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With its Horde AIMO ($89.99), Roccat is aiming to subvert the myth that every gaming keyboard has to be mechanical. While it makes a strong case with this so-called “membranical” keyboard (a made-up word referring to the use of mechanical key switches combined with the silicone dome mechanisms of a membrane peripheral), it faces some stiff competition. The similarly priced Editors’ Choice Razer Ornata Chroma offers a satisfying blend of low-profile silicone domes with proprietary mechanical key switches.
The Key Is the Keys
So then how does the Horde AIMO ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) separate itself from the rest of the pack? Unlike the Ornata Chroma, it has 11 discrete media keys, sparing you the burden of holding down the Fn key every time you want to pause your music. Positioned above the function keys rather than being layered over top of them, these can be used to control your background music, toggle your microphone, and even modify the lighting. Along its left side, are five macro keys that can be assigned to any function or combination of functions you can imagine. On the far right, there’s a full-size number pad.
Unfortunately, all those keys make the Horde AIMO a bit larger than average. With its included plastic wrist rest attached, it measures 1.22 by 21 by 9 inches (HWD). (Removing the wrist rest cuts the depth by about 2 inches.) By comparison, the Razer Ornata Chroma measures 1.2 by 18.2 by 6.1 inches, and the Logitech G213 Prodigy is 1.3 by 17.8 by 8.6 inches, including its integrated wrist rest. As we found out while using the keyboard during lunch, the Horde AIMO’s included plastic wrist rest is highly susceptible to fingerprints and smudges. It’s also not particularly comfortable, especially compared with the Razer Ornata Chroma’s ($49.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) cushioned wrist rest.
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The Horde AIMO can be raised about half an inch using a pair of plastic feet located beneath its shoulders. Like the Ornata Chroma and G213 Prodigy, it lacks support for USB pass-through, a function typically found on purebred mechanical keyboards. The keys are backlit, but it’s so subtle that in a well-lighted room, you’ll have to crank up the brightness to notice.
One edge the Horde AIMO does have over the competition is a Surface Dial-esque tuning wheel that works in conjunction with the aforementioned media keys to adjust an array of different settings. After pressing the backlight key, for instance, you can turn the wheel to make the keyboard lighting brighter or dimmer. Likewise, you can hit the color palette-inscribed media key and turn the wheel to scroll through various backlight hues.
Eye of the Swarm
All of the functions of the tuning wheel can otherwise be achieved in Roccat Swarm, a first-party Windows application that lets you easily assign functions to keys by dragging and dropping them from a toolbar on the left side of the interface onto either a diagram of the keyboard (Keyboard View) or an organized list of buttons (List View). Moreover, the software can be used to customize the lighting of up to six different zones. Preprogrammed lighting effects can also be enacted, including “Breathing” and “Heartbeat.”
Under General Features, you’ll find Game Profiles and Sound Feedback. The former lets you apply settings to the games and applications of your choosing, and the latter lets you assign one of five sounds to be triggered every time you hit a key. These include Click Sound, Typewriter Sound, Beam Sound, and Sifi Sound. We think this feature is a bit frivolous, but gamers who prefer the audible feedback of a mechanical keyboard could enjoy the Click option.
The Horde AIMO’s signature element is its AIMO intelligent lighting system, comprised of 16.8 million colors and designed to respond organically to user behavior. Essentially, when certain keys are pressed hastily while gaming, the keyboard gets brighter and changes color, as opposed to when it is idle and subdued. If multiple AIMO peripherals are attached to your PC at the same time, the effect will ripple through all of them.
Bottoming Out in the Blink of an Eye
In terms of performance, the Roccat Horde AIMO is more membrane than it is mechanical. The 1.2mm actuation rating makes the keyboard quick and satisfying to type on, but when it comes time to play games, I prefer the satisfying click and better ergonomics of a true mechanical keyboard, like the Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2 I typically use. Meanwhile, the actuation speed of the Roccat Horde AIMO is 7.8ms, compared with the 9ms rate of a standard membrane keyboard. Theoretically, this means you can use it to type faster than on the vast majority of island-style keyboards.
The actuation speed of the five macro keys is slightly faster at 5ms, ideal for quick-firing personalized commands. In terms of simultaneous keypresses, the Horde AIMO leverages an anti-ghosting technology made possible by an “advanced algorithm,” according to Roccat, that can register an infinite number of keystrokes per minute. After putting this claim to the test, I can safely acquiesce in its accuracy, even if my strokes didn’t quite hit infinity.
Solid, but Not a Standout
While the Roccat Horde AIMO offers some great features gamers will love, including unique customization options, a tuning wheel, dedicated media keys, and an under-$100 price, it faces some stiff competition. The Razer Ornata Chroma has a similar combination membrane-mechanical switch, and offers a top-notch typing experience for $10 more. If you’re looking for true mechanical switches, you’ll have to shell out a bit more cash for a model like our Editors’ Choice Corsair K95 RGB Platinum, which offers just about everything a gamer could want in a keyboard.
3.5
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The Roccat Horde AIMO is an inexpensive gaming keyboard that offers some great features for the price, but it has a tough time standing up to its competition.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/roccat-horde-aimo