Asus are again on the keyboard recreation once more with the ROG Strix Flare – an unashamedly ROG – however in any other case fairly customary – entry into the Cherry-powered gaming keyboard market.
Tired of mushy keys? Here are the best mechanical keyboards.
The Asus ROG Strix Flare design is unabashedly stylised for 1337 players – though that ought to come as no shock because of the Republic of Gamers branding plastered throughout this keyboard’s plastic enclosure. From the emblem on the wrist relaxation, spacebar, and emblazoned translucent ‘badge’, you actually can’t keep away from the gaming lineage this keyboard spawns from.
Aside from the overt branding, the primary visible characteristic of this keyboard is a ‘steel grey’ end. For the document, and regardless of the implication, it’s really plastic. This facade includes a delicate diagonal brushed impact on the best aspect that does help in making a extra premium really feel than most moldable boards, however doesn’t fairly make up for the shortage of metallic at this severely high-end value level.
A wrist relaxation has additionally made its means into the Flare’s field. The sloped design of this included relaxation affords little or no in terms of precise wrist assist and, truthfully, barely detracts from the model of the board when slotted into place. It additionally affords little in the way in which of consolation as a result of its plastic building, and that’s disappointing when in comparison with the plush rests of equally priced models, such because the Logitech G513 or Razer Blackwidow V2.
Speaking of pricing and competitors, the Asus ROG Strix Flare is priced at $180 / £163. That’s a contact dearer than the pacesetting Corsair K70, or Logitech’s fashionable Romer G different, the G810.
But, for that cash, you do get a few of the better of the very best in terms of mechanical switches. Asus have adopted the ever-present Cherry MX switches for the Flare – accessible in both Red or Brown (linear or tactile) variants. Look, I hear you… we’ve gone on about these switches earlier than, and undoubtedly you’ll hear us go on about them once more, so right here’s a fast breakdown of Cherry MX switches for the uninformed: responsive, constant, dependable, and insanely fashionable.
The inclusion of Cherry’s switches is rarely a nasty factor – they hold churning out persistently rock-solid switches and we gobble them up. However, any keyboard that includes their fashionable switches actually must be packed filled with standout options to even floor momentarily among the many ocean of comparable and competing gaming boards additionally vying for the highest spot on this phase. The Flare, nevertheless, solely has one actually notably defining characteristic.
And that’s the media controls. Well, the situation of them, at the least. They’re on the left. The Flare comes with a conveniently vast quantity wheel, Windows lock, brightness adjustment, and play, cease, skip again, and skip ahead buttons, however all mirror-flipped from the highest proper (as is fashionable conference) to the highest left. It’s not fairly a design revelation, however it makes a whole lot of sense when your proper hand is taken up with mousey obligations.
The RGB implementation of the Flare isn’t all that defining, nevertheless, however it’s not lazy both. Per-key lighting is contrasted towards a white backing layer above the PCB. There are two multi-zone underglow bars operating parallel on both aspect of the keyboard. And a detachable translucent ‘badge’ within the high proper options single-LED illumination.
These many LEDs are managed by way of the Asus Armory app, through which you’ll discover a sizeable assortment of default lighting results and choices to customize your personal results. The app itself is a bit of dated, and in addition restricted to solely ROG mice and keyboards. Due to this limitation, to sync up every other Asus elements in your rig you’ll must utilise the marginally extra restricted Asus Sync software program in lieu of Armory.
The technical specs of the Flare are additionally fairly run-of-the-mill at this value vary. These embrace: 100% anti-ghosting and N-key rollover, onboard reminiscence for native profiles, one cable routing groove, and a single USB 2.zero passthrough on the rear of the board, subsequent to the thick braided twin USB cable for keyboard and USB.
As an entire package deal, it’s arduous to fault Asus’s high quality management. Unfettered entry to high-quality manufacturing is one feather in Asus’s cap that few can match, but the design isn’t fairly pushing the boundaries of keyboard design in 2018. Cherry switches and ROG branding actually garner respect and loyalty en masse, however will solely get you to date in an especially saturated gaming keyboard market.
As it stands, the Asus ROG Strix Flare is on the cusp of aggressive, however not fairly there but.
SE7EN.WS verdict: 7/10
Source
