Second only to the power supply, the keyboard is one of the most undervalued and underappreciated components of any desktop gaming setup. Not as flashy as a GPU, not as sexy as a mouse, and yet it’s the input device that we use the most. While console games might scoff at its button layout, its clicky keys, and its unwieldy size, a good keyboard can literally be the difference between life and death (at least virtually).
Over the years, several players have come and gone in the keyboard space. Microsoft, which used to dominate the keyboard landscape with its unusual, yet exceptionally comfortable Natural Keyboard, has now become only a passing thought with the arrival of gaming competitors like Logitech, Razer, and today’s special guest Roccat.
For those who aren’t familiar, Turtle Beach acquired Roccat back in 2019, looking to expand on their amazing sound card and headset lineup with gaming peripherals to take it to the next level. Many in the gaming space were already familiar with Roccat, a German company known for its already popular gaming mice and keyboards. This looked like a match made in heaven, with Turtle Beach keeping the brand name with their headsets, and Roccat keeping the brand recognition of their gaming peripherals.
I was thankful to be given the opportunity to review their flagship keyboard, the Roccat Vulcan II Max Full-size wired keyboard. Now I’ll admit, I’ve always been a full-size keyboard person. While I do have a couple of smaller keyboards, which I use from time to time, when it comes to gaming, I prefer the functionality and versatility that a full-size keyboard delivers.
I appreciate extra macro buttons, a full set of function keys, and the numpad. Plus, since I use my gaming PC as my all-around PC at home as well, it just makes the most sense.
The Vulcan II Max retails for $229.99 USD, it comes standard with optical switches with “ultra-fast linear actuation”. Each one rated at over 200 million keypresses, ensuring you’ll be ready to move on to another keyboard long before the keys themselves wear out. It offers 24 smart keys with dedicated LEDs that offer secondary key functions when activated (more on this later).
It has three dedicated media keys (rewind, play/pause, and fast forward) as well as a tactile knob for volume control. It has the push-to-mute function, which has become a standard for a while and is always a welcome addition. The volume control knob is the perfect size; it’s easy to find in a dark room when things get a bit too loud for those sleeping.
The Vulcan II Max has an anodized aluminum top plate, but the overall construction is still a very heavy plastic. While I personally would have preferred an all-aluminum keyboard shell, it offers a mix of class and functionality. That’s not to say that this keyboard is heavy, though; it weighs slightly less than 2.5 pounds but has large rubber pads underneath it that prevent it from moving around. It also has a set of feet that flip out and offer three levels of tilt adjustment. These also have rubber pads on them, which prevent the keyboard from moving around.
The Vulcan II Max comes with two variations of optical switches. The red, which are linear and the quietest option, and the brown, which are labeled as tactile. My review edition came with the red switches, which still provided a responsive and “clicky” feel, but were much quieter than traditional mechanical keyboards. They are a bit quieter than my Razer Huntsman Elite, but still provide a very satisfying sound when depressed.
While the key caps themselves are made of ABS plastic (which I know some keyboard enthusiasts may sound like a deal breaker) they are compatible with third-party cross-mounted keycaps, so can be customized to your heart’s desire.
The keyboard has a six-foot braided cable with two USB-A connectors. While you can certainly use the keyboard with just one plugged in, both are recommended for the incredible light show that the AIMO lighting can pull off. There is no USB passthrough on the keyboard itself, which is something that many of my previous keyboards included, but I frankly never used anyway.
The wrist rest is made of translucent silicon and is easily removable if you so desire (or need the extra space on your desk). My daily driver before this keyboard was a Razer that had the leather-like wrist pad, but I honestly prefer this more. It provides enough support and is far easier to keep clean. Your comfort mileage may vary depending on what your preferences are in a wrist rest. It also sits a bit lower than the one I was used to, which might take a little getting used to. Overall, for me, though, I’m impressed with the feel and comfort. If you prefer not to use it, though, it’s held in with several tabs. It provides for excellent visual effects; however, if you prefer to remove it, you will still have a colorful display on your desk. It does allow for some incredible visual effects when it’s attached.
The lighting of the keyboard is what really sets it apart from the competition. The keymapping and lighting settings are being adjusted in the Roccat Swarm software.
This was my first time using Swarm software, and I think my biggest complaint was finding where to download it. I spent probably 10 minutes on Turtle Beach’s website before finally using Google to locate it. For those who are familiar with it (and Turtle Beach’s other offerings), it might be easier to find, but for me, that was my biggest complaint. The software allows for a range of options and color choices, and allows for creating your own lighting effects. The keyboard allows for single-key illumination and AIMO, a lighting system that adapts the lighting automatically for you. Thankfully, whether you love or hate Roccat Swarm, once you get the settings you prefer, you can save them to one of the five onboard memory profiles that are available.
One of the most innovative designs on the Vulcan II Max is the use of the dual LED “Smart Keys” that provide even more information via the keyboard. For example, there are performance monitoring keys that change color based on CPU, GPU, Memory, and battery statuses. Other keys are dedicated to streaming, profile controls, communication, etc. These can be customized to suit your needs.
The Vulcan II Max keyboard is my new favorite keyboard. It feels like a premium keyboard, which it should, given the price. The lighting effects are best in class, and if RGB is your thing, then this is the keyboard you should be looking for. The linear optical switches are responsive and perfect for casual use or hardcore gaming action. While the keycaps won’t appeal to everyone, the fact that they are interchangeable is a bonus. For those in the market for a new premium gaming keyboard,d you can’t go wrong with the Vulcan II Max.
What I like: RGB lighting effects, responsive key switches, sound
What I liked less: Swarm software can be hard to locate and overwhelming at first
4.5 out of 5 stars
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