One of the shock highlights of this 12 months’s Computex has been, of all issues, a keyboard – and a Roccat one at that. It’s not that the German agency makes a load of dangerous equipment – the Khan Pro headset and Leadr mouse are each latest successes – however they’ve additionally by no means actually damaged via to changing into first-rate purveyors of must-have peripherals. The Vulcan, nonetheless, is a convincing argument to start out considering in any other case.
Technically, the Vulcan is truly a trio of keyboards you’ll be capable to select from once they launch round autumn time: the £149 Vulcan 120 Aimo, which comes with a removable wrist relaxation and the utmost shininess of full RGB lighting; the £139 Vulcan 100 Aimo, which is identical sans wrist relaxation; and the £119 Vulcan 80, which lacks the wrist relaxation, RGB, clutch of media controls on the top-right nook and the silvery brushed aluminium end of the pricier fashions.
Regardless, each variant shares the 2 issues that make this an attractive mechanical board. The first is the Vulcan’s change, a brand new, customized design Roccat are calling their Titan Switch. In-house switches can typically really feel just like the designers have been leaning over their desks to repeat Cherry’s solutions, and whereas typing on the Vulcan isn’t precisely a transcendent expertise, it does mix the very best components of a number of acquainted switches with none of their annoyances.
There’s the swiftness of MX Reds, the slight tactile bump of MX Browns and Blues, and the perfectly-judged journey depth of MX Speed Silvers, give or a take just a few tenths of a millimetre. Audio suggestions is spot-on, too – there’s a touch of clickiness, however not like with, say MX Blues, it by no means appears like somebody is violently crushing a sack of dried leaves subsequent to your ear.
The second factor is the slimline key caps. I’ll admit to balking once I first noticed these, considering my fingernails would get caught beneath the one behind no matter key I’d be hitting, however immediately they really feel completely pure. If something they’re extra agile, lowering the burden of every key cap for a nimbler enter – good for video games – whereas the tactile change and beneficiant key spacing retains the possibilities of an unintended depress low. Thinner key caps additionally imply the backlighting is much more pronounced, should you’re into that type of factor; virtually the whole thing of every change is visibly illuminated.
Build high quality is excessive throughout the board (for need of a greater phrase), notably on the extra metallic 120 and 100 fashions. These appear much more sturdy and sturdy than most Roccat gear I’ve used, although the 80 isn’t precisely fragile both. Some extra bonus options would have been welcome, thoughts – there’s no USB charging port, not to mention a passthrough, and also you’ll need to make do with reassigning the perform keys as an alternative of devoted macros keys.
Still, the Vulcan has already proven itself to be a superb board at its core, with really feel and efficiency pretty much as good as something from the likes of Corsair, SteelSeries and HyperX and the remainder of RPS’ best gaming keyboard line-up. If there have been ever a peripheral that might propel Roccat into the highest tier, odds are that is it.
