How vital is it to you that your keyboard be shiny? I imply actually, actually shiny, like, used as a backup desk lamp, or a warning mild for rocky seashores, or a navigation assist for holiday-themed flying sleds? If you need a keyboard so unbelievably vivid that it’d simply outshine your monitor, the Vulcan II Mini is the one for you. 

Not solely does this keyboard characteristic two LED lights beneath each clear key change, for a clean and super-bright lighting impact. Not solely does it have keycaps that chop off many of the backside portion, all the higher to see these twinkly lights. No, this keyboard is actually powered by mild, or not less than its working mechanism is: Every certainly one of its 67 keys makes use of a super-fast optical change. 

Frankly, all of the lighting methods on the planet wouldn’t make a keyboard price $150, even with fancy change tech. It’s a horrible worth…however it’s not thus far faraway from the competitors that it’s past the pale. So the Vulcan II Mini will get sufficient proper, and makes few sufficient errors, that it’s price contemplating in case you care extra concerning the bling than the bucks. 

Price When Reviewed

$150

Best Prices Today: Vulcan II Mini

The colours, Duke! The colours! 

The Vulcan II Mini is a 65% wired gaming keyboard, with linear “red” optical switches, a principally plastic construct, and a sensible, compact format. But we’ll get to all of that in a minute. If you’re studying this evaluate after casually recognizing the keyboard’s advertising blurbs, you wish to find out about them lights. Well right here they’re. 

The keyboard makes use of a number of methods to make it the completely brightest and most blinged-out board within the neighborhood. Perhaps most blatant is its customized keycaps. The “floating” backlit caps actually chop off many of the plastic sidewalls you see on comparable mechanical keyboard designs. To Roccat’s credit score, this doesn’t seem to have an effect on their stability or tactile really feel in any respect, a powerful feat. On the draw back, they’re quite low cost ABS plastic with a slippery end, which actually isn’t acceptable on a keyboard this expensive. 

Next, the switches themselves are utterly clear: The solely opaque aspect is their crimson stems. This is one thing we’ve seen on a couple of comparable designs. Lastly and most significantly, every change sits on prime of two—depend ’em, TWO!—LEDs, prime and backside. Not solely does this imply double the brightness of most mechanical keyboards (even earlier than the clear switches and fancy keycaps), it implies that the lighting animation you’ll be able to arrange within the software program is twice as fluid. Transitions from one shade to the opposite, or reactive bits of twinkling beneath your fingers, are doubly clean. 

Michael Crider/IDG

Does this assist you in any sort of sensible approach? Absolutely not! But it positive is fairly. All these design selections include primarily zero drawbacks, too, so regardless that I’m not a fan of RGB I’m inclined to forgive them. The solely subject I bumped into was an inclination for the lip of the spacebar to get caught on my thumb, forcing me to push it again down often. The Vulcan II Mini makes use of a semi-standard format (solely the correct Shift key’s a non-standard measurement, and even that’s straightforward sufficient to search out as of late), so that you’re welcome so as to add your personal keycaps in case you should. 

Slick software program that doesn’t do sufficient

Of course, for the true RGB connoisseur, the lights themselves are solely half of the equation. You want a driver package deal that may customise them to your coronary heart’s content material. The Swarm system consists of the standard per-key programming and a handful of pre-built animations, with entry to per-game profiles in addition. 

Michael Crider/IDG

But it additionally consists of compatibility with the older Alienware AlienFX system, in case you occur to have a mouse or monitor from Dell’s gaming sub-brand to pair it with. But wait, as the salesperson says, that’s not all. Swarm may also sync keyboard lights with the colours that seem in your display, creating a stunning, reactive mild present that truly adjustments primarily based in your sport. It calls this instrument TalkFX. 

There’s only one downside. Neither AlienFX nor TalkFX are literally suitable with the Vulcan II Mini, regardless of being closely featured within the newest construct of the Roccat Swarm software program. In reality, trying on the listing of suitable keyboards, it seems none of the boards presently bought by Roccat are suitable with both of them. That leaves the Vulcan II Mini with a pleasant however quite stale assortment of animations and lighting methods, and bereft of the more moderen customized sport lighting profiles and good residence sync seen in a number of the competitors. 

Michael Crider/IDG

It additionally means I wasted two paragraphs of my evaluate describing options this keyboard doesn’t have. Oops. Normally solely primary lighting choices isn’t sufficient to sway me when judging a keyboard, however one so finely centered on the sunshine present ought to have supplied extra consumer decisions. 

Typing and gaming 

I’m quite choosy in relation to my keyboards, and the ultra-light, ultra-fast switches favored by avid gamers often don’t agree with me. Which is why I used to be stunned to search out that the linear switches on the Vulcan II Mini are literally actually good! They’re stiffer and springier than normal, which helps make up for the truth that you’ll be able to’t change them out for various Cherry MX-based designs.

But the rationale you’ll be able to’t swap out the switches is that they’re Roccat’s semi-proprietary Titan II Optical design. (I’m betting these are borrowed from Gateron, however I can’t show it.) Red is the one selection, although Roccat makes them in a tactile Brown for another latest keyboards. 

Michael Crider/IDG

That’s okay: These 45-gram keys are surprisingly clean and satisfying, permitting me to immediately acclimate myself even with the slick keycaps. They appear to have achieved corridor impact smoothness (see Kailh’s BOX collection for an instance) with solely a regular cross stem. The 1000Hz polling fee isn’t adjustable, however with a wired design, there’s no motive for it to be. The board is able to 100% key rollover, for you APM-counting technique sport followers on the market. 

The format is the standard 65%—that’s to say, a teeny-tiny physique that provides an additional column of keys on the correct as a way to higher accommodate a full arrow cluster. That takes care of many of the studying curve, together with a devoted Delete key in simply the correct spot. 

Michael Crider/IDG

The software program doesn’t will let you transfer the Fn key, which is one of my pet peeves, however it issues lots much less right here than on a extra restrictive 60% format. All the remainder of the keys can be found for reprogramming, macros, and 5 totally different program or sport auto-profiles, with an choice to retailer some on the keyboard’s reminiscence itself. Swarm is lower than intuitive, going for a grey-on-black “gamer” look that’s laborious on my eyes, however it’s straightforward sufficient to determine in case you’re used to those flashy driver packages.

Build and portability 

The Vulcan II Mini is shockingly mild at simply 17.6 ounces, mild sufficient to neglect that you just’re carrying it in a backpack. While it’s not absolutely the lightest board available on the market, it’s really easy to maneuver round that you just’re unlikely to separate hairs. Despite the sunshine weight it nonetheless manages to make use of an aluminum major deck and embody double-stage keyboard toes for consolation, a pleasant contact. 

Michael Crider/IDG

I’m much less thrilled concerning the center-mounted USB-C port. While it’s all the time good to have a removable choice, there’s no approach to route the cable to the correct or left, and its deeply recessed cavity implies that some USB-C cables received’t match. Don’t lose the one within the field. 

I’d have appreciated to have seen a wrist relaxation choice, particularly contemplating the Aurora Borealis-style relaxation included with the full-sized Vulcan II Max design. Again, that’s an unlucky omission on the value, however I suppose it’s one much less factor to lose in your journey to the LAN get together. 

Conclusion 

The Vulcan II Mini is a cushty and super-portable compact gaming keyboard, with a sensible format and bearable, if not gratifying, software program. The eye-popping mild present of its double LED setup, full with purpose-built keycaps and optical switches, would have been much more spectacular if it may tie in with the Wi-Fi-connected lamps in my workplace. 

At $150, you’re paying lots for these lights that solely sync with different Roccat {hardware}. Razer’s comparable optical-powered Huntsman Mini is $20 cheaper, albeit with out the way more usable 65% format, and Corsair’s K65 RGB Mini is $40 cheaper, ditto. Similar affords from Glorious and Keychron supply higher programming and customization for much less. 

Michael Crider/IDG

So the Vulcan II Mini, regardless of some excessive factors in construct and design, is difficult to advocate in pure operate at its value level. But in case you’re prepared to pay additional for these admittedly fairly lights, and don’t thoughts the shortage of flexibility in the way you present them off, it’d simply be well worth the splurge.