The Rockot iscu FX Gaming Keyboard Review: A Mixed Bag of Features and Feedback

Hey guys, this is Dimitri and welcome back to another Herx review. Now, today we're going to take a look at the Rockot iscu FX gaming keyboard which, at $99, may be questionable considering it's not mechanical. But before we dive into how it performs, let's first talk about its design and features.

The first thing you notice about this keyboard is how large it is. The armrest is already built in, and the relatively large bezel takes up a lot of real estate on your desk. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, "Is that what I want?" And to that, I say, "It depends." This keyboard may be exactly what you're looking for if you need extra room for your wrist or if you have larger hands. However, it's not a compact peripheral by any means. The main coating is piano gloss, which after use definitely shows fingerprints. And while the armrest has a more textured surface, there's a slight ridge between the built-in armrest and the body, which causes discomfort while typing. I even developed a blister, which completely defeats the purpose of an armrest that's supposed to provide support.

On the other hand, below the space bar is where you'll find three T buttons that are well within reach for your thumb. These buttons allow for quick adjustments in-game, and it's also very common to find M keys on gaming keyboards like this one. The iscu FX has five M keys that can be assigned macros or chosen from various built-in functions in the software. There are a total of five profiles that default to using the T keys below the space bar, and there's plenty of multimedia controls in the center. The keyboard also comes with many color options, and brightness is uniform between the keys, which should be expected at this price point.

However, one thing I noticed while using the keyboard is that it's not a mechanical keyboard, despite its claims. It uses standard rubber Dome switches, which have really fast bounce and response. They almost feel like Cherry MX red switches, but with a little less travel time due to the keyboard's low profile design. What's surprising, though, is that I didn't experience any key jams during my usage. This is very impressive for a non-mechanical keyboard.

One feature that stands out about this keyboard is its "easy shift plus" function. This allows secondary commands to be assigned to your M keys and T keys below the space bar. There's also an additional 20 buttons in the easy zone that can be accessed without problem using your thumb and point finger, making it a treat for MMO and strategy titles users who can take advantage of this workflow improvement feature.

However, there are some downsides to consider. The gaming profiles built into the driver software are a bit older and miss some of the most recent AAA titles. On the other hand, Rockot iscu has introduced "Rutalk," which allows two compatible RO devices to be in sync with these secondary controls. For example, holding down the easy shift button on the keyboard allows you to perform secondary commands on your mouse.

The driver software is also very intuitive and provides a lot of flexibility for precise control over what each button does. Instead of navigating to your most used applications, you can simply map them onto any of the programmable buttons for improved workflow. There are many options available for desktop and game use that definitely improve the user experience.

In summary, I think the best thing about the SQ FX is its user flexibility that allows key mapping and dual button assignments with "easy shift plus." These features work really well with other compatible Rutalk peripherals. The keyboard also comes with backlit keys, which should be expected at this price point. Rubber Dome switches are satisfying during gameplay.

However, I have to say that I'm not a fan of the large size of this keyboard. There are definitely corners that could be chopped for a more compact design, particularly the built-in armrest that creates blisters. Unfortunately, there's no way around these issues at this price point. And priced at $100, it's a bit pricey considering it's not a mechanical keyboard.

One silver lining is that Rockot iscu has announced a mechanical version of this keyboard called "Ros." Perhaps we should wait for the arrival of this new model before making any final judgments about the SQ FX. What do you guys think? Do you think rubber Dome switches are dead or not leave your comments below, and we'll see you in the next one!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys this is Dimitri and welcome back to another herx review now today we're going to take a look at the rockot iscu FX gaming keyboard which at $99 may be questionable considering it's not mechanical but let's first take a look at how it performs before making any conclusions now the first thing you notice is how large the keyboard is that's because the armrest is already built in and we have a relatively large bezel that will take up a lot of real estate on your desk now it may be what you're looking for but this is certainly not a compact peripheral the main coating is piano gloss which after use definitely shows fingerprints while the armrest has a more textured surface and uh because there's a slight Ridge between the built-in armrest and the body we experience discomfort while typing and I actually developed a blister which completely defeats the purpose of an armrest and the fact that you can't take it off might question your purchase now below the space bar is where you'll find three T buttons that are well within reach for your thumb and you can quickly adjust to using these buttons in game for faster response it is also very common to find M keys on gaming keyboard so iscu is certainly not lagging on that front with five M keys that you can either assign the macro or choose a variety of built-in functions in the software we have a total of five profiles that by default are switched using the T Keys below the space bar and we have plenty of multimedia controls in the center this keyboard is also back lid with many color options to choose from and we are happy to see brightness is uniform between the keys and that should be the expectation if you're paying $100 for a keyboard of course we have brightness variants and this breathing mode which looks pretty cool now it's not a mechanical keyboard but we were very surprised at how well it performed for typing and obviously gaming the keys aside from having standard rubber Dome switches have really fast bounce and response they almost feel like Cherry MX red switches but with a little less travel time but that's also partially because the keyboard is so low profile throughout our experience not once did we have any key jams which is very surprising for a non-mechanical keyboard of course the rubberdom switches regardless of how good they are are going to be a deal breaker especially because mechanical keyboards are very well priced however let's not give up hope for rock cat yet as the keyboard features what's called easy shift plus which allows secondary commands to be assigned to your M keys T Keys below the space bar and to this easy Zone which is an additional 20 buttons that can be accessed without problem using your thumb and your point finger so this really is a treat for MMO and strategy titles and really for users who can take advantage of this workflow Improvement feature the problem is the gaming profiles built into the driver software are a bit older and miss some of the most recent AAA titles but one extra Cherry is this rut talk feature that allows two compatible Ro devices in this case a mouse to be in sync with these secondary controls for example holding the easy shift button on the keyboard allows you to perform secondary commands on your mouse and vice versa now why is this useful considering you have to play around button assignments and record macros well because it's super easy to do the driver software is intuitive and provides a lot of flexibility for precise control of what each button does instead of navigating to your most used applications for example simply map them onto any of the programmable buttons for improved workflow there are really many options available for desktop and game use that definitely can improve the user experience so to summarize with the positives we think the best thing about the SQ FX is the user flexibility that allows key mapping and dual button assignments with this easy shift plus that even works really well with other compatible rut peripherals we have backlit keys that should be expected at this price point and rubber Dum switches are actually very satisfactory during gameplay now this keyboard would have been an amazing deal in addition to your gaming setup about 2 years ago before mechanical switches became the dominant feature in any gaming keyboard also we're not fans of its large size there are definitely Corners that could be chopped for a more compact design particularly the built-in armrest that creates blisters so there's really no way around that and priced at $100 the SQ effect is is a little pricey now there's no denying that easy shift plus and Rocka talk are features that are definitely useful so a mechanical version is soon to be available named Ros so perhaps wait around until that arrives so what do you guys think do you think rubber doome switches are dead or not leave your comments down below and we'll see you in the next onehey guys this is Dimitri and welcome back to another herx review now today we're going to take a look at the rockot iscu FX gaming keyboard which at $99 may be questionable considering it's not mechanical but let's first take a look at how it performs before making any conclusions now the first thing you notice is how large the keyboard is that's because the armrest is already built in and we have a relatively large bezel that will take up a lot of real estate on your desk now it may be what you're looking for but this is certainly not a compact peripheral the main coating is piano gloss which after use definitely shows fingerprints while the armrest has a more textured surface and uh because there's a slight Ridge between the built-in armrest and the body we experience discomfort while typing and I actually developed a blister which completely defeats the purpose of an armrest and the fact that you can't take it off might question your purchase now below the space bar is where you'll find three T buttons that are well within reach for your thumb and you can quickly adjust to using these buttons in game for faster response it is also very common to find M keys on gaming keyboard so iscu is certainly not lagging on that front with five M keys that you can either assign the macro or choose a variety of built-in functions in the software we have a total of five profiles that by default are switched using the T Keys below the space bar and we have plenty of multimedia controls in the center this keyboard is also back lid with many color options to choose from and we are happy to see brightness is uniform between the keys and that should be the expectation if you're paying $100 for a keyboard of course we have brightness variants and this breathing mode which looks pretty cool now it's not a mechanical keyboard but we were very surprised at how well it performed for typing and obviously gaming the keys aside from having standard rubber Dome switches have really fast bounce and response they almost feel like Cherry MX red switches but with a little less travel time but that's also partially because the keyboard is so low profile throughout our experience not once did we have any key jams which is very surprising for a non-mechanical keyboard of course the rubberdom switches regardless of how good they are are going to be a deal breaker especially because mechanical keyboards are very well priced however let's not give up hope for rock cat yet as the keyboard features what's called easy shift plus which allows secondary commands to be assigned to your M keys T Keys below the space bar and to this easy Zone which is an additional 20 buttons that can be accessed without problem using your thumb and your point finger so this really is a treat for MMO and strategy titles and really for users who can take advantage of this workflow Improvement feature the problem is the gaming profiles built into the driver software are a bit older and miss some of the most recent AAA titles but one extra Cherry is this rut talk feature that allows two compatible Ro devices in this case a mouse to be in sync with these secondary controls for example holding the easy shift button on the keyboard allows you to perform secondary commands on your mouse and vice versa now why is this useful considering you have to play around button assignments and record macros well because it's super easy to do the driver software is intuitive and provides a lot of flexibility for precise control of what each button does instead of navigating to your most used applications for example simply map them onto any of the programmable buttons for improved workflow there are really many options available for desktop and game use that definitely can improve the user experience so to summarize with the positives we think the best thing about the SQ FX is the user flexibility that allows key mapping and dual button assignments with this easy shift plus that even works really well with other compatible rut peripherals we have backlit keys that should be expected at this price point and rubber Dum switches are actually very satisfactory during gameplay now this keyboard would have been an amazing deal in addition to your gaming setup about 2 years ago before mechanical switches became the dominant feature in any gaming keyboard also we're not fans of its large size there are definitely Corners that could be chopped for a more compact design particularly the built-in armrest that creates blisters so there's really no way around that and priced at $100 the SQ effect is is a little pricey now there's no denying that easy shift plus and Rocka talk are features that are definitely useful so a mechanical version is soon to be available named Ros so perhaps wait around until that arrives so what do you guys think do you think rubber doome switches are dead or not leave your comments down below and we'll see you in the next one\n"