Roccat Isku+ Force FX
A tour de force... maybe.
The Roccat Isku+ Force FX is a gaming keyboard with a name that’s almost as intense as its feature list.
The ‘Force’ part of this membrane-keyboard’s name refers to a technology built into its QWEASD keys, a pressure sensitivity that aims to bridge the gap between analog joysticks on console controllers and the on/off nature of computer keys.
Roccat’s Swarm configuration software comes with all the finetuning options you could need for this feature, letting you assign different pressures to different keys and key combinations, but this function isn’t flawless.
Games that use a toggle setting rather than holdand-move for actions like sprinting or sneaking will render the pressure sensitivity useless, and although you can refine the pressure cut-offs, the process of adapting to it will likely be too much for most gamers. Outside of this key feature, the form-factor is almost identical to previous iterations, with the same overall bulkiness and a large integrated palm rest.
A fixed palm rest is not ideal, particularly if you aren’t a fan of this fairly hefty offering.
You can create and manage up to five profiles in the intuitive software, with key assignments, macro settings, and RGB colours. On the lighting, there are six different brightness settings and a variety of effects but it isn’t per-key RGB, and as the media and utility keys can’t be lit, the soft grey text on black makes them very difficult to read.
Verdict
The Force FX’s pressure-sensing keys mostly work well... when supported.