GMK TriggerKey is a strange little keyboard accessory, but its idea is pretty simple. It sits on top of a standard mechanical switch and replaces the usual vertical keypress with a lever-like motion that feels much closer to pulling a trigger.
You can adjust the height, change the angle by up to 34 degrees, and alter where within that lever movement the underlying switch is activated. GMK also includes three different stem caps to tweak the feel further, so it packs a surprising amount of adjustment into what is ultimately a very small mechanism.
After spending some time gaming with it, I actually quite like how TriggerKey feels. The movement is smooth, the adjustments are easy to make, and there is something satisfying about using WASD like four tiny triggers. The problem is that I am still not entirely convinced that all that extra movement gives you much of an advantage when paired with a traditional mechanical switch.
And oddly enough, using TriggerKey has mostly made me want this exact idea on a Hall Effect keyboard instead.
Installing GMK TriggerKey
My press kit came with four TriggerKey in a blue and yellow colourway, alongside twelve stem caps divided between 0.7mm, 1.2mm and 1.7mm heights. It also includes a small tool for installing the TriggerKey on the switch and another adjustment tool for changing its height and actuation position.
GMK also supplied its CYL White on Black keycap set for testing. These are the classic black double-shot ABS keycaps with white legends that GMK is known for, and they look clean and understated on the Womier ERA75 I used for testing. The bright blue and yellow TriggerKey sticking out from WASD ruin that subtle look almost immediately, but I suppose I should have picked a better colour.
Installation looks a little intimidating the first time around, and I did have to consult the instructions because I have never installed anything quite like this before. Once you know what goes where, though, it is pretty simple. You remove the normal keycap, place the TriggerKey over the switch, use the supplied tool to lock it onto the keycap with two clicks, fit the appropriate stem cap, and then adjust the height and angle until it feels right.
TriggerKey supports both north-facing and south-facing installations, although switch compatibility is considerably more limited. It is primarily designed for traditional MX-style housings, such as Cherry MX and most Gateron switches, while Kailh BOX, low-profile switches, and most HE switches are currently incompatible.
It Really Does Feel Like a Trigger
The mechanism is probably the best part of TriggerKey.
Rather than tapping the top of the keycap, your finger rests against the raised bump towards the lower section and pushes it down. You can increase the height to give yourself more movement before the switch activates, which makes the whole thing feel much closer to squeezing a trigger than pressing a keyboard key.
And it feels nice. The movement is smooth, adjusting the height and angle is easy and tactile, and depending on how you configure it, the raised position can actually be quite comfortable. Instead of your fingers resting flat across WASD, they can sit naturally against the bumps, ready to press forward.
There is a fair amount of room to experiment here, too. GMK allows up to 34 degrees of tilt, while the three different stem caps change where within the lever movement the underlying switch is engaged.
I tried all three stem caps and several different heights, but the differences mostly came down to how much “trigger” I wanted underneath my finger. One setting gave me a shorter movement; another let the lever travel much farther before the switch activated. Which is where I started questioning the point of all that extra movement.
The Extra Travel Doesn’t Really Do Anything
GMK describes TriggerKey as offering an adjustable actuation point, and mechanically, that is technically what is happening. You are changing where within TriggerKey’s lever travel it pushes the underlying switch far enough to actuate.
It can’t change what the switch reports to the game. GMK acknowledges the lever can alter the force curve you feel, but a traditional mechanical switch is still effectively binary: it is either activated, or it isn’t.
Say TriggerKey is installed on W and you have adjusted it fairly high to get that pronounced trigger sensation. You press it slightly and your character doesn’t move. Push it further and nothing happens. Keep going through that extra range and, eventually, the underlying switch reaches its normal actuation point and your character starts moving forward. Everything before that is just movement underneath your finger.
There is certainly more physical control compared to pressing a normal keycap, but the game isn’t receiving any of that information. You aren’t gradually moving forward as you press deeper, and there isn’t any meaningful gameplay response until the regular mechanical switch underneath finally activates.
I spent most of my time testing TriggerKey in Marvel Rivals and couldn’t find any clear advantage. Strafing didn’t suddenly become more precise, movement wasn’t any quicker, and I wasn’t controlling my character in some new way. I liked the feeling of using the triggers, but I was still playing exactly as I would on a normal keyboard.
I also handed it over to my nephew, who plays Valorant far more seriously than I ever will, because I wanted to see if someone more competitive could get something from it that I couldn’t. His reaction was similar: it felt interesting, but he didn’t find it particularly beneficial while playing.
That doesn’t mean the mechanism is bad. In fact, I think TriggerKey gives you noticeably more physical control over a key press than a conventional keycap. I just couldn’t find much for that control to actually do.
TriggerKey Makes Much More Sense for Hall Effect
This is where things become a little frustrating, because TriggerKey seems almost perfectly suited to one of my biggest complaints with Hall Effect keyboards.
HE switches can offer extremely granular adjustable actuation points. Depending on the keyboard and software, you can set the switch to activate incredibly early, much deeper into the travel, or use Rapid Trigger to dynamically reset it as your finger moves.
The problem is that physically feeling those tiny differences through a normal keycap isn’t particularly easy. Going from something like 0.1mm to 1mm or further gives you a measurable difference in software, but under your finger, you are still pressing the same conventional keycap straight down. There isn’t much tactile reference to tell you where you are within that range.
TriggerKey could potentially make that much easier. The lever gives your finger a longer and much more deliberate movement, so pairing that with an HE switch could give you a better sense of where you are within its actuation range. That extra travel would no longer just be empty movement; it could correspond with something the keyboard is actually capable of detecting and using.
Unfortunately, most of the popular HE switches on GMK’s compatibility list currently don’t work with TriggerKey. Gateron Jade and Jade Pro are incompatible, as are Wooting’s Lekker V1/V2 and Lekker Tikken switches. There are exceptions, including Cherry’s MK magnetic switches and NZXT’s Magnetic Switch because they use an MX-style housing, but support is still fairly limited.
For me, this is the biggest missed opportunity with TriggerKey in its current form. The hardware already gives you the physical sensation and range that adjustable-actuation keyboards could benefit from. It just doesn’t work with many of the switches where that movement could actually mean something.
Typing with TriggerKey is Another Problem
TriggerKey also changes the way you interact with the keyboard enough that I wouldn’t want to leave it installed on a board I use for both gaming and work.
Unlike a normal keycap, you can’t comfortably strike anywhere on its surface. Your finger needs to press the raised lower portion that operates the lever, while the flatter upper section isn’t something you can hit normally while typing. That is perfectly fine when your fingers are planted on WASD during a game, but start typing and years of muscle memory goes for a toss.
Even moving between a TriggerKey and a neighbouring normal key takes some getting used to. If you have one installed on W and need to quickly move over to E, one key requires a deliberate forward press against a bump while the other is a normal downward tap. It isn’t impossible to learn, but it does require new muscle memory for something that was previously completely instinctive.
I didn’t experience any finger fatigue during gaming, and the raised position could actually be quite comfortable depending on how you set the angle. But I wouldn’t want to write an article with four of them sitting on WASD.
You could remove them after every gaming session, of course, and the installation becomes easier once you have done it a few times. But I don’t think the process is quick or convenient enough that I would want to repeatedly install and remove them every day. TriggerKey makes much more sense on a dedicated gaming keyboard where typing isn’t really a concern.
So, Who is TriggerKey Actually For?
GMK TriggerKey launches on October 6 for USD 49. For that price, the retail package includes a case with four TriggerKey, stem caps, installation tools and spare screws, which I think is pretty reasonable for an enthusiast accessory this unusual.
The mechanism itself feels well thought-out, adjustment is easy, and getting four TriggerKeys in the box means you can immediately set up WASD without having to buy anything extra. If you enjoy tinkering with keyboards and want to try something completely different, USD 49 doesn’t feel excessive for what you are getting.
My problem is still figuring out what practical benefit TriggerKey adds when paired with a traditional mechanical switch. It does exactly what the name suggests and gives a keyboard key a convincing trigger-like motion. I enjoyed the feel of using it, and the extra height and travel can even make resting your fingers on WASD more comfortable, but once you start playing, all of that additional movement eventually ends at the same binary mechanical switch underneath it.
I doubt I’ll keep them installed on my keyboard after testing. Not because TriggerKey isn’t well made or unpleasant to use, but because I couldn’t find enough benefit to justify changing the way I already interact with WASD.
Where I think things could get far more interesting is with broader Hall Effect support. Pair this lever mechanism with a switch that can actually detect and make use of that travel, and it could become much more than something that simply feels different.
