Corsair makes some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards around, but provides more flexibility by aligning more with the custom community in its latest release. The MAKR 75 is a barebones set, with optional wireless modules, LED displays, and switch plates to throw in and out (on top of the standard switches and keycaps). It costs $179.99 for the basic chassis, though - far more than I ever spent on a case when I first started modding. If you opt for the additional wireless connection and LED display, you're looking at , and I can't help but feel like Corsair's deck isn't for the people it's aiming at.

I started building custom decks years ago. Most of the fun comes from learning about different mods, switches, materials, and janky workarounds from the community and trying things out for yourself, ultimately building something that's well and truly your own. This 'DIY' keyboard still feels like Corsair's, I'm just putting it all together for them and being charged more than🐲 I would a prebuilt for the privilege.

Some of my favorite keyboards started life as budget kits from Amazon brands I'd never heard of before, costing anywhere from $40 to $70. Take this GK GAMAKAY model. It's got the same volume roller as Corsair's, includes wireless connectivity straig🐲ht from the off, and is fully VIA compatible. It also costs $56.6🌼9.

Would I feel confident taking a risk with a new silicon pour mod at that price? Absolutely. Would I undertake the same experiments with Corsair's high-flying $179.99 chassis? Not in a million years. I've broken some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards on the market, and learned from each and 🐈every one.

Of course, Corsair doesn't want you to try these things with the MAKR 75. It wants you to buy a barebones kit and upgrade it with a wireless module and display panel further down the line. That's no s♏hade, if you're looking for a deck you can make your own it's nice to have a solid backbone of a mainstream brand's core gaming features behind you, just without having to pay for stock switches and keycaps straight out the box.

In fact, I expect the Corsair MAKR 75 to do fairly well among gamers looking for both speed and personalization, but who don't want to crack open their case every time they hear a slight rattle. After all, I loved the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE - it's a fully modular deck, down to the casing and all. That's not so𝓰mething you'll get from cheaper barebones kits; if you want 🐻to upgrade your materials, you'll need a whole new deck.

I'm also enjoying my time with the MAKR 75 so far. It feels fantastic under the fingertips, offers an excellent boun♈ce, and offers more flexibility than other gaming keyboards that sit just below its price range.

I do worry about the soul of it all, though. Maybe I'm getting old, but back in my day, there was real satisfaction from tinkering with cheap decks, making them sound and feel far better tha🌠n their original price tags could have ever hoped for. That doesn't need to cost the earth. You could get supplies for dozens of🐠 different mods in a good hardware store and still get change from $20.

Nobody's forcing anyone to buy🔜 more expensive kits, and these cheaper options are still available - but it's worth remembering how little this hobby can cost if you're just starting out.

I'm also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for a non-mechanical option. Or, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models if you're looking to rebuild your setup.

While those numbers leapt up to $189.9𒁃9 in May, though, things are looking far more recommendable right now. Amazon has the gaming keyboard available . That's $30 off the new price and $10 off the MSRP ♈I was so happy with in the first place.

It has been cheaper before. I first spotted the G Pro X TKL Rapid at $147.99 back in April, but i🐎t only hit this price for a couple of days before shooting back up above its previous $169.99 MSRP. Since then, it's only ever dropped to $159.99 when on sale, and this is only the third time I've seen such a sale.

Should you buy the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid?

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid is actually one of the cheaper Hall effect gaming keyboards on the market right now. If you want those magnetic switch adjustments you'll be paying over $200 for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 and over $300 for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE.

That means you're still getting flexible actuation points (from 0.1mm to 4mm) as well as dual-step actuati🌳on (setting two different inputs to the same keypress, depending on how far down you push). All the basic features of a Hall effect deck are here, packaged up in a slimline chassis with dedicated media controls, vivid RGB lighting, and a particularly easy software process.

In fact, the only thing I didn't particularly like about the G Pro X TKL Rapid was the tension in its key presses. SteelSeries provides a little more feedback on your way down the stem, but it does so without feeling too woolly. Here there's a little more reistance underneath each key. That makes for a heavier everyday typing experience and softer bottom-out. Compared to a mechanical deck, you'll certainly notice a drop in that traditional 'clack' sound. It also doesn'꧅t help that the top plate is a little softer than others I've used.

Unless you🌺're typing all day everyday, this is going to be an excellent addition to any♑ gaming setup.

Read more: What is a Hall effect gaming keyboard (and do you need one)?

I'm also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards if you want to take your switches out completely.

Why opt for magnetic switches? For customizable actuation point𝓡s.

A mechanical switch is either on or off, but Hall effect keyboards measure a magnetic field around a switch to know exactly h✱ow far down a keypress you are at any given moment. One your keyboard knows that, you can start adjusting the moment at which your switch registers an input. Many also double-down on these features, offering multi-point actuation - half-press for one function and simply bottom-out for another.

I've had my mitts all ove🌄r the latest an💛d greatest Hall effect gaming keyboards, but narrowed the market down to the four you should be checking out if you're interested in making the change.

The Quick List

1. Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE |
2. SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 |
3. Endgame Gear KB65HE |
4. Corsair K70 Pro TKL |

Some terms you should know

Hall effect gaming keyboards are still young, which means there's still relatively new terminology to learn if you're goin🃏g to make the most of this guide. Whether you're buying your first gaming keyboard or have simply been out of the game for a little while, I've got you covered with the basics.

Actuation

Actuation is the process by ♊which a keyboard switch registers an input.

Actuation point

The actuation point of a switch is the distance it needs to be pushed downwards ♛for the keyboa🌳rd to register a keypress.

Multi-point actuation

Multi-point actuation is a key feature of most Hall effect gaming ♏keyboards. It allows multiple inputs to be set at different actuation points. For example, you can configure a half-press on W to register as move forward and a full press on W to register as sprint forwards.

Actuation range

The maximum and minimum amount of distance a magnetic key can be pushed to register an input. This is your range of motion when setting up your customized ღswitched.

Read more: What is a Hall effect keyboard and do you need one?

1. Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE

A lot of Hall effect gaming keyboards opt for a wired connection due to those power-hungry switches, but not the GMMK 3 Pro HE. This is a 2.4GH⛎z and Bluetooth deck, making for a much tidier setup overall. Of course, you're paying for that cable-free connection, with the highest MSRP featured on this list.

The GMMK 3 Pro HE earns that luxury rate, though, with four-step actuation rather than the usual two-step (two functions can be programmed on the way down and another two on the way up). This is also an entirely modular design, which means you can swap out everything from the switch plate to ไthe case itself later on if you need to. Having broken my fair share of custom keyboards, I would have loved this deck when starting out.

This is my top Hall effect pick overall - not only does it offer more features than cheaper decks below, but it also comes in with a gorgeous typing feelꦺ thanks to a robust gasket mounting and sound dampening system.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE review

2. SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3

The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 is the best Hall effect gaming keyboard for most players who don't want to spend more than $300 on the Glorious deck. This is a pedigree line, SteelSeries jumped on the magnetic bandwagon well before competitors like Corsair and Logitech. They've had time to refine that feel, t🧔hen, and the result is one of the most satisfying sets of clackers I'v🉐e used so far.

What really sets this TKL keyboard apart though, is how those switches feel all the way down the press. There's a real sense of texture in the weight of these keys, which means I have a much better time of telling how far I am down the stem of the switch. That sensory information makes act🐼ually hitting the d♉esired actuation point (and no more) for a function assigned to a half-press all the more accurate.

The Apex Pro also benefits from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Rapid Trigger and SOCD controls as well. Handily, the OLED display can - among other things 𒀰- show all your Discord notifications to boot.

The downsides? It might be the best, but it's also the most🐼 expensive Hall effect gaming keyboard on this list, and only the alphanumeric keys feature those magnetic switches. The rest are standard meꦗchanical clickers.

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 review

3. Endgame Gear KB65HE

The Endgame Gear KB65HE has been around for just over a year now, but it's still fended off the competition from newer models. Why has it stuck around as one 🎃of the best Hall effect decks for so long? It's built incredibly well.

This is a pure brick of aluminum with a set of high-quality Ducky PBT keycaps up top. That means a gorgeously textured typing feel with the stability and sound absorption of a sturdy case with extra sound dampening baked in. Most Hall effect gaming keyboards stick with plastic cases these days, to keep the costs associated with those more premium switꦑches to a minimum.

What you trade up fo♓r in f👍eel and build quality, though, you do lose in functionality. It's a damn sight cheaper than SteelSeries' larger (plastic-cased) Apex model, but it still comes with a full range of actuation points available (0.1mm - 4mm) and Rapid Trigger controls. There's no multi-point actuation here, though, which is a big drop compared to other more expensive builds that focus more on gaming macros than typing feel.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE review

4. Corsair K70 Pro TKL

If you're climbing competitive online ran෴k tables, you'll want a Hall effect gaming keyboard with plenty of speed under the hood.

That's where Corsair comes in. This is an ⛦esports-focused line of keyboards, with the 8,000Hz polling rate to prove it, but the latest model throws magnetic Hall effect switches into the mix as well. While the typing experience is still slightly clunky with softer switches compared to the com𝓰petition, this is a particularly speedy model.

Dial things up to 0.1mm and stick the K70 Pro TKL into its top polling mode, and you've got one of the fastest decks on the market right now - all with the additional functionality of dual-step actuations and rapid trigger as wಞell.

Just watch out if you're in the UK, this deck ships with oily ABS keycaps outsid🦩e of the US.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro TKL review

How to choose a Hall effect gaming keyboard

If you're stuck for choice, it's worth considering what you want to play, how you tend to play it, and which quality of life features are﷽ must-haves. In general, I recommend most players check out Hall effect gaming keyboards with a 0.1 - 4mm range of actuation. If you really don't think you'll use dual-step features there are decks available without them (at a slightly lower price) as wel🍌l.

Outside of making sure you're getting a good range of actuation points and all your multi-point features are taken ca♛re of, it's worth stepping away from the switch♔es themselves.

If you know you need a wireless connection, for example, your list of options is going to shrink considerably (and your p🐷rice is going to increase). If you don't mind a cable on your desk you can get away with paying much less, and can instead focus on what kind of additional media controls, navigation keys, and RGB lighting features you want.

Building a list of these additꦜional features can help you focus on the features that matter most to you. There's no point in paying for kit you won't use and different decks make different sacrifices to keep their prices competitive. Finding the rig tha💧t shares your priorities will net you the best value.

For example, I don't care too much about a wireless connection. It's a nice to have, but I'd rather spend that money on a larg🌟er deck with✱ dedicated playback controls built in because I tend to listen to music while working and playing. I don't prioritize PBT keycaps straight out of the box as I have my own collection. I also don't mind a slower polling rate as I rarely play in online competitive modes (and I'm not good enough to notice it anyway). I'm a fan of deep, sound-dampened thoccs as well, so I'll definitely have room in a budget for a gasket mounted and heavily padded case.

That means I prefer to pay less for a wired deck with cheaper ABS k🐠eycaps, but will up that budget slightly for a 75% or TKL deck with dedicated media controls and a gasket mounted design.

How I test Hall effect gaming keyboards

Every Hall effect gaming keyboard I test slots straight into my daily work and play activity. That mea🍷ns it's run on whatever I'm working on at that time, and whatever's whirring away in my Steam library. Being able to live with these keyboards outside of a sterile testing environment means I experience them as you will.

I unbox them, set them up, and e♔xplore all the features within my own setup and with each deck's main competitors off to the side for easy comparison. It also means I can test battery lives, smaller software quirks, productivity controls, and long term comfort in a realistic setting. I'm testing for speed, reliability, and functionality yes, but more imp𓃲ortantly I'm exploring how a keyboard actually feels to run and how it slots into every day life.

Outside of that initial period, I more thoroughly test latencies, response times, and actuation pressures across CS:2 and Apex Legends. I explore all available switch customizatio💛n options, and test across all available connection🐲 methods. Finally, once I've had enough time to fully bed in with each deck, I complete three typing tests on TypingTest.com to find my average speed and accuracy with the deck at hand.

For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I'm also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards for more options. Or, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for a cheaper mix.

These decks don't need to be the fastest on the marke🎐t, or offer the most robust mechanical switches. In fact, they're better if they swerve these temptations in favor of a lower weight and slimmer form factor.

Sure, we're dropping the 2.4GHz connection featured by most of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards here, but the Bluetooth Razer Joro more than makes up for it in its super skinny form factor, gorgeous RGB lighti🦩ng, and satisfying scissor switches.

I've been building an on-the-go Asus ROG Ally setup since I first got my hands on the devi𒁃ce. It's certainly pricier than a generic Amazon-brand portable deck, a🅰nd it's by no means fast or comfortable enough to replace my daily driver. The Razer Joro is staying in my backpack for the foreseeable future, though - and here's why.

Design

Straight out the box, this is a nice looking keyboard. Flick those RGB lights on and the Razer Jo𒊎ro transforms into somethin🧜g strangely mesmerizing. Between the soft feel and those vibrant LEDs, the Joro is a particularly clean piece of kit, a surprise considering compact decks like this often feel much cheaper than their fully fledged siblings. Unfortunately, though, there's only one zone of RGB lighting in here. That's a little odd considering just how slick these LEDs are. If you're after per-key illumination you'll need to check out Cherry's competitor.

Razer has developed the Joro for on-the-go play, which means it weighs just 374g and measures in at 16.5mm thin. That's just over half the thickness of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cherry MX-LP 2.1, my previous go-to for a compact, backpack-friendly deck. The Joro achieves this low weight without feeling ඣcheap, tho♑ugh.

Up top we've got a sturdy aluminum top plate constructed from 5052 aluminum alloy, and even the plastic underside feels strong enough to withstand the trials of the outside world. There's a♋bsolutely no flex to this deck, a real feat considering so ma🌜ny of the portable gaming keyboards I've tried often curve under heavier typing motions.

There's just one problem. Razer hasn't included any method of elevation on the underside. I can see why, this is a portable keyboard designed to be pulled out for quick play sessions while you're away from your main setup. However,♔ Cherry's reversible rubber feet provide a little extra height that goes a long way without adding to the bulk of the finaꦉl design. The deck is wedged to provide some ergonomic comfort, but it's still a very flat experience that can get tiresome after a while.

The brand also doesn't include a case in the box, which hurts a little considering the $140 price tag. By contrast, the larger (but still portability-minded) 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile comes packaged with a plastic topper ꦡto keep everything safely in place during transit.

Keycaps

These plastic toppers are UV-coat꧟ed to maintain resistance to those in-bag scratches, though I'd still feel concerned keeping my keys in the same pouch. That coating is also more resistant to oily shines in my experience, though I'll need to spend more time with the Joro to know for sure if the same is true here. So far, everything is still looking as matte as the day I pulled it out the box. Legeౠnds are laser-etched, so not quite as durable as doubleshot models but will stand the test of time much better than a simple print job.

The caps themselves are smooth and soft to the touch, dropping the more textured feel of a full-sized (or even just regular low-profile) PBT keycap in favor of a more chiclet-style design. That means this feels more like the keyboard of one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming laptops than the thoccy mechanical beast you'd want to keep in your🎐 main setup.

Personally, I prefer a little more grit in my caps. The Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile, for example, keeps things a little thicker but provides are far more satisfying texture up top as a result. I'm not exactly sliding across the deck here, but if you're used to a rougher topper thingꦓs can feel a littl෴e clammy.

Razer has managed to keep a 75% form factor in this ultra-compact design, and we'vꩲe still got full-sized keycaps across most of the deck. The function row has taken the hit for us here, with half-keys taking up the top line of caps to kee♕p everything else comfortably sized.

They're still easy enough to reach both in-game and during typing, and I never found myself mis-pressing. I did need to take my eyes off the screen a l𒁏ittle more at the start to find the correct button, though this eased over time.

Switches

This is what I was most worried about when I started testing the Razer Joro, but thankfully my fears of a mushy, lethargic switch-feel have been allayed. The Joro uses the same scissor switches as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:2025 Razer Blade 16, though thi𝓡s time with a slightly larger 1.6mm trave🥀l distance (the Blade taps out at 1.5mm).

That means this isn't your everyday laptop-style keyboard, it takes after the best deck I've used in a gaming rig so far. These switches have a solid sense of resistance behind them, but feel far lighter under the fingertips than the heavier clacks of the Cherry MX-LP 2.1 and its Low Profile Speeds. That makes for a nippy experience, but one that's🐭 still satisfying, tactile, and resistant to accidental presses.

Software

When wired in, the Razer Joro is fully customizable within the brand's Synapse software, a nicely presented program that provides access to additional keybinding features as well as power saving🍌 and RGB control𓆏s.

The Joro also takes full advantage of the Snap Tap feature shared by the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards on the market. You'll need to keep this one away from competitive online endeavors, but it essentially makes switching between two keys much faster by immediately cancelling input from one as soon as another 𒊎is detected.

Overall the Joro makes good use of Synapse 4. You've got everything you need here, minus some of the fancier actuation features reserved for the brand's analog systems like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini, and everything's laid out intuitively to boot.

Controls

I didn't even clock that this was a 75% keyboard until time came to write up my thoughts - and that's af𝔍ter using it for two weeks. That's how well Razer has squeezed all these controls onto a compact deck, even if some are relegated to half key presses and dual-function nav buttons. The Razer Joro packs the full functionality of a larger keyboard into a tiny package.

Media 🉐playback mic mute controls are mapped to a function layer on the nav keys on the right, while꧃ colume, brightness, and Bluetooth connection options are relegated to the function row. Everything is still easily reachable, though, making for a particularly versatile experience.

If you don't want to hook up to Synapse, RGB effects can be cycled with Fn, CTRL, and 1,2,3, or 4, while your three connected Bluetooth devices are all just a tap away as well. The only thing missing from be🌊efier gaming keyboards is on-the-fly macro recording, which would have been helpful considering there's less of a relianc▨e on that software in this more portable design.

All that puts the Razer Joro in step with the Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile and we👍ll above the Cherry MX-LP 2.1, which drops the function row e🍸ntirely but still maintains dual-function media controls and easy Bluetooth switching.

Connection

There's no 2.4GHz connection available here, which is understandable - Razer is targeting a mobile audience who will likely prefer to keep the precious ports on their 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming handheld free.

Still, the brand is bringing Hyperspeed multi-device pairing (a way of connecting both the Joro and the Razer Basilisk Mobile mouse to one USB receiver), so t♊he tech is there for a more stable connection. It would have been nice to get this option from the get-go, wit🍬h a dongle in the box, for more versatility. Both the Asus ROG Falchion and Cherry MX-LP 2.1 offer this faster connection method.

As it stands, we've got 𒈔space for three Bluetooth connections and a USB-C cable supplied in the box for charging and wired play. The deck is also compatible with Windows Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair, and I never had any issue with reliability during my day to day use. Setup is quick as easy and moving between different devices is pretty much instant as well.

I did notice that the Joro takes much longer to wake from slꦡeep than it🥀s 2.4GHz siblings, though.

Battery

Razer rates the Joro at 1,800 hours total battery with with its Power Saving Mode on - that's with no RGB, no Synapse, no device swꦏitching, and no fun. I've been testing it with 50% lighting brightness and it took just over 17.5 hours to fully drain 🐈to 0%, a solid result for a deck with lighting this strong and vibrant.

Ramping that brightness all the way up to 10 does swamp that battery much quicker, but considering you'll still get fantastic RGBs at half way there's ꦜstill plenty of room to drop down.

Typing

This is a very different feel to the mechanical clickers you'll find among more traditional builds, and the result isn't quite as tactile. For a lap𒆙top keyboard, these scissor switches are fantastic - but whether you want to pay $139.99 for that feel in a separate deck is another ꦐmatter.

The typing experience is slick for its construction, but it's not going to rival 🐽a set of mechanical clickers. The Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile is far more textured in its feel overall, providing more satisfying feedback, greater precision, and a super soft, cushioned landing that stays comfortable over longer periods. While it's not as heavy as the Cherry MX-LP 2.1, the Razer Joro's harsher landing and slightly higher re💯sistance means fatigue does set in fairly quickly. I can feel that strain after about ten minutes of solid typing time, and around six hours of more casual use.

My typing speed test tells a similar story. The lighter switches mean I'm significantly faster on the Razer Joro compared to Ch❀erry's portable d⭕eck, but at the expense of accuracy.

Still, if you'd prefer to prioritize the much sli🌱mmer design of Razer's device there's some nice action to these keys. That sturdy top plate makes for a ဣparticularly energetic bounce with a rigid backbone keeping everything snapping beautifully both in and out of each keypress.

Gaming

The shorter switches (especially combined with Snap Tap) make for a speedy gaming experience overall, even if that Bluetooth latency isn't going to keep up with more competitive decks. While I did miss the extra depth and tactile feel of a mechanical switch, I've spent enough time with gaming laptops to have a muscle memory for thes🦩e chiclet designs.

I maintained my usual laptop speed and accuracy on the Razer Joro, zipping across Doom: The Dark Ages maps and keep🉐ing ✱all my regular keybindings in tow as well.

Unfortunately, that Bluetooth connection does introduce a little input lag that will be more no🧸ticeable to ultra-competitive players. I'm not one of those players, but I have spent most of my PC gaming life on a 2.4GHz receiver and the difference is noticeable. Until that Hyperspe🦩ed update this isn't one for the speed-conscious.

Should you buy the Razer Joro?

For its $139.99 / £129.99 price tag, the Razer Joro looks and feels much better than the only-slightly cheaper ($129.99) Cherry MX-LP 2.1. That was previously my favorite portable gaming keyboard, but with a thicker chassis, high꧂er weight, and heavier typing feel, Cherry has lost its position here. The Razer Joro doesn't fare quite so well in its matchup against Asus in the wider low profile category, though.

If you're not too fussed about physical portability, the improved typing feel, extra connectivity options, and extra cover of the Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile offer ✃a more accurate and satisfying experience overall. You're paying slightly more, at $16ও9.99 / £169.99, and the RGB doesn't look quite so pretty, but it's impossible to deny those soft, pillowy switches.

I'd recommend the Razer Joro to anyone hunting down the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Steam Deck accessories or kitting out an 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally with its own portable setup. The bra💜nd✅'s scissor switches are certainly snappier than may appear at first glance, and with a sturdy battery life, super vivid lighting, and easy Bluetooth connectivity this is a fantastic handheld companion.

How I tested the Razer Joro

I used the Razer Joro as my main keyboard for both work and play over the course of two weeks, while also taking it on the road alongside my Asus ROG Ally and iPad Air. I primarily tested gameplay in Doom: The Dark Ages, while completing more esports-focused runs in Apex Legends and CS2. I performed a full battery test from 100% to 0% with RGB lighting set to 50% and examined typing speed and accu🧸racy using thrꦿee typing tests.

For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I'm also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards for a more customizable deck, or check out more of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards on the market.

So far, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 mouse and keyboard support seems to be a mixed bag. However, upon launching Cyberpunk 2077 with the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX and SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 connected to the dock, my colleague Tabitha Baker found herself prowling the streets of Night City just like you would on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handheld contenders like the Steam Deck. Even 2.4GHz wireless dongles work alongside wired connectivity, which is a b🔯onus considering we're talking about a home console.

Just keep in mind that Switch 2 Mouse Mode support is limited to a shortlist of games, and even those releases aren't guaranteed to also work with a gaming keyboard. That ultimately could crash my dreams of playing 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Metroid Prime 4: Beyond just like I would any other PC shooter, eve𝓡n though it'll work using the new JoyCon setup.

The fact that Cyberpunk 2077 is also playable with a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming mouse and keyboard setup on Xbox Series X/S means this could be a CD Projekt Red one-off. Again, you can't navigate the Switch 2 home screen using desktop peripherals, so it might be the case that USBꦕ accessory compatibility is down to indꦉividual developers.

Still, I'm pretty amused at the idea of the Switch 2 muscling in on a playstyl🏅e that used to be unique to desktop rigs and handheld gaming PCs. I'm picturing a world where I can use Nintendo's handheld to get my regular competitive Overwatch 2 sessions in using a mouse and keyboard while also hitting 1🎃440p 120Hz thanks to the new portable's punchier performance.

Perhaps that's a pipedream, but I'll be joining the team in further testing Switch 2 mouse and keyboard compatibility in the weeks ahead. I'm not getting my hopes up, but maybe I'll have a reason to pitch up a second dock at my gaming desk connected to all my PC peripherals and even a webcam instead of a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 Camera soon.

Putting together a new setup? Swing by the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Nintendo Switch accessories for new gadgets. You might also want to peek at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming monitors or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming TVs to treat yourself to a new screen.

Available now, the $214.99 / £175.99 Corsair MAKR 75 features a full aluminum build with eight layers of sound dampening contained within - all in a gasket mounted design. That's a breath of fresh air from a manufacturer I generally find struggles with its switch noise. Like many of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboard brands, Corsair𒊎 has its own switches and keycaps to choose from, but the deck will take any three- oꦜr five-pin clackers you want.

Many gaming keyboard brands have been leaning into the world of custom decks for a few years now, starting by launching some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards of the last few years and now moving further into the space. Like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3, howꦯever, Corsair is holding you to its o🤡wn line of add-on accessories for upgrades and customization.

And things get pricey when you start actuall🐼y building the deck. That FR4 switch plate adds $20 to the final price, your switches come in at an eꦬxtra $34.99 - $49.99, keycaps range from $30 to $40, and that LCD display is an extra $35. If you want a wireless deck, you're adding an additional $50 on top as well. That means a fully built keyboard is going to cost you between $234.98 and $354.98. Ooft.

While it doesn't quite beat the size of Glorious's modular range, there's only one switch plate alt⛎ernative (FR4) and no Hall effect options, Corsꦚair is doing its own bits here. The control dial in the top right corner can be swapped out for a customizable macro button with its own display, and the connection can even be swapped to wireless.

You're not getting the full personalization of a custom barebones kit here, but there's cer🐷tainly more room to play. Not only that, but the Corsair MAKR 75 comes e♋quipped with the brand's AXON 8,000Hz poling rate and is compatible with the Corsair Web Hub for a less CPU-intensive customization experience.

This is a lot for a barebone kit, but the aluminum build, swappable control dial, and ease of access doe💜s add to the overall proposition in a way cheaper first-timer kits can't. A more generic barebone kit will generally cost you between $80 and $120, though some can reach near $300 for premium materials.

It's expensive, then, but if you're after a gaming-first keyboard with the customization options of more premium builds it could be 🦂a worthwhile investment.

I'm also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards on the market. Or, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models for a full system refresh.

I've had a handheld PC in my backpack for years now and regularly connect it to TVs and monitors when travelling. Lugging one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards around to keep all my controls at hand just isn't always feasible, though, so Razer's latest release makes a lot of sense. That 1,800 hour battery life is also going to come in incredibly handy, considering this ꦬwill likely be a secondary device for travelling players.

At $139.99 / £129.99, this isn't the cheapest 65% model on the market, though it's certainly strong value if you're considering it alongside the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards available. While it relies on a Bluetooth connection rather than a faster 2.4GHz receiver, you're still usually paying well over $130 for a cable-free setup even in 2025. Not only that, but you don't even necessarily want a 2.4GHz dongle if you're planning on using the Razer Joro with one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming handhelds.

That's because devices like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Steam Deck OLED and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Ally typically have limited ports, and you may need to keep one free for charging. That's why I rely on Bluetooth for all devices in my on-the-go setu𓄧p.

This is an exceptionally compact deck, far slimmer than the 27mm / 427g 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cherry MX-LP 2.1 that I've been carrying around all these months. Not only that, but you're still benefitting from all that Razer goodness, with full Synapse 4 supꦰport across keybindings, Razer Hypershift functionality, Chroma RGB, ওand Snap Tap.

With that long battery life, super compact design, and low profile form factor, Razer isn't just taking aim at its core gaming fans here, though. The Razer Joro also supports Apple devices with Mac and iPad compatibility and keycaps, with storage for up to three Bluetooth connections. That's a pretty solid proposition for anyone who regularly travels w🐠ith an iPad and a handheld.

If you want a full setup at your disposal, Razer has also unveiled the Razer Basilisk Mobile mouse, with a 76g form factor, 105 hour battery, tri-mode connectivity, and a Razer Focus X 18K optical sensor. The pointer is available for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:$89.99 / £99.99 at Razer.

There are plenty more of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards to consider if you're after something more sturdy, or take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards I've tested so far.

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards can be pricey, but considering you can pick up a much better feel and sound just a little fur𓆉ther into the $100 price range, there's significantly higher value out there.

Design

Th🦋e Acer Predator Aethon 330 wants to stand out on a desk, and it does so with the help of an all-white (more cream) form factor, plenty of Predator branding, and a set of blue WASD keycaps. The actual chassis is a much crisper color than the caps themselves, which look a little dulled by comparison and pick up dust and debris particularly easily.

The aesthetꦇic is relatively stylized by the standard of modern tastes. The Predator logo is stamped across the space key and the main legends use a stamp-like typeface that feels a lit🧜tle outdated.

Still, the plastic base is impressively sturdy considering the price and there's no flex to the main top plate either. This is a well-constructed chassis in the♚ budget price range, though you're missing out on the sound-dampened designs of only slightly more expensive models.

The result is an incredibly loud typing experience. 🌞Clicky switches aside, there's a significant amount of reverb and echo around the main deck area, so everyday typing is blighted by constant pinging.

I'm glad this isn't a simple stock black keyboard, though. The slick white chassis and sturd😼y build quality suggest a slightly higher price tag than some would expect from a wireless model, though it's not the🅘 best implementation of double-function keys I've seen.

RGB is a big win for this deck. While some cheaper models pack lacklustre LEDs, these shine incredibly bright and manage to stay uniform even across longer legends. It's rare to find this level of lighting po🌌wer at a lower price point, so those going all-in on RGB displays will be well served.

Keycaps

This being a smaller 60% keyboard means that pretty much every key on the right-hand side has a double-function of some kind and, with the lar♛ge fonts and gray printing, things can look pretty busy. The caps themselves have the thinner construction of an ABS make but the grainy texture and doubleshot main legends more commonly associated with PBT.

I can't find any information on the actual material used, but the surface feels like PBT under the fingertips, while holding the thinner response of ABS when actually used. The fact the caps can flex fairly easily when removed from the main deck leaves me to believe these are in fact ABS with a textured finish, though it's an impressive implementation. They certainly feel more comfortable than the shiny, slippery keycaps I recently tested on the far more expensive 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro TKL.

Switches

I'm not a natural fan of clicky switches, but if you don't mind a loud typing experience and prefer as much auditory feedback as possible you won't be put off by the Kailh Blues under these keys. The switches themselves actuate at 1.9mm with a strong tactile bump, travelling a full 4mm in total. That's good for everyday typing, there's no need for a forceful push here, and it's easy to fly across keys with a much lighter tap. However, they're faꦺr from the most satisfying clackers on the market, and certainly won't be right for those after 🍒a deeper, thoccy experience.

In ⛄the Acer Predator Aethon 330, these swi🤪tches feel particularly hollow and scratchy. With the thinner keycaps, lack of sound dampening, and softer feel, they have a lethargic bounce past the point of actuation and can feel mushy as a result.

Software

There's no software associated with the Acer Predator Aethon 330. RGB lighting is configured directly on the board, with preset cycling available via a function layer. There's no way to set your own keybindings with on-the-fly macro programming, and the dual-functions that are explained in 🅘the man♒ual are only indicated with ANSI layout keys, even when shipping in ISO.

Controls

As a result of that lack of software, your onboard controls are significantly limited. Yes, this is a 60% keyboard with all the usual dual-function controls, but there's no media control legends printed onto the deck and no mention of playback or volume settings in the manual. RGB can be shifted between 19 different settings, brightness can be raise♛d or lowered, and speed can be shifted, but that's😼 about it.

I wasn't expecting the world considering the price point, especially in the UK. However, you do get far more functionality from other brands' budget models. While you might be more limited to wired devices, and it's worth remembering this is only a Bluetooth connection, devices like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Cynosa V2 feature full software support for macro settings as well as dedicated media controls. Even Razer's more premium 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Huntsman Mini offers more functional controls in this 60% form factor, and it's regularly available for less than the Acer Predator Aet𓄧hon 330 in the US (though not in the UK).

There's another problem here. A dual-function has been doubled up. Hitting Fn and the question mark key essentially kills your access to꧒ arrow buttons, which would usually be accessed via a secondarღy layer. The problem is that the question key also shares its functionality with the up arrow, which means this directional button can - essentially - never be used.

In a super fun twist, while those arrow buttons are enabled, the question mark is also out of bounds. Hitting shift and then the key simply highlights a portion of text. That's not something I've e💛ver seen before.

Connection

The Acer Predator Aethon 330 does have one tricওk up its sleeve that cheaper gaming keyboards in the US (and similarly priced models in the UK) don't. That Bluetooth functionality makes it a little more versatile than the wired-only RK Royal Kludge or Redragon decks that would o🦄therwise offer better value overall.

This is a slower connection than the 2.4GHz you'lꩵl usually find on a gaming deck, and it's not fast enough to keep🌠 up with the rest of the market. However, if you play slower strategy or simulation games it's certainly enough to see you through. The Bluetooth connection was solid during my testing, though its range is limited.

Actually setting up a new connection is💝 a little hit and miss. The onboard controls didn't always work for me, simply f🎃lashing the RGB lighting without even pairing half the time. Once it's all up and running, though, there's space for three connections and an easy keybinding to switch between them on the fly. I preferred to use the 1,000Hz wired connection during most of my gameplay, though.

Battery

Acer doesn't publicly state its battery life anywhere, but I managed to squeeze just under 30 hours of juice out of the device while running it without any RGB lighting. With those powerful LEDs on at full whack, I just about made it through a day of use. That's far from competitive, while 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wireless gaming keyboards are generally more expensive than this, there are models o✤nly slightly above that $100 price threshold that perform much better.

The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K65 Plus Wireless is only $50 more than the Acer Predator Aethon 330 is currently available for in the US, and packs a 266-hour no-RGB battery life. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cherry MX 8.2 is $40 mor🔯e in the US and I managed to get through just under a week of work and plꦉay on a single charge.

In the UK, things are a little different. The £49.99 price tag on the Aethon across t🍒he pond works particularly hard to keep it relevant. You'll struggle to find a wireless deck from a mainstream brand for that cash, let alone one with a battery life that can compete. The Redragon K596 Pro RGB taps out at ten hours for around £60 - £70.

Typing

If you're a clicky-switch fan you'll enjoy the clack of these Kailh Blues under your fingertips - this switch design is favored among typists for its speed and low pressure requirements. That's all true of the Acer Predator Aethon 330, these are low-resistance clackers that only ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚrequire a slight push to actuate down to their tactile click. They're far from the fastest on the market, and I found myself regularly dropping a press accidentally, particularly on t🦩he space bar.

Still, that speed meant the Aethon 330 kept up more expensive 60% decks like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Alienware Pro Wir𝕴eless gaming keyboa🧔rd and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile in my typing💝 sp𒐪eed test, even scoring a higher accuracy score than the heavier Alienware model.

The scratchy, mushier feel underneath that actuation point, and the louder 🔜reverb across the deck as a wholꦗe doesn't make the overall typing experience all that pleasant. Even if you're a fan of those clicky blue switches, there's too much going on elsewhere around the deck to truly appreciate them. The texture of the keycaps does make skating across the deck a little more comfortable than I had initially expected, though.

Gaming

Relying on a Bluetooth connection for gaming didn't give me the reaction speed I needed for particularly competitive endeavors, but I was able to get some good twitch-reactions in with a wired setup. Those clicky switch❀es made for a nice, speedy approach to Apex Legends and CS:2, even if their tactile bump is a little restrictive when it comes to repeat presses.

If you're mashing keys, you'll want to find your🍃self a deck with a linear swi🍒tch feel, as the actuation notch here slows down speedier hits considerably.

The lack of software-level keybinding and macro settings was a little frustrating for more complex combo moments, especially if I usually rely on a turbo-key for repeated movements in cer🍨tain action-adventure titles. On the whole, though, the Acer Predator Aethon 330 functioned well in-game, with only a few missed inputs here and there. If you're playing slower titles you'll be fine, though anything ranked will 🦹need a more sophisticated deck.

Should you buy the Acer Predator Aethon 330?

In short, probably not - especially if you're in the US. Where the price currently sits at $99.99 the Aethon 🌊330 doesn't just not offer enough value against the bu🐭dget wireless market, it also comes with too many control sacrifices and outright problems. There are a number of gaming keyboards only $20 - $50 more expensive than this that offer far more features, faster 2.4GHz connection speeds, and sound-dampened builds.

In the UK, things are a little mo🌠re complex. The lower £49.99 price tag is certainly enticing, it's extremely cheap for what it is - a wireless 60% gaming keyboard with solid RGB functionality. I'd still only recommend it to those who like a blue clicky switch, need to spend less than £50, and want the versatility of a Bluetooth co💫nnection for productivity purposes while still flashing those LEDs during gameplay.

How I tested the Acer Predator Aethon 330

I used the Acer Predator Aethon 330 for all daily work and play for two weeks, testing in both Bluetooth and wired mode. I primarily used the deck for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and South of Midnight, while performing more specific tests in Apex Legends and CS:2. I fully charged the device on unboxing and ran the battery down multiple times during this process, both with RGB lighting fully enabled and switched off. I completed three one-minute tests on TypingTest.com, taking the average score across all as my final result. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I'm also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards if you're after something a little cheaper, or check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards for a larger investment.

At $119.99 / £119.99, Cherry is undercutting a lot of the more expensive flagship decks on the markets. A full-sized Razer deck can cost you north of $200, but if you're after a softer typing feel and high-end mechanical switches Cherry's looking particularly strong right now. No, it doesn't feature the customizable switches of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on🍷 the market, but in the right hands it could well be a pe🐼rfect fit.

Design

The Cherry MX 3.1 is simultaneously familiar and distinct in its design. The all-white top plate and keycaps are instantly recognizable from previous releases like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cherry MX 8.2 and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cherry XTRFY K5V2 of yore. And yet, peering just underneath that isജ a silver aluminum chassis unlik🍷e anything I've seen on a gaming keyboard before.

A dappled metallic finish keeps things interesting, but not as visually striking as the windowed RGB lighting on each side. It doesn't exactly shine onto the surface below, so it never catches my eye when I'm using the keyboard face on. It's still a nifty look, though, and ﷽shows how far Cherry has🅠 double down on its looks after its fairly boring earlier releases.

The main deck plate and sides are all constructed from a solid plastic, with those silver panels at the top and bottom being aluminum. There's an oddity to this design, though, that helps the Cherry MX 3.1 stand out. A hollowed-out channel runs along the top and bottom of the deck via this metal plating. A𝐆t first I thought this was a cable management runner, but it looks like it's purely aesthetic. It's a neat stand system, though I would have preferred built-in feet to the easily losable screws included in th🀅e box.

Build quality

All of that ♔makes for an interesting split between angular looks and soft feel. That plastic is pretty harshly cut on the sides, and the cut-out for the cable at the top is similarly boxy. However, the ABS keycaps, and switches overall, feel particularly smooth under the fingertips.

Every🍸thing is solidly put together, with a strong top plate only slightly yielding to pressure when I actively force it down. The aluminum chassis keeps everything sturdy on the desk. I'm not used to having a full-sized model in the ce💞nter of my space, but it managed to survive all my mouse knocks without shifting out of place.

There's also a particularly satisfying amount of sound dampening going on inside the chasꦉsis. That means I experienced absolutely no switch pings or echoes during my testing, and every bottom-out feels cushioned with a bouncy spring back to full height.

Keycaps

I'm impressed with these caps, and that's not something I often find myself saying about ABS models. Rather than feeling shiny and oily, like the cheaper clackers on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro TKL, they simply feel comfor༒table and smoot♏h. I naturally prefer a more textured PBT, but this is a rare instance of ABS not feeling like a cheap-out.

Ergonomics

Unlike more compact 60%, 65%, or even🉐 TKL gaming keyboards, a full-sized model comes with its own ergonomic benefits. Keys are well-spaced on the Cherry MX 3.1, which means I'm not hunched over a small selection of clickers, but sitting comfortably with my shoulders nicely apart. I find that with smaller models, while they do allow for wider mouse movements, I'm often reaching too far over to the left to compensate.

Rather than using inbuilt folding feet for elevation, hoꦆwever, Cherry has opted for a set of two screw-in toppers. They're installed by plucking the existing covers out of the keyboard and simply twirling the taller feet in. That does leave you with two extra parts, small enough to✅ lose pretty much instantly.

I'm not a fan of this method. While the feet themselves are sturdy, and the screw design mea🍨ns they don't fall out from under the keyboard when pushed up and down the desk (like regular hinge models), they don't provide as much elevation as I've seen in other decks. There's also only one height option, whereas most models offer two.

Switches

Tౠhe deck I've been testing uses Cherry MX2A Silent Red clickers, your classic red linears with a slightly a slightly shorter 1.9mm of pre-travel and 3.7mm total travel (compared to the previous generat♛ion MX Reds).

That means they're swift, soft, and smooth, with a relaxed feel that lends itself wel🔥l to both typing and gameplay. This is the second generation of Cherry switches, offering factory lubrication and contactless motion to avoid the scratchy feel that plagued many before them, while also moving over to a new spring design that maintains uniformity in rapid keypresses.

That's w꧙hat Cherry's said at least. I've noticed signifiꦗcantly less rattle and scratching in my time with these clickers, and a nicely energetic return to full height as well. While the landing can sometimes err on the side of mushy, as is common with shorter linears, it's a comfortable experience if you're opting for a quieter switch.

I still cannot, for the life of me, work out why Cher𓃲ry's keyboards aren't hot-swappable considering the brand is one of the biggest manufacturers of individual switches on thꦗe market - but there we go.

Software

The Cherry MX 3.1 relies on the Cherry Utility Software for basic key mapping and RGB settings. This is a lightweight program with no ads, no heavy CPU loads (accounting for 0.1% during my usage), and simple, streamlined access to controls. It's♐ refreshing after wading through SteelSeries' marketing or Razer's nested menus, though with simple mechanical switches and no wireless connections there's not a whole lot you can do w🍰ith it.

Each key is programmed through its own 'Action', a setup that adds an extra step over others but is easy enough to work through. From there, you can create a macro (though ⛦you can't save them to use across additional keys), replace the input, select a PC function or input custom text. Everything is saved across a series of profiles, listed on the left.

RGB settings are clean and simple💧, offering a range 🔯of different presets for both the keys and side lighting areas as well as a slider for speed. Per-key effects are also available.

Thereꦦ's no ability toꦺ tie your profiles to specific games like you'll find in most brands' programs and no SOCD settings to configure either.

Controls

Full-sized decks are rarely lacking in onboard controls, and the Cherry MX 3.1 has❀ you covered for all the basics. You've got every key you'd expect from a full plank here, as well as dedicated media playback options and additional functions up top. This is where you'll find the volume settings 🦩- unfortunately, Cherry doesn't include a dedicated volume roller or control dial like many others. Instead, that top-bezel space is shaved off and you'll be hitting that Fn key to change your settings on the fly (should you not wish to remap in the software).

Connection

This is a fully wired affair, with a USB-C port located inside of a particularly angular crevice in the top center of the deck. It's a simple plug and play deck, with 💝a 1,000Hz polling rate and a braided cable supplied. It would be tough to find a full-sized wireless deck for a similar price point, and they're rare these days.

A wireless connection is great for keeping cables off your desk, yes, but it's primary benefit is portability. There aren't many players lugging a full-sized keyboard around with them thes﷽e days, which is why you'll find more 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connections in more compact models.

Typing

This is a particularly comfortable typing experience, but not the most satisfying. The softer feel means less strain on the fingers over a long period of time but a less tactile thunk to each key overall. I typed for about 13 hours in one stretch during my testing, and never felt the fatigue I would have on something stiffer like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, but I did🙈 miss that more robust switch feel at the time.

I averaged a typing speed of 94 WPM with the C♋herry MX 3.1 at the helm, running at 93% accuracy. That'sﷺ slightly towards the lower end of my usual scores, with precision taking the larger hit.

The comparison below takes a spread of the mechanical gaming keyboards at the top of their categories as well as a range of Cherry alternatives and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ducky One X (a similar-feeling full-sized deck, with inductive switches). Most notably, the Cherry MX 3.1 comes at the same speed as the MX 8.2, but with a reduced accur꧙acy.

Gaming

This is about as simple as gaming keyboa🐼rds come with no adjustable switches, debounce settings, or game mode features to play with. Of course, you're still getting the n-key r𓄧ollover you'd expect from a deck in 2025, but that's about it.

It's certainly not unplayable, but considering there are cheaper wired keyboards out there busting with more gaming-specific personalization options it's not the best value experience on the market. This feels more like a ಞcozy setup item than a companion to enhance your gameplay experience.

Still, I was able to strafe and glide like the rest of them i🐲n more competitive games, with easy✱ macro and keybinding options in the software and snappy inputs registering at a tap. The full-size design isn't the best for FPS titles, especially if you want to fine-tune your mouse's sensitivity for more precise controls (and therefore wider sweeps).

However, I was able to stay nimble in single-player adventures like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle while still enjoying a wide enough key spacing to reliably hit additional commands without any accidental pres𒉰ses.

Should you buy the Cherry MX 3.1?

If you use your keyboard for work 80% of the time and for play 20% of the time, prefer a softer switch feel, and don't want keyboard clack ruining your audio, the Cherry MX 3.1 could well be a wise purchase. It's not got the chops of more substantial gaming decks like the $219.99 SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 or $179 Ducky One X (for a full-s𝓰ized comparison), but it ticks along in-game nicely with a basic set of keybinding and RGB lighting software controls at your disposal.

If you need a performance-focused keyboard for more competitive endeavors, I'd recommend something that prioritizes speed and tactility over additional controls and comfort. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid is excellent value, packing in Hall effect switches and a set of slick PBT keycaps at $169.99, or the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K65 Plus Wireless at $159.99.

꧅That said, Cherry is occupying a particularly lucrative price point here. There aren't many gaming keyboards nearing that $100 threshold, and even fewer doing so with a full number pad attacheꦰd.

How I tested the Cherry MX 3.1

I used the Cherry MX 3.1 across both work and play for one week, while also comparing directly against the Ducky One X and Cherry MX 8.2. In that time I primarily played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Fallout 4, while also testing in Apex Legends specifically. I also performed three typing tests, taking the average of all three as my final score for comparison. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If you need to cut the cord, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market, or take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards available for more switch options. I'm also rounding up the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards for cheaper alternatives as well.

Northern Light switches are currently available in stacks of 36 and are the newest releases by the brand since it launched the MX Silent Clear at Computex last year. The clickers feature a total 3.7mm travel, coming in slightly shorter than traditional 4mm linear offerings found in some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards, with 45cN ꦺactuation force. Actuation occurs at 1.6mm of travel, making for a light🍌, bouncy response.

The Cherry MX Northern Light switch has been designed to replicate the aesthetics of the Northern Ligh🍸ts, with a deep blue chassis, translucent gray top and a dark gray stem. The sound profile is also promised to be just as serene.

Cherry characterizes its Northern Lights switchesꦍ as "whisper-quiet," which means they're going to appeal far more to those after a cosy, creamy setup than those who prefer a thoccier clunk 𝓰to their keypresses.

Each🐈 switch is factory-lubed and features a sound dampening spring inside the main chassis that will further reduce echoes across the deck. It's a refreshing design considering Cherry MX switches have always run the risk of feeling a little scratchy, at lea❀st in their early implementations.

Gamers are also welcome here, with a <1ms bounce time and that shorter actuation working to keep things nimble on the battlefield.

Shipping🀅 in boxes of 36, you'll need four stacks to cover you for a full-sized deck ($119.96 in total), three lots for a 75% keyboard ($89.97), and two boxes for a 60% model ($59.98).

I'm also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards on the market. Or, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for something a little cheaper.

I've spent the last two weeks tinkering with the not-Hall-effect-don't-ever-say-that deck, and it's quickly become one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards in my arsenal꧙ right now. And it's all thanks to one S🔯ynapse setting.

Hitting that single 'Bind' box allows the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini to act more like a controller than I would have ever imagined a keyboard could. It uses the Razer Analog switches to mimic the more finely tuned control sch🅺eme of a thumbstick.

That means WASD stops being an on/off input and instead mimics the variable pressure th💎at one may make on a stick at any moment in play. That's not a Hall effect feature, that's an Analog feature.

Hall effecꩲt gaming keyboards are coming up fast. Instead of just relying on the closing of a circuit to actuate their switches, like mechanical decks, they offer more variation in different actuation points by measuring the magnetic field as the key is pushed. That means you can se𒀰t one input (say W for walk forwards) for a half press and another (Shift+W for run forwards) for a full press.

That still only lea🅘ves you with walk or run, Razer goes in between.

I've been using the Huntsman V3 Pro Mini for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle over the last few days, and it's kept my controller firmly on the shelf. I've got the freedom to creep around as slowly as I want while still having the speed of super sensiti🐠ve surrounding keys should I need them. Throw a couple of racing games into the mix and this could be a silve🌸r bullet for the right Steam library.

Of course, this isn't the first time Razer's Analog switches have been in the limelight. Before the world of mainstream gaming keyboards fully accepted the Hall effect switch, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V2 Analog brought the adjustable clickers to the market.

Even if you're not a fan of the 60% form factor (I wasn't before I tried this deck, but the dual-step arrow keys certainly saved it), the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V3 Pro offers a full-sized experience with the same clickers under the hood. Both of these full-sized keyboards give you more controls t꧋o work with 🦋if you're concerned about scaling all the way down.

There's one drawback to the V3 Pro Mini, but even as a typing feel snob I can get past it to have access to these extra features. There's pretty much no sound dampening in this deck, and these switches have a tenden♕cy to rattle.

It's a lot to begin with, especially ܫif you're used to a quieter deck. However, if this is your first move away from mechanical keyboards you may prefer the additional feedback compared to some of the stiffer Hall effect models out thཧere.

This isn't the first 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer gaming keyboard I've tried with thꩵese Analog🥂 switches up front, but since the world of Hall effect decks has opened up it's certainly the first one I've enjoyed this much.

Maybe I'm more primed to experiment with actuation settings now that I've had my hands on more magnetic models, or maybe it just landeܫd with me at the perfect game, but I've got a few keyboards to test over the next few weeks and ♓I'll be waiting for the day I can return to the Huntsman.

I'm also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards available now. Or, for the full setup, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models I've tested so far.

Magnetic switches can be found in some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market, but Razer's been working on these analog clackers for a little longer than most mainstream brands. With the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards running these adjustable keys right at the start of the boom, the Huntsma𒈔n V3 Pro Mini benefits from plenty of experience.

Design

In its 60% layout, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini drops a lot of the additional controls of the standard 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V3 Pro we reviewed last year. However, the compact form factor suits competitive players much better. You're getting far more space on the desktop for wider mouse sꦿweeps at lower DPI s𒀰ettings and keeping your shoulders in line for better comfort during longer sessions.

This still feels like a slick deck, though it still steers clear of the iconic chunky chassis and sloped front of previous Huntsman generations. Instead, we have🐓 a skinny base with a slight wedge to it towards the rear - a far cry from the heft of earlier releases. That makes for a far more luxurious look and feel overall, though, especially in the newer crisp white colorway I've been testing.

Even the Razer logo stamped in the middle of the front lip looks suave thanks to this trimmed design. While the bezels are slightly thicker than the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini, they give the RGB LEDs underneath plenty of space to glow. In white, the effect is particularly impressive, with super vivid lighting giving the keys on top a floating effect that I haven't seen in many other de♚cks.

Those LEDs shine through a set of particularly tactile doubleshot PBT keycaps with impressive strength, remaining uniform across longer legends as well (something the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid struggles with). Combine that with the rough texture of thಞe keycaps and everything looks and feels particul♚arly smart here.

That's supported by a robust chassis, with an aircraft-g𓆏rade aluminum top plate displ♏aying zero flex no matter how hard I push and a slimline plastic underside that keeps its cheaper material feeling luxurious with an embossed finish.

Two feet flip out from underneath, providing enough elevation to remain comfortable💃 (and I say that as someone who likes a particularly high keyboard) while remaining strong enough to stay in place while the board is moved back and forth along a desk surface. Only larger keys suffer from any kind of wobble, and the half-Enter design means this is largely reduced to just the space bar.

I just wish Razer had padded its chassis a little more. Most gaming keyboards these days come with sound-dampening foam in between the internal plates, serving to reduce the clack of each keypress and provide a more muted auditory experience. Coming off the back of testing several keyboards with these layers♚ installed, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini sounds a little hollow by comparison.

Switches can rattle and echo across the deck even with smaller pushes, which is a far cry from the thoccy experience of something with more padding, like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE.

Features

These aren't your regular adjustable switches. Razer first dropped its analog clickers back in 2021, with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V2 Analog. Back then, very few gaming keyboards were offering customizable actuation points, let alone dual-trigger inputs. With the boom of Hall effect decks like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, though, Razer's market niche has widened and its Gen 2 Optical Analog switches ne♓ed to keep up.

What's the difference? Put simply, a Hall effect keyboard measures a magnetic field whereas Razer's clickers work purely using light. Razer argues that magnets can become disrupted by changes in temperature or other magnetic forces, whereas its Optical clickers offer a more precise input. I've never noticed any magnetic interference on any of the Hall eff𒐪ect keyboards I've tested so far.

Razer's Analog switches do everything Hall effect models can; a dynamically resetting Rapid Trigger mode for super-fast repeat presses, adjustable actuation points to fine-tune exactly how sensitive you want each switch to be, and dual-step actuation for mapping two commands to the 🐟same key. You'll find those features in pretty much all magnetic decks, but Razer takes thin𒁃gs a step further.

Unlike Hall effect keyboards, there are additional Analog modes available. These allow your switches to mimic a controller's more꧟ varied inputs, say through a thumbstick or trigger. With a quick press of a button, you can immediately assign WASD to these analog controls, and see in real-time how your buttons now work more like a thumbstick than an on/off keyboard switch.

The result is immensely satisfꦏying a෴nd made a real impact on my Indiana Jones and the Great Circle gameplay. Being able to creep up behind Nazis is always fun, and that fine-tuned control makes even the smallest of movements possible on this keyboard.

Actually mapping everything from your actuation points to your keybindings is done through Synapse, a sometimes finicky piece of software that benefits immensely from a clean, intuitive layout. Being able to visibly see each switch's actuation point on a sliding scale as I pr🦩essed it made tuning my controls to my natural typing force incredibly easy - far easier than on other decks.

Setting up dual-step actuation is a little more hidden, burying the feature a couple of menus deep into individual keybinding settings. I found it within a few minutes, but it was the only feature I was searching for within Synapse. Str🗹aight out of the box, though, Razer provides a factory default setting that could make the Huntsman V3 Pro Mini my favorite 60% gaming keyboard.

I love me an arrow button, so sacrificing them on these more compact models hurts. Razer maps the right-most cluster of keys t﷽o arrow buttons ﷽using dual-step actuation. A simple tap gives you a directional function, and a full bottom-out gives you the originally intended input. That's a game-changer, and considering it works so intuitively straight out the box it's a must-beat feature for any 60% competitor.

There are also a number of secondary functions printed on the front of keycaps on the right-hand side, giving you access to media and navigation buttons as well as brightness settings in a more traditඣional Fn control scheme.

This is a fully wired deck, as are most adjustable keyboards, so you're dropping the 2.4GHz connection of wireless options like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3.

Performance

There are very few gaming keyboards out there that don't offer the speeds 99% of players are going to need for both solo adventuring and competitive endeavors. We're passed the days of slow inputs now, especially when it comes to wireཧd models. The 🌺Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini is a speedy deck, though it doesn't pack the high polling rates that tournament-focused options offer. While the Corsair K70 Pro TKL can run up to an 8,000Hz polling rate, the Huntsman is limited to 1,000Hz.

That's not a setback - only the top 1% of players will even notice speeds moving faster than 1,000Hz (you can find out more about why you probably do💦n't need a🅷n 8,000Hz gaming keyboard). Instead of adding to an already pretty high final pri♍ce with unnecessary marketing gimmicks, though, Razer has implemented actually useful features that make a real tangible difference to gameplay.

This is the only series of gaming keyboards that I've tested that can accurately translate the experience of using a joystick into its keys. Whether I'm skulking through Ancient Egyptian tombs in Indiana Jones or navigating the streets of Forza, I came to rely on analog inputs for a more precise, intuitive, and ultimately more fun experiಌence on a keyboard. Some hoops need to be jumped through to get everything set up, but it's an experience like no other once you do.

However, these switches do feel different under the hands. If you don't like the tighter tension behind most Hall effect clickers, the more mechanical-feeling Razer Analog switches might be a better bet. While they do suffer from additional rattle compared to SteelSeries' or the Inductive Switches inside the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ducky One X (another Hall effect deck that feels more mechanical), there's less of a 'stuffy' feel to them ov꧅erall.

They're not my favorite-feeling switch in the world. With the lack of dampening and the additional rattle from the clickers themselves, the typing experience doesn't feel as satisfying as that of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth or S🔥teelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen🐲 3. It's certainly workable, though, and I quickly found myself adjusting to the new sound and feel.

There's a qui𒊎rk here that some may find annoying, though. That RGB lighting is fantastic, but there is a whine. I🌄t's far from loud, in fact, I can't hear it when I've got a laptop whirring away next to me and the regular sounds of my typing and mouse clicks. I can pick it up in quieter moments, though, a high-pitched buzz coming from the deck itself. As soon as I hit the Function button (which kills the lights on everything other than the keys with additional functions) it stops.

Should you buy the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini?

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini has its flaws. Your ears may not appreciate the rattly switches or that RGB hum, but your🐼 hands are certainly going to fall in love with the textured keycaps, robust switch feel, and fantastic analog features. Throw in super intuitive arrow buttons whenever you need them, vibrant RGB lighting, and a clean, luxurious white colorway and the V3 Pro Mini might just be the best 60% gaming ke༺yboard I've tested so far.

That means it's got to beat the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless, a mechanical deck with hot-swappable switches and space for up to 50 onboard profiles. These are two functionally different decks, yet they both hold the same MSRP. Corsair's is built for speed, with an 8,000Hz wired polling rate (2,000Hz over a 2.4GHz connection) whereas Razer wants to give you more functional options to play with. If you don't want the extra customization of adjustable s🐓witches and would prefer the flexibility of a wireless connection instead, it's still the best option for you. For most players looking to 𝓡add to their setups with new and unique features, though, Razer's got the edge.

Whether or not you buy the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini over a more traditional Hall effect deck depends on whether you'll actually be using those analog switches to their full potential. If you don't plan on using them, or your Steam library doesn't require that kind of finely tuned input, the similarly priced 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid might be a better fit. It♏ offers a better typing experience overall, with more controls in its TKL form factor, all while still offering the majority of Razer's adjustment features.

Still, with this feature list and design, the Razer Huntsman V3🍸 Pro Mini does enough to easily♋ justify its price tag and earns a spot among my top recommendations.

How I tested the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini

I used the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini for one week, using the device for all my daily work and play during that time. I tested using Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Forza Horizon 4 to fully explore the potential of those analog switches, while also running my usual tests in Apex Legends and CS2. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I'm also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards for more customization options. Or, for something a little cheaper, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards on the market.

At $179.99 / £179.99, Corsair isn't exactly at the top of the market here, but it's certainly pitching at a higher cost than some Logitech and Razer options. This is a keyboard built with speed in mind, and those hunting down a smooth landing with additional controls at the helm are going to have a fantastic time. While its switches won't be for everyone, and its software does hold it back, compe🎐titive players still have a home with Corsair.

Design

The Corsair K70 Pro TKL isn't doing anything drastic with its design - this is a simple black keyboard with a brushed top plate and a plastic chassis. Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed about the construction was the c✱heaper-feeling ABS keycaps.

These are very simple tappers, with the classic oil-clinging smoothness of that ABS plastic providing a sticky experience I wouldn't expect to see in a Hall effect keyboard at this price point. For reference, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Logitech G Pro TKL Rapid comes in $10 cheaper than this rig, and does so witওh full doubletshot PBT.

Onto brighter things, though, the rest of the Corsair K70 Pro TKL's build quality is solid. That aluminum top plate holds firm under pressure, with no flex or creaks during more intense pushes, while the plastic casing remains sturdy as well. It's got enough heft to it to reassure you of its materials, and won't be knocked around during gaဣmeplay. Despite its wired connection, though,🌄 it's still light enough to fit relatively comfortably into a backpack.

The entire chassis is ever so slightly wedge-shaped, though there's a considerable overhand compared to keyboards with ꩵa heavier gradient. The bottom of the deck is slightly extended, but two flip-feet provide a single extra height option (as opposed to the two I often see on gaming keyboards).

Both hinges feel sturdy, locking into place with a thud and offering a strong resistance underneath them. They a💯lso feature rubberized feet to keep everything in place, and don't buckle when pushing the keyboard forwards along a desk.

The included wrist rest feels particularly welcoming, with a densely packed foam underneath a satisfyingly texturized leatherette surface. It detaches magnetically from the main deck and held its position wel🐠l during my testing, never breaking away from the keyboard when shuffling around.

This being Corsair, we've got a selection of bright RGB LEDs underneath each keycap, shining through with impressive uniformity across both short and long legends. I personally find Corsair's illum🀅ination to be a little too pastel-like for my taste, and that was certainly the case straight out the box here.

However, setting my own custom static cyan color proved that 🏅these LEDs can run nice and bold as well. There's a little bleed around the edges of the caps - somꦐething you'll notice more here than on the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid.

Two of the additional controls also take advantage of this customizable RGB, though I'm not as big a fan. The translucent caps on the game mode and media buttons mean they certainly stand out nicely and offer an extra pop of color to your setup, but if yo🀅u're going for a more slick aesthetic they do run the risk of cheapening the experience.

Underneath those clickers, the Corsair K70 Pro TKL features two sound dampening layers, one underneath the aluminum top plate and another under the PCB. That foam absorbs each keypress particularly well, but doesn't offer the soft thud of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, which both off🌠er three years of foam. There's absolutely no echo around this deck, as is more common with Hall effect keyboards, but it's a relief after years of testing particularly rattly Corsair decks.

Features

The Corsair K70 Pro TKL is the brand's first Hall effect keyboard, and it uses MGX Hyperdrive magnetic switches to give you all those extra features. These are proprietary clickers, coming pre-lubricated and offering a linear feel with between 30g and 55g of actuation force. That magnetic stem means the actuation point of every key can be configured from between 0.♎1 and the full 4.0mm, making for feather-light touches or more keys more resistant to accidental presses.

That's the same as the Logitech and SteelSeries' Hall effect decks, and a wider span than the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ducky One X (which bottoms out at 3.5mm) and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:NZXT Function Elite Mini TKL with its higher 0.6mm minimum sensitivity.

Of course, you've also got access to rapid trigger for super-fast repeat presses and dual inputs to map separate functions to the same key (one at a half press, for example, and another at the full bottom-out). SOCD is all here, in the form of 'Flash Tap', a feature that automatically ignores a directionally opposition🎐al input🌜 when two buttons are pressed.

It's used for quickly changing direction without experiencing a ꦐl𒆙ag for the split second both keys are pressed at the same time, but is heavily banned in most competitive arenas.

Actually making these adjustments is pretty exhausting. Very few keyboard software make this process smooth, though NZXT and Logitech do a particularly good job and keeping things clean. iCue is ꧋far from these big leagues.

The fact that even the downlo𓆉ad for the software is hidden behind a checkbox opting you into marketing emails is a red flag. Not being able to update the firmware without the deck becoming completely unrecognizable to the software is another. Having only half the keyboard image load into the main menu isn't a deal breaker, but it certainly doesn't mak🌸e a good impression.

Using the software is pretty clunky and unintuitive. While trying to set dual-function key presses I was regularly left confused as to which key I was actually working on due to the sometimes inconsistent visual display up top. It all works, but it's particularly painful and considering there are far more streamlined platforms out there for less cash it'꧂s dampens the overall experience considerably.

This is a fully wired deck, but that does mean more competitive players can take advantage of an 8,000Hz polling rate for a lower price than I typically see in wireless models. That's not going to be a major concern for most of us, though - only a small group of the top 1% of players will actually notice or benefit from the increased speed. Instead, 𝐆everyday players will benefit more from the massive onboard storage. There's space for up to 50 profiles in here - far exceeding the norm of between three and five.

That TKL form factor does open us up to more keys, with a full array of navigation buttons and good spacing around the arrows as well. There💝's also a particularly satisfying control dial in the top right corner, offering a super clicky ℱscroll through a range of customizable controls, from volume to zoom. It's nicely raised above the rest of the deck for easy access as well.

Performance

On my Hall effect journeys, I've found that these magnetic clickers generally feel a little softer than their magnetic counterparts, often dropping the clack of yesterday's switches. Corsair's clickers don't have the extra resistance behind them that sometimes feels a little woolly♊ in other decks, but they do sti🧸ll feel lackluster compared to the competition.

Don't get me wrong, they're good linears. A keypress moves smoothly down the stem with impressive speed and feels responsive under the fingertips. However, there's a lack of tactility here that you'll find easily in other Hall effect decks. Interestingly, they've got a slightly harder push than the inductive switches of the Ducky One X, though with less action and energy underneath them. However there's far less thock compared to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE's Gateron KS-27Bs - mಞy current go-to for a satisfying magnetic fee😼l.

They feel much flatter than the SteelSeries Apex 🍨Pro TKL Gen 3 as well, losing the depth and tension that makes those OmniPoint 3.0 clic🍒kers so impressive.

All of that deflates the overall gameplay experience a little. I found it harder to judge my positဣion across a key press in-game, and more difficult to train to specific actuation points. The board comes to life, however, in more competitive scenarios. At their highest point of actuation, these are still incredibly fast switches and they'll serve anyone after a smooth, soft landing particularly well.

SOCD, rapid trigger, and dual-functions all work as expected, adding functionality to the Corsair K70 Pro TKL that you won't find in regular mechanical keyboards. This functionality comes in incredibly handy during both competitive and solo play. Being able to configure both walk and run to the same key kept my movement super streamlined, opening up more space for faster dodges and parries in the proc𓆉ess.

Should you buy the Corsair K70 Pro TKL?

The Corsair K70 Pro TKL takes the brand's comfortably recognizable K70 keyboard and gives it a new lease of life with Hall effect switches that keep up with the rest of the competition. I would still only recommend it over the similarly priced (actually slightly cheaper) Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid if you know you want your key presses to be as low-resistance as possible or if you need a plush wrist rest attached.

B🌄oth are going to be down to your personal preferences - I like a little more tension under each cap, but the linear tradition is one based on speed and Corsair does nail that brief better than most HE models.

However, the ABS keycaps I tested, poor iCue software, and higher price point mean the Corsair K70 Pro TKL will likely stay out of the limelight for most players. The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 remains t𝕴he best HE deck I've had my han♋ds on so far.

While its w🍎rist rest is less comfortable than Corsair's, it packs much more energetic switches, higher quality keycaps, an additional OLED display, and a better software experience. If you can spring the extra $40 for its higher price tag, it's well worth the up✱grade.

How I tested the Corsair K70 Pro TKL

I used the Corsair K70 Pro TKL keyboard across my current roster of games, our dedicated test titles, and in all my daily work for a period of two weeks. I ran it across Apex Legends and CS2 for strict competitive testing, while also using it in my everyday Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Oxenfree 2, and Fallout 4 gameplay. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I'm also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards on the market. Or, for a look at the competition, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards available now.

This is the first extension of the third generation Apex Pro line, with the TKL hitting first towards the end of last year. It carries over those Omnipoint 3.0 switches as well as all the rapid trigger and adjustable actuation features you could ask for. Considering the original release is the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboard on the market, this is a must-see for anyone who prefers a more conde♓nsed form fact💧or.

I reviewed the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 earlier this year, and its su💞per satisfying approach to adjustable actuation shot it straight to the top of my rankings. Hall effect gaming keyboards are rapidly hitting the mainstream these days and, while they can still cost more than their mechanical siblings, the addi🦄tional features on offer make them well worth the investment.

There's something different to the switch feel in these decks. While plenty of magnetically minded keyboards still offer a thoccy typing experience, there's a robust sense of tension under every cap. That mea🔯ns it's slightly easier to work out exactly where you are in your keypress - a massive benefit when playing with muꦍltiple actuation points.

If you're still wondering 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:what a Hall effect keyboard is, it essentially swaps the on/o💦ff actuation of a mechanical switch for a measurement of magnetic field. That means you decide how far down you have to push for a keypress to be registered. Not only that, but the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 line also allows for multiple inputs in one key - a light touch for one and a full press for another. Having a finer understanding of exactly where you are in every keypress makes SteelSeries' Omnipoint 3.0 switches my favorite Hall effect clickers for mapping these dual-functions overall.

Of course, you are sacrificing some functionality in the new 60% form factor. Arrow buttons are relegated to dual-function keys, the OLED display and dedicated media controls are missing from the TKL model, and there's no function or navigation keys. Still, these mini dec🌌ks have a massive following from those looking for more space for larger mouse sweeps, so if you don't need additional macro functions it's well worth a look.

I'm also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards on the market. Or, for more setup inspiration, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models available.

It’s one of the few additions to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboardsꦉ that actually does make a noticeable difference in gameplay, so if you’re ready for an upgrade in 2025 and you play faster FPS-style games it’s well worth prioritizing.

To understand how rapid trigger works, we’ll first have to take a look at how we used to do it in the old days. A mechanical switch will either be on or off. I’ve delved deeper into how both mechanical and magnetic switches work in my guide to exactly 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:what a Hall effect keyboard is but, in short, once a mechanical key is pressed a circuit is closed and an input is regi🐲stered. To repeat that process, you’ll need to fully reset the ke🍬y to its normal position, slowing down your rate of fire.

While a mechanicaಌl switch only has this one point of actuation (the moment a keypress is registered), a Hall effect or analog switch uses magnetic fields or light to be able to sense depth. That means the switch knows how far down it’s being pressed and can actuate at various points along that journey. That’s how you get various features like dual-step actuation and customizable actuation points in some gaming keyboards.

Rapid trigger relies on this technology to essentially ‘reset’ the switch as soon as the key is released even a little bit. We’re talking about a very small amount of time in general here, but it’s still a considerab꧃le benefit in-game. Rather than having to wait for the switch to move all the way back above its reset point, a keypress can be repeated near-instantaneously.

rapid trigger on or off, some decks allow for additional customization. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid, for example, allows users to select a particular actuation point that they need to move beyond to actuate the key for finer control. Meanwhile, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 uses a more dynamic setting that automatically ad🌞justs your actuatio𝓡n based on active gameplay.

The feature is reserved for gaming keyboards with either Hall effect or analog switches, and these decks are sitting towards the top end of the price spectrum right now. The cheapest keyboard with rapid trigger I’ve tested is the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE, with Gateron KS-37𝔉B Hall effect switches at $139.99 / £139.99. That’s a fantastic deck, and my favorite 65% mo♈del overall - well worth a look if you prefer to keep things compact.

In a time where unnecessary features like super-fast polling rates seem to be dominating marketing materials, I’m glad that switch-specific innovations are starting to 𒈔steal the limelight once again. Rapid trigger isn’t going to change everyone’s gameplay, but it certainly makes a lot of experiences noticeably snappier and more responsive. If you’re a competitive player with a spam addiction, it could well be leading the charge in your shift away from traditional magnetic switches.

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The Huntsman is Razer's speed-focused line, but the Mini does also benefit from the brand's analog optical switches. These are similar to the Hall effect clickers found in some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards across the market, offering adjustable actuation and Rapid Trigger for super-fast debounces and a finer de🔯tail of control over keypresses.

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini White Edition is a fully wired deck, as are so many analog options these days, however being able to set dual-step actuation actually solves one of my biggest problems with 60% keyboards. Squeezing players down to as few keys as possible saves plenty of space for wider mouse sweeps, but it often 𒁏comes at the cost of arrow keys. I keep these clickers mapped in-game pretty much constantly, so having to hit the Function button to actually use them is often a nightmare.

They're still dual-function here, though Razer sets these keys to actuate as arrow keys at a quick tap and their separate functions when held fully down. This feature is available on both the white and black models. For the uninitiated, dual-step act൲uation is a feature offered by gaming keyboards that use magnetic Hall effec💦t or optical analog switches.

A mechanical switch will register a keypress once, when a metal contact closes a circuit ༒loop on being pressed. That's a pretty rigid on / off system. By doing away with this process, Razer's analog switches can actuate twice - once at a half press or tap and again at the bottom of a keystroke. That means you can assign two inputs per key. It's by no means an exclusive 🌃feature, but it is used particularly well in the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini.

Aside from that, you'll find Razer Snap Tap, super satisfying doubleshot PBT keycaps, full Razeꦚr Chroma RGB support, and storage for up to six onboard profiles.

I'm also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards for those who want to cut the cord, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and plenty more of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards on the market.

At $299.99 / £299.99 this is among the most expensive gaming keyboards I’ve ever tested, matched only by Mountain’s modular Everest Max. It’s $80 more than the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboard on the market, the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, and drops the additional customization of Hall effect switches. That price is🐲 $5🤡0 more than the similarly hot-swappable Asus ROG Azoth, with a fraction of the battery life. Razer has a fight on its hands here, and only very few players are going to lift the trophy for the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%.

Design

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% packs all your necessary controls into a Goldilocks 75% layout. There’s a reason this form factor has become so popular in recent years, without squeezing the alphanumeric keys and dropping function and navigation options, the BlackWidow can stay compact enough for wider mouse sweeps while still providing plenty of breathing space on the deck itself. Everything is beautifully well balanced, from the key spacing to the viewing angle on the OLED display occupying the top right corner, making for a particularly precise typing and gaming experience. Everything is slightly more spread out than the previous iteration, with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer BlackWidow V4 75% dropping space between the main deck and the navigation / 🅷arrow keys on the right.

Doubleshot PBT keycaps feel particularly sturdy under the fingertips. Razer is well known for the qual🅰ity of its caps, 🌸and the brand has busted out its best for the BlackWidow. There’s a fantastic sense of grip to these toppers, with just enough texture to feel satisfying without impeding speedy movement across the deck. They also provide particularly vivid shinethrough for the LEDs underneath.

The main chassis is constructed from an aluminum alloy top case with a plastic underside to the rear. That’s a solid enough material for longer-term durability, but it’s not quite as premium-feeling as the cold, hard metal of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth’s top. The difference isn’t felt during everyday typing or tapping away in-game, but the BlackWidow did flex considerab🅠ly under harder꧃ pressure, which is a little disappointing for a $300 deck.

I also noticed that dreaded space bar ping returning to my setup. The last few years have seen gaming hardware brands packing their keyboards with the same kind of 💖sound-dampeningꦇ, echo-absorbing foam and mounts that custom decks pioneered back in the day.

The Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% does a similar job, with Poron gasket mounting and a single layer of foam underneath the main ♑plate, but it’s not enough to keep those twangs out of my ears. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard it, and it’s just as d𝓡ifficult to ignore as it was when mechanical keyboards were in their heyday.

The ဣAzoth triples the amount of dampening foam under the hood for a much softe𒉰r sound. I should note that this ping is in no way extended across the board - for the most part, every key other than the space bar bottoms out with a crisp clack, it’s just that pesky long fella. While sometimes a little pingy, these larger keys are well stabilized with barely any wobble.

Two feet extend from the bottom plank to provide a little elevation, but this is also a wedge-shaped case des🥂ign that packs extra height as well. This is a comfortabl🅰e typing experience as a result, and while I did find the wrist rest to be a little too high compared to the keys it’s exceptionally plush and sinks down with plenty of support.

That aforementioned RGB lighting is crisp and bold, offering its range of effects with a premium feeling of precision and clarity. There’s a considerable amount of power behind these LEDs for a bright, dynamic light show around the edges of the keys. Unfortunately, some longer legends suffer from a lack of uniformity in their underglow, which is particularly noticeable on the ‘Enter’ cap. This per-key RGB lighting is also accompanied by the slick side strip that I loved on the full-sized 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro for some extra style as well.

Features

Underneath those lovely keycaps you’ll find a set of Razer’s third-generation mechanical switches - orange ones, to be precise. These are the same clickers I used in the previous release, with a 3.5mm travel and 50g of actuation force. The entire deck is hot-swappable, though, with three and five-pin switch sockets and the proceღss of switching out these clickers is smooth and easy with no stuck or bent pins.

Of course, if you just wanted that tactile typing experience you’d be checking out the cheaper model. Razer has packed its Pro device with wireless 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connectivity. By default, the 2.4💟 GHz 🌊connection polls at 1,000Hz but that can bump up to 4,000Hz with the use of the Razer Hyperpolling dongle included. That’s not the win many might think it is.

In reality, very few players need a higher polling gaming keyboard, it’s only the very 1% of the most successful competitive esports players who might even notice the fas🍸ter rate, let alone benefit from it. This is largely a marketing exercise. Instead, it’s more of an inconvenience having to contend with another cable rather than simply running the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% from a ﷺsimple receiver, as the HyperPolling dongle requires its own USB-C connection. That kind of kills one of the major benefits of going wireless for most everyday players.

I’m willing to guess a good slice of that 🎉$299.99 price tag has been sunk into the high polling rate, but there are still features here to draw in those looking for a more casual experience as well.

The OLED display in the top right corner is the clearest, brightest panel I’ve used on a gaming keyboard. ❀The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 and Asus ROG Azoth both use similar screens for checking onboard vitals, displaying media information, and running cute animations. While SteelSeries’ can run a little dim and Asus’s doesn’t quite offer the resolution I’d ♑be after in 2025, though, the BlackWidow’s screen is incredibly crisp.

The display can show you your keyboard’s connection and battery info🦹rmation, system usage, audio waves and track titles, animations, or a still image. Meanwhile, a customizable control dial to the right handles volume controls, playback, brightness, and app switching, with additional support for zoom and scroll functions as well.

All of that is sorted through Synapse 4, a system that’s not without its tantrums but played nice during m🦂y testing. Aside from the media controls and display settings, this is where you’ll choose RGB effects, configure b♍attery-saving features, and set up keybindings. Everything is neatly laid out with an intuitive menu system and collection of toggles, sliders, and tick boxes for all your usual personalization options.

Battery life isn’t going to hold up against the Asus ROG Azoth, even if Razer claims that it will get 2,100 hours of juice with all the extra features switched off (that would put the BlackWidow among the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market). If I spent $300 on a gaming keyboard, I certainly wouldn’t be ignoring its features, though. In regular usage, with the display at 70% brightness, RGB lighting at 50%, and with deꦫfault power-saving settings, I rarely managed to squeeze two days of use out of this device.

On average, it lasted around eight to ten hours before dying out - a partic♑ularly low life. I thought I had accidentally whacked everything up to 11 and set my polling rate to 4,000Hz when the battery first plunged to 0. Unfortunately, this is a wireless keyboard that will likely sp♌end most of its life plugged in.

There’s one notable absence from this feature set, one that I wouldn’t have brought up this time last year but feels surprising for a $299 keyboard in 2025. These are fully mechanical switches with no magnetic Hall effect features or analog dual-step actuation. These aren’t necessarily must-haves for a good gaming keyboard, but these newer switches are making their way into cheaper flagships across the industry. Razer has its own spin on the tech, but it’s largely relegated to its Huntsman ra𝔉nge.

Performance

In-game, the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% feels exceedingly precise. There’s a strong bump to these tactile switches that gives every key press that extra level of tension that makes for particularly clean inputs. Combined with the excellent𒀰 spacing and textured k🐟eycaps, I never missed a beat during my competitive sessions and still managed to stay comfortable and accurate when strafing around Avowed’s melee combat and parkour moments.

That heavier bump does make itself known during longer typing periods, which might grow a little fatiguing if you’re more used to a lighter switch. It requires far more force than the Asus ROG Azoth’s short linear feel, and if you naturally type fairly lightly you may feel that strain fairly quickly. I was able to type all day and then return in the even🌺ing for gaming without feeling it too much, though.

The extra heft takes a little getting used to if you’re used to bottoming out for actuation, but after learning the height of the bump the BlackWidow can be surprisingly speedy to navigate. I was hitting all my⛎ necessary keys just as fas♛t as I would with a lighter key while still benefitting from the extra precision.

Wireless connectivity is rock solid, with no interference from the bu💮zz of other 2.4GHz receivers I have in my setup. I also noticed that while my keyboard was often at low battery, a dwindling charge never interrupted this connection as it would with a cheaper deck.

Should you buy the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%?

It’s difficult to rec𒈔ommend any $299.99 / £299.99 gaming keyboard to the majority of players due to its particularly high price tag. It’s even harder to recommend one that drops newer Hall effect switches, lags in batter🍨y life, and puts a considerable amount of stock in a feature that very few players will notice.

There’s nothing mat♐erially wrong with how the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% functions - in fact, it’s a particularly comfortable deck with a slick, smooth typing experience, and an impressive digital display. It does a lot of things better than other decks, its RGB is more vivid than that of SteelSeries and its spacဣing is miles better than its predecessor.

If you’re a professional-level esports player looking for a slightly heavier mechanical feel with a wireless connection it’s well worth a look. However, the⛄ vast majority of players are going to find significantly b🔯etter value in the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%. It offers a very similar experience, albeit without that screen, for a considerable chunk of change less.

How I tested the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%

I used the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% for a period of two weeks, running the device for all my daily work and play during that time. An average day saw between seven and eight hours of typing with an extra two or three hours of gameplay in the evening. During that time I primarily tested across Avowed, Oxenfree 2, and Fallout 4, with dedicated testing in CS2. I ran the battery down multiple times during testing, measuring lifespans with various RGB and digital display brightness settings, across both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

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Combine that with the brand’s super vivid RGB lighting and a set of dedicated extra controls and you’re looking at one of the strongest TKL keyboards on the market, save for its high-resistance typing experience. If you don’t want to move past the $200 threshold to pick up one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards available, this is an excellent choice.

Design

The Logitech༒ G Pro X TKL Rapid is available in black, white, or pink, with all three models benefiting from particularly vibrant Lightsync RGB. It’s those LEDs that steal the show i🃏n this design. While I was a little disappointed to see some uneven coloring around longer legends (the caps, tab, and enter keys all lose some of this spark), the main alphanumeric keys are beautifully lit with controlled, rich color. It’s rare that I speak so highly of an RGB system so early in a review, but with no light bleed it’s truly one of the first things to impress me about this deck.

The actual TKL form factor is taller than that of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, with a larger top bezel providing extra space for a silver ‘G’ logo stamped into the left corner, ♑as well as the media control buttons and volume ⛦dial on the right. It means these controls aren’t as hidden behind the keycaps as they are on SteelSeries’ model, though they’re still set fairly low and some peering and reaching is required to hit them. It’s easier to adjust the volume during more frantic moments, though, thanks to that extra headroom.

A metal top plate is recessed into a plastic chassis, making for a sturdy landing for each keypress that doesn’t break the bank with a full premium construction. SteelSeries adopts a similar design, with the same flex-free results. The plastic casing also mea🧸ns that the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid is light enough for easy transport, though still sturdy enough on the desk to stay in place when confronted with my occasional mouse-hand knocks.

Doubleshot PBT keycaps provide an overall good sense of grip, but I can’t help but feel that they’re slightly more slippery than the more textured caps of SteelSeries’ product and certainly less grippy than those of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:NZXT Function Elite. While I never slid enough to actually lose precision,💛 they don’t feel as satisfying under the fingertips as other options. With a more frantic playstyle, positioninꦯg could get sloppy.

The main deck, however, is incredibly well built. There isn’t a hint of a creak to the body itself, every join is seamless, and even larger keycaps resist wobbling under the hand. Two flip feet on the underside operate with a reassuring snap and never buckle when pushing the keyboard up and down a desk. I regularly shove my key𝐆board up the desk to take notes and hate hearing the clatter of a weaker hinge buckling from the momentum. There’s a little hint of luxury in this ✤build quality as well, with a small strip of glossy metal outlining the main typing plate and catching the light beautifully.

It doesn’t feel like there’s too much additional dampening goi♛ng on inside this chassis, so keypresses can sound a little more coarse compared to SteelSeries and NZXT. As with mo🅘st magnetic switches, though, there’s no pinging from within the case during even heavier typing sessions.

I did, however, notice the space bar starting to soften 𝕴during the course of my testing. The deeper thocc heard at the start of my process was accompanied by a lighte൩r clack towards the end. The space bar has its own padding underneath, but it feels like a looser connection in the stabilizer itself - the switch still feels solid on closer inspection.

Features

Of course, it’s those switches that are going to be drawing many towards the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid over other decks. Logitech’s Magnetic Analog switches can be configured to actuate at between 0.1mm aᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚnd 4mm of travel. That essentially means your keys can be as sensitive or as heavy as you wish, and individual keys can be set up in different ways - for example, upping the sensitivity of WASD while lowering it in surrounding keys to avoid mis-presses.

Being able to actuate at 0.1mm mꦰakes for a pa🐠rticularly speedy switch, and while SteelSeries matches this full range of customization choices, NZXT’s Hall effect keyboard taps out at 0.6mm, giving you less room to work with. I’m glad Logitech went for the full range here, especially considering it’s $20 cheaper than the Function Elite at MSRP.

Using a magnet rather than a traditional mechanical on / off switch means you can also map two separate functions to two different actuation points within the same keypress. I mostly use this feature for configuring ‘W’ to walk when at a half press, and adding a ‘Shift’ modifier for a run when pushed all the way down. It’s a neat feature that helps replicate mo🥂re of a controller thumbstick fee💎l, and considering I spend most of my time in Avowed sprinting (thank you no-stamina-sprints) I rarely felt myself hovering uncomfortably at a half press.

It’s worth noting that some keyboards allow for four inputs per keypress (one on the way down, one at a full bottom-out, one on the way up, and one at a full return). That’s particularly tricky to nail and rarely comes up in everyday gameplay, but it is a feature available on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 HE.

Of course, as the name suggests, that all-important Rapid Trigger mode is also available here. It’s essentially a repeat-press shortcut that allows for incredibly fast debounce responses. In Logitech’s deck, you set a preferred actuation point from which your press with de-register which means you doꦬn’t need to wait for a full reset before actuating again, as you would with a mechanical switch. Most Hall effect keyboards use this feature.

SO🥀CD controls are available as well, named ‘Key Priority’ in Logitech’s vocabulary. If you haven’t heard the controversy around this feature, it essentially allows your keyboard to override your previous keypress with a new one. If you’re holding ‘A’ to strafe left and immediately want to change direction with ‘D’, previous keyboards would have nullified this action for the amount of time both keys are being pressed.

In those milliseconds where you have both k🦩eys pressed, you’d be going nowhere. SOCD overrides your ‘A’ input with ‘D’ as soon as it’s actuated for an immediate change in direction. This feature is extremely useful in casual play, but it’s also banned in a number of competitive arenas, so use with caution.

All of this is configured in Logitech’s G Hub software, which does make light work of ensuring each customization process is smooth and intuitive. I use a lot of different programs by a lot of different brands, so finding out where each setting is on each one can become tiresome. Logitech combines its actuation point, rapid trigger, and SOCD controls in one menu, called ‘Analog ꦏSwitches’. A simple sliding scale reminds me of the particularly streamlined NZXT CAM software that I loved during testing, but Logitech also benefits from showing your individual actuation points on a graphic of the keyboard itself as well. That’s particularly handy for finer tweaks.

Customizing those dual inputs is all done in the ‘Assignments’ tab, which makes sense now that I think back on it but threw me at the start of testing. It would make sense to have this ‘analog switch’ feature included in its respective menu, but I can see why it’s here. The fact that it’s one of the more simple multi-action remapping tools I’ve used makes up for that brief confusion - a simple building block interface and a testing section makes the process pain-free where ღother platforms can get confusing.

Like most Hall effect keyboards, this is a fully wired affair. The extra power draw of these switches mean few keyboards can comfortably run for long enough on battery power over a 2.4GHz or Bluetooth connection. If you do want to go wireless you’ll be paying for it - the Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE is cable-free, but its price can skyrocket. A 1,000Hz polling rate keeps things reasonable, some keyboards can go higher to cover the odd millisecond of missed input as keyboard and PC converse. The vast majority of players d♈on’t need an 8,000Hz polliꦑng keyboard, but com📖petitive players might want to consider Glorious’s model for that extra safety blanket.

Performance

Tไhe Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid looks great, feels alright, and is stacked with a good set of features for its price. The way it runs put me off a little at the start of testing🌟.

The first thing I noticed about this keyboard is its particularly soft bottom-out. I’m a fan of a softer clack, I love my 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth for this pillowy response. But there’s a woolly feeling to these switches that sometimes makes typing feel a little heavier than it should. Combined with a lack of energy from the top plate, it verges on feeling just a little mushy. I’m by no means likening this experience to that of a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:membrane gaming keyboard, there’s still a snap🗹 to these switches, but co♒mpared to the rest of my testing pool there’s a little too much tension somewhere in these switches.

Hall effect switches will also lose some of the snap of a mechanical deck, but the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 and NZXT Function Elite still manage to feel crisp and clean under the fingertips. There’s less resistance behind each keypress, particularly in NZXT’s switches while the level of force required to half-actuate Logitech’s keys can get fatiguing during longer typing sessions. This made less of a difference in-game, and - like in the case of the Apex Pro - the extra stiffness actually allowed me to discern where I was within the actuation range of each key a little better. SteelSeries nails this intuitive feel for actuation points while also p𝓰roviding a comfortable everyday typing experience, though.

It𒁃 should be noted that that heaviness never got in the way of super light keypresses. With my actuation poin꧋t set to the top 0.1mm, I was never pushing down enough on a key to feel this resistance fully. That made for particularly speedy movements across Apex Legends and CS2.

Should you buy the Logitech G Pro X Rapid?

The Logitech G Pro X Rapid does have a lot going for it, at a price point that appeases more wallets than SteelSeries and NZXT. If you’re after a Hall effect keyboard purely for gameplay use, it’s a fantastic alternative to more premium options (which feels weird to say about a Logitech deck). You’re getting the same range𝕴 of actuation customizations as you would with both the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 ($219.99) and NZXT Function Elite ($199.99), with dedicated media controls, vibrant RGB lighting, a compact TKL form factor, and a slick design. I’d recommend getting your hands on these switches in-store first if you know you prefer a lighter feel (and you’ll be typing a lot every day), but overall it’s an easy recommendation for the price.

If you can go a little further up the budget🌳 scale, 𝓡though, I’d still point you towards the SteelSeries Apex Pro first and foremost. It’s got better keycaps, a handy OLED display, and a less stuffy switch-feel in the hand. It also comes with a wrist rest and, while it’s a little harder to hit reliably, a volume dial for quick adjustments in-game.

Like most Hall effect keyboards, both Logitech and SteelSeries’ entries are wired-only. If you’re after a cable-free setup, the Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE is the way to go. It’s a good deal more expensive, but provides a more luxurious dampening design, 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connections, and additional multi-trigger settings as well. The deck is also modular for further upgrades later on down the line, with a full customizatꦗion experience available via the .

How I tested the Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid

The Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid was my daily driver across work and play for two weeks, during which time I primarily played Avowed, Oxenfree 2, and Fallout 4. I stress tested the deck in competitive rounds of Apex Legends and CS2, using varied actuation points across different keys and making use of rapid trigger as well. I tested SOCD and dual actuation mostly in Avowed. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I’m also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards, but if you’re after a look at the competition I’m also looking out for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards on the market. For switch-swappers out there, I’ve also had my hands on all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards as well.

Competition in this price range is brutal. The three decks most closely aligned to the Alienware Pro Wireless’s price point just so happen to be some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards money can buy right now. Alienware wants its tri-mode connectivity, bold RGB ligဣhting, and thoccy mechanical switches to speak for themselves, but whe꧂re others are upping the game from a customization standpoint, the brand struggles to be heard against the rest of the market.

By itself, the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard is a nicely constructed piece of kit. A rock solid build quality, excell⛎ent typing feel, and strong versatility in its connections puts it in good stead for those after a pure mechanical experience. Problems occur when that $199.99 receipt floats into view.

Design

I received the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard in the brand’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ colorway - that’s black to you and I - but it’s also available in ‘Lunar Li꧋ght’, aka white. I personally prefer white gaming tech - it just lo🅠oks more premium and stands out more compared to the hundreds of boring black gadgets on the market. Still, I can appreciate the slightly lighter gray base body and jet black caps here - even if they may be absorbing some of that RGB power.

Don’t🗹 get me wrong, Alienware’s deck does a lot to differentiate itself from the usual black bricks that pass over my testing desk. The soft rounded corners make for a more relaxed aesthetic overall, with a gentle slope on the underside providing a little more visual excitement as well. Not that you’ll be picking up your keyboard all too often, but it’s an extension of Dell’s curvy design vibe.

That comfort-factor is compounded by the soft-touch coating across the top of the aluminum top plate. It’s a softer alternative to the cold, hard metal found on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 and, while th♔e slimline bezels mean I wasn’t coming into contact with the surface all too often, it adds an air of sophistication to the design as a whole.

The aluminum chassis melts into a plastic under-case with a seamless join halfway down the side, with both panels working together to produce a fantastic build quality. This thing is rock solid - exactly what you want for a traditional linear mechanical switch. I never encountered even a whisper of flex in the main deck, and the response to a fully bottomed-out keypress was clean and energetic. Even switch wobble is kept to an absolute minimum a⛎cross large and small keys - everything is incredibly tight under the fingertipsꦿ here.

Those old school mechanical switches do make themselves known, with a loud clack to each actuation that takes me straight ba𝔍ck to the glory days. It’s a little too loud to truly be considerate in a shared space, though I personally love the auditory feedback in my little den. While there are some dampening foam layers in the internal construction, which work particularly hard to calm any rattle or ping produced by the switches, this is still far from the gasket mounted clicking of the ROG Azoth.

This is a 75% layout, but not as you might know it. Everything is squished into a form factor more in keeping with the traditions of a 65% deck. You’re still getting arrow key𝓰s and a full function row, with some extra navigation and media controls on the right hand side. The main alphanumeric area still remains nicely balanced, though, and I never had any issues with mis-presses between keys. It does, however, mean that you miss out on some of the extra features like a display or control dial that you’ll find in SteelSeries or Asus’s boards.

The Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard provides a very slight natural incline due that extended section underneath, with two flippable feet adding extra elevation as well. These are the first keyboard feel that I’ve used to flip out sideways, and I’m a big fan. Unless you’ve got all but the strongest h𝓰inges, front-folding feet tend to buckle and fold back into place when moving a keyboard backwards and forwards. Whenever I make similar adjustments with Alienware’s device, the feet simply glide in motion with the deck. A rubber strip also runs along the bottom of the Pro Wireless to keep it in place on a desk as well.

Connection options are a little hidden at the front of the keyboard, and it’s a little frustrating to have to lift the deck and angle it simply to see which🎀 device I’m connected to or to switch between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connections. Still, I’m rarely tinkering with these once everything is set up - so it’s not going to be a major headache in the long term.

Features

Dell has outfitted the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard with a set of its own linear switches. These clickers are both the deck’s greatest strength and biggest point of contention. At $199.99, you’re not exactly skimping on your new gaming keyboard, so it’s difficult to justify the lack of Hall effect clickers from a pure functionality perspective. These newer magnetic switches provide far more customization of your switch behavior via personalized actuation points and dual-step triggers. They also provide faster repeat presses when a dynamic feature called Rapid Trigger is enabled. Newer gaming keyboards, like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:NZXT Function Elite Wireless ($199.99) and S♐teelSeries’s latest Apex Pro ($219.99), easily throw these switches into their decks.

A 💫longer feature list isn’t always the hallmark of a great gaming keyboard, though. That’s where the stronger side of this mechanical offering comes in. These are particularly smooth, responsive, and satisfying switches, operating at a Goldilocks 40g actuation force for the perfect balance ꧒between sensitivity and speed.

While the smaller 75% form factor does limit some of the controls available, the Pro Wireless still features dedicated volume buttons along the right, with a preset swapper in the top corner. This gives you fast access to your five onboard profiles, with RGB switching as well. Having onboard control over th💮ese presets is a fantastic bonus, especially if you regularly switch between control schemes on the fly. I appreciated being able to make the change from a sniper ⛦position to a full run’n’gun playstyle with the tap of a button, rather than having to tab out and head into Alienware Command Center. It does, however, mean that the delete button has been pushed to the left, which never felt intuitive during day to day productivity.

The squished form factor also means media playback and navigation buttons are relegated to a separate function layer, though they’re all neatly placed around the right for easy acce🌃ss.

Wireless connectivity is also one of the Pro’s strongest assets. A USB-C 2.4GHz receiver takes care of all your low-latency gaming needs, ♚while slots for three Bluetooth connections keeps things flexible across separate devices as well. 1,000Hz polling is nice and speedy for everyday players but those with their sights set on tournament stardom will be disappointed to learn that there’s no additional polling gains to be had from a wired connection. While the NZXT Function Elite relies solely on a wired connection, it runs at a faster 8,000Hz polling rate for the uber competitive.

Alienware Command Centඣer is back in action to set up all your personalized keybindings, configure RGB settings, and enable power saving features. It’s a little basic compared to some of the controls available in Razer Synapse, for example, but it does the same core job. Everything is nicely laid out, with three main tabs for lighting, key💞binding, and general settings. I do prefer the single-page layout of NZXT’s CAM software, though this is a better experience compared to Asus’s Armory Crate.

Performance

I’ve been testing a hell of a lot of Hall effect gaming keyboards in the last few weeks, so hitting these linear mechanical clackers felt like coming home. The typing feel is fantastic here, offering just the right level of tension behind each switch while still providing a nicely sensitive actuation threshold. I missed not being able to set a higher actuation for certain keys I’m more likely to need to twitch into, but there’s a reason mechanical keyboards lasted so long in the gaming world. These factory-lubed switches are smoo🏅t෴h and bouncy with strong feedback that feels tactile without getting in the way of comfort during longer typing sessions.

That means accuracy and speed are maintained at high levels. I was able to hit my dodges in Avowed just as well as I would on♌ a controller, while also benefitting from a range of quick-tap commands elsewhere on the deck. I also appreciated the slightly narrower design when it came to holding caps or shift for certain maneuvers, as my fingers didn’t need to stray as far from WASD to keep everything locked in.

Battery life also holds its own, coming in at up to 72 hours over 2.4GHz (with RGB switched on), and up to 798 hours without that lighting enabled. With these LEDs engaged, I was able to run the deck for around a ♔week and a half from a full battery - using the deck betw🦂een seven and ten hours per day, and a few hours on weekends. Asus still wins in the battery department, though, with a massive 2,000 hours of charge in its ROG Azoth provided you keep those LEDs off.

Should you buy the Alienware Pro Wireless gaming keyboard?

There are a few gaming keyboards the Alienware Pro Wireless needs to beat. The $249.99 Asus ROG Azoth has long been the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboard on the market, and its age means that price is much closer to $199.99 these days. It’s a 75% deck with a little more breathing space, a better battery, extra control 🌱and display features, and a softer typing feel. Not all of those be🦄nefits are going to appeal to everyone, if you’re after a more traditionally clacky switch then Alienware is the better choice, but overall value is on Asus’s side.

The $219.99 SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3 TKL swaps the Alienware Pro Wireless’s cable-free connection for infinitely more customizable Hall effect switches. It’s a much more sensitive experience if you need it to be, and also comes with mor🤡e onboard controls, higher headroom for faster inputs, and a wrist rest included. If you’re going a🍎ll out on speed over a classic mechanical typing feel, SteelSeries is the deck to beat. It’s currently my favorite TKL form factor plank on the market.

Then there’s the NZXT Function Elite ($199.99). This is a newer release that also takes advantage of Hall effect switches ๊while keeping the price closer to that of the Alienware Pro Wireless. It’s got a similarly squished TKL form factor, though includes dedicated navigational keys at the expense of media controls, and provides a solid light show in the process. The build quality doesn’t match Alienware’s, and it’s a wired-only device, but if you’re climbing those competitive ranks fast its more sensitiv⛄e switches and increased polling rate could make it the better buy.

Overall, I’d recommend the Alienware Pro Wireless to players who have cash to burn on an old school mechanical experience. If you don’t want to tinker with switch actuation points, and would prefer a deeper, richer key feel you’re going to be right at home here. It’s not one for the pros, and its far from entry level, but if you’re upgrading to a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard with plenty of ver🤡satility for extra devices it’s a solid optio💯n.

I'm also scouting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for something a little cheaper, or check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards to see what the competition has to offer. If you're outfitting your whole setup, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models I've tested so far.

Of course, this being Razer, the Minecraft collection kicks up those green levels another notch. From the full creep-face of the mouse pad to the almost slimey look of the BlackWidow keyboard this is a celebration of all things strangely t🎉errifying. Right now, everything but the Gigantus Mouse Pad is available to order direct from Razer, with the cheapest item being the budget Razer Cobra at $39.99.

Each item is purchased separately, but also comes with free in-game items. A code for the Ender Dragon Shawl is available with the Razer BlackWidow V4 X๊ and Razer Kraken V4 X, while the Overgrown Arm comes with the Razer Cobra and Razer Gigantus. It should also be noted that there's a slight price increase on a couple of these peripherals, ranging from $40 on top of the regular BlackWidow V4 X price to $20 over the usual Kraken V4 X MSRP.

Razer loves a collaboration, previously releasing its own Fortnite swag and most recently a Kuromi collection. These aren't just decals either, I took a long hard look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer x Fortnite collection and was impressed with the viꦕvidity of the color work on offer. Just one look at those bright green keycaps is enough to suggest the same pedigree of quality is available here, even if the actual tech errs on the cheaper side of the brand's collection.

The $169.99 Razer BlackWidow V4 X is the most expensive item in the Razer Minecraft collection, and comes in $40 more expensive than the $129.99 standard model. It packs a gorgeously pixelated Minecraft block base deck with those aforementioned green keycaps up top. Creeper be creepin', though, with those haunting faces appearing around the arrow keys and between the function row of this full-sized 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming keyboard. This is a wired device, but it sti🔴llಞ comes with six dedicated macro buttons, a volume scroll wheel, and either Razer Green or Yellow mechanical switches.

Then we have the $99.99 Razer Kraken V4 X 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming headset, a wired budget version of the standard 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Kraken V4 (though the special edition is $20 more than the standard headset). Those iconic earcups have been saved from the green treatment, but you'll still find that creeper face adorning the sides of the headband, and sneaking up on you on the internal fabric driver covers. Of all the Razer Minecraft collaboration items, this is the most subtle - if it could ever be considered so. With the brand's TriForce 40mm drivers and 7.1 Surround Sound, every crack of your axe📖 against a tree will be beamed straight into your ear holes.

The Razer Cobra is a similar story. At $39.99 it's significantly cheaper than the wireless 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Cobra Pro, but you won't find the more premium model with those luscious Minecraft blocks running down the top of the main chassis. This is actually the same price as the standard model as well, which is refreshing. Of course, our old friend is still here, peering up over the right-hand click. Though this design extends only across the main panel - the rest looks to be a standard black. At 58g this 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming mouse is light enough to hoജld its own in more competitive arenas, while still offering Chroma lightning underneath as w🦹ell (you know it's going to have to be green).

You'll find plenty more of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer mice and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards right here on GamesRadar+, but we're also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer gaming headsets as well.

While similar in their operation (you’re still getting that precious rapid trigger), these clickers feel far different to the rest of the magnetic decks I’ve tested so far. Whether that’s enough of a trade off for some of the sacrifices the Ducky One X makes comes down to what you want from your next deck. If it’s a smooth and speedy ride with plenty of extra actuation controls, then this could be the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboard on the market for you.

Design

I was surprised when I opened up the Ducky One X. From my time with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ducky One 3 I was looking forward to some wacky combinations of vibrant colors and dominatingly vivid RGB lighting. This duck’s grown up, and I was instead met with a completely white full-sized deck, with more of a pastel hue to its RGB lighting. I’m not mad about it, there’s something crisp and clean about white tech, but I do miss the fun old days of color. A collection of peach-colored alternate caps are available in the box, but their RGB shinethrough isn’t as clear as the stock white o🐲ptions, and th𝐆e deck feels a little off as a result.

The actual chassis is fairly tall, with a wedge-shaped design that makes the most of harsh angles and heavy slopes. That does give the deck a slick almost-floating aesthetic when viewed from tℱhe top down, the lower lip hides a lot of this height by extending well past the base board of the deck itself.

The full plastic construction feels a little more luxurious in this design, though. The entire chassis is made out of this rigid material and while I am able to flex the top plate a little aro🃏und the arrow buttons (only while directly testing for it), the surface feels robust enough to bounce nicely during typing. There’s a heft to this base that feels anything but cheap as well, which means the deck itself certainly isn’t going anywhere 𓄧if knocked during play.

Coming from a series of smaller 75% keyboards, the Ducky One X took a few slaps at theไ start of my testing. The full-sized form factor means there’s less space for wilder mouse sweeps, though I naturally play with my keyboard at an angle anyway and was grateful for the extra keybinding and productivity potential in the number pad. Returning to this classic form factor also meant I had to contend with slightly wider key spacing.

The Ducky One X is well balanced in its placement overall, and I was able to adjuꦑst quickly with only a few accidental presses here 🍒and there. If you’re used to a smaller deck, though, this isn’t something to discount entirely - moving across the full key space is slightly more of a workout for the fingers and it didn’t go unnoticed during typing-heavy work days. I was never uncomfortable during these longer periods, but I certainly felt the strain when writing a few sentences at a time without a pause.

That may have been alleviated by the extra height of a wrist rest, an addition usually included with full-siz🉐ed gaming keyboards. It’s a little disappointing that there’s no rest here, then - especially considering the actual feel of the switches makes for an excellent typing experience separately.

That’s partly because the Ducky One X features a seven-layer sound-dampening system build around a gasket mount design. IXPE sheets, EVA plate foam, a silicone pad, and a PET acoustics isolation layer all sandwich the PCB to stamp out any switch rattle or ping. It’s one of the most controlled typing sounds I’ve used so far, save perhaps for the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 - a keyboard that allows you to configure your exact build materials to suit your own personal taꦍste.

Up top, you’ve got a set of doubleshot PBT keycaps that feel great under the fingertips. Ducky claims that its caps are made out of 85% PBT (whereas other brands are sometimes limited to 40-60%). The extra concentration of this material should reduce shine while providing a better texture overall. I rarely encounter shine problems in keycaps these days, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth I’ve been using for two years is still 𒆙just as grippy as the day I opened the box, so I’m not particularly sold on the benefits. However, they’re soft and smooth while still providing a satisfying sense of tactility - which is hard to achieve. They also feel like they offer 🐼a slightly deeper concave design than I generally encounter, which is fantastic for positioning and precision even in the most hectic of scenarios.

I was also impressed with the wobble reduction in larger keys. Ducky claims that its own plate-mounted stabilizers have kept things more rigid around the E🦩nter and Space caps and, in a rare turn of events, I don’t think this is marketing spiel. I have trouble actually wiggling the Enter key without hitting the button, a fantastic sign that everything is tightly tun🏅ed and well controlled.

Features

Ducky says it’s going in a slightly different direction to most gaming brands releasing new gaming keyboards in 2025. While the market is being filled with Hall effect switches, the brand’s Ducky Inductive Switch is a slight delineation from this norm. I say slight, because the difference between the two types when under the fingers is relatively small. These are still, for all intents and purposes, magnetic switches - they still allow for customizable actuation points, multiple actuation inputs, and rapid trigger functionality - they just go about it in a slightly different way. If you’re unsure of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:what a Hall effect keyboard is in the first place, it’s basically a set of switches that measure the movement of a magne🎉t to register a keypress, rather than the on/off contacts between mechan𒊎ical metal plates.

Ducky’s Inductive switch does the same thing, but the brand claims it does so with more reliability and consistency, stating that magnetic Hall effect keyboards can yield to a decay in magnet strength. That’s not something I’ve come across in my year of using the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE, as an example, but in day to day practice there’s a bigger benefit to t꧒hese clickers. They’re much smoother.

Most of the Hall effect keyboards I’ve tried so far have a clacky quality to their press. Aside from the gorgeous Lynx switches I used in the Glorious GMMK 3, they’ve all been a lot harsher than their mecha🔯nical counterparts. While the Ducky Inductive switches aren’t quite as creamy as those from Glorious, they’re still much smoother than the majority of the market, and provide a crisp, clean feel all together. These are linear switches with a 3.5mm bottom out (they’re shorter than most) and 40g of initial force, which makes them relatively snappy compared to alternative Hall effect and mechanical options.

Using inductive switches also means Ducky has had an easier time making the One X a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wireless gaming keyboard. While most Hall effect decks, like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 (though notably, again, not the Glorious GMMK 3) need to conserve their power for those magnets, Ducky has both a 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connection packed in here. That’s excellent considering the One X has a significantly lower price tag than S🌼teelSeries’ flagship, and comes in cheaper than the GMMK 3 Pro HE as well.

Unfortunately, the One X doesn’t quite hold up in the battery department. With RGB switched on, I only managed 🐟between ten and 15 hours of battery life per charge, regularly having to plug in during the course of a week. Actually working out how much battery remains is also a struggle - the information is only visible on the deck itself, with Fn+B displaying your level in red lighting ac𓄧ross the number row.

Still, the actual ‘Hall effect’ functionality you get with every other magnetic deck is still here. Actuation points can be configured from 0.1mm to 3.5mm (a slightly smaller spread compared to SteelSeries and Endgame, though with a more sensitive top-end setting than the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:NZXT Function Elite MiniTKL). Plus, the Ducky One X is taking a leaf out of Glorious’s book and offering multiple actuation points across both the depress and return stages of each push. That means you can configure four different inputs per key (two on the way down and two on the way up) if you really want to be as efficient as possible. Most Hall effect keyboards don’t offer additional functionality on the re𓆏turn of a keypress, instead actuating once on the way down and a second time at a full bottom out. It’s difficult to find the right use-case for this mapping, and even more difficult to master it in-game but if you’re willing to re-learn your controls it’s fantastic at this price point.

Rapid trigger is readily available and easily toggled in Ducky’s ‘software’ (it’s a web page, but I’ll g🦋et onto that in a second), though there’s no specific SOCD controls or additional dynamic actuatio🍷n settings. The SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3, for example, can automatically adjust actuation points of various keys based on your gameplay.

All of this is available, but can be a nightmare to set up. In comparison to NZXT’s super slick and easy configꦕuration tool, Ducky IO is a little too messy and unreliable for my taste. The webpage connects to the keyboard quickly and easily (though it doಌes need to be wired in for any adjustments to hold), but the entire thing often loads in the wrong language, can take a good few minutes to populate with information, and often doesn’t allow for multi-point trigger customization. Setting actuation points, RGB lighting, and macros are all fairly straightforward, but there’s a lack of assistance on this multi-input functionality that made my initial setup particularly frustrating.

It should be noted that I’ve been using the Ducky One X ahead of release, at which time more functionality and stability may be added to ꦗthis portal. I’ll be keeping my eyes pee♑led and will update this review should the experience change. I hope Ducky invests in this tool - it’s fantastic not to have to rely on a whole separate piece of software for customization (I have far too many clogging up my PC as it is).

Those switches are among the few features that actually make the Ducky One X a gaming keyboard. There are no other additional extras o🍌ne might expect from a dedicat๊ed deck. SteelSeries has its display, NZXT has its high polling rate, Ducky has its typing experience and wireless connectivity.

While this is a full-sized deck, additional controls are sparse. While decks like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro will cram as many additional dials, knobs, and buttons onto their faces as possible, Ducky is keeping this one clean. The only extra dedicated controls are the volume settings in the 🌠top right corner. Aside from Bluetooth switching (mapping four separate connections across the QWER k🎃eys) there aren’t even additional functions printed on side legends.

I missed having dedicated playback options during productivity hours, but you’ll likely only miss having dedicated clickers for your favorite combos or keybindings if you already use them now. Still, the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is only slightly more expensive (we’re talking $20 th🐷ese days)🅺 than the Ducky One X, so if you’re after a full command center those extra controls are going to be worth more than the inductive switches.

Performance

The Ducky One X nails both speed and typing feel in testing, whether I was blasting my way through CS2 or writing up this very review. The almost powdery feel of these super smooth switches reminds me of the fantastic typing experience I had with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile - just with a little extra satisfaction in the boosted tension of these high-profile springs. That’s comb✨ined with an excellent degree of sound dampening - there wasn’t even a hint of rattle or ping as these keycaps clattered around the deck, everything sounded beautifully muted 𝕴and creamy.

Response times are as fast as I can expect them to be as an every day player, ⛄the majority of us won’t need more than the kind of speed on offer here. If you’re a competitive player heading towards the top of those league tables, though, it’s worth noting that the Ducky One X caps out at a 1,000Hz polling rate. While you don’t need an 8,000Hz polling rate keyboard for most endeavors, those at the top of their game may prefer something with a faster report (like the NZXT Function Elite). You’re not going to be dropping inputs in Indiana Jones or Avowed here, though.

In fact, being able to set your actuation point as low as 0.1mm might make far more of a difference in competitive play than your polling rate. While most Hall effect keyboards can reach thiꦦs kind of twitch-sensitive actuation, NZXT’s deck isn’t quite so lenient. In practice, the control afforded by those curved, nicely textured keycaps, combined with super high levels of tap response makes for an incredibly speedy experience. I was changing between weapons and shifting direction in a blink of an eye - much faster than even the most sensitive of mechanical gaming keyboards. Throw in rapid trigger for near-instant repeat presses and you’re a powerhouse.

Should you buy the Ducky One X?

Th♓e Ducky One X feels fantastic under the fingertips, can run wirelessly as long as you remember to plug in overnight, and offers plenty of flexibility in both your Bluetooth connections and switch actuation settings. Its software is going to take a little more patience than SteelSeries’ or NZXT’s, and its onboard functionality is limited insofar as additional controls and displays are concerned. However, if you’re looking for that switch experimentation without the traditionally thoccy feel of a Hall effect magnet, I’d heartily recommend it.

If you’re not specifically hunting down magnetic (or magnetic-like) switches, there are better options out there. The Asus ROG Azoth still remains my favorite mechanical gaming keyboard on the market, and it has Ducky thrashed in both the battery life and controls department. Its 75% form factor makes for a morꦡe comfortable experience overall, especially if you’re prone to wid♓er mouse movements, and these days those price tags regularly merge at around the same position.

If you’re a competitive gamer looking to gain an edge with every Hall effect tool under the sun, Ducky might be comin꧟g up short again. While you are sacrificing that wireless connection, the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 gave me a much better sense of depth when I was working through those mid-press actuations. SteelSeries’ switches have a little more room to breathe, which makes nailing those half-press inputs easier overall. Not only that, but you’re getting more software options and an OLED display for extra value for money as well.

How I tested the Ducky One X

I used the Ducky One X over the course of two weeks (with a break in between to test a different deck). In that time I exclusively used the full-sized deck for all work and play, running everything from CS2 to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, with a good old Sims binge in the middle. I directly compared the Ducky One X with the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 and Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE side by side during both gameplay and typing tests. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If you’re after a different brand, I’m also hunting down all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards on the market. Or, for something cheaper, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards available. You’ll also find all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards I’ve tested so far right here as well.

That’s a premium piece of kit - more expensive than some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market, so it’s got a lot to live up to. Considering its price point puts it in direct competition with the Asus ROG Azoth and SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, two options regularly found at aro🌊und $200, NZXT isn’t playing around. I’ve spent the last two weeks zipping around these clickers, to see just where it stands in a particularly competitive market.

Design

NZXT calls the Function Elite a MiniTKL, which is to say it sits somewhere in between a 75% and TKL deck, though it leans far heavier on the former. Instead of a separate arrow and nav key row you’ve got two columns of commands with a set of pointers only slightly separated from the rest of the main deck. It’s still slightly longer than the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth, but does a good job of staying out of the way of wilder mouse sweeps. 75% is my personal sweet spot, so keeping the full functionality of a T𒐪KL while shrinking that size down counts as a win for me. It does, however, remove the possibility of any dedicated media buttons (wh🥂ich you’re more likely to find on the larger size option).

Just because it’s smaller than most TKL options doesn’t mean it’s lighter. This is a heavy board with a super grippy rear surface and a rock-solid typing surface that feels both rigid and bouncy u🍃nder the finger tips. It’s a little too heavy to truly be considered portable, but fights for its position well when being knocked about on a desk. A plastic underside features a unique textured panel as it reaches up the rear sides to the top, which helps when repositioning. As a result, the plastic portions of the deck didn’t 🌱pick up any scuffs or scratches during everyday use. An aluminum top plate provides a little extra heft, and adds a touch of luxury that should really be running further through this design.

Compared to the brushed metal brick that is the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE, a much less expensive Hall effect keyboard, the NZXT Fu𒁃nction Elite can feel a little cheaper in the hand than it should at this price point. Perhaps it’s the softer rounded edges, but from look and feel alone I would be surprised when faced with the final price tag.

RGB fans are going to be delighted, though. There aren’t many gaming keyboards that can stick a perimeter light strip around the edge of their decks, while also featuring full per-key LEDs, and still look slick. I was brought back to the days of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Roccat Magma when I first fired up the Function Elite, but the crisp, vibrant, and incredibly clean lines of these LEDs impressed me. While the actual light bar is considerably brighter than the per-key illumination (by virtue of being completel♛y visible rather than obscured by keycaps), it produces a gorgeous glow across the base of the deck and even helps illuminate side-printed function legends along the top row. What I initially feared would be garish turned into one of the most eওlegant elements of this design.

A set of PBT doubleshot keycaps line the top deck. While I naturally prefer a slightly rougher feel, they still feature enough texture to remain sat🎀isfying and comfortable to the touch, avoid oily residue, and keep grip snappy. These keys are also nicely spaced and well-balanced - I was able to get up and ꦜrunning with my standard typing speed incredibly quickly, maintaining my usual level of accuracy.

As is to be expected, the back panel features a set of flippable feet for two elevation options. I was pleased with the highest level - I prefer a higher incline for typing and gaming in general, and had plenty of space to keep my wrists 💮in their usual position comfortably. The hinges on these flippers also snap with a surprisingly heavy force, so provided they’re not constantly being adjusted they feel durable enough to stand the test of time.

I do have one durability concern from my time with the Function Elite, but it’s relatively minor. The USB-C port presents with🐻 a little too much wiggle for me to be fully satisfied if I was regularly plugging and unplugging. It’s slight, so the only reason I’m calling it out is becau🔥se this is a fully wired device - if you plan on regularly taking it on the go with you I’d make sure to be careful when manoeuvring the connection. There’s no recessed housing for this port either, which would have calmed my nerves.

Features

A set of NZXT Magnetic Switches keep all those keypresses rolling. Magnetic clickers like this are quickly making their way into more and more gaming keyboards across the market, offering extra control over actuation while also enabling Rapid Trigger for extra speed and dual-actuation for extra keybinding options. It’s easy to see why they’re growing in popularity, being able to customize the exact point at which your keypress delivers (and change that point based on your game or activity) is a massive benefit to both competitive and casual gamers. If you’re not fully caught up on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:what a Hall Effect keyboard is, I’ve just finished up an explainer on the subject that will get you up to speed if you’re considering 🌺the NZXT Function Elite.

All the usual Hall effect functions are also available here. Rapid trigger allows for a super speedy debounce for almost instant repeat presses, and actuation points can be set anywhere between travel distances of 0.6mm to 4.0mm. That’s not quite the fastest on the market, though. In fact, NZXT’s shortened distance is still a way out from that of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 and Endgame Gear KB65HE. Both of these decks can be configured to register 📖a keypre✃ss with as little travel as 0.1mm, and can therefore be far more sensitive than the Function Elite.

In the real world, only the most competitive of players are going to💮 be held back by those 0.5mm. The top end of this spectrum was still too sensitive for me, and I’m firmly outside of leaderboard territory. The problem is the NZXT Function Elite is priced as if it was aimed squarely at these ultra-competitive players, and in this particular arena its switches fall short of the pack. Both keyboards claim to offer 40 individual actuation points, though, with NZXT offering a finer level of control with more steps between its ranges than SteelSeries.

It’s also worth mentioning that these Hall 🐈effect switches put the NZXT Function Elite a step ahead of the Asus ROG Azoth for particularly speedy players. While I generally prefer the typing experience of the ROG NX mechanical switches overall, the extra features of these magnetic clickers makes it a better buy from a sheer functionalit✤y perspective.

Everything is controlled through the brand’s CAM software, an impressively clean and simple program that feels far less spammy and bloated compare📖d to other options from Razer and SteelSeries. This is where you’ll enable 🔯options like Rapid Trigger and ‘Snap Overrides’ (SOCD resolutions). The latter should only be used during non-competitive play, but does make changing direction incredibly fast by immediately reprioritizing button presses.

Individual actuation points are se𓃲t using a simple slidable scale, which is by far the easiest way I’ve set up my own. There are also handy presets for different genres and use-cases if you want to dive straight in and tweak as you play. This is also where you’ll set your polling rate. The NZXT Function Elite can poll at up to 8,000Hz where most gaming keyboards keep things limited to 1,000Hz.

That sounds great, but in reality very few players will need or even notice this extra speed boost. The vast majority of casual players simply don’t need ultra-high polling rates, no matter what the marketing tells you (you can read more in my guide to exactly 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:what a gaming keyboard’s po🔴lling rate is). I’m not denying the fact that I would be bashing the Function Elite if it didn’t have this feature at $200, but if you’re an everyday player it shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Tournament-level competitors will be pleased to know that the Function Elite also syncs this polling rate with your PC’s scan rate for an incredibly accurate response. Both the Endgame Gear KB65HE and SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 are capped at 1,000Hz, though the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 runs all the way up to 8K.

The NZXT’s flagship features are aimed more at these high-level players, which means there are sacrifices for casual users - sacrifices that ultimately make the $200 price🌌 tag a little difficult to reconcile. This is a fully wired keyboard with no 2.4GHz or Bluetooth wireless options. For me, that just meant putting up with another wire in the middle of the desk, but for players who need to take their kit on the road it could be a larger headache overall.

There’s no USB pasﷺsthrough, dedicated macro keys, or wrist rest available, and media controls are relegated to dual-functions along the top row. There is, however, space for five onboard profiles, with full per-key remapping across two individual functဣion layers per profile. That’s pretty impressive and a lifesaver for those who hop between genres regularly. I was able to keep all my usual macros and even extend my roster with the extra function layer underneath without ducking into CAM every time I fired up a new game.

This is also, technically, a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard - you’ll find a switch and keycap puller in the box and a few spare clackers just in case. However, swapping Hall effe♐ct switches isn’t as simple 🧸as it is with mechanical decks, and compatibility is going to be limited.

Performance

The NZXT Function Elite feels clacky and responsive under the fingertips with a strong base providing plenty of energy and a satisfying thocc to each keypress. I do find myself preferring the typing experience of the E꧒ndgame Gear KB65HE, however. It feels just a little tighter𒁃 overall, with a slightly more controlled press and debounce. There’s no denying the Function Elite is stable, it’s got dual-rail switches to keep everything firmly in place, but there’s a slight wobble to each press that is only identifiable when side by side.

I caveat that so heavily, because this really is a pleasant typing experience - it’s just not the slickest I’ve experienced. Considerinꦦg the $199.99 price tag, that might hold some more ca💖sual players back.

Competitive players are unlikely to care🥂 too much - there are enough features in here to keep them coming back for more, and the resulting speed in-game is particularly impressive. While I wasn’t able to discern the difference between higher polling rates and more casual 4,000Hz settings (or even 1,000Hz in most games), keepinไg everything set to super low travel distances made for super snappy actuation that never felt too sensitive for a fast, controlled playstyle.

Switching between throwables and scrolling through nearby loot was incredibly fast, and dual functions came in handy during my usual roster of RPG titles. That’s because every keypress is particularl꧑y smooth when taken in isolation - there’s a slightly creamy feel to the⛄se switches that I didn’t appreciate until I slowed down with Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Should you buy the NZXT Function Elite MiniTKL?

The NZXT๊ Function Elite is a fantastic device for anyone looking for more of a competitive edge (assuming you’re already playing at a level high enough that you’ll notice the extra speed available to you). Its typing feel isn’t quite as deep and sati☂sfying as that of the cheaper Endgame Gear KB65HE, and there aren’t the kind of onboard controls or wireless connections you’ll find in slower, more mainstream decks. If you’re just looking to tinker with Hall effect switches, I’d recommend opting for the cheaper Endgame Gear model - you’re getting a slightly wider range of actuation points without sacrificing too many keys over the MiniTKL form factor (you’ll still get arrow buttons).

The Function Elite MiniTKL does offer strong value compared to front runners like the SteelSeries Apex Pro Gen 3. I did miss the OLED display and physical media controls, and the switches under the hood don’t feel quite so intuitive in their 𒁃response. However, if you’re looking to spend a little less and pick up a comparable experience you’ll have a great time here.

How I tested the NZXT Function Elite Mini TKL

I used the NZXT Function Elite for a period of two weeks (while also testing another deck for a couple of days). I directly compared it with the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 and Endgame Gear KB65HE side by side, re-running tests across Counter Strike 2, Apex Legends, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in that time. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I’m also hunting down the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards. Or, for more setup upgrades, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models I’ve tested so far.

What's the difference between Hall effect and mechanical keyboards?

Cracking open a traditional mechanical switch, you’ll find five main parts. From top to bottom, there’s an upper casing (the plastic cover keeping everything together), a stem (the piece of plastic that runs through the switch and attaches to a keycap), a spring, metal leaf contacts (the folded loop at the back of the switch), and the lower casing (the plastic base). Everything slots together, with the stem feeding through the middle of the spring and being held in place by two small ridges on each side. The most important part of the stem is its two little arms at the back. That’s where the metal contacts come into play. This is, essentially, a loop of metal that folds down and spreads across the width of the🥂 switch, with two humps reaching out to join the arms of the stem. A separate contact plate sits between the leaf and the stem.

When assembled, the stem’s arms hold the leaf away from this contact until pushed - at which point the arms move below the humps, allowing the metal to close the circu༺it with the contact plate. This is the actuation point, the moment at which a key press is registered by a computer. I’m sure there are technical words for both ‘arms’ and ‘humps’, but break a switch apart and you’ll see what I mean.

This is the system the world used for gaming keyboards for years - it’s tactile, satisfying, and relatively foolproof. It’s also pretty rigid. You’ll need to fully hit the set act𒐪uation point (the moment the arms drop away from the metal leaf) and then wait for the switch to hit its fixed reset position (the moment the arms return to the leaf) in order to repeat a press. A Hall effect switch can reset pretty much instantaneously.

Instead of all these humps and arms, a Hall effect switch features a magnet placed at the bottom of the upper housing stem. This travels down the switch as it’s pressed, its distance from a sensor in the PCB of a keyboard decreasing the whol🌼e time. The keyboard knows this, it’s💦 measuring the magnetic field. That means it knows where the magnet is in relation to the bottom-out (the point where the key is fully pressed down), and it knows the moment it starts to rise again.

This use of a magnet turns our keyboard inputs from fixed to dynamic. Once a computer knows how far you’ve pus෴hed the key down at any one moment, it can react far quicker to smaller movements. It can alౠso be customized to use any distance between the magnet and the sensor in the PCB as an actuation point.

Do you need a Hall effect keyboard?

At this point in time, the only players who strictly need a Hall effect keyboard are those at the top of their competitive league tables. The speed these keyboards bring to the table is impressive, and Rapid Trigger is one of the biggies you’ll hear about the most. From the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, this is the feature most gaming brands shout the loudes🧸t about.

Because magnetic switches don’t need to return to a fixed reset position, they can register as ‘reset’ as soon as you lift the pressure even a little bit. This ‘off’ point can move dynamically with your keystroke. Say you’re spamming a particular key, you’ll need to actuate and reset the switch fully every time you want it to register- that’s 🌼a much larger movement compared to the minute shifts in pressure a Hall effect switch can detect.

This kind of speed is only going to be noticed by those at the top of their game, where milliseconds count in the fastest of arenas. If you don’t play competitively, you ca💎n rest assured that you likely aren’t being held back by a traditional mechanical gaming keyboﷺard.

There are other benefits to Hall effect keyboards, they’re more durable overall with no metal contacts to worry about (though 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboards als♛o c🍎lean up that worry), and they can be set up with dual actuation.

This is where I think most players will find the benefit in a Hall effect keyboard right now (it is worth noting some optical keyboards also support this feature, but it’s not quite as widespread). Because your computer knows much more about your keypress, you can tell it to do different things based on how far down the press you are. This is known as dual-actuation - you can set two different inputs to one key, with 💞one being registered at just a tap, for example, and the other registering at a full bottom-out. A word of warning, this takes some getting used to. I’ve tested a number of Hall effect keyboards over the last year, and I’m still in the pr꧒ocess of committing my usual keybindings to muscle memory. Once you’ve got it down, it’s pretty hard to go back.

I usually keep my W key set to walk when lightly pressed and run when fully pushed, but have dabbled with different grenade types set to different Q actuation points and different health items tucked away on the Tab key. Some keyboards, like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 HE, offerဣ up to four different inputs this way - a feature that generally only makes sense for regularly used combos, as it relies on a fulไl keypress action to run through all commands in sequence (push down, bottom out, release, fully reset).

It’s by no means a make or break feature,⛎ but it is a key draw of Hall effect keyboards outside of competitive play.

🐷Hall effect keyboards are by no means essential, but they are typically faster, more customizable, and more durable than their mechanical counterparts. If you𓆉’re looking to invest in a deck that can introduce some new functionality while still feeling great under the fingertips they’re certainly worth taking a look at.

There are also plenty of Hall effect switches in the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards, though they can cost a lot more - if you’re after a budget-friendly deck, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards still provide plenty of features. For a full setup renovation, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models available as well.

There’s no getting around it, though, these decks are pricey. At $219.99 / £209.99, it’s up the⛎re with flagships from Razer and more. It’s got some serious competition in the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro, a full-sized keyboard that doesn’t use full Hall effect switches but still packs customizable and dual-step actuation while also throwing in an analog mode for extra joystick-like inputs.

Then there’s the Glorious GMMK 3 with its four-step actuation controls and modular design. This was previously a luxurious world for specialist tinkerers but these features are rapidly dropping down to the mainstream arena of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards. SteelSeries is up against some greats in this battle but 💝if you’re a power user ready to take your customi🐟zations to the next level, there’s plenty going on under the hood to justify that investment.

Design

A subtle, slimline aesthetic hides the true power of the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3. This is a pretty nondescript all-black affair, save for those bright LEDs pooling around each keycap. The TKL form factor keeps things compact while still providing plenty of space for a well-balanced main deck and nav / arrow keys to boot. A quick glance at this deck doesn’t reveal anything too special, but I only needed to hold and use it for a short amount of time before I realized just how ⛎strong of a build this is.

The main chassis is plastic, but with an aluminum top plate that holds particularly well against even more frantic typing. I wouldn𓂃’t expect to find flex in a gaming keyboard over $200 / £200, but you’d be surprised. This lower plate doesn’t budge an inch, providing a solid springboard for those energetic switches to leap from with every debounce. Everything feels reassuringly dense and well supported here, without piling on the pounds. At 974g, the Apex Pro TKL is among the lighter decks on the market right now, which makes it perfect for those who travel with their setups regularly. Super grippy feet keep it squarely positioned on a desk, though - I never felt it slip whether I was on a softer desk mat or using the device straight on a wooden top.

Those doubleshot PBT keycaps are a delight, offering a slightly textured grippy surface that evades all oils and stays cool, crisp, and precise even after months of use. The tops of each cap have a slight curve to them - not as severe as I’ve tested in the past, just enough to keep your fingers nimble while supported. Per-key RGB LEDs line the main deck itself, with excellent brightness and a vivid color range that shines beautifully against and around the caps themselves. I’m particularly pleased to s🐎ee that illumination is even across larger legends as well, as I’m all too used to fading lights around the capslock or tab key.

The top right corner is reserved for the display panel, a low-res window into a range of different system features, with a smaller scroll wheel and a navigation button to the right. The slimline shape of the chassis itself means there’s very little bezel around the edge, and so this displa💛y is squashed in-line with the function row. That means the top row of🔜 my nav cluster peaks just over the top of that display when sitting upright, and completely masks the menu button as well. It’s a small gripe, but it does require a little maneuvering to hit the button itself.

Features

I’ll get straight to the good stuff because the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL lives on its switches. These are new OmniPoint 3.0 Adjustable HyperMagnetic Analog switches, a set of Hall effect clickers that can be configured to actuate at between 0.1mm and 4mm travel - the choice is yours. That’s a standard range of distances to choose from, expanding the range from the previous generation’s 0.2mm to 3.8mm span and sitting more in-line with newer releases like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V3 Pro, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Glorious GMMK 3 HE, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE.

It means you can set your switches to trigger an input at a super flyweight 0.1mm (essentially tap-controls) ♑or stay out of the way, requiring serious effort to trigger. The entire alphanumeric key selection can be configured at the same time, or you can ♍set individual actuation points on a per-key basis. That’s the route I tend to take with more action-heavy games, keeping WASD fairly light and surrounding keys heavier to avoid accidental presses.

There’s more to this party, though. Because these optical switches can actuate all the way down the keypr🐎ess, different inputs can be set for different travel distances. I have W, for example, set to a standard forward motion when half-pressed, ramping up to a sprint keybinding when bottomed out. The possibilities are endless here, and the snap of SteelSeries’ Omnipoint switches meant I was able to accurately judge (and commit to muscle memory) individual travel distances a little faster.

That’s always been one of my mainﷺ stopping points before recommending a hall effect keybﷺoard. Previous options have required some consistent re-learning to make these dual-step inputs actionable and useful. It might be because I have more experience with using these clickers after a year of testing different decks, but the Apex Pro TKL does give me a little more breathing room to find the right actuation point.

The Glorious GMMK 3 HE does go a step further, though, offering four-step actuation on both the key press and release. If you’re really looking to get the most out of each button, this is 🔯where you should be looking.

Rapid trigger is also available, with the system lifting the actuation point of a key itself when it detects rapid presses. It makes spamming a lot faster and less fatiguing overall. That’s not to be confused with Rapid Tap, SteelSeries’ version of the controversial SOCD system that allows for opposite inputs to cancel each other out. Say you’re strafing right and suddenly need to change direction, y🧔our next keypress will ignore the clicker you’re already holding down, making for a much faster transition. This feature is banned in a number of competitive arenas, though, so be sure to check with your game of choice before employing it. Finally, there’s Protect𓆉ion Mode - a feature that essentially locks off adjacent keys with a much higher actuation point to avoid accidental presses.

I was a little disappointed to find that only the alphanumeric keys feature these hall effect switches. Every other HE keyboard I’🎶ve tested has used these optical switches throughout the entire board, but even the arrow keys are omitted here. Instead, a set of Gateron Reds keeps these clickers bumping along. Each hall effect switch in the main deck is hot-swappable, but the Gaterons that run around the edges are soldered. That’s a little tough to swallow considering the cost of the board - if you want true freedom of customization you’ll need to look elsewhere.

All of this is configured in SteelSeries’ GG software, a program that loads straight int💞o a marketplace stuffed full of ads. The Engine section is where you’ll do most of your setup, with RGB lighting personalized in a separate Prism category. Everything is separated into handy tabs, with space for five different ‘Configs’ to be saved to the keyboard itself. The software is a little siloed, and can be intimidating at first glance - but there’s a lot going on here and it’s as streamlined as it can be for the most part.

This is also where you’ll find a range of dedicated apps for the OLED display. From displaying system information to calling out your kills in Counter Strike, this is a nifty addition that can grow over time with new software. The display can also be used for on-the-fly macro recording and quickly changing actuation points, accompanied by a particularly neat RGB effect. It’s controlled via a menu button and a scroll wheel, which also doubles as a volume slider by default. There are no playback controls straight out of the box, which is a little disappointing considering Asus and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer keyboards tend ♚to offer play, pause, and skip track options pretty easily in the same form factor.

So what’s missing? This is a fully wired deck, so no 2.4GHz or Bluetooth connection options that you might expect to find in a keyboard that costs over $200. The wireless version is considerably more expensive, but we’re still running cheaper than a fully decked out Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE here. That wired connection comes in the form of a durable, braided USB-C to USB-A cable, but there’s no passthrough option available which means you might need to juggle some ports. There are no dedicated macro buttons included, but ⛦the TKL form factor means you still have full access to the function row.

Performance

Hall effect switches have always felt a little hollow to me. Yes, there tends to be a decent thocc, but the bottom out has always felt less sturdy than their mechanical predecessors. SteelSeries has solved that problem. The typing experience here is incredibly satisfying, with energetic, bouncy keys, a satisfyingly springy push and pull, and excellent spacing in between. The sound profile is particularly impressive, with a quiet, clean clack to each press,ಌ no reverb or ping, and a slick muted response.

When set at their shortest 0.1mm actuation point, thes🐻e keys are almost touch-sensitive. It makes for an incredibly fast response, but one that still feels controlled and accurate due to the sturdiness of each key. That makes for some particularly speedy CS:2 gameplay - the slightest twitch reaction in a certain direction is matched instantly on-screen. Don’t get me wrong, I spent most of my time with the SteelSeries Apex Pro T♔KL Gen 3 set to around 1.7mm for full control, but this flexibility was certainly welcomed in faster moments, and felt tighter than other Hall effect decks I’ve tested.

Each key ru꧃ns exceptionally smoothly, with exquisitely lubed switches for a swift, scratch-free press. They’re not exactly light - there’s still enough tension in these springs to feel satisfying and avoid errant knocks - but they’re light enough to remain comfortable when typing for long periods of time. That’s sometimes a tricky line for Hall effect decks to walk, but SteelSeries has nailed this feel overall.

All available actuation customizations work flawlessly and I never experienced any software hiccups during testing. The only issue I ran into (and this seems to be the case for every SteelSeries deck I’ve tested) was wi🐓th the RGB lighting. On first boot, certain keys consistently refused to join the others, always sticking to their default setting. From w🅷hat I can tell, these are the keys that differ between US and UK layout decks, and the issue was fixed with a few reboots.

Should you buy the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3?

There’s a lot going on here, but there needs to be. The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 is one of the most expensive wired gaming keyboards on the market, but it’s near the top of its game in terms of customization. It’s frustrating that not all keys are included in this hall effect system - you don’t have to look far to find a deck, like the Glorious GMMK 3 HE, to find a fully hot-swappable, adjustable keyboard. Not only that, but some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards are poised to offer the same HE personalization as w🐓ell.

However, the Hall effect switches that are present are used to their full potential, with an exceedingly strong typing feel to boot. If you want to replicate the feel of a joystick you’ll need to look at Razer’s analog options like the Huntsman V3 Pro, but for more competitive quick-functions you’re getting everything you need here. SteelSeries’ switches do feel a little more robust under the fingers, though, which translates into a more intuitive feeling of different actuation points. If you’re new to this type of board but have the budget to go all out on your first purchase, it’s a must-see Hall effect darl𝐆ing that doubles down on the origin🅺al’s greatness.

How I tested the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3

I used the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 for all daily work and play over the course of two months. In that time, I primarily tested across Counter Strike 2 and Hogwarts Legacy while also tinkering in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Final Fantasy XVI, and Fallout 4. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

I’m also on the hunt to find the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards as well. For a full setup refresh, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models on the market right now.

The NES model is now available at the Amazon-partnered retailer - a stunning price considering, outside of that retro style, this is still a substantial TKL deck. While it's not as fast as some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market, it's rare to see wireless models drop this cheap - especially with those hot-swappable switches. I woul𝐆d expect keyboards with this feature🍌 list to bottom out at around $80 day to day - and that would only be after a few years on the shelves.

As it happens, that's e💧xactly where the NES version has found itself since release. While generally sticking to that MSRP, discounts have dropped this model as low as $70 in the past - but that was just for one day back in July. Otherwise, this keyboard is stuck at between $83 and $89.99 even when on sale. You're saving an extra $30 today at Woot and scoring some excellent value for money as well.

Should you buy the 8BitDo NES retro keyboard?

I love me some keyboards, but I love those decks even more when they do something different. 8BitDo's NES-styled retro keyboard is a fantastic exampꦍle - aside from its 80's themed coat of paint this is actually a satisfying, if slightly chunky, keyboard for both work and play - and it even comes with additional macro buttons in the form of giant B/A pads. I've had them set to reload and health pack in slower games (they're a little too far away from the main deck to work in more competitive titles) but they're fully programmable with whatever macros and keybindings you can muster - however boring that is (copy / paste is also incre👍dibly fun).

The actual keyboard itself is well built too - this isn't a cheap deck with a cool paint job. While there's no sound dampening inside, each keystroke provides a soothing "thocc" with the right switch underneath (you can always swap th꧅em if you prefer something else), and the caps themselves feature a satisfying grainy texture that makes for excellent grip. The TKL form factor is also enhanced with retro-style rotational switches for power and toggling between connection options (there's 2.4GHz or Bluetooth to choose from).

With a classically chunky build, it's not one I'd recommend to those who need to travel with their setup. However, if you're building a re♍tro setup (or y🏅ou're just a fan looking to inject a little fun into their accessories) this is a must-see.

We're rounding up plenty more of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards as well as all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards on the market as well. Or, if you're rounding out your setup, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models available now.

Glorious is giving us the best of both worlds with its GMMK 3. This is a fully customizable hot-swappable mechanical keyboard with an extensive part-picker configurator, hall effect switch options, and a massive range of modular accessories to choose from. Available in four models (the wired GMMK 3 and GMMK HE and wireless GMMK 3 Pro and GMMK 3 Pro HE), prices range from $119.99 to $369.99 for stock designs, but I had the chance to test out the new Boardsmith configurator, creating a 3 Pro HE that came in at a whopping $499.99. I’ve spent the last two weeks with my own creation, seeing exactly where Glorious’s latest suite of decks sit amongst the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards.  

Design

This is a tricky one, the Glorious GMMK 3’s design could be whatever you wanted. If you don’t opt for a Boardsmith-created custom deck, you’ve got two colorway options; black or silver, with the base models (GMMK 3 and GMMK 3 HE) shipping in ABS Polymer chassis’ and the Pro versions in full CNC aluminum garb. Jumping into Glorious’s customization tool is where things get really interesting, though. Boardsmith is a full design studio hosted on the Glorious site, offering over one billion possible combinations of top cases, bottom cases, switch plates, cables, key caps, accent badges, and rotary knobs. All these design elements are available in a massive range of colors and are complete༺ly modular - you can swap out anything over time. That means this is a deck that can grow with you - and that’s a major draw for anyone who likes to keep things fresh. 

I already had my design idea in mind when I started tinkering with the part picker. RGBs in my setup are typically set to a stock cyan color, so whites and blues were the order of the day. I selected a white metal top plate and arctic blue metal bottom case. The latter looks far more blue on the site, coming out with more of a meta🐭llic silvery finish than I was expecting, but it’s still recognizably blue-ish. With a set of Ocean gradient keycaps, a silver accent badge and rotary knob, and a blue coiled cable everything was finished. But if I change my mind in a few years time, I can - theoretically - just pick up some spare parts from Glorious’s site and add them into the fold. 

I say theoretically because there are some premium options in this builder. A metal bottom case like mine adds an extra $80 to your final total - the price of some 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cheap gaming keyboards by themselves. All ♓the smaller elements, like 🅺upgrading to a $30 metal top plate or splashing $40 on a limited edition keycap set can quickly add up as well. 

It’s not just about looks, though. You can also choose 𝔉which switch plate you want installed. Glorious has aluminum, polycarbonate, FR4, and brass plates to add to your build - a fantastic range that spans the full gamut of hardness. If you’re unsure of exactly what your switch plate contributes to your overall typing feel, the suite also includes additional ‘Help Me Choose’ dropdowns so you can see exactly what you’re ordering. I like a bouncy, lightweight switch but with a thoccy, slightly soft feel and it’s rare to find such a combination in prebuil𒐪t decks.

Pairing a set of Glorious Lynx HE switches with an aluminum plate meant I could balance out the softer, marbly feel of the switch itself with a more middle-of-the-road hardness in the plate, while still allowing for a deep, rich sound profile. That’s not something I’ve been able to achieve with any other gaming keyboard. You can even choose which gasket mount material you want 𝔍- and swap them out later down the line. 

There aren’t too many gaming keyboard-focused brands offering the same level of design customization at the moment. Cherry / XTRFY has a custom configurator on its site, but it doesn’t go to the same typing-feel depths as Glorious (and it seems to be in a beta state at the time🍸 of writing). You 💎can opt for a specialist retailer configurator tool, but even then you’re likely choosing from Glorious or Keychron’s options (and the latter brand doesn’t always hold up in a gaming setting). 

Everything feels super high-quality once it comes off a computer screen and into the hands as well. This is a hefty deck, so even the wireless model I received would be incredibly difficult to transport. Of course, the beauty of the configurator means those who need to travel with their setup can simply opt for a lighter plastic chassis during♑ the design phase. I rarely take my keyboard on the road with me, though, so I love the sturdy feel. This thing is going nowhere and everything from the GPBT keycaps to the roughly textured rotary dial in the top corner feels incredibly premium. 

I do have one niggling design concern. 𓆏The top plate is set particularly high, making for a nice bordered feel, but impeding access to the bottom of the keycap for easy removal. This isn't so much of an issue in the main keys, but the escape button and function row is a little tricky to maneuver without fear of clipping the cap or scratching the plate. 

Features

The GMMK 3 is more than just a good-looking 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard, though. There’s a ton of gaming-specific features baked into the HE models t𓃲hat keep the mechanical deck in step with the times. Hall effect switches are rapidly making their way to gaming 🐠keyboards across the market, allowing for additional control over actuation. The Glorious HE switches on offer here feature rapid trigger, adjustable actuation points, and four-in-one dynamic keystrokes. That’s a suite of high-end features you’ll usually find in far less customizable gaming keyboards. 

Of course, these features are limited to the GMMK 3 HE and GMMK 3 Pro HE boards, but upgrading is well worth it if you’re a more competitive player. Customizable actuation points mean you can determine exactly when your keypress is registered - perfect for keeping twitch-reflex actions you need at a hair-trigger pull right next to more precise keys that need a more considered approach. Actuation can be set between 0.1mm and the full 4.0mm of travel, tieing with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE for the widest rangeܫ I’ve tested so far (SteelSeries’s OmniPoint switches cꩵan only be configured between 0.2mm and 3.8mm).  

Rapid trigger is almost the opposite, allowing for incredibly fast repeat presses - you set the point at which the switch resets rather than waiting for the full debounce. It’s the multi-function keystrokes that impressed me the most though. A handful of keyboards offer the ability to map multiple inputs to the same key, but most - like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL - limit these inputs to two functions. Glorious doubles that,𓆏 allowing for four inputs per keypress. It’s going to be tricky to find a home for that kind of speed, but I’m sure the pros will find some. 

In keeping with the GMMK 3’s entire design philosophy, those who don’t need the competitive advantages of hall effect switches simply don’t have to include them. The range comes in both HE and standard MX configurations (and you can even swap out your hall effect switches for three or five-pin MX options as wel🍒l). At the build stage, you’ve got eight MX switches to choose from, with six HE options up for grabs as well. I opted for the Lynx HE. These are linear clickers with a particularly smooth feel and a ‘marbly’ sound according to the website. That marble sound is more noticeable on larger keys like the space bar, but the soft yet still energetic feel is perfect for long typing stints. If I was buying this keyboard purely for gaming, I’d like💧ly swap them out for some standard red linears for a little extra bounce on the bottom-out. 

All your RGB lighting, HX switch modifications, and custom macros / keybinding꧂s are done through Glorious Core 2.1 software. This is a perfectly streamlined system that keeps things focused on the task at hand without any unnecessary marketing or CPU-hogging processes. Everything is, for the most part, nice and easy. The keybinding process is a little clustered in the lower portion of the screen, making menu options feel a little cram𓆏ped and hiding fairly important pieces of navigation. However, I was easily able to set up all my usual macros without getting too lost in unintuitive menus.  

The rotary knob in the top right-hand corner is set to volume controls by default, but looks th🌼e actual button push function can also be programmed in the software. At the time of writing, the build I’m using seems to bug out when trying to assign this behaviour, though this will likely be ironed out with future updates.  

Performance

It seems we’re past the age where a custom keyboard can’t keep up with dedicated gaming devices. All GMMK key🐭boards feature an 8KHz polling rate when wired - more than enough for even the most competitive playཧers and an eye-watering rate for more casual folk. 

In practice, the speed is certainly here. Between more competitive endeavours like Apex Legends or CS2 and slower solo adventures like Fallout 4, performance felt smooth, fast, and reliable. The key balancing, internal speed, and switch feel all lend theℱmselves to nifty maneuvers and fast movement across the deck while all programming functions work flawlessly without hassle. 

Then we get into those hall effect switches. Setting the actuation point to a feather-light 0.1mm served faster experiences particularly well - once I had the hang of a lighter touch I could spring between commands incredibly quickly. However, it was the rapid trigger that made the biggest impact in my competitive play. We all tend to have our own mental timelines of how fast a repeat press should trigger in order to time combos, so increasing that speed is immediately noticeable. It took a little muscle memory re-working, but once ꦓI could feel my way around the switch properly everything was super slick on the reset (especially when set to a 0.1mm actuation point). 

The 2.4GHz wireless connection was immediate and reliable, never dropping once d✤uring my testing🥂. While a little slower, the Bluetooth connection was also stable for more casual use as well.

The typing feel with those Lynx switches was particularly soft and smooth, with a nic﷽e bounce exactly as I was hoping. The slightly textured keycaps made for excellent travel across the deck as well - all while providing plenty of accuracy for both work and gaming.

Should you buy the Glorious GMMK 3?

The reality is I haven't been using the gaming keyboard most players will be buying. A $499 price tag would be enough to knock the GMMK 3 out of the race completely, but this isn't really a $500 device. Using all plastic parts and prioritizing HE swit♛ches, I was able to configure a 65% deck at around $185 - roughly $50 more than the Endgame Gear KB65HE's price tag. It does mean more affordable configurations (still with the space to upgrade later down the line) are available, and I'd personally pay the extra $50 for that option. If you want to upgrade certain parts here and there over time you've got the space to do just that.🌞 I've been using the keyboard some players might end up with after a few evolutions. 

The best thing about the Glorious GMMK 3 is that it can be whatever you want it to be. And then in a few years time it can be something completely different. Yes,🐎 you’re locked into one brand, and who knows what might be around the corner. However, considering other gaming keyboards can easily retail for these same prices without that element of additional longevity, it’s a smart investment if you’re looking for a machine that can evolve with you. Replacing a whole keyboard every time you need a change is going to be a lot more expensive in the long run, without even considering the environmental impact. 

Not only does the Glorious GMMK 3 nail its feature and design offerings, but those HE switches and nicely balanced key feel make it a fantastic gaming device as well. Right now, my favorite gaming keyboard is the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth. It’s been my main device for well over a year now, thanks to its snappy typing feel, easy media controls, smart OLED display, and custom-esque auditory profile. The Glorious GMMK 3 Pro HE is in with aꦦ good shot of de-throning Asus, but co💫nsidering the build I’ve been using is $500 things aren’t quite so cut and dry. 

If money was no object, those hall effect switches would just nudge the Glorious over the line, combining a be🐷st-in-class typing feel and fantastic customization options with the latest gaming keyboard tech to create a true all-rounder ready to take on anything. The Pro HE can run you up to $369.99 in its stock configuration, though - over $100 more than the Azoth. 

If you’re a competitive player looking for a long-term investment and the latest tech, I’d absolutely recommend the GMMK 3 Pro HE over the Azoth. On paper, it’s the best keyboard I’ve tested so far - it doesn’t drop a feature while still offering ꦛas good a switch feel as they come. 

For more casual players preferring single player games where features like rapid trigger and adjustable switch actuation points might not play so much of a day-to-day role, the wireless Pro model is a bit of a tough ask. At $299.99 this is far more expensive than other non-HE keyboards, relying on its modular design and customization options to rectify its value for money. I’d still point you towards the Azoth if you’re not fussed about that custom look or upgr♉adability further down the line, especially considering it’s routinely found for under $200 these days.

How I tested the Glorious GMMK 3

I used Glorious’s Boardsmith web builder to design my own custom version of the GMMK 3 Pro HE, choosing everything from the case design to switch plate and gasket mount material. Once in-hand, I spent two weeks using the keyboard for all daily work and play while also running it across our suite of testing games. These include Apex Legends and CS:2 for competitive testing, as well as Fallout 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey for single-player experience. I completed a full strip down of the deck’s keycaps and switches, swapping the HE models out for a set of Cherry MX Reds and then returning to the original switches. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.  

We’re also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards and even the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for those looking to spend a little less.  

Valve has banned the use of automated dual-movements in Counter Strike 2, kicking brand new features from Razer and Wooting keyboards to the curb. Both decks offer a speedy way to swap direction while strafing, allowing one direction to override the previous in order to avoid that split second of inertia when both keys may be pressed at the same time. This hasn't come out of the blue, though, there's been talk of null binds and other scripting workarounds being banned for some time, but now that some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards featu🐷re built-in hardware binding💛s things are getting serious. 

Valve shared its news via a , stating that "we are no longer going to allow automation (via scripting o൲r hardware) that circumvent... core skills and, moving forward, (and initially--exclusively on Valve Official Servers) players suspected of automating multiple player actions from a single game input may be kicked from their match." 

Earlier this month, FACEIT decided to ban null binds (a separate script that prevents multiple keys being pressed at the same time) from its ESEA/ESL platform (though the ban has been lifted from regular games). The policy now states that only "buy, toggle, weapon & grenad൲e quick switching and jumpthrow scripts" remain free to use without penalty. 

Null binds have been contentious for a while now, but it wasn't until Razer launched its Huntsman V3 Pro devices in July that things started to heat up. The keyboard features Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions technology (SOCD) branded as Snap Tap, with Wooting launchiꦐng its own 'Snappy Tappy' technology in its new releases shortly after. 

The feature removes the need for skill when rapidly changing strafe direction without wasting time pressing both directions at the same time (and therefore staying sꦇ♎till). Previous iterations have, of course, been banned in professional play for some time, but with expensive hardware coming into the mix Valve wants to level the playing field for its everyday players as well. 

Razer has since released a statement in response to Valve's decision, highlighting the fact that the SOCD feature is one that 🍃must be manually switched on by the player. The brand's full statement is available below.ღ 

"We have noted inquiries regarding the Razer Snap Tap feature on our Huntsman V3 Pro line of gaming keyboards. Razer Snap Tap is disabled by default. Users w🍰ho opt to activate this feature can disable it any time through Razer Synapse or by using a simple hotkey comb🌠ination, FN + Left Shift.   

Razer is committed to innovation that enhances gaming performance while also allowing gamers to comply with the rules of ea♊ch game."

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market. Or check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models up for grabs. 

What is a polling rate?

Simply put, your keyboard’s polling rate is the speed at which your device sends information to your computer. Measured in Hertz (Hz), a 1,000Hz polling rate means that a gaming keyboard wil𓆉l report your keypresses 1,000 times per second. An 8,000Hz polling rate means your keypresses will be reported 8,000 times per second. 

In theory, the higher your polling rate, the faster your keyboard will be sending your actions to your PC. In theory. Scan rate is another term that’s often confused with polling but is in itself a separate part of the equation that influences the overall speed of your device. Your keyboard’s scan rate measures how many times the devic༒e itself checks for new inputs per second. A 4,000Hz scan rate / 8,000Hz polling rate keyboard will be checking for new inputs 4,000 times per second, and sending any inputs it finds to your PC 8,000 times per second. Latency can still occur despite those ludicrously high speeds, therefore, should your input fall in between the scan rate’s checks or the polling rate’s checks. 

That’s why 8,000Hz rates were introduced. They’re not necessarily being used for their additional speed - after all, nobody ♑needs to mash a k💦ey 8,000 times per second. Rather, it’s the peace of mind that more checks means less accidents - your inputs are more likely to be picked up straight away rather than having to wait for the next poll or scan.

Should you care?

There’s a big but here. It’s only the very top of the top 1% of players who will actually need an 8KHz polling rate - the esports stars spending their days training their reaction times and pro-action strategies. If you’re a casual player like me, you simply won’t need to buy into this latest fad - it’s simply coming to m🌼ainstrea🍸m markets because gaming keyboard speed has hit a ceiling. 

The average human reaction time is around 250ms (I’d recommend using this to see truly how little time that is). Esports players can train that time down to 100-120ms, but even highly skilled casu🀅al players will cap out at around 180ms - 200ms. In that split second, a 1,000Hz gaming keyboard has reported your inputs 250 times. A 4,000Hz keyboard will report 1,🌃000 times. An 8,000Hz keyboard will report 2,000 times. That’s just not necessary for casual players. Realistically, one press a millisecond out (and that’s only if you get incredibly unlucky) isn’t going to make a difference to your Thursday night Apex Legends session. And that’s before we even dive into the importance of pro-action rather than reaction times in more competitive gameplay. 

8,000Hz gaming keyboards are here because brands don’t know w𝐆here else to take their decks. In a constant bid to innovate annually, we seem to be stuck in a cycle of unnecessary tech being pitched as aspirational, and then the norm a few years later. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for moving forwards. Gaming keyboards may well all feature 8KHz polling as standard in the future. But right now, when it could be adding to the cost of your next deck, while sacrificing other features you could be making more use of, it’s a little tricky to reconcile. 

I’m not against higher polling rates - it’s a very odd hill to die on, after all. But I am against paying for something you won’t want, need, or use. Unless you’re an esports professional you don’t need to worry about your gaming keyboard’s polling rate. Focus instead on the quality of your switches, extra macro or functionality options, and the build design of your keyboard. All these things will make a tangible difference ♎in🍌 how your deck runs.  

You’ll also find our full guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards if you’re after a cable-free setup, or check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for more options.  

This is the first release in Keychron’s new range, having only made it out of Kickstarter a couple of months ago. I’ve spent the last three weeks running the full build straight out the box, to see whether it can truly rival some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards.  

Design

At first glance, this could be pretty much any Keychron deck released in the last few years. Two-tone keycaps with a hint of yellow running through its accents, a bold volume control dial in the top corner, and a full CNC machined aluminum chassis make for a familiar sight. Compared to other $130 gaming keyboards, it’s a welcome one. I’m a personal fan of this custom aesthetic, and it’s a design that’s started to bleed into the mainstream world of gaming decks as well - just look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K65 Plus Wireless for proof. 

The navy blue colorway I received (it’s also available in a crisp white/g♔ray and a darker black design) looks gorgeous, with super rich tones and a vibrancy to its alternative caps that feels particularly slick. The legends are a little chunkier than I’m used to, but they soften the harsh edges of the deck itself nicely - even if there’s a little blobbiness to some characters. 

The P1 Pro is built in a 75% form factor only, but I’m not complaining - this is where I can see the majority of compact gaming keyboards falling in the next few years. It’s the perfect size, balancing a little extra space on the desk top with the functionality of arrow keys and a selection of navigational functions as well. I’m not a fan of the Deleဣte key moving to the top function row, but it’s easy enough to get used to with a little muscle memory retraining. 

The actual deck is built like a brick - stacked just like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Keychron Q2 at a whopping 1.65kg. That means it’s going absolutely nowhere on your desk, an💙d feels far more expensive than it actually is as a result - but it also drops all questions of portability. While it’s incredibly well-built, this is not a device you want to lug around in a backpack - wireless or not.  

That extra heft gives it a classic enthusiast keyboard vibe, though, one backed up by the gasket mounted internals and luxurious Cherry PBT doubleshot keycaps. Its ergonomics also borrow more from the enthusiast space than they do a gaming one. The main chassis is the only element of ꧙height you get here, with a wedge shaped design providing a little elevation at the back but not nearly as much as you’ll find in dedicated gaming decks. There are no flip feet underneath either. 

Super bright RGB LEDs peek beautifully through the clear housings of the Keychron Super Banana switches, making fo𓆏r a light-show that keeps its cool without leaping too far off the deck itself. 

Features

This is a gaming-grade device, so you’ll find a little more speed under the hood than you would with other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboards. A 1,000Hz polling rate is plenty to see you throughꦕ more competitive endeavours. While it’s not the 8K rate many high-end gaming decks provide, very few players will really need much more than this kind of speed. 

That 1,000Hz rate is availꦍable via both the wired and 2.4GHz connection, with Bluetooth being capped at 90Hz. That speedy communication helps the P1 run at an impressively low latency compared to other custom-minded models. The Bluetooth connection is also handy for more productivity-focus𒁏ed tasks. You’ve got three different connections available to you, with easy switching via the 1,2, and 3 keys. 

Rather than requiring its own software to run individual customizations, Lemokey offers a pretty impressive web-based 🧸interface for creating macros, adjusting RGB settings, and altering keybindings. That means no resource-draining background software, even if you do need to connect via the cable in order to use it. The keyboard is also compatible with QMK/VIA tools as well. 

Keychron is shipping the Lemokey P1 Pro with three different switch options should you opt for a prebuilt device. The brand’s own switches are nice and smooth, though not quite as slick as Asus’s own Cherry-style clickers. I received a tactile set of Super Banana switches, with a slightly liꦫghter 47gf actuation force and 3.6mm total travel. You can also opt for Super Red or Super Brown, of🍨fering a linear experience or a slightly heavier tactile one respectively. 

The Bananas are a strange mix of comfortingly gentle but also a little stiffer than I’m used to. That shorter travel distance keeps things nippy, especially on the debounce, but they do require a little more ♐work than traditional linear switches - which could get fatiguing after a few hours of typing considering I’m used to super-light ROG NX switches. 

The battery keeps pace with similarly priced d🧸evices, offering 200 hours of use with no RGB - though falls short of the Q2’s 300 hour span. 

Performance

Keychron knows how to make a keyboard, and it’s obvious. This is the cheapest deck I’ve used that’s felt this good. While the gasket mount isn’t quite as springy as other, thicker options, it’s a particularly soft landing with a bouncy, energetic feel - especially thanks to the snap of those tactile switches. That makes for a dynamic typing experience that feels both fast and textured - while also servi🦩ng more competitive efforts in-game as well. 

The sound dampening qualities of such a design also make for a particularly satisfying auditory experience. This is by no mea🥀ns a loud deck, but it’s got a clack to it that I’ve missed from being in the linear woꦯrld a little too long. There’s absolutely no reverb running through the case itself, and even larger keys maintain a solid depth. 

Each keypress feelsꦉ immediately responsive, in both typing and gaming. M🌟y inputs were registered nice and fast in both Apex Legends and CS2, but the heavier feel of the bump in the switches themselves stopped this deck from being a true powerhouse. I was a little slow in switching between keys as a result - though I have a feeling such an issue would be rectified with a set of Keychron’s linear red switches installed.  

Should you buy the Lemokey P1 Pro?

At the time of writing, the Lemokey P1 Pro is only available via ꧂Keychron’s , so your options for getting your hands on one are fairly limited. However, if you’re looking for a custom-feeling keyboard to run across both work and play that won’t break the bank t⭕his is the best option out there right now. The P1 Pro undercuts a lot of Keychron’s own product listings in its value offering, and while it does make some sacrifices over high-end dedicated gaming keyboards in its speed and additional features, it’s a fantastic device in its own right.   

How we tested the Lemokey P1 Pro

I used the Lemokey P1 Pro for a period of three weeks, running the keyboard for all my daily work and play across Apex Legends, CS2, Octopath Traveler, Fallout 4, and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. During this time, I was using the keyboard for a minimum of eight hours per day across wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4GHz connections, running full battery run-down checks across both wireless options. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.   

We’re also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards.  

It’s certainly packed with functionality, but considering you’d still be spending around $200 / £200 on this device a year after release it kind of has to be. I spent three weeks testing the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL to see where it sits among the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards available today.  

Design

The Apex Pro TKL doesn’t exactly shout with its design. It’s the mellow bass guitarist to the more RGB-laden, angular frontmen of the gaming keyboard world. A 🃏simple matte black aesthetic runs across the aluminum alloy plate, plastic base, and PBT doubleshot keycaps. 

Aside from the clean, crisp RGB lighting popping through those legends and around each cap, there’s no other visual design elements. The very top of the deck sports a light gray SteelSeriဣes logo, repeated in a glossy stamp on the underside. This isn’t one for those looking to make a statement with their setup, then, but it’s also inline with plenty of other subdued gaming keyboards on the market. 

That simple aesthetic belies a pretty solid build quality. The aforementioned aluminum alloy top plate provides a sturdy base to work from, though there was some very minor flex noticeable when directly pushing for it. That’s by no means going to detract from the experience, but considering other decks are more rigid it’s a little disappointing for the price. That’s really splitting hairs, though. The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL feels stable and secure on the desktop while still keeping things light and 🌞versatile. 

The included wrist rest is a nice touch - despite the 𓃲higher price tags many decks are reaching these days they rarely include this kind of support. The rest itself is similar to previous iterations, with a thinner profile than you’ll find from Razer but a cooler soft-touch material. I personally prefer SteelSeries’ wrist rests to Razer’s - the textured surface and plusher feel of the snake-brand often gets a bit claustrophobic during longer sessions, whereas here we’ve got a sturdy support with just a little give for the palms. 

The TKL form factor means you’re dropping a number pad, but still keeping navigational keys and your arrows. That’s the sweet spot for most productivity / play devices, though it does add a little length compared to a 75% rig. The 35.5𝓰 x 13.9 x 4cm dimensions of the Apex Pro TKL

Features

Two features make up a considerable portion of the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL’s price tag;💯 adjustable actuation and dual-action actuation. Both come from the OmniPoint 2.0 switches installed, themselves optical for a faster response (though a less satisfying typing experience when compared to mechanical switches). 

Adjustable actuation has been popping up in a number of gaming keyboards in the last year, and allows for customizable actuation points in each key independently. That mea൩ns you have control over the sensitivity of your deck without having to buy and swap your switches. The Apex Pro TKL allows you to move between 37 levels of actuation, from a super flyweight 0.2mm to 3.8mm. 

That means certain keys can be set to a hair-trigger pull, while others can be much heavier to avoid accidental presses. That range is a little smaller than that of the cheaper (and also customizable) 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE which can take you from 0.1mm to 4mm. Still, that’s an incredib🍨ly sensitive switch and I’m not sure how many players will need a lighter touch than 0.2mm. What’s more, these actuation levels can also be set on the fly from the deck itself without the need for the SteelSeries GG software (you can also adjust RGB brightness, set macros, check battery life, and swap profiles directly onboard). 

I’m all for adjustable actuation - it’s a functional feature that really makes a difference in gameplay. Dual-action actuation is less of a benefit. This feature allows players to assign one key to two functions depending on how far down it’s pressed. It sounds great, but it’s got a steep learning curve to it and you will be all over the battlefield until you’ve mastered it. I first tested something similar in the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman Mini Analog and loved it for switching between walking and running. The more time I spent with both decks, though, the more I realized that’s really the only thing most players are going to be using this feature for. Unless you’re willing to invest some considerable time getting t൩o know the exact feel of the Apex Pro TKL it’s goi꧋ng to be tricky to reconcile spending serious cash on this deck. 

To its credit, SteelSeries has gone the extra mile in terms of attention to detail around these features, though. With all those different actuation points and custom dual-step modes in play, you need💦 a streamlined profile-switching process - and the Apex Pro TKL delivers. A simple Fn + F9 scroll takes you thꦯrough all your profiles, with a visual indicator from the OLED screen to show you which one you’re currently settled on. That makes switching between work and gameplay incredibly easy. 

SteelSeries has actually made good use of that OLED panel as well. Unlike previous itera🔴tions, this is used for more than just displaying animations or battery level - you can hook it up to various apps for in-g✨ame messages and information and monitor your hardware levels. You can also compress an image into a nightmarish Game Boy Camera-style effigy, but I’d really recommend against it. 

Dedicated media co🌞ntrols (via a volume roller and playback button) and per-key programmability are par for the cour༒se in TKL keyboards, and they all run as expected here.  

Performance

It shouldn’t be a surprise that a keyboard with a launch price of $250 performs well in-game. The St♓eelSeries Apex Pro TKL sails through more competitive e𒁃ndeavours with super sensitive switch settings while allowing for a more considered set of actions in slower strategy titles. Competitive players are going to notice a difference in their speed across titles like Apex Legends and CS2. Of course, shortening actuation distances is always going to make for a fast keyboard, but combined with the additional responsiveness of the optical switches you’re getting pro-level times in a deck built with more than speed in mind. 

It’s rare to find a competitively🦂 paced deck that still offers space and functionality for extra macro support and more comfortable spacing. That’s where the Apex Pro TKL really shines - a high-level player can swap between tournament-level speeds and a more relaxed experience at the tap of a button.  

That does come at the expense of typing experience. While I didn’t notice any rattle or pinging across the deck during everyday work use, yo🐼u don’t have the softness or satisfying thud of a gasket mounted design (a feature available in other gaming keyboards at this price) and 🌼the optical switches feel a lot more hollow than their mechanical counterparts. The typing experience is by no means bad - there’s still a nice clack to each bounce and a springy feel across the deck as a whole, but if you’re looking for an enthusiast-level keyboard for typing this isn’t it.  

Should you buy the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless?

You need to really want the best t✅o be🔯 sold by the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless. Even though it’s spent some decent time on the shelves this version still generally settles at a $200 / £200 price point. That’s not an unjustified rate, though - it’s just one not many will need to pay. 

This is, at its core, an incredibly sophisticated TKL gaming keyboard - going far beyond what others pack into the form factor. This level of customization (both in software and onboard) is rare to find and generally commands a high price tag. If I recommended this to the masses, though, they 💯would be paying for something many won’t use. 

In reality, I don’t expect the majority of players to mainline dual-step actuation features. It’s a handy bonus for those who don’t like reaching over for the shift button to run, bꦐut it’s not worth the extra $80 / £80 you’re paying on top of other keyboard prices. Customizable actuation is the main player here, and the Endgame Gear KB65HE offers that with a slightly slimmer form factor, and a typing experience that I personally preferred. There’s a nicer level of tension underneath Endgame’s keys, giving each press a more robust feel which was both more comforta💞ble and audibly pleasant than that of the SteelSeries. You’re losing the wireless connection here, but only paying $139.99 / £139.99 for a better switch experience.  

A $249.99 / £249.99 MSRP (and similar sales prices today) also puts the Apex Pro TKL straight in the path of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth. The Azoth is the best keyboard I’ve tested to date, and SteelSeries hasn’t changed that. However, I would recommend the Apex Pro to more co𓆉mpetitive players just like I’d point anyone more interested in a better typing feel and media control to Asus. 

How we tested the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless

I used the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless for three weeks, running the keyboard across all daily work and play across a range of genres. In that time I primarily tested across CS2, Apex Legends, and Fallout 4, but also played Gears Tactics, A Little to the Left, and The Sims 4 with the deck. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.  

We’re also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for cheaper alternatives.  

It’s got excellent programmability going for it and a couple of handy extra features rarely seen on smaller decks, but unless you’re willing to work to love it this is a tough recommendation. I’ve spent the last two weeks working and playing with the X 60 to see just where it sits among the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market.  

Design

The G Pro X 60 looks like pretty much any other 60% keyboard at first glance - save for the white G-styled escape key on my all-black model and a trim of shiny aluminum around the base plate’s edge. I’m not mad, though. It’s difficult to shrink things down to this level and still maintain a distinctive look. Like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman Mini and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini, this is a mono-tone chassis with a slight wedge to the design and next to no bezels. If you are looking for something a bit different, that alternative escape key can certainly set things apart on a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming desk, but otherwise everything’s pretty uniform her🌺e. 

The quality of that build is impressive, however. There’s zero flex to this thing, no matter how much I abuse it during testing. Each clack bounces back from a rock-steady base and even the plastic und🅷erside feels durable and secure. That sturdy design means the G Pro X 60 feels a little heavier than other options in the hand, but with the included hard-shell carry case it’s still easier to transport than other decks. It also means you won’t be worrying about knocking the whole deck around during gameplay either. 

The left-hand side houses a volume wheel, placed towards the top of the deck. This is a fantastic addition to the smaller form fac༒tor - and something we don’t see toꦍo often. Similarly, the right flank houses a Game Mode switch to disable the Windows keys.

Two ꦐfeet flip from the bottom to provide a little extra elevation to your typing, with a dedicated slot for the USB-A dongle sitting underneath the main deck as well. You’ve got a set of PBT keycaps up top, but they don’t quite have the same rough texture as I’ve seen in other models, namely the Corsair K70 Pro Mini. They’re not exactly slippery, the slightly concave shape of the cap itself keeps you firmly in place, but they stand to feel a l🌳ot more tactile under the fingertips.

Of course, you’ve also got some powerful LEDs shining up through those caps. Logitech always delivers on the vibrancy of its RGB and the story is no different here. Configurable through a range of effects, the G Pro X 60 hits the desk with a stock light blue that looks particularly criಌsp through the main legends. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for larger keys. Shift, Caps, and even Tab all suffer from only having one LED behind them,🌠 leading to light fading towards the start and end of each legend. 

It’s a small nitpick, but the overall effect cheapeওns the aesthetic significantly once noticed - not ideal considering this keyboard is closer to $200 than $150. There’s also a random Euro symbol on the 4 key of my UK layout device, which looks like a haphazard sticker with its large black outline and random gray text, but is actually printed on the key itself.

Inside, there’s a nod towards the sound-dampening measur♊es being taken by gaming keyboard brands in their most recent releases. Rubber silicone is placed underneath the main deck, but without any thicker wads further down the chassis things feel remarkably more hollow here than in other decks - especia🃏lly with a tactile switch.

Features

In a room full of variable actuation points, rapid trigger presses, and hot-swappable switches, the Logitech G Pro X 60 is slinging a skateboa𒊎rd over its shoulder and asking ‘what’s up fellow kids’. We’ve done 60% decks - they’re dramatically being outperformed by slightly larger 65% models these days, which maintain a smaller form factor while still giving you access to the navigation keys you need. 2024 is set to be the year of the hall effect switch, so sailing into the summer with an optical set of clickers and limited hot-swap options (no three- or five-pin switches are going in here) Logitech is already at a disadvantage. Throw a $180 / £180 price tag on there and the deck verges on redundant. That is, for everyone except hard🌜core keybinding managers. 

That’s because the G Pro X 60’s saving grace is its software - a🍎nd if you’ve spent much time with G Hub in the past, you know that’s already an eyebrow-raiser. 

Yes, the software still needs some fine-tuning, and there are multiple menus that really should have been streamlined when assigning functions, but the level of customization on offer here is incredible. That’s ♛because of Logitech’s ‘Keycontrol’ feature - a third layer of functionality, added separately to the Fn layer commonly found in smalle🍌r keyboards, accessible via any button you want (including a separate Logitech accessory). 

Here you can remap pretty much anything, and do so with either a button press, release, or hold, to create some particularly unique keybind𝐆ings. A press down and hold could, for example, throw a grenade, while a release can switch back to a primary weapon. Up to five different commands can be mapped to any key - you’ll just have to find the r𝓰ight way to use them.

Mapping these commands takes time, though. Each key is set up through a series of menus that can be cumbersome to truck through for every game you need. For players new to the 60% form factor, the restricted form factor can be intimidating enough - but if you’re willing to put the time and effort in, this could be the best way to get stuck in with a miniature keyboard. That’s assuming you want to work this hard to be able to use something you spent $179.99 on, though. Yes, Keycontrol is essentially fixing a problem created by the li🃏mitations of the keyboard itself, but if you’re a die-hard 60% fan there’s no better way to make the most of the keys you’ve got♉ right now.

The G Pro X 60 is available with either a linear or tactile switch (I received the latter), with no third-party options. That means you’re at Logitech’s mercy, so you best make sure you’re a fan of your switch type before heading to checkout. You’ve also got a full suite of connections to take advantage of; 2.4GHz being the fastest, Bl🌼uetooth is there if you need it, and a USB-C cable for a no-stress session. Battery life is quoted to be at around 65 hours, which I can believe - after a full charge straight out of the box I was able to run the G Pro X 60 for a full work week with play in the evenings without running out of juice.

Performance

The tactile model I received feels nice and comfortable under hand. The light snap of each main key is offset by a deeper feel to the larger backspace, enter, an𝓀d spacebar keys. That makes for a nice auditory profile, steering well clear of the jarring clacks associated with many tactile decks. This is still a louder set of clickers than you’ll find on a linear keyboard with better sound dampening, but it’s by no means distracting. Everything is snappy and responsive, but I was expecting a slightly more energeti💝c feel across the board. 

Maybe I’ve been spoilt by magnetic switches in the last few months, but there’s only very slightly noticeable drag to the debounce of each key compared to something like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE. It’s not likely to be something that interferes with accuracy or speed in more casual settings (actual recor♉ded responses felt instantaneous), but could be off-putting when🌳 milliseconds matter. 

Marketing reps of brands like Razer and Corsair will tell you that the limited 1,000Hz polling rate of the G Pro X 60 is the end of the world. High-end gaming keyboards that this deck is competing with are throwing 4ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚK and 8K polling rates around as standard these days, so it does feel odd that Logitech dropped its speed on such a competitively focused deck. In practice, casual players aren’t going to notice a drop in speed here, though the very same competitive players who will want to make use of this compact fo🤪rm factor and extra customization options are going to be let down. 

Should you buy the Logitech G Pro X 60?

Would I buy the Logitech G Pro X 60? No. Would ꧑I recommend it to a competitive player with the time and inclination to set it up properly? Maybe. 

It takes a lot of time and learning, but in the right hands the Logitech G Pro X 60 could be a secret weapon. Combining the small form factor of a 60% deck for wider mouse sweeps with relatively easy a🎀ccess to endless combinations of custom commands means the X 60 is well positioned in its competitive market set. If you’re not fussed about swapping your switches or adjusting your actuation points, there’s actually a solid feature set for you here. No other gaming keyboard that I’ve tested has been able to offer this level of functionality in a 60% form factor - and the more you dig into the customization features the more your opportunities open up. 

For everyday players, especially those who areꦬn’t alre🅰ady familiar with, or fans of, 60% layouts, I would struggle to recommend the X 60. That’s not just because of the limitations of the 60% form factor. A $179.99 / £179.99 price is pretty high considering you’re dropping features like magnetic switches and hot-swappability - features gradually making their way into the mainstream these days. I’d give this optical plate about a year to feel outdated - making an early investment now a little tough to swallow. 

The Corsair K70 Pro Mini packs an abundance of extra features into a similar MSRP but can generally be found for around $100 / £120 day to day. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman Mini Analog and SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini can both take you much further with their switches for between $80 / £80 and $120 / £130 when on sale, thoug🍰h you’ll be stuck with a wired connection at that price point. All of these keyboards also offer a similar level of control over custom key assignments, all only slightly lagging behind Logitech’s extra functional layer. 

How we tested the Logitech G Pro X 60

I used the Logitech G Pro X 60 for all my daily work and play over a period of two weeks. During that time, I was primarily testing across Fallout 4, New Super Lucky’s Tale, and Doom Eternal, with some more focused testing in CS:GO and Apex Legends. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.  

We’re also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market. Or, for something a little cheaper, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards available. 

Will this wet-around-the-ears upstart knock its competition out of our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards list? And should the Razer Huntsman V🎉3 Pro ꦯbe your new daily driver? 

Design

In comparison ꧒to the V3, the old Huntsman design (which I was always a fan of) looks blocky and old-fashioned. While there's plenty of crossover, its replacement feels classier thanks to a brushed aluminum frame, thinner wrist-rest, and more textured𒀰 volume control. Minimalist but premium media buttons are a marked step up as well.

If this is the direction we're going, I'm OK wit🤡h it.

Still, it doesn't all get a thumbs up from me. Despite being an improvement overall, there are some things I miss from the V2 range – the wrist-rest, for starters. The V3 Pro equivalent feels less comfortable on the whole because it lacks the same plush padding, opting for a flatter and stiffer alternative instead. For me, this is a step backwards; it's like being lured in with the promise of a fancy restaurant and discovering that your favorite 🌠thing on the menu has run out.

Similarly, those media buttons (with the exception of the volume wheel, which is gorgeous) are objectively worse so far as I'm concerne𝔉d. It's not immediately clear what they do from a glance (unless you have the packaging or instructions to hand, that is), and didn't necessarily act as I expected. I'm sure there's a good reason for this tweak, but I'd have as easily done without it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Features

The headline act of this keyboard would be its G🔴en-2 Razer Analog Optical Switches. Alongside adjustable actuation (from 0.1 to 4.0mm) and a light-touch 40g actuation force, the V3 Pro features 'rapid trigger mode.' As Razer says in its official blurb, this allows you to "release and repeatedly press keys at a much faster rate than is physically possible on standard keyboard🍰s. With the ability to reset keys at the slightest lift of a finger, experience an advantage in speed that is especially useful for movement."

Elsewhere, you're getting textured doubleshot PBT keycaps that can better resist wear and tear. A brushed aluminum top plate has also joined the party, alongside a flat, magnetic leatherette wrist rest that clips onto the base of the keyboard. (It's worth noting that this doesn't have the same RGB runaround as its predecessor, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V2 Analog, or the latter's cushioned design.)

As always, you can program the V3 Pro with all manner of macros and adjustments🏅 too. These can be activated or altered on the fly, and you can easily see what you're m😼essing with via the LED array indicator.

Performance

I'll say up front that I♑ liked the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro – and that's because I'm about to have a grumble.

You see, I didn't get off to the best start with this keyboard. When I broke it out of its box and started tapping away, I was met with a dull, metallic ping every now and then after lifting my fingers away. It didn't happen all the time, and eventually became easy to ignore, but it never fully went away. This makes the deck feel… well, cheaper than I'd like. (Which the V3 Pro most definitely isn't.)

Fortunately, that issue doesn't let the side down too much. There's no🦹 impact on performance, and it's not distracting in the grand scheme of things. 

Plus, using it across three weeks as my daily driver for work was🧸 surprisingly pleasant, with those doubleshot keys bouncing my fingers across the board without much effort. Indeed, I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed using the V3 Pro.

Crucially, taking it to the battlefield of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Apex Legends and turning on the 'FPS Rapid Trigger' profile feels like you've been supercharged with one of Octane's steroid boosters. You can activate each key with nothing but the lightest touch, and this means you can dart to safety when under fire or whirl around with surprising speed if ambushed up-close. I'm serious;🐠 I could make the V3 Pro do what I want🐈ed with the barest press of my fingertip, and the instant actuation afforded by the optical switches meant my commands were met with lightning speed. In much the same way, there was no real debounce I could detect.

In short, fans of twitch shooters should be w🍬ell served here.

Meanwhile, gliding across the enormous map of an Immortal Empires campaign in Total War: Warhammer 3 or quick-changing to the most appropriate weapon when monsters jumped my mustachioed 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nightingale character was buttery smooth.  

Speaking of Nightingale, this is where I got the most use out of the V3 Pro's Analog WASD profile. Much like its predecessor, this allows you to recreate the precision of a controller's sticks. Press down a little and your character will saunter casually through the landscape, while holding the key breaks you into a run. This may not sound useful, but in games such as the Victorian-themed survival sim or adventures like 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Starfield, it can be nice to take things at a slower pace. You're exploring gorgeous worlds that are teeming with life and lore, so it's fun to drink it all in rathe꧟r than sp💝rinting to your next objective. 

In essence, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro won't d♛isappoint gamers who demand high quality and highe🅰r performance. 

Should you buy the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro?

There's a lot to love about this evolution of the Huntsman keybo𓂃ard, and if you haven't used the previous models – or if you're entirely focused on peak performance – you'll find a lot to appreciate here. 

Yes, there are more comfortable options if you plan to use it༒ for daily work with a bit of gaming on the side. But on the whole, it's still a respectable all-rounder nonetheless.

How we tested the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro

This review sample was provided by the publisher.

I used the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro as my daily keyboard (for both work and play) across three or so weeks.ඣ For my gaming sessions, I trialled it with Nightingale, Total War: Warhammer 3, and Apex Legends. Because I own the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog, I also made sure to directly compare the two.

For more on our process, be sure to see our guide to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards or the GamesRadar+ 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Hardware Policy as a whole. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and plenty more of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards to boot. 

Design

The Cherry XTRFY K5V2 comes in either black or white, and I received the latter. That means the strip RGB LEDs underneath can shine bright throughout the entire case - something I haven't seen yet in another keyboard. That makes this the go-to for anyone keen on maximizing their RGB lighting, even if it sacrifices the more subtle aesthetic of the black model in doing so. Still, you can always alter these RGBs, tone down the brightness, switch to a𝓀 static color, or turn them off altogether for a more relaxed tone. Strip LED lights do mean that you don't get per-key control, however.

The opaque plastic used to highlight this strip lighting does look a little cheaper than the minimum $139.99 price tag might suggest, and there are some rough🍃er edges to the cut of each piece going together. Looks aside, though, everything feels sturdy and durable under the hand. There's no flex to the main deck area, and both the feet and hinges feel well-crafted. I did notice some creaking to the main chassis when applying significant pressure, likely due to the cheaper build material. 

The 65% form factor keeps things nice and streamlined on the desktop but allows for necessary arrow buttons and a few navigation keys floating in the top left as well. I had everything I needed for both gameplay and productivity close to hand, save for dedicated media controls which rarely show up on these smaller decks anyway (if you don't want to miss out on playback I'd recommend checking out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile for a rare outlier in this regard).

Keycaps themselves are ABS plastic, again a cheaper construction choice. They don't seem to be coated with anything that can prolong their lifespan, but they are doubleshot to keep those legends nicely visible. These are the basic caps, available in the cheapest K5V2 model, with the option to upgrade either at the time of purchase or later on down the ﷺline. Still, I got on well with these clickers. 

They&𓆏apos;re a little softer than the textured PBT keycaps I'm used to, but I generally maintained good traction across the desk, and that softness paired nicely with the muted sound produced by two layers of foam under the main plate. I didn't notice any oils or shine appearing on the caps in my two weeks (a common problem in cheaper ABS keyboards), but I can see how the white model might be masking this better than the black version would.

Features

Cherry calls this an ultra-customizable keyboard, and that much is obvious from when you first place your order. There's a massive range of keycaps, stabilizers, switches, cables, and extra accessories to choose from when building your deck. However, prices can quickly rocket if you're putting together something more substantial. In fairness, though, it's no more customizable than most other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboards in this regard - i𝐆t's just that Cherry is selling you this stuff straight up 𓄧rather than you shopping around for it after the fact. Still, not spending cash on a dud set of caps before ultimately upgrading is going to save you in the long run. 

There are also swathes of additional functions listed across the deck itself. There&ওapos;s no software to run through all these different features, rather everything is controllable directly via the keyboard. That's going to be a steeper learning curve for many, and some might prefer a cleaner (and more personalized) approach taken by more established brands with their own programs. 

It's still impressive to see that⛄ only two keys here are not mapped to secondary functions, though, with everything from calculator quick launches to the speed of your dedicated macro commands controlled directly f𝓡rom the deck. The fact that everything works so well straight out of the box with no software requirements is a godsend - and something very few keyboard models have got right so far. That even extends to on-the-fly macro recording across five dedicated keys.

That's where this ultra-customizable design ends, though. There are no screws to break into the chassis itself to apply your own mods, which was a disappointment. Hot-swappable keyboards like this are being hailed as the easiest way to get started in the often expensive custom hobby. That means starting out by swapping some switches around and eventually graduating to using your own mods under the hood, all without spending the lofty prices associated with high-end custom decks. There's no room for such experiments in Cherry's model, a keyboard that feels tailor-made for this burgeoning market - even 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer's BlackWidow V4 75% allows you to tinker ins🍒ide (albeit with a broken warranty).

Performance

Cherry is debuting its MX2A switches with this release, a remaster of the classic MX Reds that have the gaming keyboard industry in a chokehold. The new switches aim to run smoother than the original clickers, which is certainly true for my testing. The previous generation had a tendency to feel scratchy on each press, making for a more hollow feeling on acღtuation. By contrast, these are soft and slick, with a comfortable landing force of 45cN.

That, combined with the pretty standard pre-travel 2mm a🐎nd 4mm total travel makes these particularly strong switches for gaming. I enjoyed a speedy debounce across the main keys, with a spring feel that had me moving nice and quickly across the deck in more competitive arenas. However, the space, enter, and backspace keys have a slightly heavier feel which doesn't translate in the same snappy way. 

Not only do they feel different under the fingertips, but they sound far quieter as well, giving a woolly impression to each press. That wasn't as enjoyable during more frantic moments - jumping with the space bar, for example, felt far more cumbersome than strafing with A or🦩 D. It's an odd feeling to have these few keys acting in such a different way to the rest of the deck. That extra tension did perform nicely in a productivity setting, but I was already looking under the cap for any adjustments I could make after about a morning's use. 

Should you buy the Cherry XTRFY K5V2?

🎃The Cherry XTRFY K5V2 is a must-see for anyone after a function-heavy keyboard but who doesn't want to deal with CPU-hogging software running in the background. The snappy feeling of these new MX2A switches, combined with the beautifully muted auditory profile and soft-touch keycaps makes for a luxurious typing and gaming experience. Plus, anyone looking to brighten up their setup with a crisp set of LEDs should look no further tha♏n this translucent white casing. 

However, to be a true ultra-customizable keyboard (and therefore represent a solid investment for anyone looking for their first footholds in the custom deck space), the  K5V2 could be doing more. Opening up that main chassis area would give the K5V2 far more to work with in its market position, and the actual build of the case itself is lacking behind others in this space. Of course, pretty much any gaming brand is going to void your warranty if y༒ou do crack open its hot-swappable keyboards, but if you're throwing caution to the wind the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% is the way to go. 

How we tested the Cherry XTRFY K5V2

I used the Cherry XTRFY K5V2 for two weeks, replacing my daily driver (the Asus ROG Azoth) for all work and play in that time. I tested across Apex Legends and CS:GO while also playing Fallout 4 and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey on the deck as well. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards if you're after something a little cheaper. Or, if you're building out a whole new setup, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models available. 

Launching at $169.99 / £169.99, the ROG Falchion RX Low Profile does hit at a slightly higher cost than most of its 65% contemporaries. It backs those numbers up with a slick typing feel, compact chassis, and fantastic design to stand as one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market right now. 

Design

The Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile is a super slimline gaming keyboard with plenty of hidden features baked right into the design. All-white keycaps and a silver base make fo🐻r a refreshing departure from the standard black and gr🐓ay we tend to see on the shelves. 

That skinny form factor is further supported by an almost floating design from the main base plate overhanging the plastic wedged base by just under🔯 a centimeter.  

Prior to the Falchion RX, one of my biggest grips with low profile keyboards was - funnily enough - their height. I like a good base to work off, with an elevated set of keys easily reachable no matter how horrifically slumped I am in my chair. If I can still reach the number row while a chiropractor is preparing to make their mi💯llions off me, I'm happy. 

With the larger of the two flippable feet extended, the ROG Falchion RX isn't quite as high as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air, but it's certainly a more comfortable elevation level than your standard low profile deck. Compared to the relatively flat 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cherry MX LP 2.1, this is a dream. 

That height is ever so slightly helped by the white case that ships with the keyboard. The textured plastic shell can be used on top of the deck to protect the keys during travel, but also slots neatly under the keyboard to provide extra grip while still allowing access to all your ports and controls. It's a unique addition to the design that I haven't come🌠 across before, but it's a handy extra for those on the move a lo෴t.

The top of the deck features an RGB LED display with 'Republic of Gamers' stamped across the middle and a series of RGB stripes running most of the top bezel's length. These stripes respond to the gestures made on the slide bar (located on the top of the deck itself൩) for a visual representation of your scroll actions. I haven't come across a control feature like this, but the slightly indented panel is easily reachable from the main deck and has a series of tactile bumps to help you find your way as well.

All in all, the build quality is incredibly high𓄧 here. It's not as lightweight🌌 as Cherry's low profile option, but has a pleasing heft that assures its premium construction materials. Even in such a slimline package, everything feels durable and secure with a rock solid main base plate and no creaking or flexing across the main deck. ABS keycaps aren't the most stable long-term by themselves, but they feel fantastic under the fingertips and Asus has applied a UV coating to protect against any greasy shine.

Features

The ROG Falchion RX Low Profile ships with the brand's low profile🦩 opti꧃cal switches in either Red or Blue flavor. My device sports a set of red linear clickers, with a 1mm actuation point, 40gf actuation force, and 55gf total force. That's a particularly lightweight switch with a relatively sensitive actuation point. Each switch features centralized RGB lighting to keep bleed to a minimum as well. 

One of the biggest features for those after a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wireless gaming keyboard for travel is going to be the ample connection optio🐷ns. You're getting Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless connections here - perfect for use with a range of devices - as well as full Mac compatibility (and corresponding legends) as well. That's a rarity in the world of gaming keyboards, though I have noticed more and more decks playing nicely with Apple's tech in the last few months. Of my comparison pool, the Asus wins in the connectivity department. Cherry offers both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless, but drops Mac compatibility, while Roccat relies solely on its USB dongle. Asus even goes one further, using its Omni receiver, which can connect multiple compatible accessories 𝓡via the same port. 

It's also rare to find dedicated media controls on a 65% gaming laptop, but the Falchion has us covered here as well. As mentioned above, the slide bar featured along the top of the deck allows for a range of different inputs (customized through Armory Crate) as well as media playback, volume control, and brightness settings. Each mode is toggled via a small button at the left of the deck, and adjusted via the slide bar itself (sweep left to right to play the next track or dial up volume and brightness, and right to left for theꦦ opposite). I was initially skeptical of this bar - it's covered in the same gray plastic as the rest of the deck and doesn't look like it should be as responsive as it actually is. There's some kind of magic going on here, though, it was able to pick up commands instantly no matter how lightly I was sweeping.

Under the hood, the ROG Falchion RX Low Profile features two layers of sound dampening foam; one under the ma🐻in plate and another below the PCB. While I've used gaming keyboards with far more mods applied, the sound profile here is🌊 still comfortably muted with a soft landing to boot.

On top of all that you're getting full programmability and on the fly macro recording (something the Cherry model drops from its feature list). Asus has even made space for up to six profiles, just nudging ahead of the av𓆉erage five count I tend to see.

Performance

Typing on the Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile feels more like gliding across fresh snow. The super lightweight switches, soft keycaps,✃ and gentle sound profile make for a particularly pleasant experience. Not only that, but the switches themselves are sensitive enough to maintain some serious speed while also providing a super speedy debounce for repeat presses as well. Even in these linear switches there's a tactile snap that makes flying across the deck feel satisfying and controlled, while offering a smooth glide to each keypress. 

By comparison, the Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air feels rattly and heavy and carries a much harsher sound profile. The Cherry MX-LP 2.1 has a little more weight to its keypresses, with a scratchi💝er feel overall. Overall, Asus wins out in the overall typing experience here - everything is butter꧑y smooth and sounds fantastic to boot. 

In fact, there was only ever one problem I encountered while testing the Falchion. The shorter shift key, combined with those sensitive switches and minimal spacing between keys, meant I was regularly hitting caps lock by accident. It's not𝐆 a major issue, and something that can easily be rectified with more muscle learning, but if you do rely on these keys for most of your macros or keybindings, it's worth taking int༒o consideration. 

Should you buy the Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile?

If you're in the market for a low profile 65% gamingꦉ keyboard, I'd recommend the Asus ROG Falchion RX over everything else I've tested thus far. It's a super portable, super flexible device with up to 430 hours of battery life, a fantastic typing experience, and rare extra features like dedicated media controls. 

For $40 / £30 less you can 𝓀drop down to the Cherry MX-LP 2.1, but with a harsher typing feel, scratchier switches, and flatter elevation those looking for tꦜhe best experience under the fingertips might not want to. You're also losing MacOS functionality and those media controls in that sacrifice as well. 

If you're not fussed about those low profile keycaps, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Endgame Gear KB65HE is currently in the running for my favorite 65% gaming keyboard on the market. It sports a more traditional keycap design, but throws in hall effect switches for customizable actuation points, as well as luxurious Ducky PBT caps. If you're after a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard, Endgame also ticks that box. I'd 🍬still recommend opting for Asus if you're going to be travelling a lot, though, the 1kg weight of Endgame's deck (and the wired only connection) make it a tough piece to transport. 

At the time of writing, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro is our🌠 favorite low profile gaming keyboard overall. However, the Asus ROG Falchion RX could change that. Razer's entry is a full-sized device, but it carries a $249.99 / £249.99 price tag and doesn't back it up with too many extra features. Yes, you're getting the number pad and full navigational keys but these days that's certainly not worth an extra $80 - especially considering pretty much everything else offered by the Deathstalker is covered here.

How we tested the Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile

I used the Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile for three weeks, while also testing against the Cherry MX LP-2.1, Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air, and Endgame Gear KB64HE at the same time. I primarily played across Apex Legends, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and House Flipper in that time, with some more intensive testing in CS:GO as well. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards on the market, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards and the latest 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cheap gaming keyboard deals for those looking to spend a little less. 

Hall effect switches have been seldom used in even the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards. Yes, brands like SteelSeries and Razer adopted the adjustable magnetic switches for releases a couple of years ago but things have largely remained quiet since then. Built for speed and dura♑bility, these kind-of-mechanical-but-not-really clickers are harder to find, but if you&ap𝓀os;re after rapid action presses and a smooth typing feel they're certainly worth investigating. At $139.99 / £139.99, the KB65HE is slightly more competitive in pricing than we've seen previously. 

Design

On the surface, this could be any 65% keyboard released in the last three years. A standard set of black PBT doubleshot keycaps sit nestled within a set of skinn🔴y bezels atop a chunky chassis. However, the whole body is CNC-milled alu𝕴minum, and the lightly textured keycaps feel particularly premium under the hand. Like its RGB lighting, this is a powerful but subtle design - and one that will sit neatly in any setup. 

The solid aluminum chassis is certainly weighty, coming in at just over 1kg. That means it's not going to be particularly easy to transport, but it💯 sits stoutly on a desktop and never moves. That's excellent news for anyone tired of chasing their smaller keyboard around their setup during play - this thing is going now𒐪here. That's also due to detachable (and swappable) rubber feet underneath. Two sets are included out of the box, allowing for a flat or slightly elevated form factor. I naturally prefer a higher incline than I got here, but I was never uncomfortable during testing. 

The legends up top allow for a beam of RGB lighting to shine through as well. While I was disappointed that the secondary functions of each key aren't also printed (requiring a lot of learning for the first few weeks), there's really nothing to moan about here. These caps have been developed in collaboration with Ducky - the brand behind the fantastically crafted 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ducky One 3. I w💜as impr💝essed with the high quality of the manufacturing there, and the same is true of the caps available on the Endgame Gear KB65HE.

Features

Let's talk switches because to call the KB65HE a mechanical keyboard is plastering over some intricacies. The G🌃ateron KS-37Bs under each cap certainly look and feel like standard mechanical switches at first glance, but the real magic happens when you start customizing. Hall effect switches don't use intricate individual parts to actuate - in fact, there's nothing electronic going on in here at all. Instead, a magnet is placed through the stem of each clicker, reaching a sensor on the main deck where input is received. That means each switch knows exactly how far it's been pushed down - which also means variable actuation points. 

You can use the accompanying software to set a custom actuation point for each key - from a super flyweight 0.1mm all the way through to a full bottom out. At the top end of the scale that makes for noticeably speedy typing and gameplay. What's more,🍌 these are still fantastic feeling switches in their own right. Each press is particularly smooth, while still providing a solid tension to keep everything precise and accurate.

That also means this is a fully 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard as well - it's worth noting, though, if you are swapping between switches that you'll need to make sure the Gateron numbers are properly seated and the right way round. They'll attach back into the PCB in either orientation, but won't work when upside down - as I found after swapping the entire♔ set. That means a lot of extra work when plugging the old switches back into their PCB.

The software that allows for full actuation control also provides access to per-key RGB customization as well as fu൩ll programmability for macros across the deck🥃. That's standard fare in a smaller keyboard, but it certainly shouldn't be taken for granted as we move down the price scale.

The form factor itself sits within that 65% happy medium. The move to mini gaming keyboards has truly taken off in the last few years - kicking off with a wave of 60% offerings. That was a dark time. Relying on double functions for arrow keys and certain page navigation elements made for a rough few months there, though thankfully we've come out the other side with more popular 65 and 75% form factors. Here you're getting a 💝full number row with arrow keys, page navigation, and delete buttons while still saving plenty of space for mouse sweeps.

Performance

The entire typing experience on the Endgame Gear KB65HE is solid with no flex to the main chassis (and I really tried to get a flex out of this) and very little wobble to larger stabilized k🅰eys. It also helps that two sheets of silicone rubber have been used in construction, making sure that each bottom out is soft and smooth, with a bouncy feel and nicely quiet sound as well. 

I played Apex Legends and CS:GO with as short a travel distance as possible and, while I'm by no means a competitive player, noticed a significant difference in speed. I was able to rotate through items and lob grenades far quicker here. If I've noticed an improvement in my sub-average skills, then a pro is going to be blown away by this deck. Even more measured experiences like Assassin's Creed Odyssey benefitted from these switches. While I turned things down a little here, everything was still super smooth and - most notably - precise. The tension under each key was just enough to keep actuation snappy and sensitive while also preventing unwanted ꦺpresses. 

Should you buy the Endgame KB65HE?

If you're after a 65% gaming keyboard for faster-paced FPS titles, the Endgame Gear KB65HE should be at the top of your list. This is a breakneck-speed deck with all the macros, RGB functionality, and hot-swappabil🌼ity you could ask for, without commanding the price tag we usually see in decks of this high a quality. Considering you can spend a lot (and we mean a lot) more on a 65% rig and still not pick up all these feat🌠ures, this is a must-see. 

If you don't need the extra arrow or navigation keys there are some alternative options out there. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini is available with a wireless connection (though for $239.99 / £219.99), and features side-printed legends for an easier life. Arrow keys are mapped to WASD keys here, which is far more preferable to the mapping on our second alternative, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman Mini Analog. 

This dinky keyboard also allows for more of a joystick-like response from your switches. Of course, this is only compatible with certain games - but the deck is theoretica𝄹lly capable of functioning more like a thumbstick, moving slower when the W key is only slightly pressed, for example, and running when fully bottomed out. It's a unique experience - and once you've mastered it it really can be a game-changer. Again, tꦺhough, you're dropping the additional arrow keys in this 60% form factor. 

Our current reigning 65% champ is the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:HyperX Alloy Origins 65, a super sp🃏eedy but still fantastic feeling deck sitting at a slightly lower $99.99 / £109.99 MSRP. The typing experience here isn't quite as satisfying as the Endgame's and you&🎶apos;re dropping additional switch functionality as well - all for the sake of saving $40 / £30. 

How we tested the Endgame Gear KB65HE

I used the Endgame Gear KB65HE on and off (while also testing the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K65 Plus Wireless) over the course of two weeks, before using the deck as my sole device for both work and play for another two weeks. In that time, I primarily tested across Apex Legends and CS:GO, while also playing We Happy Few, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and House Flipper. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards if you're going down the snake route. You'll also find all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards ranked on GamesRadar if you're after something a little cheaper. 

This is an Azoth lookalike through and through, even down to the two-tone keycaps. However, with a $159.99 / £149.99 MSRP that savagely undercuts Asus's reigning champion, Corsair's new release is out for blood. I put the latest switch-swapping deck to the test to see whether it can take on the rig currently sat at the top of our guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market. 

Design

💖Custom keyboard fans will be well versed in the aesthetics of the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless. From the subtle navy blue and dark gray keycap design to the boxy, minimalist form factor, the K65 Plus has lifted straight from the high-end design book here. Just like the seemingly metal escape key (it's just a metallic paint coated on top), though, this is primarily an aesthetic choice. You don&a𒁃pos;t get the full metal construction you might find in a more traditional custom deck, opting instead for a plastic chassis housing steel and metal plates within. 

Still, that additional internal weight means this is a solid keyboard to keep on the desk - it didn't budge during my testing and while it's not as hefty as something like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Keychron Q2 it's certainly got a solid weight to it. That weight doesn't make it feel quite as premium as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer BlackWidow V4 75% whicꦜh both use higher end materials (but come at a higher price point). 

The keycaps themselves are forme🔯d from super durable PBT, though rather than a doubleshot set of legends you'll find dye-sublimated icons up top. These are still pretty tough caps, but there is more of a chance of fading here. That might prove to be a problem considering the number of double functions mapped to each key. This is a larger 75% design, so there's more dedicated clickers than you'll find in a 60 or even 65% device, but Corsair has an impressive array of extra features baked in. Indicators for these⛎ controls are all printed directly on top of the cap.

It's not so much the legends I'm worried about here - but more the fact that these caps aren't shine through. The RGB lighting sits around the edge of the key🥂 only, rendering each one illegible as soon as the lights are out. You'll be relying on muscle memory a lot more ๊here.

The K65 Pro Wireless also, obviously, has Corsair's LEDs under the hood for its RGB effect. I've never personally fared well ༒with this brand's lighting. The colors are generally a little too washed out for me, and never seem to achieve the same level of sharp clarity as Razer's. That's all personal opinion, but if you do prefer a more refined set of lights there are better options out there.

Still, everything feels durable and sturdy under the hand, with a soft ever so slightly grainy texture to each key that makes for a particulꦜarly soft experience while still providing excellent accuracy and no slips. There's very little flex to the device as a whole - I was only able to bend the pro༺portions slightly when pushing down with all my might - and considering the smooth linear switches inside that's not something you're going to be doing too often.

Features

Corsair's recent keyboards have been packed with additional features, and the K65 Pro Wireless is no exception.𓂃 Aside from those hot-swappable switch pockets you'll find excellent wi🍸reless compatibility, unique RGB controls, a dedicated multi-functional control dial and a solid suite of software features to keep everything running.

The actual layout of the deck prioritizes arrow keys and Home, Page Up, and Page Down buttons along the right hand side for navigation. The Delete key has been shifted up to the function row🍒 - something I haven't seen before, but didn't take too long to get used to. Along the top you'll find the standard USB-C port for charging and a wired tether should you need one, as well as a switch to toggle between the three connection options (2.4GHz, Bluetooth, and wired). 

That's all pretty standard - what's new here is the ability to swap between a PC and Mac input. The K65 Pro Wireless is compatible with both camps, and even has MacOS legends printed on the keycaps themselves. That's a massive benefit for anyone who straddles both territories, and even for those using a Mac full time - very few 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wireless gaming keyboards support Jobs. It's also worth noting that the K65 is also fully compatible witꦆh Xbox and PlayStation for even more connection options.

Around the left hand side you'll find another surprise. A 🌱small button can toggle your RGB lighting on and off with just a simple click - it's not a massive feature, and it didn't change my life during testing, but it𝓀's a nice to have. 

That level of control continues across the main deck as well. The arrow key♑s are already mapped to some handy additional functions straight out the box. By default you've got volume, RGB, and even zoom and scroll controls down here - handy considering the dial up top can perform similar functions. You're never, for example, dropping the ability to adjust volume if you set the dial to scroll instead. That's a flexible way of sorting media♔ controls, but I did find myself missing the dedicated playback buttons of the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%.

That's how I had my deck setup, though I wasn't exactly spoilt for choice in iCue. This control dial is by no means up to the standard set on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro - and even that buffed🅰 up version was underwhelming. Customizability options are limited here, and essentially replicate those found on thಞe arrow keys.

The actual keys are powered by Corsair's ꩵown MLX Red linear swithces, offering 45g of resistance with a 4mm total travel and 1.9mm actuation point. That puts their specs on par with the standard Cherry MX Red options, with𝓰 a 0.1mm difference in actuation travel. Of course, those clickers can always be swapped out.

Like many 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboards, those switches benefit from two layers of dampening; with foam on top of the PCB and a silicone layer beneath. That's it for additional mods offered, though - this is a step♊ back from the pre-applied tape mꦛodding of the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% or the additional gasket mounts and third layer of Poron foam in the Asus ROG Azoth. The whole deck is easy to crack open, but Corsair doesn't cover your experiments in its warranty.

Battery life is solid with RGB switched off - Corsair estimates up to 266 hours of playtime without those LEDs blaring. I played with RGB ✨on and managed to squeeze around 30 hours out of the device, running it for three work days with gaming in the evening thrown in. That's a marked reduction from the Azoth&൲apos;s massive 2,000 hour no-RGB charge, though.

Performance

The linear typing experience in the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless is extraordinary. The brand is typically plagued by incredible rattle and stabilizer ping, but there's no reverb to speak of here. The smooth linear switches feel great under hand, with a soft landing position and just the right level of sensitivity to remain nimble but avoid accidental presses. The switches themselves are heavier than those of the Azoth but lighter than Razer's, though without the satsifying clunk of the latter's Orange option. While I do still prefer the ROG NXs straigh𒐪t out of the box, this is a fantastic feel all in. 

Actuation points are light enough to feel particularly responsive under the fingertips, while also feeling solid enoughღ to provide satisfying feedback. The stabilizers are a little rockier, though, leading to some shakiness in the space key. 

While the K65 Plus Wireless taps out at a 1,000Hz polling rate, this was more than enough speed for my everyday play. Inputওs were snappy and responsive, and thoඣse speedier switches made for particularly fast rapid press action as well. 

Should you buy the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless?

I would recommend the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless to anyone locked out of the Asus ROG Azoth's price range. This is an impressive piece of kit considering its price, offering a luxury typing feel withꦅ plenty of customization and a wad of additional features baked in. I was surprised to learn the final cost once I'd already had my hands on these caps for a couple of days, this feels like a deck punching well above its price tag - especially considering competitors are pitching a little higher. 

However, there are some drawbacks th༒at stop the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless from taking Asus's top spot. The cheaper construction, lower battery life, and heavier switches aren't offset by that lower price point and additional Mac functionality overall. If you've got the budget for it I would still recommend the Azoth instead. 

The Razer BlackWidow V4 75% is in a more competitive pri﷽ce range, adding only $30 to Corsair's $159.99 MSRP. For that extra cash you get a wrist rest included, doubleshot keycaps, arguably more satisfying switches out the box, and a better selection of media controls, though you take a hit with that wired-only design. This one's down to priorities, then. If you can't live with a tethered keyboard, Corsair is your go-to. If you'd prefer a more ro🌳bust onboard experience, Razer's still up top. 

How we tested the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless

I used the Corsair K65 Plus Wireless for all my daily work and play over the course of one week, with another week spent comparing with the Asus ROG Azoth, Razer BlackWidow V4 75% and the Endgame Gear KB65HE. In that time I played across CS:GO, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and House Flipper. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards on the market, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards and the latest 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cheap gaming keyboard deals for those looking to spend less. 

The new 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard comes as part of a whole roster of releases. In total there's five models with a range of different layouts each and available in various build states. The Drop CTRL V2 I've been using for the last month comes in at $200 when purchased fully assembled and with Holy Panda X Clear switches. It's not going to be one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market, but there are some clear moves here that could lure the next generation of🌳 custom hobbyists. 

Design

The new Drop CTRL V2 is a keyboard designed for its RGB. That means switches designed to make the most of north facing LEDs and an additional strip of lighting around the middle of the chassis. These were all design elements present in the previous generation, and side by side the lighting looks pretty similar between the two. Granted, my original 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Drop CTRL model is a low profile chassis which natu🍌rally gives those LEDs plenty more space to breathe, but even from a top down keycap legend pe🤪rspective this is the same LED lighting. 

Nothing was broken here, so there's nothing to fix - the difference comes in the boosted customization options. More aspects of this color system can be adjusted directly on the deck, like hue and saturation, 💫without needing to dive into extra software (for reaso💮ns we'll get into later, that's a godsend). 

The deck itself is a solid brick of aluminum with a hefty feel and stout shape. It means it's not going anywhere when it's planted on the desk, with the kind of sturdy planting I appreciated in the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Keychron Q2. There's not a chance 🍒of flex in the main base plate, and with a belt of RGB running across the middle there's not a single join to worry about here. 

There are two styles to choose from here, a higher profile and lower profile case. As menti🦩oned above, I went for the former in an all-black colorway but there are also gray options to choose from as well. The keycaps themselves are all standard, though. This is a simple black and gray affair - a timeless classic that allows that RGB lighting to really speak for itself while still keeping things interesting in a traditional custom keyboard aesthet✤ic. These are PBT keycaps with a softer touch than I'd prefer, but still a comfortable feel overall and I never slipped during play or typing. 

Two magnetic risers allow for a varied elevation at either the top or bottom of the deck, providing the additional height I needed to gather enough force for these heavier Holy Panda switches. There's no wrist rest to speaker of, and the extra height of the chassis itself means this isn't one you'♕ll want to keep flat for too long. Fatigue did set in pretty quickly due to the combination of heavier switches and that taller chassis, but with a swap to MX Reds tamed things a little. 

Features

On the outside the Drop CTRL V2 looks remarkably similar to its predecessor, but under the hood a lot has changed. The main draw for many, those hot-swappable sockets - have been upgraded to take both 3- and 5-pin switches (the previous model only acc🍨epted older 3-pin designs), and Drop has also updated the stabilizers underneath as well. 

The new plate mounted stabilizers feature upgraded housings an🔥d super low-friction stems and did make a significant difference when I ran both the V1 and V2 side by side, providing the space and enter keys with clean, rattle-free keypresses. The backspace key is particularly tight here. 

I was disappointed, however, to find out that the V2's deck isn't gasket mounted. Rather than us𓆏ing a rubber or silicone pad underneath the main plate, this is all foam. Yes, there's plenty of foam; two poron layers sandwiching the main PCB and IXPE switch foam in the middle, but bottoming out is still harsher here than it would be in other fully gasket mounted decks. 

As before, we've got two USB-C ports running along the top of the deck, one for connecting the deck (this is a strictly wired affair) and one for additional accessories. There aren't any dedicated media buttons to speak of, which is to be expected from a more typist-oriented 🎀keyboard, but if you're handy enough you can load up additional software to take care of new keybindings. 

This is where my recommendation can get a little tricky. If you're after a gaming keyboard with hot-swappability, this might keep you away from the Drop CTRL V2. Like the previous model, the V2 relies on QMK programmability for its customization. This time around, we've also got support for VIA software as well (flas🍬hed onto the deck on Drop's own configuration software). Neither of these options are particularly first timer friendly, and if you don't want to sit down and learn the intricacies of each method this isn't the keyboard for you. There are a number of hot-swappable gaming keyboards out there with far easier software options for less cash. 

Performance

The performance of the Drop CTRL V2 very much depends on the situation it finds itself in. The additional work it takes to map customized commands made presets particularly difficult to configure, and while the 1,000Hz polling rate is more than fine for everyday play, those in a particularly speedy competitive arena will need a faster scan from both the keyboard and PC connection💜. Still, this is a typists key♊board, a first step into the world of custom decks - and in that respect it performs admirably. 

Each keypress is snappy with no reverb running across the main chassis - something the previous model struggled with in the larger keys. Here, everything from the space bar to the enter key is clean with a tight debounce. That's partly down to the new Phantom stabilizers and partly due to the tactile nature of the Holy Panda switches underneath. While that bump is particularly heavy (and did cause fatigue during longer typing sessions), I did notice greater accuracy in my typing compared to the lighter ROG NX switches I use on my daily driver, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth. 

The only area of inaccuracy I noted was in the shift key, the heaviness of which often caused me to release too early and miss a capital. That said, once I'd mastered this particular bump I was typing ever so slightly faster on the Drop CTRL V2. In same day typing tests I averaged 99WPM at 97% accuracy on the CTRL, compared to 9🍸7WPM at  97% accuracy on the Azoth across three tests. 

Should you buy the Drop CTRL V2?

The Drop CTRL V2 does improve on the original model, a keyboard showing its age even by last year. The enhanced stabilizers and suppo𝓀rt for five pin switches are the biggest gains here, though, and they're not quite worth the $200 asking price for a prebuilt deck. This is a competitive price point in the world of entry level hot-swappable keyboards; you've got plenty of Keychron options occupying the same position and with gasket mounted chassis' making for a better typing experience overall. You're not quite getting the Drop level of creative control during the build here, though. Still, if you're after a hot-swappable keyboard for gaming there are even more options out there with full gasket mounts and infinitely better software support. 

The Asus ROG Azoth is just $50 more, and packs a wireless connection, dedicated media controls, and OLED display panel, and softer switches straight out the box. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless does drop a few keys in its 60% form factor but comes in at $179.99 / £169.99. The typing experience isn't as strong here, but with up💛 to 50 onboard profiles and a wireless connection it could be the better buy for those after a more portable device. 

So who is the Drop CTRL V2 for? The same pe🎶ople the V1 was for. Enthusiast level typists looking for a deck they can break down and build back up again with abandon. If you're the kind of person who already works with QMK, has a stack of switch pullers in a drawer somewhere, and wants a new PCB to play with, this is an excellent upgrade - especially if you're willing to get a little dirty wit🌳h your own mounting mods. 

How we tested the Drop CTRL V2

I used the Drop CTRL V2 for one month, using the deck for all daily work and play. In that time, I was primarily testing across Apex Legends and Doom Eternal, while also using the keyboard for casual play across We Happy Few and The Sims 4. I also completed a series of speed and precision tests on and compared results against the Asus ROG Azoth. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the market, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards for more options as well. 

As someone with dyslexia, this is not a keyboard I should be able to use. The keycaps are emblazoned with Tengwar symbols and the English lettering is tiny and hard to scan. But of course, these Tolkein language keycaps are the entire appeal of Drop's LOTR collection. Alt🐲hough it took🌌 some getting used to, my brain quickly remembered the layout of a QWERTY keyboard, and my letter-jumbling brain somehow got by.

$199 / £199 isn't exactly cheap in the world of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards, but I'd argue this is no mere ranger. This is a piece of merchandise worthy of a collector - somethin🔴g worth saving up for and making a long-term investment in. Drop has a great reputation for making quality products that last a long time, and the Elvish keyboard I tested for this review is no exception. 

Design

Hiding under the Tolkien veil here is Drop's ENTR board, which is the brand's entry-level product. Although I'm not GamesRadar+'s resident keyboard expert, I can say with a degree of confidence that this doesn't feel anything like an entry-level accessory. When we reviewed the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Drop CTRL, we loved its build quality but found𝓀 it struggled to keep up with the modern-day gaming⛦ options on the shelves, and that feels like a similar story here.

Gaming keyboard enthusiasts might be tဣurned off by the soldered switches that are factory-lub♊ed, but in all honesty, I'm not sure this keyboard is really targeted at those sorts of buyers.

The Elvish edition I'm reviewing uses a re-colored green ENTR anodized aluminium case, but Drop has a number of options in its LOTR range now. If you aren't hot on your Tengwar, you can choose the Ringwraith edition, Black Speech edition, or one of the Dwarvish options. All of these sport their own sets of keycaps in different Middle Earth d🍌ialects, which cuts right to the heart of Tolkien - the languages came first, then the stories.

New to the collection are 🌌the Rohan board, desk mats and wrist rests, and coming soon are some stunning Artisan keycaps that have a transparent effect and house artwork within.

Before turning my great eye's fiery gaze to 🌸the Elvish version I'm typing on, let me say as a blanket statement that I think every one of these products has been designed beautifully, and I love that Drop is using artwork from , an independent artist that has a true gift for fantasy illustration. I love that Drop has chosen this route and not just gone with officially licensed work that's been seen a million times before.

The color scheme and textured illustration on the Elvish model are bang on, in my opinion. To most on-lookers, it may seem like it's depicting Rivendell's archways or the visage of Mirkwood, but it's actually sporting the light of the trees from Valinor. This is one of the reasons I love what Drop has made here. It isn't just for LOTR fans, this is for the wider community that loves the Silmarillion and the larger Legendarium. There's a subtle north-facing backlight that doesn't have the gaming flare of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards but🍸 instead goes with a heavenly white light that's faithful to wh๊at it's depicting.

In the box, you get a keycap puller, a USB to USB-C cable, and a few orange alternative keycaps if you want a little more color in the mix. The green border keys frame a predominantly off-white keycap set, which is befitting of Eru's firstborn and their connection with nature. The white keycaps, however, have a beautiful papyrus-like texture and hue to them, making you feel a bꦓit more in touch with whatever virtual page you're typing on. 

The keycaps show Tengwar symbols which, rather controversially, don't add up 1:1 with QWERTY English symbols. Although a few angry commenters have said this isn't correct and Drop hasn't done its due diligence, they'd be incorrect. As comments on the Q&A page for the product, any Elvish font would require you to learn a bit of the language in order to use it for actually typing in Elvish. Diacritics, or accent marks, are used for vowels in Tengwar, meaning that one vo💮wel can take multiple keys in order to place it correctly. In other words, there is no direct translation alphabetically for English keys, so although what's depicted on the "t" key may not be the Tengwar symbol for our letter "t", there is still a method to Drop's madness if you learn a bit of the language. 

Features

The LOTR boards may not have a wrist rest or hot-swappable switches, but you can buy the keycaps separately for each board, which is a nice touch. The ENTR chassis does have a nice kickstand on its bottom if you want a bit more of a gradient when🀅 typing, and it connects to a PC using a standard USB-C to USB connection. 

Drop Phantom Stabilizers prevent too much noise pollution, while Holy Panda X switches ensure a lovely tactile feel. There's no USB passthrough, and no media keys to speak of, this is a keyboard bred for a single purpose, and that's typing. While it's certainly as capable of gaming as any of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards, it's maybe♏ not what aspiring Espor⛎ts athletes should gun for. 

Using the TKL layout means this is just shy of a full-sized keyboard. It's missing a number pad, but it has a dedicated section on the right-hand side for Home, Ins, Del, End, and PgUp + PgDn keys, as well as arrows at the bottom. You'll also find F1 through F12 up at the top. All-iওn-all, 87 keys are more than enough to✨ be getting on with, although I'd have liked a slightly bigger size so there was room for more symbols - the pipe symbol is glaringly absent, for example, which makes the way we format some of our articles a bit tricky.  

Performance

The Drop LOTR Elvish keyboard is all the keyboard I need, and I'm someone who types for a living. It's important to me that I have something that feels satisfying for writing, video editing, and some light gaming here and there. When playing on one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming PCs, I mainly use the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Azeron Cyborg, so I don't ever fe🤡el like I'm missing out on gaming-related keyboard features. 

That papyrus texture is paramount to making this keyboard feel as though it's been plu☂cked right out of Arda. It works alongside the Panda X switches to give th🔥e experience a crisp and responsive feel, and I love the ergonomic curves and indentations of each key. 

Like I mentioned up top, those elvish symbols definitely take some getting used to when you first place this on one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming desks. I can touch-type, but out of sheer habit, I still tend to look down at the keys anyway. Until those Tengwar symbols burn their way iไnto your brain, it can be quite difficult to find the tiny English letters in the bottom right-hand corner of each keycap. Once I got used to things though, it felt like I was typing like Shadowfax runs. In a helpful turn, a lot of the function keys have the English word for them written on their south faces, making them a bit more usable.

One thing I would note is that I am fairly hard on my keyboards, and while the main body still feels as good as new, the spacebar does suffer from some minor squeaking now and agaꦇin. Besides that, there's no sign at all that this keyboard won't last me well into the future. I'm about three months into using it, and𝕴 the quality hasn't changed at all.

I did test this board with some light gaming and video editing, too. Hunt: Showdown and Atomic Heart both felt lovely t🐼hanks to those ergonomic curves, while Immortals of Aveum's busy key binds were easy enough to navigate thanks to the fairly compact space between each symbol. Like I said, it'll do the trick for gaming, but the typing experience and glorious design are what you should buy this for.

Should you buy the Drop LOTR Elvish Keyboard?

This is a keyboard worthy of Tolkien himself. Its design is faithful - it looks like it's been taken straight out of Galad🍬riel's home office in Lothlórien. Its biggest draw is undeniably its looks, but the typing experience it gives you is worth every penny you'd spend on it. While it isn't specifically designed for gamers, it'll do the trick thanks to the tactile Panda X switches. Besides the slight squeaks🌺 from the spacebar, I have no doubts this will last me a life age of the earth.

As a huge fan of Tolkien's works and someone who grew up on the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy, I find that it's so easy to spot merchandise that's worth grabbing versus hollow, for-prof𝓰💯it stuff that isn't. 

This keyb♉oard is absolutely the former - this has been made with love and respect for the communit𒆙y and source material it's made for. I think the biggest compliment I can give it is that it feels like everything that the Rings of Power series isn't.

How we tested the Drop LOTR Elvish Keyboard

I used this keyboard for a few months before this review, stress testing it through a busy Black Friday season while covering deals. I've used it every day for work and general computing in that time, testing its longevity and typing experience. I compared it close🐻ly to other mechanical and membrane keyboards I've used, and also used it for video editing and gaming.

For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

After something a bit more affordable? check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards or the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best cheap gaming keyboards available now. If you want something more gamepad-shaped, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC controllers.

The original 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro is a full-sized beast, but the 75% shrinks things down and places a considerable emphasis on high-end custom design. This is more than a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard. Integrating many of the mods enjoyed by the enthusiast sphere means this is one of the best t𒀰yping experiences I've ever had, especially on a Razer keyboard which tend to prioritize speed over feel and sound. 

I've had the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% under the fingertips for a month now, here's how it perform𝓀s. 

Design

As the name would suggest, the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% takes a smaller form factor than the giant Pro model. However, you're still getting a nice single line of underglow RGB across each side, even if they don't extend across the surprisingly included wrist rest. This is a hot-swappable deck, though, and like many others in its class the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% employs a few tricks of the custom trade to create a more premium typing feel.𝔍 The main chassis is 𝕴gasket mounted, with an epoxy laminate filling sandwiching the main PCB, for a deeper, softer feel to each keypress. Razer really has been hunting down the mods, though, the V4 75% is also taped across the back of that PCB board for a super clean sound as well. 

Each stabilizer is factory lubed, and while they're mounted to the actual deck itself rather than on the PCB, there are points of contact on the ma✃in board should you wish toꦕ upgrade. It's worth noting, though, that opening the case does void your warranty. 

Aesthetically, this iꦏs very much a Razer keyboard. The wedge shaped design, sturdy black aluminum construction, textured plush wrist rest, and matte finish are all inline with the previous Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro. Underneath you'll find a set of two flip out feet to elevate the rear even mo🅺re than the wedge silhouette already does, with the result being a nicely high profile set of keys. I naturally prefer a more elevated position, and this is one of the most comfortable I've found.

Features

The addition of hot-swappability has taken a few features present in the full-sized Pro away from the 75%. There's no USB passthrough here, and the command dial has been stripped from the equation as well. That means additional flexibility and macro functionality of the full-sized device 🍒is gone, but if you'd prefer to prioritize typing experience the V4 75% is well worth the sacrifice. 

Razer's Orange Gen 3 switches are pre-installed, and they provide an excellent sense of depth and tactility. Not only that, but the box stem design keeps things sturdy on the deck. The switches themselves are built with a 3.𝓡5mm travel distance and require 50g of actuation force, a shorter travel than Cherry&apꦫos;s MX Browns with a noticeably lighter feel as well.

You might not stick with these, though - hence the appeal of a hot-swappable𝓰 deck. The PCB board accommodate both 3- and﷽ 5-pin switches, and I was able to quickly and easily swap the entire deck without too much pulling or wiggling.

Up top, there was a surprise for me. I went hands on with the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% for about a day or so without consulting the full spec sheet, so when I realized the keycaps are ABS rather than the quality PBT I was expecting I was impressed. These are very well textured and feel particularly premium unde꧙r the hand for cheaper plastic.

The 75% form factor means I never missed out on any keys I use day to day for productivity, something smaller 60% and sometimes 65% keyboards often fall victim to. Like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth, the BlackWidow V4 75% has a carefully selected strip of navigation keys down the right, with arrow keys nestled inside as well. I do prefer the separation of Asus's keys, whereas Razer puts everything together in a block. While I didn't have too many problems with accide𓄧ntal presses during work or play, I did have to spend a few milliseconds remembering where I was on the deck which could be crucial while yo🃏u're getting used to the layout. 

The V4 75% also keeps dedicated media buttons in the top right corner, though as with the Pro, t♉he function stamps on top are a little diff🅺icult to read due to the brushed effect. You'll also find the volume roller from the original model up here as well.

This is a strictly wired affair, once again going against the BlackWidow range's previous reputation as Razer's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wireless gaming keyboard range. However, that does mean you can rely on the 8,000Hz polling r🅰ate a little easier, even if everyday players won't need to go anywhere near those kinds of speeds. Of course, you can also use Razer's Synapse software to customize macros, set RGB patterns, and save your own presets across five onboard profiles. 

Performance

Few gaming keyboards delight in the sound and feel of their switches. Rattle, ping, and reverb have all been par for the course when trading typing feel for speed and extra macro features. I've been impres💖sed, however, with the overall experience of the latestཧ hot-swappable options that have been hitting the market over the past 12 months, and Razer is no different. 

Never mind swapping them out, these are some of the best switches Razer has ever produced. The pronounced bump at the actuation point takes a little getting used to, and is heavier than the lightweight ROG NX switches I'm used to, but once you're there it's impressive how well the feel works with the travel distance itself. After a few days of play, I was hopping across the deck with particular pleasure at not just the speedy𒅌 actuation but also the rich, soft thunk of each key. 

Those tactile switches don't play as nicely with faster paced games as they do more casual adventures or strategy titles🤪. I'm by no means a speedy Apex Legends player, but I did notice the extra weight dragging slightly during matches and linear switches are better for repeat presses. Offline, though, this deck absolutely sings, conquering Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Eastward nicely. 

Should you buy the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%?

The Razer BlackWidow V4 75% is, believe it or not, among the cheaper hot-swappable gaming keyboards from major brands on the market rig🥂ht now. Asus's Azoth comes in at $249.99 / £269.99 but throws in a wireless connection, PBT doubleshot keycaps, faster ROG NX switches, and a slightly preferable key layout. It's a better keyboard overall, however if you're prioritizing comfort, the wris🎃t rest and elevated height of the BlackWidow could cancel out these benefits. 

Slightly cheaper sits the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless, a much smaller 60% deck that still provides hot-swappable switches and adds a wireless connection for $179.99 / £169.99. If you're after 🌄a smaller footprint, the $10 saving over Razer's $189.99 MSRP could make sense here. 

Razer's entry is an excellent all-rounder, though. It provides a fantastic hot-swappable experience while keeping up with the speeds necessary for more competitive play and adding in all the keys and media controls you'll need for everyday use. Those tactile switches feel great under han🦄d, and should you need to swap them out for something faster there's plenty of flexibility on the PCB as well. I'd recommend the V4 75% to anyone looking to segue into the world of custom decks while upgrading their existing mid-range gaming keyboard - especially if you don't have a need for a wireless connection. 

How we tested the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%

I used the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro for all work and play over the course of four weeks, running the deck across daily productivity tasks as well as Apex Legends, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Doom Eternal, and Eastward. I also completely stripped the switches themselves and replaced with a set of Cherry MX Browns. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're rounding up plenty more of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards on the market, but if you're after something a little more affordable, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards or the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best cheap gaming keyboards available now. 

That started to change last year. Asus kicked January off with the aforementioned 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:ROG Azoth, Corsair chimed in with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:K70 Pro Mini Wireless in the summer, and then Razer hopped on the wagon in the winter months with the BlackWidow V4 75%. All three decks packed hot-swappable switches into speedy, feature-rich gaming decks, taking design and feature inspiration from some of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards on the market. 

We've had three keyboards from 2023, and judging by this year's CES, 2024 looks set to continue the trend. Alienware has a 75% hot-swappable keyboard on the showfloor this year - one of its 🧸first new peripherals in a while. HyperX is also jumping on the wagon, with its own Alloy Rise gasket mounted hot-swappable deck sitting in Vegas right now. With more brands diving into this world of customizable models, we're hopefully at the start of some price reductions.

The Asus ROG Azoth cost $249.99 when it launched last year, Corsair's K70 Pro Mini Wireless hit a slightly more manageable $179.99, and Razer's own entry came in at $199.99. While Alienware's deck is likely to command these kinds of prices, there&𒀰apos;s a glimmer of hope that cheaper models could spring from these early beginnings, with more budget-minded brands having a crack at their own switch swappers. Not only that, but with 12 months between now and th🧸e launch of the Azoth (and Black Friday prices already knocking $50 off that final cost) and Corsair discounting its own model to under $100 in the last couple of months, the discounts are already appearing.

That means hot-swappable gaming keyboards are no longer the reserve of the high-end setup. The biggest CES keybo൲ard releases we've seen this year come with swappable switches, and considering the brands behind them aren't all super premium by nature things could be changing in 2024. Who knows? The ability to swap out your keys could be as widespread a feature as n-key rollover or removable caps in just a couple of years time.

In Association with ROG Ally

We're also bringing you all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the shelves, as well as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards for anyone after something a little cheaper. If you're building a full setup, don't forget to check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse available. 

It was a little more than a year ago that my times got dramatically better though, because I reviewed a custom gaming keypad that made me feel way more at home than a typical mouse and keyboard ever did. Enter the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Azeron Cyborg, which, I need to tell you right now, is down to a historically low price of just for Black Friday and Cybe🍌r Monday.

For those who don't know, a ghost / clean hands run of Dishonored means you need to get through the entire game without killing, and without being detected by, a siꦕngle enemy. It requires a whole lot of precision, speed, and know-how in order to do at all, let alone quickly. Playing with Azeron's sci-fi-looking robot claw makes me feel like I have all three of those attributes in abundance. 

Where a typical gaming keyboard requires you to constantly move your fingers to each individu൩al key, the Cyborg brings those buttons right to your fingertips, because they're all designed around an ergonomic, natural cradle shape that you rest your hand in. 

With just the twitch of a finger, or a combination of customized key presses, the Cyborg is incredible for allowing you to access in-game functions that might prove more difficult for most players. I've even found that the unique shape of the pad can increase the fun you have. Assigning your middle fingers flexing into the inner keys to Miles Morales shooting the webs he's swinging around New York with makes Insonmiꦓac's game even more enjoyable.

Admittedly, transitioning from one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC controllers, or one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards to thisꦏ unorthodox acce🍌ssory takes some re-learning. What's more, creating a custom profile that works with each new game you play can be a bit of a faff sometimes. 

Nonetheless, whenever I play a competitive first-person shooter, or just want to tap into the most speed I'm capable of in a Dishonored run, the Azeron Cyborg is what I use. Saying that actually feels a bit🍰 sacrilegious, because I do love pro-controllers to death. 

If you're like me in that regard, the Azeron ไCyborg might honestly be the best thing I can recommend to you for playing games on a PC. With your thumb, you get a typical joystick you use to control movement, so you don't need to fumble around with the WASD keys in order to move. It feels very familiar to moving with a controller. Meanwhile, your other hand uses a mouse to move the camera and give you the best of both worlds. 

I probably sound like a bit of a shill for this strange little device, but the Azeron Cyborg never leaves my desk. If you've ever struggled with a mouse and keyboard setup, or you're looking to convert from only using a gamepad, this ergonomic 𒉰little keypad is worth considering. 

For more 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Black Friday gaming deals, look below.

Today's best Black Friday deals that are still live

• Chairs:
• Controllers:
• Desks:
• Gaming laptops:
• Headsets:
• Keyboards:
• PCs:
• PS5:
• Meta Quest:
• Mice:
• Monitors:
• Nintendo Switch:
• Xbox Series X:

Happy to sᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚtick with regular PC controllers? Our price comparison software below will show you the best deals in your area on my go-to recommendations.

For more deal hunting in the next few days, check out some 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cyber Monday gaming PC deals, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cyber Monday Meta Quest deals, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cyber Monday PS5 deals.

I could go on and on about my thoughts on this fiery debate, but in truth, I actually hate it. I'm a firm believer in choosing the hardware that's right for you - whether it's right for comfort, accessibility, or what you individually feel more effective with. I also hate how toxic that online war can be, and I'm constantly on the lookout for pacifying options that split themselves down the middle of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PC controllers and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards. 

Enter Azeron, a brand that makes custom keypads that are designed to suit your every comfort whim, while offering the massive functionality and speed of a full-sized keyboard. This time last year I reviewed the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Azeron Cyborg in a previ🎶ous job, and when you first see it you might think it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. To quote our Tabletop and Merch Editor, "It looks like it holds your hand with its weird robot fingers." It's currently , or alternative.

The idea is that you rest one hand in this ergonomic cradle, and use simple finger twitches to click its keys. You don't need to find the WASD home position or always keep a digit locked to those in-game functions. Your thumb has a joystick to use for movement on the side of the pad, and your other hand is free to use a mouse as you would normally. Compared to a keyboard (which I've never felt at home on), an Azeron keypad gives me so much confidence I'm pressing the right keys while having the familiar thumbstick movement I'd have on the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS5 controllers. 

The great news is that Azeron has a range of keypads available on Amazon, and with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Prime Day gaming deals raging o♛n for the October ⛎Big Deal Days event, the brand is running a few exclusive discounts.

You can currently saꦗve up to $60 on Azeron's Cyborg keypads. More specifically, there's a 10% discount on ꩲa few special edition Cyborg colors, including Beast, White Lime, Sneaky Lily. 

These deals are, annoyingly, only availa꧑ble in the US, and seem to be exclusiv♐e to Prime Members. If you're already wise to Azeron's antics, you can refresh a keypad you already own with new grip tapes that are 5% cheaper too.

When I'm not testing out the latest controllers on PC, I barely ever use a keyboard. Especially in competitive first-person shooters. Don't get me wrong, my loyalty will always probably be to a gamepad, but the Azeron Cyborg offers me the best of every world, so why wouldn't I use it? I even fou🌄nd it improved my speedrunning time in Dishonored, a game I&a𓆏pos;ve played with every device available. 

Admittedly, i🍸t can be a bit of a faff 𒉰to set up for each game - you assign each of the cradle's 29 keys to typical keyboard functions, but since every game differs ever so slightly, it can result in you spending a lot of time in the setup phase before a game. 

When you do get things tailored to yꦚour liking though, the experience of playing with an Azeron Cyborg is unreal. Nothing else I've tested so far has blended the worlds of keyboard and gamepads so coherently, and in a lot of games, it actually makes me a much better player. 

More of today's best Prime Day deals

• Nintendo Switch:
• PS5:
• Xbox Series X:
• Seagate 1TB Xbox Storage:
• Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (RTX 4080):
• Board games:
• Chairs:
• Desks:
• Controllers:
• Gaming laptops:
• Headsets:
• Keyboards:
• PCs:
• Projectors:
• Storage:
• Streaming:
• TVs:
• Meta Quest:
• Mice:
• Mobile:
• Monitors:

Happy to stick with regular controllers for now? Our price comparison software below will help show you the b🍸iggest deals in your area on a few hand-picked models.

Want more gaming accessory deals this Prime Day? Take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming headsets, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best VR headsets.

I spent three weeks testing the Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air to see where it sits among the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards on the market right now.

Design

The Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air is designed to be compact, and its superlight 576g form factor certainly keeps things backpack-worthy. I was surprised to find that the bezels run a little larger on the wireless model, then. This is still a petite device, but with added space at the top accommodating a Roccat logo it's not going to be as slim a fit 📖as the wired model. Still, this is about as light as they come, so if you're after a portable device you've certainly found it here. 

The main body feels sturdy enough to take some travel beating, with no flex in the main chassis and a solid plastic construction. Underneath, you'll find a grippy rubber panel 🌺running along the lower edge to keep everything in place on the desk. That's helpful, but it does pick up all manner of dust and grit, seemingly acting like a magnet for anything that may be on your desktop when you put it down. Two plastic feet also flip out from the main deck to provide a nice level of elevation as well. 

You w🍨on't be spending too much time looking at the back of the Roc📖cat Vulcan II Mini Air, though - the eye is naturally drawn to a blinding array of seriously powerful LEDs hiding underneath the low profile keycaps. This is where Roccat finds itself most at home, in a set of blaring lights that make good use of an exposed keycap design to shine bright across any setup.

The l𒉰ayout itself is relatively standard, though there are some odd choices which took some getting used to. I was surprised to constantly be hitting the wrong key when trying to delete, for example. The Mini Air places the delete key at the top of the right hand strip of navigation keys, whereas the vast majority of keyboards I've had my hands on place it in the second position. That's no bother - just a little muscle memory re-learning, but it's worth noting there are few odd keybindings if you're using your gaming 🍎keyboard for work as well.

Features

The Vulcan II Mini Air does have a few tricks up its sleeve. Most notably, an excellent 240 hour no-RGB battery life which beats out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless but doesn't quite come close to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth's massive 2,000 hour charge. That battery is helped along by an adaptive proximity sensor that keeps things off while you're away but jumps to life as soon your hands near the keys. It's a neat effect that works seamlessly - to the point where I didn't even notice it at first. I didn't have to plug in my unit once throughout two weeks of testing, it just ran and kept running straight out of the box. I did bum🔯p that juice up once the Roccat logo started flas🧸hing red at the top - your indicator for imminent death, though the deck did still hold out for a couple of work days while in this state. 

The key switches themselves are carried over from last year's Vulcan II Mini, a set of Titan II optical switches. These are speedy light actuated switches with a slightly heavieꦜr actuation than i'm used to on the Azoth's ROG NX switches,  but a speedy debounce and a nice, sm❀ooth glide. 

Unfortunately, those keycaps put some real straiဣn on the overall typing experience. The ABS plastic is smooth and slippery, which meant I was making a few more mistakes than I usually would - especially when moving particularly quickly across the board. While it is frustrating to see these cheaper ABS caps on such a premium board, especially when they do negatively impact the overall experience, the spacing and switch styling does accommodate third party keycap options if you want to swap. You might not get the full view of those LEDs once you've made the change though.

Elsewhere, you're getting everything else one would e𝓀🔯xpect from a dedicated gaming keyboard; a snappy polling rate, onboard memory for five profiles, and per-key RGB lighting. Unlike many compact decks, though, you can't reprogram keybindings on the fly.

Performance

The Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air is fast enough to keep up with everything from Apex Legends to CS:GO, with that slightly heavier switch feel working to counteract the slippery keycaps in💛 the precision department. Both the wireless connection and battery never faltered in my testing, ensuring lag-free sessions that never stuttered under the pressure of a depleted battery, even when the system was nearly out. That's impressive - I usually find certain keystrokes dropping or juddering when batteries start to dwindle, but this thing powered on rig🏅ht until the last moment. 

It's unfortunate that the switches themselves don't feel as slick as the opticals installed on the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless, or the linear mechanical switches on offer from either the Asus ROG Azoth or the cheaper 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:HyperX Alloy Origins 65. The former manages to offer a much tighter feel, with slick actuation distances and very little movement from the keycap itself. By contrast, the Vulcan II Mini Air struggles to feel truly smooth. Not only are these much louder switches, but the tension of each key🐻 makes longer sessions a little cumbersome.

Should you buy the Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air?

The Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air does have its audience. Anyone after a super lightweight 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wireless gaming keyboard for travelling will find an excellent home amongst these switches, especially if RGB prowess is also high on the priority list. It's both lighter and longer lasting than the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless, even if you're dropping some features to achieve such a footprint. However, if you&a🐈pos;re not looking to travel there are better options out there. 

Corsair's model comes in at the same price and𒐪 offers a far greater typing experience, more interesting chassis design, hot-swappable switches, and PBT keycaps. That's a considerable upgrade for the same amount of cash (and even less now that the K70 Pro Mini Wireless is starting to see discounts). You are dropping the navigation and arrow keys of a 65% form factor here, though, so it's worth sticking with something a little larger if you're also after a productivity device. 

That&a🐷po🎀s;s where the HyperX Alloy Origins 65 comes in. I found these linear switches far more comfortable than those of the Mini Air, and you're keeping that 65% design with an upgrade to PBT keycaps to boot. At $99.99 / £109.99 you're saving a chunk of change by dropping the wireless connectivity here, opting instead for a detachable cable. 

How we tested the Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air

I used the Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air for three weeks, running the keyboard across all daily work and play during that time. I primarily tested across CS:GO and Apex Legends, with personal Baldur's Gate 3 and a little Starfield play thrown in as well. I also tested directly against the Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless, Asus ROG Azoth, and HyperX Alloy Origins 65. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboards if you're after something a little cheaper. Or, you'll find all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards tried and tested right here on GamesRadar+ as well.

Priced at $129.99 / £129.99 there's plenty of competition in the world of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards, but Corsair🦋's latest mini deck has enough going for it🔯 to comfortably go toe to toe with the likes of Razer, SteelSeries, and HyperX. With a focus on speed but healthy attention paid to quality-of-life features, Corsair's done a lot right here. 

Design

The Corsair K65 Pro Mini RGB is a sophisticated piece of kit. From the brushed metal baseplate to the solid plas🏅tic chassis, everything feels particularly well put together. This is a mini gaming keyboard, but the full-sized keys and ample spacing mean I never felt cramped when traversing the keycaps - something that very few 60% or 65% decks accomplish. 

These smaller 60% keyboards started making their way to the gaming mainstream a couple of years ago, but these dinky decks have since been stretched slightly to a more manageable 65% form factor. Dropping key navigation and arrow buttons from the form made these smaller devices a little too reliant on double-function layers to truly be useful on the battlefield, so I'm glad to see the Corsair K65 Pro Mini RGB following the same route. This time around we've got a solid 65% layout, with Delete, Page Up / Down, and a full-sized set of arrow keys to play with. That's more than you'll see on the competing 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman Mini and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini, and by itself it's enough to nudge Corsair&a⛎pos;s꧃ model ahead.

That also gives you extra access to a set of four macro buttons as double functi🉐ons, but it's a small detail on the Fn key itself that seals the deal. Toggling this button doesn't just give you access to all your secondary functio🔯ns (listed on the front of each keycap in bold, easily legible white print) but it dims the lights on everything not currently assigned to a role. That makes speedier moves particularly easy and works hard to make sure you're still getting all the quick functionality and navigation of a larger deck.

The durable build quality and thoughtful extra design features are nice to have, but they're nothing on the audio profile. Corsair has listened. After years of pumping out scratchy keyboards with increasingly annoying rattle and reverberation (the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 RGB Pro has some of the worst typing ♔sounds I've experienced, and many other decks by the brand follow suit), we finally have a soft landing. Corsair has packed this chassis with sound-dampening foam to keep every switch actuating with a satisfying clack or thud, and no more. That's a considerable relief, adding to both the typing and gameplay experience.

Features

Due to its size, the Corsair K65 Pro Min𒐪i RGB has had to keep its feature list focused. What you'll find then, is a spec sheet geared towards speed and re♏liability rather than additional functionality like macro options, wireless connections, and hot-swappable switches. 

That means all eyes are on the 8KHz polling rate and speedy optical switches. Pushing this deck up to 11, it's obvious that ver🍌y few players are actually going to need polling rates this high. That 8,000 figure is ♌more for the competitive folk who will be maximizing every millisecond during crunch time. In a real-world setting, latencies are already so minimal in a standard wired connection like this so you're unlikely to notice the extra processing power under the hood. 

The switches themselves certainly help as well, offering lightning speeds and a super responsive actuation every time. I found just the right level of sensitivity under the keycaps, with accidental presses never registering but twitch-reflex movements always ready to go. It's also great to see Corsair's optical switches on a smaller device, previous options have always stuck to Cherry MX clickers which aren't as laser-fast. These light-actuating switches are super s𝔍peedy though, and each one is covered with a luxury PBT keycap to boot.

Of course, you've still got some programming options. iCue has come a long way since its early days and now offers quick and easy macro setup across the whole deck. While there's space for up to 50 profiles, ten times the amount you'll find in other keyboards, we don't know of many players who will actually take advantage of that massive amount of onboard storage. Still, it's excellent to see profiles saved directly to the deck itself, rather than relying✃ on having iCUE up and running. This means you can easily swap between machines without losing your personalized settings, and😼 even delete the software once you're done.

Performance

Those optical switches certainly pull their weight once you get into the battlefield. Halo Infinite arena matches made good use of speedy movement and nimble access to macros, while Baldur&apo🌠s;s Gate 3's slower, more tactical advances put those satisfying actuation points to work as well. A textured top combined with an energetic bounce and lower actuation point means both the gaming and typing experience is particularly satisfying here - something I didn't think I would be saying about a Corsair de🎐ck. 

It's true, the majority of players won't be making the most of the kinds of speeds the Corsair K65 Pro Mini RGB can offer, but the experience here is about🌳 more than pure reflex timings. Optical switches in this smaller form factor also mean you can glide across the deck with minimal effort, and the key spacing ensures youꩵ do so with accuracy and precision.

Of course, that speed is upheld by the low latency connection and I never experienced any dro🥀ps or unreliable response times during gameplay or daily work. Everything ෴runs exactly as it should, with no iCUE hiccups or preset wobbles to speak of.

Should you buy the Corsair K65 Pro Mini RGB

Corsair has some competition in this $129.99 / £129.99 space, but it's not going to be too concerned by the Razer Huntsman Mini. While it's available for the same price, the K65 Pro Mini RGB is the better buy for most players in my opinion. Having spent time with both decks in both a work and play setting, the additional arrow and navigation buttons, slick typing experience, 𓂃and boost in onboard profile software easily slide Corsair's model ahead. You will, however, find the Huntsman Mini on sale a lot more often these days, so it's worth considering if you're on a stricter budget. 

That's tricky again, though. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:HyperX Alloy Origins 65 is a sub-$100 contender that should be on your radar if you're on the hunt for a 65% deck. This mini keyboard still retains the arrow keys and PBT keycaps of the K65 Pro Mini RGB, but swaps the optical sensors for (still super-fast) mechanical ones. Overall, though, I do prefer the typing experience of the HyperX. The switches are a little less full-bodied (but incredibly tactile still), but the keycaps feel larger under-hand and you're getting a quieter experience overall. If you're working with a smaller budget than Corsair can meet, and after a deck for both work and play the Alloy Origins 65 is the way to go. 

The next step up for those looking to spend a little more cash is the $179.99 / £169.99 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless in my opinion. This thing is packed with features; hot-swappability, a far cooler design, wireless connectivity, and PBT keycaps to round everything out. The Cherry MX switche🌌s under the hood aren't quite as speedy as the opticals in the cheaper model, but everyday players are unlikely to notic🐬e too much of a difference. 

How we tested the Corsair K65 Pro Mini RGB

I used Corsair's latest keyboard for two weeks, testing alongside the Razer Huntsman Mini and HyperX Alloy Origins 65. In that time, I used the deck for all my daily work and play, primarily across Halo Infinite, Planet Coaster, and The Sims 4, with Baldur's Gate 3 thrown in during the last few days of testing. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best hot-swappable keyboards if you're after more features. Or, take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards if you're looking to spend a little less. 

That's because, as well as the dedicated media controls on the deck itself, the 8BitDo retro keyboard also packs two giant NES A/B buttons into a separate panel. These two buttons can be mapped to anything on the fly, and you can even connect up to four sets to your system. What's more, both retro 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming keyboards𝓡 are now﷽ up for , coming in at an excellent $99.99 MSRP. 

That's an excellent price for a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard alone, let alone one with this level of programmability and a retro tie-in. We often see switch-swappers for at least $130, thoꦍugh those prices are falling now that this customization tech is hitting t🐽he mainstream.

Above those switches, this thing looks seriously pretty. It's an instantly recognizable iconic aesthetic that doesn't seem to have been tapped in the gaming keyboard mainstream yet. Of course, if anyone was to do it 8BitDo would step up to the plate. The brand is well known for its retro 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch controllers and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PC controllers in various classic Nintendo styl🌄ings as well. We're yet to get our hands on the brand's first keyboard, but if previous quality is anything to go by this could be a winner.

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards and all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models on the market right now. For more nostalgia though, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best retro consoles available. 

I put the 2.4GHz deck to the test over the course of two weeks to see just where it sits among the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards on the web.

Design

The Cherry MX 8.2 launched in two colorways, all-black and gra💦y/white. I received the gray and white model for testing and loved the crisp, clean feel running throughout. The main body is solid aluminium, with just a hint of branding in the glossy Cherry logo embossed over 🌌the arrow keys. 

It complements the stark white (though unfortunately ABS) keycaps well, keeping things light and professional while still standing out from the rest of the, classically black, gaming keyboard market. It's reminiscent of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Pro Type keyboard, in everything from colors to branding placement. Even the soft𓄧 touch keycaps feel like Razer's previous release, though the slimmer bezels and smaller TKL form factor give the MX 8.2 an edge when it comes to comfort. 

A white plastic panel cuts into the aluminium chassis on the top lip, providing access to a power toggle and three LEDs indicating your connection. Such a design does cheapen the feel a little, I would have much preferred to keep that aluminium going rather than drawing attention to the plastic underside in this way. Around the back, you'll find two long grippy rubber feet keeping the MX 8.2 locked into place on your desk, as well as two flip-out risers for extra ergonomic support. By virtue of its full keycap design, this is a much taller keyboard than the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Cherry MX LP-2.1 it released with - a🏅nd it's all the more comfortable for it.

The whole build is sophisticated in its constructionཧ as well. There's almost no flex to the main plate, and the keycaps have been coated in Cherry's special abrasion-resistant finish which means they should stand the test of time as well. Everything weighs in at 830g, which means it'🦩s not going to be a deck you take on the road all too often.

RGB lighting is still present here, though (and this may be down to personal choice) I don't think it works quite as well on this lighter aesthetic. The colors themselves feel less pronounced when shining t🦂hrough a set of white keycaps, which means the whole effect can be lost quickly - especially in daylight. After tinkering with different lighting effects, these LEDS seemed to feel a little watered down overall - and I much preferred the clean white look anyway. I largely switched RGB off, but did keep some reds around WASD and the arrow keys.

Features

It might not be the first thing you consider when buying a gaming keyboard, but the Cherry MX 8.2 does feature something I've yet to come across in another product. That's a full metal transport case, complete with internal cushioning for your keyboard and accessories. Of course, it's not something I see myself or the vast majority of users actually using any time soon - it's bulky and heavy enough to keep it firmly in the cupboard - but it's nice to see a little extra flair iꦉn here and it does give the whole deck a new sen🍷se of gravitas. 

Onto more important matters, though. The Cherry MX 8.2 comes with Red, Brown, Blue, Black, or Silent Red switches, our test unit offering the classic linear r♏eds. That means you're covered for the soft smooth actuation of a linear switch or the more typist-friendly tactile and clicky options. You'll also find silicone padding and foam cushioning underneath the main plate as well, to keep all those keypresses soft and bouncy. It's not quite got the dampening effect of a full𓂃 gasket mount, but it still gives the deck an energetic feel under the hand. It's also more than you'll typically find from similarly priced gaming keyboards as well.

I was pl🍃eased to see three different connection options in here, 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.2, and a USB-C charge-and-play option. It's getting to be industry standard to offer both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth options these days, but it's still excellent to see considering t💖hat $149.99 price point.

Wh🌠ile the MX 8.2 does offer full N-key rollover and anti-ghosting, there's no dedicated onboard memory for different presets here - though it does look like RGB settings are saved to the deck. You can assign certain keybindings within Cherry's software, but there's no saving anything to the device itself. That's a concern for players who prefer to tinker with these different profiles and a sacrifice that puts it behind other models. This being a TKL form factor, you won't find any dedicated media buttons. Instead, these functions are assigned to F1-F3 for volume controls, with no options for playback controls.

Performance

The soft-touch keycaps, extra padding under the case, and slick Cherry MX switches make for a particularly enjoyable typing feel here. This is a smooth, almost effortless deck to type on for longer periods at a time, with just the right key spacing and l🙈evel of resistance underneath each clicker. While I do personally prefer a rougher texture to my keycaps, the matte plastic on offer here was soft and steady, providing e💎xcellent control overall. 

On average, I was hitting 94WPM in typing speed tests, at 99% accuracy. Same-day tests left me with a similar 94WPM at 98% accuracy on my daily driver, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth. Considering♛ I love the Azoth for its speed and precision, those are some excellent numbers. It's not surprising, there's a similar bounciness to the keys under this hood, though I do still prefer the lighter feel to the Azoth overall. 

In-game this translated into super-fast travel across the deck where it counted, and snappy response times across CS: GO and Apex Legends. ♒The TKL format meant mouse swipes had plenty of space even in my smaller setup, and still gave access to those all-important arrow keys as well.

There is, however, a considerable amount of reverb playing across the deck - even in smaller keys. While by no means as grating as that of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K60 Pro TKL, those pinging sounds do fill the room once you start t🍷o notice them.

Should you buy the Cherry MX 8.2?

The Cherry MX 8.2 is a solid mechanical gaming keyboard for under $150. The wireless connection, excellent typing feel, and solid construction make this a serious contender in the TKL space, especially if you're after a softer touch and value accuracy in your keypresses. However, there are some features missing that are going to be instrumental if you're primarily buying a mecha﷽nical keyboard for gaming. 

The lack of onboard profiles means those serious about streamlining their Steam library are going to miss out, and should be taking note of more gamer-recognized brands like Razer and Corsair. It's also a shame that Cherry hasn't leaned into its switch heritage by making a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard. Doing so would have put the MX 8.2 on a level playing field with the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Ducky One 3. 

With a similar typing feel and price point, fantastic craℱftsmanship, and plenty of speed, Ducky's TKL deck does take the edge in terms of value here. Yes, the design is a little more bombastic and you're still dropping onboard profiles (with no software available), but being able to switch swap is a major feature at this price point. 

At $159.99, the TKL version of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer Huntsman V2 is also a solid contender. You're getting all the goodness of Razer Synapse if you are looking for a smaller form factor with onboard memory ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚbuilt in. However, the type feel isn't nearly as luxurious as Cherry or Ducky's offerings. 

How we tested the Cherry MX 8.2

I used the Cherry MX 8.2 for two weeks, testing directly against the Ducky One 3 and Cherry MXLP-2.1. I used the MX 8.2 for all daily work and play during that time, primarily testing across CS:GO, Apex Legends, Alan Wake Remastered, High on Life, and The Sims 4. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards on the market. Or, if you're building out a whole setup, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse options available now.

The super lightweight 65% deck is certainly bringing something new to the world of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards, a feathe🐻rlight 423g weight and compact design makes for a particularly por𝐆table device. At $129.99 / £139.99 it's also got some stiff competition. I put the diddly deck to the test over the course of two weeks to see just how well that smaller form factor holds up for work and play. 

Design

If you regularly travel with your kit (or you'd like to start doing so), you'll definitely want to take a look at the Cherry MX-LP 2.1. I was 🍌shocked at just how light it felt in-hand after taking it out the box, and throwing it in a backpack feels like second nature. That's largely down to the smaller footprint and full plastic chassis design. While you're dropping the more premium feel of an aluminium metal case, everything still feels particularly solid here. This is a very well put together keyboard, from the 💯sturdy shell to the lack of any real flex under the fingertips. I would feel more than confident in transporting these keys in a full backpack. 

A super skinny bezel design keeps everything feeling particularly tight, alongside those low profile keys themselves. That means those after a minimalist aesthetic will find the MX-LP 2.1 particularly pleasing as well. I certainly enjoyed the extra desk space, even after transitioning from a still-small 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth for testing. 

My test unit comes with a black main body and black, orange, and gray keys, but you'll also find a white / blue / red colorway and khaki / pink / white on the shelves - though the latter is a little harder to find. The colors on this unit are particularly crisp, though, that orange has a clean vibrancy to it that truly pops agains𒀰t the cool gray and matte black. That slick design is helped along by particularly skinny legends on each keycap, shining that bright LED through translucent ABS plastic. It would have been nice to see PBT keycaps on here considering the price point, but these are far from cheap feeling. In fact, while I traditionally prefer a grippier texture, I found the soft matte finish a joy to use. There was never any slipping across the deck itself and I was freeꦐ to glide across the deck as quickly as I could.

You'll find the USB-C port and power button along the top, sitting on a speckled design. I struggled to like this dotted aesthetic. There's something about the spacing and non-uniform shapes🐎 of the sp✃ecks that just looks like dust from further away, and even when first inspecting the deck itself.

Around the back, though, you'll find an ingenious solution to adding extra elevation while keeping those dimensions down. The rubber feet at the top of the keyboard actually pop out of their housing, and can be flipped to provide a slightly taller rear section. Even with that extra height, this is still a particularly flat typing experience that doesn't offer the ergonomic support you'll find in the majority of gaming keyboards on the market. That meant I was feeling the fatigue a little after just a ⛎couple of hours of typing at a desk, even with🍬 those lighter low profile switches.

Features

The Cherry MX-LP 2.1 comes with the brand's Low Profile Speed switches under the hood, offering a 45g actuation force and super slick 1mm pre-travel distance. That's a speedy set of clickers, especially considering the effortless low profile keycap design. LED fans will be pleased to learn that RGB lighting remains a constant in this gaming space - the LP 2.1 manages to pack a surprisingly fluid RGB system. It's vibrant but certainly not in your fa🐟ce and provides a subtle glow rather than an assault on the senses. Of course, each key's lighting is programmable via Cherry's desktop software. 

This is also where you'll be able to set custom keybindings and create macros for certain keys as well. The whole software is lean, and could do with some polishing, but is quick and simple for surface level adjustments. You'll find far more personalization options from more established gaming brands like Razer or Corsair, bꦇut there's enough here to satisfy the basics. 

You're not stuck for connection options, though. The Cherry MX-LP 2.1 can be used over the included 2.4GHz dongle, a USB-C cable, or Bluetooth. Rather than adding an extra Bluetooth pairing button or toggle here, though, the setup process is included in the sec🌊ond layer of main key functions. Hitting Fn and X will kick off pairing, with three channels to choose from (and assigned to the QWE keys). That means you can keep up to three devices connected, without having to re-pair every time.

That smaller 65% form factor means you are dropping several additional functions, as well as dedicated media controls. That's the norm for this size keyboard, and tཧhe Cherry MX-LP 2.1 manages to keep everything easily reachable in its second layer of func✅tionality. That's endlessly helped by the dedicated arrow keys that continue to keep the 65% design above the 60.

Performance

Despite its lower chassis height (as is expected from a low profile keyboard), the MX-LP 2.1 does offer up a particularly fluid typing experience. Everything is speedy here, with just the right level of resistance behind each cap click. Each key is stabilized to within an inch of its life, keeping everything where it should be with no reverb or wobbly keys. On top of that, the super speedy bounceback ensures an almost flo🌠ating movement over the main deck, springing you towards the next key particularly quickly. 

Across typing tests, I achieved an average of 97WPM, with an accuracy of 96%. That's slightly faster than the 92WPM average I scored on my daily driver, the Asus ROG Azoth, in same-day tests, though accuracy did drop from 97% to 96%. That's about as fast as I&ap🍌os;m going to type, so there's nothing holding you back here.

Those soft keycaps, even softer landing feel, and snappy switches make for a particularly smooth gaming experience as well. The compact size meant I was able to keep full control even during more hectic Alan Wake chases and held up nicely across more inventory-heavy Elder Scrolls Online sessions. The speed of the switches🌟 was supported by amply sized keys, so accidental presses were exceedingly rare - and of course there's still N-key rollover and anti-ghosting to keep things accurate as well.

Should you buy the Cherry MX-LP 2.1?

The Cherry MX-LP 2.1 is an interesting proposition, but for💮 all its speed it's not one I'd recommend to the majority of players. For those after an endlessly portable device, though - it's the best in the business. 

These more compact 65% keyboards are perfect for streamlined competitive players, but for genre generalists (and those looking for more of a control panel 🧸style setup), more keys are really necessary. That's by no means the fault of Cherry's keyboard, but the lack of dedicated media controls and the reliancꦿe on dual-function keys is always going to be a sacrifice in this form factor. 

If you are looking for a portable, compact gaming keyboard, though, there's very little out there that can compete. This is by far the lightest 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:wireless gaming keyboard I've had my hands on, and it's a go-to for anyone who travels🦋 to play or work. It's also an excellent option if you're specifically looking for a low profile deck. There's a super satisfying feel to these keys considꦫering their shorter height, with a smooth type feel and fast response. 

However, if you're not tied to that shorter form factor, there are other options on the market that can offer better value overall. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:HyperX Alloy Origins 65, for example, doesn't q♊uite carry the same uber portable shape, but can still be thrown in a backpack easily - and I loved the grippy PBT keycaps. It's a wired-only affair, but with a detachable cable, ꦅand a slightly cheaper $99.99 / £99.99 price point. There's still plenty of speed under the hood here as well.  

Anyone looking to splash a little extra cash should be looking at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Corsair K70 Pro Mini, though. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard does drop a few keys, measuring in at a 60% form factor, but with up to 50 onboard profiles ♏and a par🔯ticularly comfortable design it's certainly one for power-users.

How we tested the Cherry MX-LP 2.1

I used the Cherry MX-LP 2.1 for two weeks, testing alongside the Asus ROG Azoth and Cherry MX 8.2 during that time. I primarily played Alan Wake: Remastered and Elder Scrolls Online, with a healthy dose of CS:GO and Doom Eternal thrown in as well. I also used the keyboard for the vast majority of daily work during this time, both at home and away. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also helping you find the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane gaming keyboard if you're after something a little cheaper, but we're also rounding up the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models to finish up your setup as well. 

Things aren't going to change too much for customers, though. Drop CEO Jef Holove explains that "Drop will continue as a brand, team and community within Corsair." Similar to the manner inᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ which Elgato, Scuf, and Origin work as sub-brands underneath the big C, Drop will continue to produce its own products independently. 

However, Holove does emphasize that "access to a world class supply chain will make getting you those products more reliable." That means those longer wait times when picking up individual parts from the official Drop website could shortly be a thin♊g of the past. 

Hopefully this transition won't be too siloed. After all, Corsair's made a solid move here. We loved keyboards like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:K70 Pro Mini bringing hot-swappable swi☂tches to the masses for the first time last year, but that emphasis on speed, performance, and onboard memory often come💜s at the expense of typing feel.

By contrast, Drop prides itself on its sophisticated custom keyboard position - and all the gasket mounts, quality stabilizers, and personalization options that come with it. The pairing could leave us with the best of both worlds, a typist's feel with a competitive gamer's edge. That could be a seriously potent combination - there's only one 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hot-swappable keyboard we've come across so far that offers something close, and that's the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth.

As the gaming keyboard𓆏 industry takes further steps to bring the world of custom mechanical decks into its fold, partnerships like𝓡 this are going to be key to ensuring gaming brands get their first few releases right.

We're rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards if you're keen to finish up your setup, or take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Razer keyboards and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards if you're after something a little different.

The Drop CTRL isn't a conventional 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming keyboard. In fact, it's lacking many of the features these purpose-built dec💖ks pride themselves on. While taking square aim at keyboard enthusiasts who don't want to get into soldering their PCB, though, the CTRL might not be doing enough to keep up with younger models. 

I've spent a month tinkering with the golden oldie, working out exactly where it sits in today's market and who should still be investing in the tried and t✃ested classic. 

Design

• Slick aesthetic with plenty of RGB lighting
• Durable aluminium and metal construction
• Excellent USB-C connection options

There's no doubt about it, the Drop CTRL is a good looking keyboard. The cool tones of my Space Gray unit make for a particularly subtle design, a zen promptly destroyed by a stark strip of RGB LEDs running around the perimeter. This lighting is a little less vibrant than you'll find on a more conventional 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Razer keyboard, for example, but does a nice job of elevating the more m🎉uted tones of the deck and keys themselves. 

Underneath that paint you'll find a nice set of PBT doubleshot keycaps. There's only a very slight grippy texture to this surface, which does fall short of the more tactile feel of other sets - but there was never any slippage during everyday typing or gaming in my testing. These keycaps will be far more durable than printed ABS options, though - which seems to be th🎃e order of the day here. 

The CTRL is a unit of a keyboard featuring densely packed aluminium and metal throughout the baseplate and main chassis. It's not as solid (or heavy) as the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Keychron Q2, but sitting at 44mm ♋thick and 963g, it's certainly a chunky affair. The thicker baseplate makes up most of this heft, offering a higher typing experience than I'm used to but standing square on the desk. Rubber feet ensure everything stays in place, with two magnetic extras provided for a little extra elevation at either the top or bottom. 

Even with those feet attached, this is a slightly flatter keyboard than most. Without a wrist rest, that does put more pre♔ssure on the fingers and wrists - especially if, like me, you're not adopting perfect posture when typing all day. That, combined with the heavier key feel of the Kaihua Speed Silver switches in my unit, meant typing fatigue can set in after a while. But that's the beauty of a hot-swappable deck - throwing in some lighter Gateron Blues balanced out this more cumb🀅ersome feel. 

I was particularly pleased with the USB-C placement on the Drop CTRL -🌄 you'll find 💃a port on either side of the chassis. It's a small design feature, but one that feels particularly kind to users with more hectic desk setups. There's no stretching of wires or slackened cables strewn across the desk - and you've still got one free for accessories once you are plugged in. 

Features

• PCB limited to three-pin switches
• Wide range of Cherry and Kaihua switches available in base
• No programming or RGB customization options

The biggest feature of the Drop CTRL is 🌳its hot-swappable PCB. Back when this keyboard launched, modding keyboards was an enthusiast hobby often requiring a soldering tool and endless patience to swap switches and customize the feel of a deck. There are far more keyboards offering this fast switch swapping feature in 20ꦚ23, and the Drop CTRL does fall behind in its feature list.

While the PCB is nicely presented and fully connected, it's still limited to three-pin switches. That means you won't be able to use more stable five-pin options in this deck - for reference, the majority of hot-swappable keyboards released today are c♛ompatible with🎉 both. That said, the vast majority of switches out there carry a three-pin design, so it's unlikely to be a major headache while you're shopping. 

Of course, you'll need some switches to get you started (unless you're opting for the barebones model), and Drop has you covered with a solid range of options. My unit came shipped with linear Kaihua Speed Silvers, but you can also pic🌳k up Box White, Halo🍎 Clear, or Halo True switches, or opt for Cherry's MX Brown or Blue. That means you're covered for tactile and linear models, with varying levels of tactility and volume between them. 

Around those switches, you'll find a 𒊎set of RGB lights. Patterns are cyclable via a hotkey on the deck itself, but there's no dedicated customization software to create your own designs here. In fact, there's no dedicated software or onboard memory at all. That's going to be a 🎐big hit for the Drop CTRL. Even though it's not a gaming keyboard by trade, there are still plenty of typist keyboards offering easy macro options to make life easier. I wouldn't expect to see dedicated macro buttons or media keys, but being able to assign functions without having to flash settings from external software over is a 2023 luxury I didn't know I was enjoying. 

Performance

• Solid typing experience with no reverb
• Heavier switch feel in Speed Silvers
• Not fast enough for competitive gaming

The Drop CTRL offers a solid typing experience, offering slick, snappy responses with ജa soft landing and no reverb through the 🌞main deck. While I did notice a little rattle around the larger keys, stabilizers were secure and steady for the most part as well. There's excellent feedback here, and while the Speed Silver switches in my unit were a little heavier than I would have expected, everything feels slick and smooth under hand. 

Using the CTRL every day for work did grow a little tiring due to that heaviness, but I'm a light typer anyway - far more used to 40g Asus NX switches in my 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Asus ROG Azoth daily driver. Comparatively, the 45g of actua𒁃tion force required for these Kaihuas felt like a much larger leap. 

That's likely also because there's no gasket mount to spring back some of that force and provide a softer laဣnding spot, which is disappointing considering the price point but symptomatic of the CTRL's age. The PCB also appears to be fully integrated with the main chassis so there's no easy way to open up and add extra layers in the case yourself.

Swapping switches is an easy affair, with no loose connections and a perfectly sized gap to plug for each switch. I was concerned about the aluminium top plate scratching under the pressure of a switch puller, but everything was maintained perfectly by the end ไof a full deck swap.

Gaming isn&a♏pos;t going to be the CTRL's strong suit, but it never claimed to be. Latenci🎶es are too high for competitive titles and without any built in programming support or onboard memory, tinkerers are going to be disappointed. I did manage to finish off a High on Life playthrough without much of a hiccup though, so more casual play isn't going to be impeded here.

Should you buy the Drop CTRL?

In 2023, the Drop CTRL is a difficult keyboard to recommend. Yes, it looks and feels great, and there's plenty to love about the construction and slick design. However, it can't keep up with the features expected in this price range today. The Asus ROG Azoth, for example, manages to pack an OLED display, gasket mount design, Armoury Crate software support, and a wireless c♚onnection into a similar $249.99 / £269.99 price point. At MSRP level, it's by far the better buy for both typists and gamers. However, you are more likely to find the Drop CTRL o🌳n sale - at around $139 in the US (UK offers are less forthcoming). 

That puts it more inline with decks like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Mountain Everest 60 ($139.99 / £109.99). I preferred the typing experience on the Everest 60 to that of the Drop CTRL, but you are൩ sacrificing a few extra keys in that 60% form factor. It's also worth noting that Mountain's offering comes with far grippier keycaps straight out the box as well. Latencies are still a lᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚittle too low here for true competitive play, but there's more space for macros and RGB settings in the Base Camp software. 

How we tested the Drop CTRL

I used the Drop CTRL keyboard for all daily work and play over the course of four weeks, typing on the deck for around 8 hours a day and playing High on Life, Cities Skylines, Doom Eternal, and CS:GO for a few hours in the evenings. I also performed a full switch swap to Gateron Blues and back again. For more information on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:how we test gaming keyboards, check out the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy. 

We're also rounding up all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best wireless gaming keyboards for cord cutters or the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best membrane keyboards for those keeping costs down. If you're fully rebooting your setup, be sure to take a look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse models out there as well. 

As someone who reviews both 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:controllers and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:gaming PCs for a living, I'm so happy to see this. Gamepads, maybe more than any♋ other gaming accessory, are really subjective. Everyone's hands are slightly 𝔉different sizes and shapes, people grip a controller differently, and depending on what you play, there are so many varying factors in what can be right for you.

It's about time that more big manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft put their mo꧒ney where their mouth is and make something like the Access controller that caters to people that, for whatever reasons, can't hold or play with a traditional controller. Microsoft already released the Adaptive controller back in Octo꧙ber of 2022.

We've seen things like this before. Inspiring charities like make use of its assistive technology to bring gaming into a possible space for people with motor-based disabilities. But from my understanding, this technology is difficult and probably꧅ very expensive to make, never mind get a hold of. Thanks to Sony making Project Leonardo, th💃ere might be a new wave of accessible hardware making its way to the right people. Accessibility options in games themselves are great, but they can only go so far - there are plenty of motor-based disabilities these just can't lower barriers for.

For me, the Access Controller points to a really bright future for the gaming community. It takes a big step toward welcoming new🔯 people of all abilities into the fold, but that could bring with it a newfound acceptance of every gamer's hardware choices.

Be it the number of online competitive games, the industry's deep-rooted 🐟love of challenge, or even our loyalties to the platforms we play on, the games industry is rife with judgemental takes about "how" we all play our games. I can't tell you how many fully-abled streamers I've watched play an online game on PC with a mouse and keyboard and when they get an "easy" kill, they decide to mock someone because that person had "controller a🌸im".

We all know about the console war and the PC master race, but in 2023, I'm sick of the entire "controller-will-never-be-as-good-as-mouse-and-keyboard" debate that still rages ♐in many an online community.

For starters, I think it's a woefully out-of-date take. Today's pro gamepads, as seen on our list of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best PS5 controllers, have some stunning functionality. Mappable back buttons, trigger stop levels, customizable dead zones - it all adds up to a much greater device that, in a majority of today's games, means a controller is more t൲han ca🐼pable of keeping up with a mouse and keyboard.

It's not as if the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming keyboards are perfect, either, and I feel like a lot of PC players pretend they are. With WASD, you'll never get the same fluidity of 360 movements as you do with an analog stick, and the amount of comfort on offer with a keyboard isn't close to what the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Xbox Series X controllers have. It's for those reasons that amazing hybrid keypads like the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Azeron Cyborg exist, and prove very popular indeed.

Whether it's the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming mouse or PS5's new Access controller, anཧy hardware you choose to play with is valid, and 𒁃I think it's well past time we all accept that. Every piece of gaming hardware has its strengths and weaknesses - if it didn't, I'd be out of a job. There are pros and cons to every way of playing. What it comes down to, more often than not, is ability.

I hate to break it to the PC players among us, but at some point or another, you've been killed by a controller player without aim assist - the point being - we all potato from time to time. In the same way, plenty of difficult games have been bested by heroes who have somehow found a way of playing❀ with a gamepad that i✱s not designed with their disabilities in mind.

But just as it comes down to ability, people need to keep in mind that it comes down to disabil♛ity as well. Sometimes, the hardware we choose isn't about what's comfortable, or what we have experience with, it's about what we as gamers are mechanically able, or not able to use.

More important than any of the console war's squabbles, is that new people get to appreciate the art form of video games. If we continue to let petty things like our hardware choices 💟create an unwelcoming air of judgment, there are millions of people around the world that will not ever want to be a part ofﷺ the gaming community.

Sꦿo next ༒time you think about mocking or jabbing at someone for their "controller aim", please take a second to think about who you might be mocking, and what you might be mocking them for.

Enough about what you use to play, let's talk displays! Here are our picks of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming monitor, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming TV.