Each gaming keyboard producer appears to be leaping on the Corridor impact bandwagon, and why wouldn’t they? The keyboard know-how has been confirmed in each esports arenas and residential workplace setups worldwide and affords numerous benefits over normal mechanical keyboards, with no actual efficiency compromises.
Corridor impact keyboards have additionally arrived as numerous different applied sciences enter the keyboard area: All the things from gasket-mounting to touchpads is now in mainstream keyboards. That additionally means I recurrently see new merchandise, mechanical and Corridor impact, with options I’ve by no means even thought-about earlier than. Living proof, the Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX, a small keyboard with a big identify and numerous uncommon options.
This $200 wired-only keyboard has Corridor impact switches, an 8,000-Hz polling fee, multidevice connectivity with two USB-C ports, and a programmable touchpad on the again edge. To not point out numerous on-keyboard controls and a flipable lever to allow or disable the speedy set off characteristic discovered on most Corridor impact keyboards. Whereas it does have some unusual design selections, it has numerous actually intelligent ones too.
Distinctive Switches
{Photograph}: Henri Robbins
{Photograph}: Henri Robbins
{Photograph}: Henri Robbins
The Falchion has one of many deepest typing sounds in comparison with different Corridor impact keyboards. That is probably a mix of the keyboard’s distinctive HFX magnetic switches, one of many few I’ve examined that aren’t made by Gateron, and the sound dampening inside. It consists of a number of layers of froth, Poron, and silicone, and a sheet of small rubber domes.
The switches really feel extremely clean, even when pressed slowly, with a constant really feel all through the complete keypress. They use a polycarbonate high housing, a POM stem, and a POM backside housing, contributing to the deeper typing sound and guaranteeing smoothness throughout the complete keystroke. In contrast to most Corridor impact switches, the HFX doesn’t have a gap within the middle, as an alternative, it strikes the magnet to the entrance, the place the metallic contact leaf would sometimes be on a mechanical swap. This makes the Falchion incompatible with normal Corridor impact switches, however probably improves the sound profile as nicely: Open-bottom switches are likely to have a extra hole typing sound, which may be heard on rivals.
The springs are weighted to 55 grams of complete drive, which is 5 grams lighter than the Gateron Nebula dual-rail switches utilized by Keychron, and 10 grams lighter than the usual Cherry MX Pink. There aren’t some other switches out there for this keyboard, however as a result of Corridor impact switches are contactless, the prevailing switches may be eliminated with none desoldering or in depth disassembly.
I didn’t discover myself wanting to vary the switches, although—they’ve a poppy and deep sound that’s extremely crisp, they usually really feel responsive and clean, particularly with speedy set off enabled. My largest challenge with the typing expertise was the keycaps. They’ve a tough texture that, whereas grippy, felt noticeably coarse and ugly when typing. It comes right down to desire, however I discovered them much less satisfying than clean or frivolously textured keycaps.
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