ROCCAT ISKU FX Overview
The first thing that I noticed when I picked up the ISKU FX is that it was pretty lightweight. It is primarily made of plastic, but it does feel pretty solid. This is a full keyboard so you have a full set of keys as well as a full number pad. The keyboard itself is a little bit bigger than most keyboards because of the fact that the wrist rest is connected to the keyboard and cannot be removed. The wrist rest is also made of plastic and it has a textured surface.
At the top center of the keyboard you have a row of multi-media keys. These keys include mute, volume down, volume up, play/pause, back, forward, internet, and my computer. Of course all of these keys can be set to whatever you want via ROCCAT’s software. At the bottom of the keyboard are what ROCCAT calls their thumbster keys. These get your thumbs into the action and of course can be programmed to whatever you want.
For gamers there are five dedicated macro keys on the far left side of the keyboard. The keyboard also has 5 profiles for either different games or programs. LED indicators let you know which profile you are on. The keyboard allows you to live record macros by using the macro record key. This keyboard features ROCCAT’s own Easy-Shift[+] technology. It basically allows you to double the number of keys on select keys on your keyboard. On the ISKU FX these keys include the five macro keys, the 1-5, Q-T, A-G, Z-B keys and the three thumbster keys.
Unlike many new keyboards the ISKU FX does not use mechanical keys. ROCCAT has kept the same membrane-style design as we saw on the original ISKU. I have been using mechanical keyboards for the past six months, but transitioning back to membrane was not that hard at all. Because of the fact that ROCCAT did not worry about the size of the keyboard the keys do not seem cramped at all.
The keys themselves as you can see from the side views below are not that large at all. ROCCAT uses medium sized keys for optimal keystroke and pressure point. The first three rows of keys are angled down towards the keyboard and the other two are more or less level. This does provide a pretty comfortable typing surface. There are two pop-out feet on the bottom of the keyboard, which enables you to give the keys more of an angle.
