Genesis Thor 401 mechanical keyboard can be found on the Genesis website.
The most notable design feature of Thor 401 is its slim body and the half-sized, chiclet keycaps sitting atop the fully exposed switches. Its size is that of a standard 104-key keyboard, but its low height and trimmed edges still manage to make it look very compact, even in comparison to some TKL keyboards. Its top plate is made from aluminum, and the back is plastic. Since this is a full, fairly wide keyboard with a slim body, expect a bit of flex here, but I’d say it’s still an overall well-built keyboard. The aluminum itself has a matte coating and is scratch-resistant so you don’t have to worry about damaging the keyboard in any way during regular usage.
Thor 401 also sports a set of media keys along with a large dial situated in the upper right corner. The said dial is a definite standout here since it can be used to control both the volume and the RGB presets and brightness. The keycaps here are ABS and while the floating design is undeniably beautiful ABS means the keycaps will shiny after just a short time of using them. They are also not as stable as some competitors with the larger keys being especially wobbly. Despite a bit of rattle, the keys do provide a fairly gentle typing experience, and the keycaps feature a neutral font that’s in line with the fact that this keyboard is made to work well for both gaming and typing. To further drive that home the keyboard comes with a convenient magnetic wrist rest that you simply snap onto the keyboard.
Thor 401 is definitely more of a reliable all-rounder, rather than a one-trick gaming powerhouse. It’s equipped with Kalih Brown switches which are on par with their cherry counterpart in terms of feel, if maybe just a bit quieter and more tactile. Of course, there’s the n-key rollover and while the official specs don’t list the pooling rate, I didn’t notice any input latency or lag whether I was playing or working. Of course, Thor 401 probably won’t be the keyboard you’ll take to the competitive stage, but it will handle some casual multiplayer rounds of Titanfall or Rainbow Six Siege with no problems.
The accompanying software is probably the weakest part of the package. It has the basics down with the ability to save profiles, reassign keys, record macros, and choose between a dozen different RGB effects. It’s however visually very unappealing and really lacking when compared to many competitors. Watch our full review to find out all the details.
