Software

There are unified drivers of sort for the AK84S keyboard family, in that the software supports these keyboards but is still named after something else. You can download the latest installer here, named "GK6XPlus version 6.0.0.46" as this is written and previously an unofficial replacement for the original software hosted on GitHub, which has newer versions already. The official drivers for the GK6x keyboards were from Jikedingzhi, which has already made a mark on the plastic case used with the AK84S. The installer downloads as a compressed folder of 60 MB, and installation requests around thrice as much storage space for the software. As seen above, installation is straightforward, although without some options, including for shortcuts and start menu items, and I have no complaints in terms of system utilization. As of now, GK6XPlus is the official software, so there clearly was a point where the first-party offering was dropped entirely.


GK6XPlus was written to be a command-line interface program originally, but has received a GUI over time. Javascript limitations have resulted in there being some limitations in GUI mode, such as the inability to change anything on the base layer of the keyboard, but it does offer a much easier means of customization for the average end user compared to typing something in CMD, of course. Knowing the source of the drivers explains why GK6XPlus looks and feels much more rooted in English than most from an Asian brand, although the provided resources, or lack thereof, are also quite evident in the poor user experience behind that polished look, when they pushed it to support the AK84S as well. Some of this is also due to poor scaling with high DPI displays, with the software drivers stuck at a resolution of 1200x900. I ended up turning my 4K display down to 1080p to make the most use of it.

Unfortunately, this was as frustrating an experience as with the GK96LS from a few months ago, almost more so than with the no-brand Asian offerings. There is no real information from the company on how to use the software, which leaves you to your own devices, trying whatever comes to mind, even with the GitHub folder mentioned before. It is self-evident that by default, the first layer can't be re-programmed, and that the other layers are fair play. The Driver 1 layer is for programmed functions that are too large to be saved onboard the device, which requires the driver to be running in the background. Key mapping is also not that hard to achieve, with virtual keyboards and options to choose from and blinking action items to save any made changes. Everything else, however, might as well be thrown into the bin and created from scratch. While the many files and configurations over several updates ensure the many keyboards are supported, they definitely do add to the confusion. LE (presumably "Light Effect") files are available, but here too customization is a mirage unless you create your own, which ends up being a line-by-line entry that is way more complicated than it has any right to be. Macros are a slight improvement, albeit the pre-recorded ones are questionable in their implementation and naming, with a recorder that is adequate. I am not impressed whatsoever and urge Epomaker/Skyloong/Jikedingzhi to get this sorted out sooner rather than later, before more keyboards are released to add to these issues.

You might be asking yourself why not use QMK or Via? The answer is as simple as the partner factory making these keyboards not wanting to put in the effort. Epomaker is working on keyboards in the future that support QMK, even as a priority in the company's development plans, but expect those to be higher-end boards that are also going to be more expensive.