switches, a switch puller, and a plastic ring-style keycap puller, all of which come in a plastic pouch. I would have liked to see a metal wire-style puller instead as the included version can scratch the sides of keycaps when used. The spare switches are different than the usual set of accessories too, which sometimes include replacement keycaps for some keys. 1STPLAYER advertises the CIY switch design in use on the Bullet Hunter MK6 keyboard, which allows for easier switch replacement, and these spare switches are useful for not only showing off the switches used on the keyboard but replacing switches that may be going bad, or even just as a cool souvenir.