Review: Corsair Galleon 100 SD

Over the past years, Corsair has been expanding its market share extensively through acquisitions. Though the Silicon Valley peripheral-maker now owns Elgato, Origin, Scuf, Drop (which they’ve since announced the closure of), and Fanatec, each brand largely operated in a silo. That changed with the launch of its latest keyboard, as the Galleon 100 SD brings together some of the best features from Corsair's subsidiaries.

The Galleon merges the functionality of Elgato’s Stream Deck with Drop’s keyboard expertise. The LED buttons are borrowed directly from the Stream Deck, and unlike some previous attempts from Corsair, the Galleon 100 SD is genuinely a good keyboard. With smooth switches, a soft typing experience, and endless customization options, I’m really shocked by how much Corsair managed to pack into this keyboard.

While a useful feature, I’m still not sure the bolted-on Stream Deck will be worth the added cost (or desk space) for the average user. At a time when gaming keyboards have skewed towards more compact layouts, it’s hard to make a case for the Galleon's large footprint.

A Wide Berth

Like the large Spanish ships that this keyboard is named after, the Galleon 100 SD is notably large. Compared to standard 65% keyboards, the Galleon occupies 50% more width, all of which will sit between your hands. This means you'll need a huge desk or you’re either going to be limited in mouse space, or you’ll have to move your left hand well out of the way. This won’t be an issue for someone who’s already using a full-size keyboard, but moving from a smaller board to the Galleon's large size can be jarring.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

The added size isn’t useless, though, and the Galleon benefits from a unique and useful design. The Galleon is the only keyboard to date with an integrated Stream Deck that replaces the vestigial number pad, allowing extensive key remapping and customizability. The competing Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL Wired Gaming Keyboard, for example, comes with a 4.3-inch command display that replaces the number pad but lacks the tactile feel of the individual Stream Deck keys on the Galleon.

In the context of first-person shooters, like Quake, where mouse space is paramount, such a large layout will always be a hard sell. It’s hard to make up the lost desk space for any game that demands agility.

If you can appreciate (or overlook) the Galleon's large size, the gaming experience is impressive. The biggest draw is the 8,000 Hz polling rate, which allows for incredibly rapid and precise inputs. I found that that the high polling rate really shined in titles that prioritize snappy single inputs, like Marvel Rivals or Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (which is shockingly popular again thanks to independently-hosted servers).

Photograph: Henri Robbins

While ultra-fast polling likely won’t make-or-break gaming performance, like on Arc Raiders or Halo 3, I found the SOCD (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Direction) controls pair well with pretty much anything. This setting allows for two opposing keys (often A and D keys for strafing) to override one another when both are pressed, with the most recently-pressed key taking priority. Essentially, if you’re holding A and pressing D, you’ll start moving to the right instead of standing in place. The ultra-fast counter-strafing created by this setting allows for effortless movement in games where it’s allowed, but some competitive games (like Counter-Strike 2) have banned the feature in competitive lobbies.

Instead of using cutting-edge Hall Effect switches with adjustable actuation points and features like Rapid Trigger, this keyboard comes with standard mechanical switches. This means the actuation point cannot be changed, and some performance and customization are left on the table.

The benefit of mechanical switches is that there is more physical customization. Underneath each key is a hot-swap socket, meaning these switches can be replaced with any MX-style switch. While this allows for extensive fine-tuning of the typing feel, the feature won’t objectively increase gaming performance.

Considering the switches and the size of this keyboard, it’s really not meant to be a fully performance-oriented gaming keyboard. Instead, it strikes a middle ground of high performance paired with open-ended customization options.

Shipshape Typing Experience

The Galleon is made using a gasket mount assembly, which means the entire internal assembly is suspended inside the case using rubberized gaskets instead of screws. This creates a softer typing feel. I found this to be very comfortable. When you bottom out on a key press, it feels like landing on a trampoline instead of a hard surface.

A small bonus of the integrated Stream Deck, as opposed to a normal number pad, is the resulting internal packaging and assembly. In this design, the PCB of the keyboard area is separated from the Stream Deck area, resulting in consistent rigidity over the alphabet keys for typing. This delivers the same feel as a Tenkeyless (TKL) keyboard for typing.

The gasket mount, which provides some cushioning without being overly flexible, finds a middle ground between gaming and typing that’s comfortable without losing accuracy. Beyond that, I’m also impressed by the stabilizers. Instead of the typical plate-mount stabilizers, which can be prone to rattling, Corsair instead opted for PCB-mount stabilizers that are really well-tuned from the factory.

All Fingers on Deck

The integrated Stream Deck is practically identical to a standalone version, with four rows of three buttons, two knobs, and a customizable screen. Each button can be freely programmed, remapped to display any feature or macro, or used to display live data.

I’ve also seen some people integrate their Stream Deck directly into games. One of my favorite uses is setting up macros for different Stratagems in Helldivers 2, where the displays on the buttons show the icon for each ability. Another obvious example is setting up an auto-buy for Counter-Strike 2, or programming dedicated for commands like Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Alt+Del or muting the microphone.

There are a few small issues with the Stream Deck. My biggest gripe is that the buttons are designed around a direct viewing angle. Since the keyboard is far more horizontal, viewing them from this non-ideal angle results in the outer edge of the display being cut off. If there is any text at the top or bottom of the button, you might not be able to see it during regular use.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

Similarly, because the buttons are designed to accommodate a full-size screen without any bevel, the way they actuate is a bit strange. A rubber ring underneath the keys make depresses feel inconsistent and mushy, despite the input being registered.

I also encountered issues with input delay on the Stream Deck, especially in rapid-fire games. There is a significant lag between each keypress, which becomes an issue when using the keyboard at the same time since a delayed input might decide to insert itself between two letters when typing. This just shows how the Galleon is really two separate systems that have been bolted together.

Despite the challenges of using Corsair’s Frankenstein keyboard, I appreciate the Stream Deck functionality. Using the Galleon, I can see why the standalone Stream Deck is so popular—it is deeply customizable, shockingly intuitive, and has a lot of varied applications outside of livestreaming.

Not Quite the Ship of Theseus

There's always a concern that a manufacturer may drop support for niche products, but I don't think there's as much of an issue with the Galleon as on prior Corsair iCue products. Because the Galleon is like a Stream Deck bolted onto a regular keyboard, it should be simple enough for the company to extend software updates to this peripheral. However, I’ve been wrong before, and there could be some proprietary system that makes long-term support difficult.

Photograph: Henri Robbins

Assembly on the Galleon is a mixed bag, which impacts repairability. Inside the keyboard, an amalgamation of different components are held together in different ways. The Stream Deck portion is held in place by a significant number of screws. The internal segments of the Stream Deck are secured by metal tabs, a clear indicator that it’s not meant to be disassembled by the average person. I took the Stream Deck portion apart, and found that the entire system was (unsurprisingly) complicated and not easy to repair. If it fails, you’ll either have to replace the entire module or buy a new keyboard.

Despite its complexity, every feature on this keyboard works, and they all work well. Typing feels good, and the integrated Stream Deck was entirely bug-free. Still, the gains of having a smaller keyboard are greater than the downsides of not having a built-in Stream Deck. This is especially true when you can buy a $150 keyboard and a $150 Stream Deck to have the same functionality with far more flexibility.

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