I found a strange MelGeek lighting function and transformed my keyboard into Tetris.

      I have been evaluating the MelGeek Made68 Ultra V2 over the past few weeks, and unexpectedly, one of my favorite aspects has nothing to do with gaming.

      Make no mistake, this is indeed a gaming keyboard, and a high-end one at that. It incorporates Hall effect switches, allows for adjustable actuation, and includes all the typical features you would anticipate from a modern magnetic keyboard. I've particularly enjoyed playing Rainbow Six Siege with it, where peeking and strafing feel significantly quicker compared to the mechanical keyboards I usually use.

      But I’ve also developed a fondness for simply typing on it. My model features TTC’s KOM Lite switches, which have been a real pleasure to use. They emit a clicky yet surprisingly balanced sound that has been music to my ears after years of using relatively quiet linear mechanical switches.

      Sudhanshu Kumar Manglam / Digital Trends

      However, none of this prepared me for the feature that has likely taken up the most time in my review.

      Wait, why does my keyboard support GIFs?

      While exploring MelGeek’s Hive 2.0 software, I stumbled upon an option labeled GIF Lighting. My initial response was confusion.

      Uploading GIFs is logical for keyboards equipped with small LCD or OLED screens. The Made68 Ultra V2 does not have such a screen. It boasts 69 RGB LEDs positioned beneath its keys, so I was curious about what MelGeek expected me to do with a GIF.

      Naturally, I began uploading random GIFs.

      Sudhanshu Kumar Manglam / Digital Trends

      I started with Pac-Man, then added Nyan Cat and a few other simple animations. The outcome was predictably chaotic, given that an image was being rendered with fewer than 70 individual lights. You could see colors moving on the keyboard, but recognizing the actual image required a fair bit of imagination.

      Then it struck me. Tetris.

      I spent a substantial part of my childhood playing Tetris on inexpensive Game Boy clones, typically on small black-and-white screens. A keyboard seemed almost ideal for recreating it. The keys already form a grid, each can display a different color, and Tetris doesn’t require intricate graphics to be identifiable.

      Sudhanshu Kumar Manglam / Digital Trends

      I searched for appropriate GIFs, but nothing really worked as I had hoped. So, I ended up using ChatGPT to create one from scratch.

      It took me two attempts to perfect it, but I finally produced a 30-second looping animation featuring red, blue, green, purple, yellow, and turquoise blocks falling and stacking against a black background.

      Now, my keyboard is running Tetris.

      Transferring it to the keyboard was surprisingly straightforward. I uploaded the GIF to MelGeek Hive, adjusted its scale and position, and mapped the animation across the RGB lighting.

      Suddenly, little Tetris blocks were cascading across my keyboard.

      It’s clearly not a perfect miniature Tetris display. There simply aren’t enough LEDs for that level of detail. However, the chunky blocks, vivid colors, and movement translate remarkably well. From a normal sitting distance, it appears as though a tiny game is perpetually unfolding beneath my fingertips.

      I’m certainly not the first to put Tetris on an RGB keyboard. What makes MelGeek’s implementation intriguing to me is how little effort it requires. I don’t have to search for someone else’s lighting configuration, install a custom preset, or manually program every key. It accepts a standard GIF, and Hive allows me to resize and reposition it until the animation fits perfectly.

      More importantly, I’m not confined to a small preset animation. My current Tetris loop lasts for 30 seconds, but there’s nothing stopping me from creating something significantly longer. A 30-minute or even hour-long Tetris game is already on my radar, along with enhancing the animation to make better use of every key.

      Sudhanshu Kumar Manglam / Digital Trends

      GIF Lighting isn’t the only unique lighting feature hidden within Hive; there’s also AI Lighting, which allows you to describe a color palette, mood, or visual style through a prompt for the software to generate an effect. Presets like Cyberpunk, Esports Tech, Anime/2D, Pixel Art, and Flame Lava provide a starting point.

      I’m still exploring these features and will have more to share about the Made68 Ultra V2 in my complete review. For now, I am enjoying Tetris playing across my keyboard and contemplating what other GIFs might work just as well.