Roccat Vulcan

 

Roccat Vulcan II Mini mechanical keyboard assessment: Is this too much RGB?

Dual-LEDs deliver you every color of the rainbow all of a sudden.

Mechanical keyboards began as a niche preference for the highly obsessed, who wanted to customize their revel at each degree. These days, there are many approachable alternatives for clicky-clacky modular keys and switches with less DIY knowledge. In addition, space-saving often comes hand-in-hand with mechanical keyboards, pushing the limits of how small you may get before lacking keys become too inconvenient.

Roccat looks to amplify its massive variety with the new Vulcan II Mini, a sixty five% form mechanical keyboard loaded with RGB lighting and customizable components. So naturally, there is competition attractive to the identical target market, and Roccat has inspired me with its mice in the beyond. I spent a week with this compact keyboard to see how it plays under severe gaming and considerable typing for our Roccat Vulcan II Mini review.

Roccat sells the Vulcan II Mini mechanical gaming keyboard on its reputable store and via 0.33-celebration shops, which includes Amazon and Best Buy, for a $one hundred fifty MSRP. Available in black or white, it comes with a removable USB-C cable.

Today's satisfactory Roccat Vulcan II Mini offers

My first impressions of the Vulcan II Mini were correct, remarking on its compact form factor regardless of being only five% larger than my standard 60% keyboard. I've ended up so used to hitting a characteristic button to get admission to arrow keys that this became a welcome return of a devoted set. The crystal switches are visible from any perspective, with Roccat's default keycaps hovering just above, leaving masses of area for the RGB lighting fixtures to polish thru.

Above the standard left-shift key, occupying the equal space as the standard caps lock is the smooth-shift[+] key. Anyone acquainted with Roccat's mice, just like the Kone XP Air, will know it opens up an additional layer of programmable keys while using its recreation mode, all described in the similar Swarm app. I'll get into the specifics later, however, for the maximum component, the layout on the Vulcan II Mini is pretty standard, and the braided cable is excellent and lightweight for easy control.

A single vertical row with widespread keys like a web page up and down along the proper aspect. The return key's double-wide, however not so tall, which took a bit being used to but having a dedicated delete key is a worth exchange-off. A quick typing look showed the Titan II optical switches to have a smooth, linear action, just as you would count on from any crimson-fashion variant.

Naturally, the number one appeal to Vulcan II Mini is the dual-LEDs nested interior of every switch. They help with highlighting secondary features like controlling tune playback, and it is something I must applaud. However, one of my principal lawsuits with different RGB-backlit keyboards is that the specific capabilities of a few keys are usually painted on and cannot be seen in the dark.

It might seem minor, but having every function illuminated with dual LEDs is a fantastic convenience.

Using the Vulcan II Mini at night offered me the splendid-colorful switches because I did not need a lamp to parent out wherein the quantity controls have been. I ought to mute my games quickly for the duration of interruptions.

Some simple excellent existence enhancements come with the RGB, like a separate icon for caps lock activation, stopping any guesswork throughout typing and separating it from easy-shift. It may appear minor; however, having every characteristic illuminated using dual-LEDs is a remarkable convenience and a significant development over many options I've used.

If you want to match up your peripherals, the AIMO smart lighting device in Roccat's Swarm software program can synchronize the colors of Roccat mice and keyboards. As a result, it looks first-rate on my desk, even supposing I occasionally get remarks about the intense amount of rainbow lighting fixtures blasting out of the workplace.

The Swarm app can assist with OS-specific instructions, too. For example, you can create a simple macro if you want a keyboard shortcut to sleep, hibernate, or close down your PC without urgently using a twist of fate. Using the clean-shift key allowed me to install shortcuts to beginning familiar places in Windows, like my downloads folder, but I will admit to frequently forgetting which keys they had been assigned.

Like any software program-better keyboard, the maximum of the gaining knowledge of method is simply repetition. Although some of the maximum not unusual shortcuts are in unique places from what I'm familiar with, it does not take too long to become familiar with the Vulcan II Mini.

The Vulcan II Mini does plenty right, but Roccat has made a few curious design selections to prevent it from becoming my daily motive force. Packaging it with compact keycaps to expose the lovely twin-LED switches is comprehensible. However, the gaps between each key have allowed dirt to accumulate slightly every week.

Underneath the spacebar is a spacious location because there may be the best switch to balance on, and it measures the width of six standard keys. But, of course, any mechanical keyboard proprietor will realize that cleansing is par for the direction. Still, there may be much greater visibility beneath the keys from the user's angle, and a few might discover it too marvelous.

A sleek plastic end on the default keycaps feels too slick for my liking, even though it doesn't reason an excessive amount of slipping during gaming. Luckily, the Titan II switches use a fashionable go-form fitting, so you should use any replacements you like—keycaps from the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini slot into the Vulcan II Mini, for instance. The easy caps aren't enough trouble to cause good-sized problems; they may be greater of a user desire. However, it's worth thinking about.

The folding stands create too shallow of an angle, even with a -step desire for peak. Even at its max placing, the Vulcan II Mini is barely elevated off a table, which could be argued is higher for ergonomics but feels too low. It's possible some other function that might take a few to be used to; however, even all through my closing day with the keyboard, I couldn't stand the overall flat feeling.

Setting up macro shortcuts in Roccat's Swarm software program is probably complicated for beginners.

Compared to Roccat mice, the function set for the Vulcan II Mini inside the Swarm app is quite overly complicated in a few regions and surprisingly missing in others.

Although it is easy to modify the illumination putting, and there are some stunning animated results, putting in macro shortcuts might be a little elaborate for beginners. A loss of location selection is disappointing, too, specifically for a keyboard that permits you to replace any keycap you want. Finally, switching to specific keyboard areas without using Windows' control panel is sorely missed here.

While I prefer Swarm over a few competing accomplice apps, it can be progressed with an easy introductory educational all-through setup, especially while understanding how its game mode can disable positive Windows-centric OS instructions. There are many opportunities for streamlining your gaming enjoyment. First, however, you'll need staying power.

The most confusing addition to the app is the selection to enable a barely behind-schedule fake sound feedback performed through your headphones or audio system on top of the audible keys. For example, selecting 'beam' appears like you are inside a retro arcade cupboard, with obnoxious laser blasts firing with every keystroke. I turned, baffled, trying to recognize who might want to notice this awful noise for hours.