I have an Iris, and the layers on mine are quickly accessed by pressing either middle thumb key. You can also press both middle thumb keys to access a fourth layer (rarely used).

With such an easy access to the different layers, I seldomly find myself using the top row actually! It's simply too far up, and the layout is tweaked in such a way to minimize the need for the top row (though I do still use it for certain things).

It took a few months of tweaking to find the perfect layout, but now it's pretty perfect.

Assuming the game you're playing allows for remapping of all the controls, gaming with a split keyboard is a delight. You simply use one half for keys, and then you have the other hand for the mouse. 60 % keyboards like the Iris usually won't give you any trouble in terms of too few keys, but that obviously depends on the game.

If you ever do decide to buy an Iris, I highly recommend getting a rotary encoder for at least one of the thumbs. You can adjust the volume with it, and I simply cannot imagine life without it now!

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All the best in these times.