Roccat Ryos MK FX
Mechanical gaming keyboard with per-key RGB illumination.
Weighing in at a hefty 1.6kg and 44mm thick, Roccat’s new keyboard is undeniably a beast. The FX includes ports for both headphones and microphone in the top left-hand corner, but the USB ports that resided on the right in the MK Pro (which we reviewed way back in APC February 2014, p.28) are gone. It rests on five smooth, high-gripping pads that should hold it steady on your desk in the heat of any battle. It’s also fingerprint resistant.
Down the left is a bank of macro keys, as well as three additional ‘thumbsters’ beneath the spacebar. Roccat has emphasised that the MX’s lit keys can be customised per-key. You can create almost any configuration of colours you desire. This feature’s main purpose, however, is really to highlight key bindings, modifier keys, macro sequences, system controls... whatever function you like. This board is not all about the looks, though. Roccat’s Easy-Shift[+] technology allows you to program a secondary function to each key. The keyboard supports N-key rollover and the keys on our unit came with Cherry Brown switches, which we found surprisingly noisy for brown keys — the spacebar in particular.
Typing this review on the FX was not an overly unpleasant experience, but this is, of course, a gaming keyboard and extended typing of prose isn’t its main purpose. There’s no denying that there’s something quite striking about this monster. It’s a well-made piece of hardware that deserves to be in a hardcore gamer’s arsenal if they want just that little hint of style.