Interchangable Keysets

The ability to remove the keyset is very beneficial for a few reasons. Firstly, as you know, keyboards can be a total pain to clean, getting right in under the keys is near or less impossible. So when needed, you can simply unclip the keyset and completely clean out the keyboard and the keys without a worry of damaging the keyboard.

Another great feature about the keysets is that Steelseries have released different keysets which are dedicated to individual games, these games being Starcraft II, World of Warcraft and Medal of Honour. The keysets are all different to the default one, they have dedicated keys enabling gameplay to be a lot easier for the players. 

Macros

Macros are obviously very important for any gaming keyboard, giving the players the ability to make playing their games easier. However Macros can be used for many things, you can use them to set text to be written, which in some games can be very useful. An example of this is in Heroes of Newerth in the laning stage, you can simply set your macros to type "miss top" or something that will save you time ingame.
The main idea of Macros like I said earlier, is to make gameplay easier for the player. There are many things you can do with the Macros to enable this. You can create your Macros to cast skills or do whatever is suitable for your game. Macros are used very frequently in WoW, people tend to set a series of spells to be casted with just the 1 click. They are also used frequently in CS, where players bind pre-buy options to their macro keys, saving them the hassle of doing it themselves. 
They can be used for all sorts of things, I have set some of mine to launch applications which then triggers a certain profile depending on what I have just opnened. For example, I have a macro which launches Heroes of Newerth and then the HoN profile on the Shift is triggered enabling my ingame binds etc. 

The Macros are very easy to setup, with the software which is designed especially for the Shift provided by Steelseries. They have made it very simple for people to customize their keyboard to their satisfaction. They can be made very complex by recording your macro whilst in a game or simply on desktop. This makes them very useful for games such as WoW, where a chain of spells can be queued with one button.

Audio & USB Ports

The ports are located at the back of the keyboard to give you easier access to your headset and mouse. Being able to have them plugged in at your keyboard allows you to have a lot more cable on your headset and you will not have to have your PC as close to your screens/keyboard if you don't need them to be. The reason behind the two USB plugs for the actual keyboard is worth mentioning here. As it has 2 USB ports on the back, one of the USB cables is for the actual keyboard, the other is for the USB ports at the port. This gives you a faster response to all aspects of the keyboard.

Media Keys

The Media Keys are fairly self explanatory. They're positioned perfect enabling you to change your music whilst in a game. Although they are handy when not in a game because it's just easier then going onto your Player and changing your music there.

Adjustable Height Options

The Shift comes with 3 adjustable height options allowing you to adjust it to your suitable positioning. The clips are easily accessible and you can adjust them easily. My personal preference is the bigger clip, but it really is down to self preference, but it's good to know that you have the option to change the height to more then one position.

Overview

The Shift is generally comfortable and easy to use, with all the features I have written about, you would think that it would make the keyboard somewhat of a complex piece of hardware. However Steelseries have put the Shift together to perfection and it clearly shows, at first glimpse of the keyboard, you know straight away that it is designed for one reason, to game.

Whilst using the Shift in a game, the keyboard will switch to your desired profile enabling your macros, which means you can then use all the macros that you have created via the Steelseries Shift interface. The interface is simply the best application produced for a keyboard, making it simple, clear and stylish. With the ability to also use the media buttons, Steelseries have really made it a great gaming experience.

After playing a number of games with the Shift, it is clear that it's better used in FPS and RTS games such as Starcraft 2 and Call of Duty 4. These are the games that don't require any further hotkeys compared to a standard keyboard. Whereas MOBO games such as Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends often require extra customized hotkeys, with the macro keys being located at the top of the keyboard, it isn't ideal for fast reaction circumstances. This is the only fault that I have discovered with the keyboard and this issue is easily fixed with a custom hotkey application. 

Personally, I am very happy with the Shift keyboard and find it fantastic to use for gaming and general use. I highly reccommend any gamer to purchase a Shift as it will give you a brilliant gaming experience. 
I'd like to thank Steelseries and FnaticMSI for providing the Steelseries Shift keyboard in order for this review. I'd also like to thank Jim Sandholm for all the graphics produced.

If you would like to view the keyboard in more detail, head over to the product page HERE.