ASUS RoG STRIX Scope Keyboard Review

Performance

As I said before, the keyboard features Cherry MX Switches. More specifically on this keyboard, we have the fantastic Cherry MX Red, a long-standing favourite with the gaming community, but also just general great all round for work too. If you’ve used them before, they’re exactly how you would expect. What matters here is the keyboard is nicely weighted and rigid thanks to aluminium top panel. This setup means less feedback through the keyboard, making the switches feel independent and responsive.

The RGB on the keyboard is very bright at the maximum setting, and I love it! The colours are extremely vivid and rich. Plus, with a range of effects, such as this trippy rainbow fade, you can really go to town with the per-key lighting. For reviews, rainbow looks fantastic. However, if this was my keyboard I’d set a single colour and just leave it fixed, but that’s the joy of RGB, you have that freedom.

When it comes to working in a bright room, like I am today, the keyboard still looks very bright. This is great, as many RGB keyboards look washed out in the day time, but not this one. In the dark, it’ll illuminate your desktop nicely too. Too bright? You can quickly dim them a little if desired, or turn them off completely with just a couple of keystrokes.

Stunning Lighting

The keycaps do not bottom out on the chassis, and the switches are slightly raised too. This means that not only are the keycaps illuminated, but you also get a strong under-lighting effect too that really fills in the gaps. Of course, the diffusion on that aluminium looks superb too, rather than just being shiny and reflective like some plastic topped keyboards.

The slim bezel means the light even reflects down on my desktop. It’s like a neon street next to a river effect, and very cool indeed.

N-Key and Anti-Ghosting

When it comes to working, this keyboard is no slouch. The full N-Key and Anti-ghosting means you can really blast through those keystrokes with absolute confidence. It’ll never miss a beat, and if it ever does, I’ll eat my own hat. The fast MX Red switches make light work for touch typing, and are easy going for those long gaming sessions too.

While not really needed, those extra keycaps do look superb though. It’s a great way to flex you FPS credentials and show people this is for gaming, not just another office donkey. That being said, at a glance, you can confidently find the WASD, although I can’t say I’ve ever struggled to remember where they are instinctively.

CTRL

Taking CTRL is a big deal for FPS gaming. With this oversized CTRL key, your little finger will find its mark with ease. It’s a subtle and small difference, but it does add up. What’s more, the CTRL key is double stabilised with two support arms, so it doesn’t rock as much, making it easier to really mash away at it while gaming.

With this keyboard landing on my desk the day Borderlands GOTY 4K update was launched, the timing couldn’t be better. Between the RGB lighting, custom keycaps, the big CTRL button, and those great ergonomics, I couldn’t have found a better gaming and keyboard combo to entertain me this week.