Company Asus sent us for review another device from the premium family Republic of gamers. This time in our hands was a keyboard with a focus on fans of the shooter genre ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe.
The stylish gadget is designed specifically for those who need a relatively small device with mechanical keys. In a branded Russian store they ask for 14988 rubles for him.
The product comes in a traditional black and red box, inside of which there is a keyboard in the protective material, a soft wrist rest on magnets, a woven USB Type-C cable – USB Type-A, as well as documentation.
ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe works exclusively by wire. The cable from the kit looks quite durable, while it can be easily replaced with any other analog. There are no artificial restrictions in the gadget, such as holes of a unique shape for the connectors.
The front panel is made of dark gray textured aluminum, which, along with beveled edges and corporate lighting, gives the keyboard an expensive look. On the back there are four rubberized legs, two of which extend, allowing you to increase the angle at which the keyboard is located.
The entire back panel is covered with a ribbed pattern and the Republic of Gamers logo, which resembles the solution of Rog chakramwhich we wrote about not so long ago.
The layout of the keys on the front panel is about the same as on full-size keyboards, but with its important nuances and a cut-off number pad. Traditional arrows are located on the right edge, and above them is a group of six buttons: Ins, Home, Del, End, Page Up and Page Down. There, in the upper right corner, the “ROG” logo shines with LEDs.
At the front edge of the device, as usual, is a series of function keys. They are grouped into four buttons, and between the sections there are tangible gaps.
There, on the left edge and at a double distance from F1, is the “Esc” key. This is very convenient, since in some games (for example, in MMORPG) function buttons are used for various actions, and this separation allows you to accurately issue commands and not miss the heat of the game on the necessary keys.
I will never forget how during a castle siege in Lineage 2while holding CTRL, I just had to press F1, F2, F3, etc. in a row At the most inopportune moments, my finger slipped from F1 and pressed “Esc”, which, instead of a powerful attack, brought up the “Start” menu. Once, in a fit of battle rage, I tore this button so as not to interfere. With such a convenient arrangement of keys as the ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe, such annoying misses are impossible.
It is also worth noting that thanks to the FN + INS combination, the function keys turn into multimedia control buttons. When this mode is turned on, the F12 turns into the “Stealth” function. By clicking on it, a command is executed that minimizes all windows and mutes the sound. Repeated pressing returns everything back. The manufacturer does not offer scenarios for using this option, but we already understand why it is needed … Of course, furtively play Counter strike!
Another important nuance of this keyboard is the elongated CTRL button. The stories about how fans of shooters instead clicked the adjacent “Windows” instead of it are enough for all connoisseurs of the genre. It seems that this “pain” is familiar to ASUS engineers, so in this keyboard they expanded the CTRL key, which makes it possible to always hit it with the little finger when the other fingers are on the “WASD” block.
All ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe keys are microcontrollers Cherry MX. Buttons from a well-known German manufacturer have an exact fixed push, and thanks to a smooth ride, the player receives the necessary feedback.
This device has microcontrollers of type RGB Red with backlight. Here the linear stroke and without a tangible click. Before the moment of operation, the key must pass 2 mm, and the full stroke is 4 mm. Thanks to the soft spring, pressing seems smooth and relatively quick.
Despite the lack of clicks, like all mechanical keyboards, the ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe seems quite loud. This is especially noticeable when you quickly type text.
The Cherry MX RGB Red buttons are convenient for playing shooters and other action-oriented games. But if you use keyboards like Apple magic keyboard with a short stroke of keys and neat clicks, you will have to get used to working in text editors. At first, your fingers can get very tired.
In general, the keyboard is very convenient to use – especially in games and multimedia. The fact is that an important feature that distinguishes gaming mechanical keyboards from conventional keyboards is the ability to handle the simultaneous pressing of a large number of buttons. This device is able to respond to any number of clicks, which is good news.
The dimensions of the keyboard are 356x136x40mm, and the wrist rests are 356x75x21mm. The weight of the device along with the cable and stand is close to 1 kg, and without them is 811 grams. This allows the ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe to be more stable compared to lightweight counterparts. In addition, this keyboard is suitable for transportation, easily fit in a backpack, even with a wrist rest.
A convenient cushion is attached to the body with magnets and allows you to use the device with comfort for the hands. The magnets are not very strong, so if you lift the keyboard, the stand remains on the table. At the same time, the design does not fall apart if you need to slightly adjust the position of the gadget on the surface. Personally, I’m used to playing and working without such stands, but for some users this can be a nice bonus to a premium device.
I always prefer to use compact keyboards without a numeric keypad, so that there is more space for the mouse on the right side. This is convenient, especially when you play shooters, using the low sensitivity of the manipulator for more accurate aiming. ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe looks like a great solution for such mouse and keyboard use cases.
Like all other devices from the Republic of Gamers family, this keyboard is configured using the application Rog armorywhich is available only on Windows. Here you can change the type and brightness of the backlight. There are a lot of options: from wave-like and rainbow overflows to the effect of drops on the glass, resembling the movement of a code from a matrix.
You can also create your own version. If such flickering distracts you, then I recommend setting the backlight intensity to 25% or choosing some uniform shade from calm and cold colors, for example, turquoise or cornflower blue. Thus, flickering will not interfere with playing or working, but at the same time retains legibility of the silhouette of buttons in the dark.
In ROG Armory you can also record macros and save up to six profiles built into the keyboard memory, which can be switched at any time. You can immediately turn off the “Windows” button, although with the layout of the ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe keys there is no particular need for this.
ASUS ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe – This is a thoughtful premium gadget that will delight discerning users. The elongated CTRL button and separate function key blocks allow you to accurately execute the necessary commands. Cherry MX’s RGB Red microcontrollers allow you to accurately and quickly act in games, and fans of sweeping movements will like the compact size of the device when using a mouse with a low sensitivity setting. If you need a small premium gaming keyboard, the ROG Strix Scope TKL Deluxe is a great choice.
Author – Azamat Tegaev (Azzy),
Editing – Mikhail Shaginyan (ACE) and Denis Korolev (Skyerist)
Photo: Mikhail Shaginyan (ACE) and Alexey Olkin.
Read also: The thinnest ultrabook: ASUS has announced the release date for the ZenBook 13 UX325 / 14 UX425 in Russia.
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