The mechanical gaming keyboard market has become saturated. The RGB craze has taken it by storm and with all the big brands now several iterations in, switch technology and overall design has evolved beyond the very basics of what a keyboard’s function should be.
How does a new player enter the game then? With so many choices from trusted names, entering the market with something fresh is a tough ask. HyperX has stepped up to the plate with some very interesting design decisions that are both risky and incredibly smart.
The HyperX Alloy FPS is currently the only HyperX branded keyboard they’ve released and they’ve kept things simple by doing one switch type only, Cherry MX blues. This is a really smart move because it allows them to produce a single product and focus their entire research and development team on making it as good as it can be. This might not make sense yet as choice is what the Cherry MX range is all about, but what they have released is possibly the best feeling blue switch keyboard I’ve used and I’d attribute that to this single switch focus.
Looking at the build structure it’s got a steel top frame that doubles as its switch mounting plate. It’s taken the popular design of having no bevel for that “floating key” look and done it better than the competition with a low profile that feels extremely solid. Most keyboards are littered with other noises due to poor construction. Pinging on the switch up-stroke, a common complaint on cheap mechanical keyboards, happens when a switch is released back to its resting point causing a vibration through the plate. You won’t find that with this keyboard and the only sound you ever hear is the clicky actuation and bottoming out thud of the key presses.
The aesthetic design is a completely matte black look with what appears to be spray painted keys with etched legends. Normally keys are the first thing I replace on Cherry MX keyboards but I actually don’t mind these. The etching is clean and allows the backlighting to shine through the legends with no leaking anywhere else on the keycap. The space bar has a laser etched HyperX logo so that switch’s LED gets to shine too.
“Even the stabiliser wire and inserts are matte black. Little details like this make the difference.”
Back-lighting is red only and not RGB. As a company entering the keyboard space for the first time, sticking to one colour is a great move production cost wise. That may disappoint some people but it makes sense as red is the colour that requires the least amount of adjustment for our eyes in dark environments (it also represents the HyperX branding). This keyboard is aimed at competitive FPS players who usually play in the dark at night so I completely agree with this design choice. You also get a few different lighting choices with controls being integrated into the Fn key so no bloatware drivers necessary.
As far as extras go you get some alternate metallic red textured keys for the WASD and 1-4 keys, and a removable micro-USB cable that terminates into two ends. One end is for the data connection and the other is to feed power to a dedicated charging port on the back of the keyboard. You also get a cloth carrying case which is a neat addition for LAN gaming.
Overall
It’s a really solid release by Kingston’s gaming division. I do prefer red switches and would love to see it released in a tenkeyless size, but it seems like they’ve really hit a homerun for anyone looking for a good blue switch keyboard. I thoroughly enjoyed using it and feel like it’s a stellar first effort with flawless build quality. Pricing is a bit on the high side at $159 AUD though and if you’re after something with RGB, you can find it on other brands selling for less. But what you do get here is a solid Cherry MX blue switch keyboard that you won’t be disappointed with. Bravo HyperX.
Price: $159AUD RRP
Where to buy: MWAVE
Disclaimer: A review sample was provided by HyperX | Respawn Ninja is owned by Mwave Australia, however we retain editorial control over reviews.
