Roccat Vulcan II keyboard review: A disco ball you can type on

Price When Reviewed

$149.99

Best Prices Today: Roccat Vulcan II keyboard

The Roccat Vulcan line of keyboards is all about one factor: being really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. I known as the Vulcan II Mini the “shiniest little keyboard around,” however Roccat appears to have outdone itself with the brand new full-sized variant. The Vulcan II, notably within the white-on-aluminum colorway seen right here, is so gosh-darned fairly that it may make a Macbook Air jealous. 

Fortunately the keyboard’s charms don’t finish with its appears. Some respectable switches and extras, plus a value that’s a minimum of aggressive, signifies that its attraction is greater than skin-deep. The Vulcan II isn’t the very best gaming keyboard available on the market…however if you happen to’re in search of a method to bling up your battlestation, you may not care. 

Further studying: See our roundup of the best gaming keyboards to study competing merchandise.

Roccat Vulcan II: RGB splendor

The Vulcan II is so massive, so shiny, and so stunning it’s really distracting. Like the smaller model, it makes use of “floating” keycaps with minimal sidewalls that permit the ultra-bright RGB LEDs shine by means of. Combine that with the white tops, clear swap housings, the super-reflective brushed-aluminum deck, and the very best animation for lighting available on the market, and this keyboard is the one to purchase if you happen to’re nostalgic for laser mild exhibits at your native planetarium. 

(If you don’t know what a laser mild present is, ask your mother and father, after which get off my garden.) 

Everything in regards to the board is about as much as exhibit the lighting, and it doesn’t disappoint. I’m not simply speaking about pure lumens, both. Roccat’s boards even have the smoothest and most aesthetically interesting mild animations I’ve ever seen. By default the Vulcan II will gently transition between shades (lava lamp-style), but in addition react to particular person keypresses. Normally I disable this sort of factor, however the animations on this board are so fluid and so variable that I left them be. They’re that fairly. Even the standing indicators, illuminated slightly below the arrow cluster, look beautiful. 

What are the Roccat Vulcan II’s specs? 

So what else does the keyboard have going for it? Well, it’s a full-sized, 108-key format, so followers of the num pad shall be comfortable. It features a radial dial and devoted media keys simply above that, in essentially the most pure spot. Said dial may be very “clicky,” like an old style RCA TV channel selector (man, I’m actually exhibiting my age with this assessment), however may also be pressed in to activate mute by default. 

The keyboard features a wrist relaxation within the field, an all-too-rare characteristic for premium full-sized boards. It clicks into the principle board’s physique however has an unlucky tendency to sag within the center beneath intense typing. The appealingly textured backside (you, within the again, cease that guffawing) has plastic toes with only one stage, however are pretty high-profile for that. And the braided USB twine is, regrettably, mounted—an odd alternative when the less-expensive Vulcan II Mini’s is removable.

Michael Crider/Foundry

In phrases of pure gaming chops, the Vulcan II affords full N-key rollover, 1,000Hz polling (not nice when it comes to competitors, however admit it, you don’t have literal millisecond reflexes anyway), and onboard storage for as much as 4 profiles. Unfortunately you possibly can’t program it with out Roccat’s Swarm software program, which is unique to Windows. 

What’s it wish to sort and sport on the Roccat Vulcan II? 

Roccat’s floating keycaps take some getting used to. They’re ABS as a substitute of the extra premium PBT, which is starting to become standard even on midrange boards. But I’ll give the designers the advantage of the doubt and assume the fabric alternative is one more choice to make the Vulcan II as shiny as attainable. 

That mentioned, the keycaps have a flat profile that, mixed with the slick end, made my fingers slip round a bit for the primary few days. I used to be in a position to modify, however this keyboard positively takes just a little getting used to, and I can’t assist however really feel just like the keycaps are undermining the gaming focus a bit. Of course, nothing stops you from changing the keycaps with a set of standard ones…except for the tears of the engineers who spent a lot time making this keyboard a disco ball you possibly can sort on. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

Strangely, the Vulcan II does not get the customized optical switches featured on the Vulcan II Mini, the brand new II Mini Air, and the by some means even shinier Vulcan II Max. Instead it has to make do with the marginally less-fancy commonplace switches, which actuate with old style electrical contacts. It’s an odd omission that makes this keyboard the least superior in Roccat’s whole line…however it’s additionally far cheaper than the equally sized Max, so I’m inclined to be forgiving. 

The linear switches on my assessment unit are serviceable, if nothing particular. With the contacts on the actuation level they’re noticeably “bumpier” than the optical switches of the Vulcan II Mini, however nonetheless pretty premium with a much less chattery sound and press. The corridor impact (the partitions on the facet of the stem) additionally lend just a little extra stability that the floating keycaps take away from the opposite Vulcan boards. Roccat says these “Titan II Red” switches come pre-lubed, and certainly they’re fairly easy, however not as good because the super-fancy Kailh switches within the Keydous NJ80-AP. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

Despite being commonplace mechanical, the keyboard’s switches aren’t hot-swap, so you possibly can’t exchange them. But once more, if you happen to’re shopping for this board for the sunshine present, that’s most likely not a deal-breaker. All issues thought of, I’ve to ding the keyboard for going with commonplace as a substitute of optical switches, because it’s branded as a gaming board.

Roccat Vulcan II software program 

Roccat Swarm is pretty middle-of-the-road so far as gaming software program goes. On the one hand, it’s utilizing the ultra-dark coloration scheme all of them appear to favor that makes every part twice as exhausting to seek out because it must be. On the opposite hand, it’s not trying to get me to use coupons. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

Swarm does have essentially the most annoying characteristic I’ve ever seen in certainly one of these: the power so as to add software program sounds to every key press. If you’re employed in an workplace and genuinely detest your coworkers, purchase a Roccat keyboard and set it to play Star Wars pew-pew laser noise by means of your PC audio system each time you hit a key. If you possibly can sort 100 phrases per minute, somebody will try and homicide you by lunch, assured. But this “feature” is disabled by default, so any hurt it does is fully on you. 

The software program does advantageous at managing customized bindings and macros, although as soon as once more, you possibly can’t re-bind the f’n Fn button (or the left Windows key, weirdly). By default, Caps Lock prompts “Easy Shift,” which is basically a second operate layer. Roccat makes a giant deal out of this, however since VIA and QMK have been doing it for years, you possibly can coloration me unimpressed. Yes, you possibly can set it again to Caps Lock if you would like, however not the rest. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

The lighting part affords a collection of pre-programmed choices, that are all beautiful and way more fluid than the same old fare. But some are, frankly, overwhelming. I dare you to set the keyboard to “Ripple,” watch a full mild present activate with every key press, and have the ability to get work performed. But they’re simple to each apply and customise, and you’ll totally program your personal if that’s what you need. All in all, not unhealthy, particularly contemplating how light-focused many patrons shall be. 

Should you purchase the Roccat Vulcan II?

At $150 the Vulcan II ain’t low cost, particularly for a board that foregoes some premium options like ultra-fancy switches, hot-swapping, or inner sound dampening. There are additionally some corners lower when it comes to supplies, just like the mounted USB cable and a considerably plasticky construct, which might’t be overcome by the admittedly good inclusion of the wrist relaxation. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

But even at this excessive value, it’s not the most costly wired-only board round — the Razer BlackWidow V4 is $80 more with none big technical benefits except for ridiculously fast polling, for instance. Corsair needs $200 for the Okay95 RGB Platinum SE, and its solely benefit is 5 further keys. Both these keyboards provide a greater match and end, however not by such an enormous margin that they will justify the upper value on that alone.

If you’re within the Vulcan II, you need it for the insanely flashy mild present it’s offering. I suppose that’s a advice.