ROCCAT ISKU FX Illuminated Gaming Keyboard Review

Final Thoughts
Well let’s first talk about the ISKU FX as if it were a brand new product. The most important part to any keyboard is comfort and how it feels when you are typing or playing a game and I do have to say the ISKU FX is one of the most comfortable keyboard that I have ever used. The keys have good flex and I never had a single moment when a key would not register. The wrist rest is actually part of the keyboard and works really well. Your hands sit right on it letting them relax. The medium-sized (height) keys are perfect for this type of keyboard as they provide optimal keystroke and pressure point, meaning you are not stressing your fingers when typing.

As far as gaming features go you have the five macro keys on the left side of the keyboard. I would have liked to have seen them spaced out just a little more left of the keyboard as I felt they were just a little too close to the rest of the keys on the keyboard. Along with the macro keys you have ROCCAT’s 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. So you are getting double the number of keys for each one of those keys. The keyboard also has five different profiles as well. This means you can have set profiles for different games or applications. I have really been enjoying the thumbster keys on the ISKU FX as well. Use them once and you may wonder why more keyboards do not have them included.

Of course the big selling factor of this keyboard is a backlighting. All of the keys on the keyboard are LED backlit except the spacebar and multimedia keys at the top of the board. You can change the backlighting to any color you like and there are 5 lightning levels as well as the ability to turn them completely off. You can also set the backlighting to “breath” or cycle between all of the colors.

Since reviewing my first ROCCAT product the software was something that really impressed me. Not only is it easy to use, there are so many options. Be sure to check out our video overview of the software. Another thing that’s cool about ROCCAT’s products is that they can talk to each other. So if I press the Easy-Shift[+] on my keyboard and I am using a ROCCAT Talk enabled mouse it will enable Easy-Shift[+] on the mouse and vice versa.

So on it’s own this keyboard is pretty impressive, but all ROCCAT really did was add multi-color backlighting. I’m not sure if that rubs me the wrong way or what. It’s just I feel that this really is not a new product. It is basically the same product we reviewed back in 2012, but with added multi-color backlighting. So with that said we give the ROCCAT ISKU FX Illuminated Gaming Keyboard a 9 out of 10 score. You can pick it up online for around $99.

rating9 10 small

Pros:
– Very comfortable to use
– 5 dedicated macro keys and 5 profiles
– Easy-Shift[+]
– Thumbster keys
– Customizable backlighting
– Awesome software

Cons:
– Macro keys could be moved over a little
– Glossy plastic smudges easily
– Only real update over the original ISKU is the multi-color backlighting

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