Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX Evaluate: Corridor Impact With New Methods

Each gaming keyboard producer appears to be leaping on the Corridor impact bandwagon, and why wouldn’t they? The keyboard expertise has been confirmed in each esports arenas and residential workplace setups worldwide and provides 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: Every part from gasket-mounting to touchpads is now in mainstream keyboards. That additionally means I repeatedly see new merchandise, mechanical and Corridor impact, with options I’ve by no means even thought of earlier than. Living proof, the Asus ROG Falchion Ace HFX, a small keyboard with a big identify and a variety of 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 fast set off characteristic discovered on most Corridor impact keyboards. Whereas it does have some unusual design selections, it has a variety of actually intelligent ones too.

Distinctive Switches

{Photograph}: Henri Robbins

The Falchion has one of many deepest typing sounds in comparison with different Corridor impact keyboards. That is seemingly 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 your complete keypress. They use a polycarbonate high housing, a POM stem, and a POM backside housing, contributing to the deeper typing sound and making certain smoothness throughout your complete keystroke. Not like most Corridor impact switches, the HFX doesn’t have a gap within the middle, as a substitute, it strikes the magnet to the entrance, the place the steel contact leaf would usually be on a mechanical swap. This makes the Falchion incompatible with normal Corridor impact switches, however seemingly improves the sound profile as properly: Open-bottom switches are likely to have a extra hole typing sound, which will be heard on opponents.

The springs are weighted to 55 grams of complete pressure, 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 another switches accessible for this keyboard, however as a result of Corridor impact switches are contactless, the present switches will 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, and so they really feel responsive and clean, particularly with fast set off enabled. My largest situation with the typing expertise was the keycaps. They’ve a tough texture that, whereas grippy, felt noticeably coarse and unsightly when typing. It comes right down to choice, however I discovered them much less satisfying than clean or evenly textured keycaps.