ASUS ROG Falcata Gaming Keyboard Review - Gaming Excellence

TweakTown Rating: 91%

Our Verdict

The ASUS ROG Falcata Gaming Keyboard delivers one of the most feature-packed and impressive magnetic keyboard designs we've seen to date, with the unique split design built for competitive gamers that only need their trusty WASD keys.

Pros

• Impressive magnetic switches
• Innovative split design built for PC gaming
• On-the-fly Rapid Trigger, Speed Tap, and actuation point adjustment
• ASUS's new web-based Gear Link tool for customization

Cons

• The scroll wheel is a bit small and stiff
• Ergonomics suffers a bit without a foam wrist rest option
• Pricey

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

There are several reasons why the new ROG Falcata Gaming Keyboard might be the ultimate keyboard for gamers. With a price point sitting at $420, this is good news, because if you're willing to spend that much on a gaming keyboard, it had better be, well, better than good or even great. When we first saw the ROG Falcata at Computex earlier this year, the split design immediately grabbed our attention. However, even though it can be angled and positioned to achieve a wrist position that makes it more ergonomic than a standard keyboard, the ROG Falcata is primarily about delivering premium gaming features.

With ASUS's latest ROG HFX V2 Magnetic Switches, you're looking at a Hall Effect keyboard with adjustable switches, and support for features like Rapid Trigger, Speed Tap, and the ability to assign up to four different functions to a single keystroke. When it comes to competitive gaming, namely shooters like Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, PUBG, Overwatch 2, Delta Force, and Call of Duty, the versatility of customizable magnetic switches has made Hall Effect keyboards highly sought after, even for those who wouldn't consider themselves hardcore gamers.

What surprised us the most after spending a few weeks with the ROG Falcata wasn't its unique split keyboard design, but the combination of ASUS's new switches with the underlying hardware and multiple layers of dampening that make it one of the best-feeling and sounding magnetic keyboards on the market. Hall Effect keyboards are often more expensive than their traditional mechanical counterparts, for good reason. Still, there's an argument to be made for the feel, acoustics, and responsiveness you get from a traditional linear mechanical switch.

And it's this attention to detail that can be found throughout the ROG Falcata's design, from the dedicated switch that lets you enable or disable Rapid Trigger to the on-board dial supporting on-the-fly actuation point adjustment in increments of 0.01mm. Let's dig in.

Specifications & Close Up

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Design & Software

Design

The ROG Falcata Gaming Keyboard ships with some assembly and may require trial and error to find the ideal orientation and height. With eight keyboard feet available in two different heights and metal plates that you need to screw in for the silicon wrist rests, not to mention the split design, there's a lot of versatility here outside of the ability to 'join' the two halves for a more traditional keyboard layout. But once you do find that perfect setup, there's a definite layer of ergonomics here, even though the Falcata isn't being marketed as an ergonomic keyboard.

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The main reason for the split design, and everything else about the ROG Falcata, for that matter, is that it's there for 'gaming performance.' If you've ever watched a competitive shooter played at the pro level, you might have noticed that some players put their compact TKL keyboards at an almost 45-degree angle for more ergonomic wrist positioning and the added bonus of more room for mouse movement. With the ROG Falcata, you can disconnect the right half of the keyboard when playing a shooter and only use the half that has the all-important WASD keys.

The overall build quality is definitely premium, and up there with the fantastic ROG Azoth Extreme keyboard from last year. However, with the left half of the keyboard serving as the 'command center' of sorts, this is where you'll find the add-on controls that aren't your standard keys. For the ROG Falcata, everything from volume control, media controls, lighting, actuation point, and even Rapid Trigger sensitivity is handled by a single mode-switch button and a horizontally scrolling dial (that also has an in-built button). It's an intuitive setup, and the addition of LED indicators is a nice touch; however, the dial size feels a bit small. Additionally, it's a bit stiff, so the step-based adjustment can feel slightly imprecise for specific tasks, such as volume adjustment.

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The ROG Falcata is versatile, supporting low-latency wireless, wired, and Bluetooth connections for multiple devices. The wireless and wired modes support 8K or an 8,000 Hz Polling Rate for premium gaming performance, and there's even the option to limit the 8K polling to the WASD keys for competitive gaming using the 'Zone' mode, which helps extend battery life. Underneath the hood is where you'll find the fantastic ROG HFX V2 Magnetic Switches. When you pair this with multiple silicone foam layers and PORON pads for the switches and dampening, you've got one of the best-feeling magnetic keyboards we've tested to date. The keycaps, too, feel great, and there's absolutely no rattle to be found even with the keys located at the split point.

Software

With the ROG Falcata, ASUS is moving away from its Armoury Crate app to its new web-based Gear Link portal for all customization. The move to web-based configuration is something many peripheral makers have been implementing lately, and it's a welcome one, as it means you no longer need to install a dedicated piece of software. The layout is straightforward to navigate, and you've got separate key binding settings for standard remapping and secondary function assignments. You can also adjust the Dynamic Keystroke settings on a per-key basis for assigning multiple functions to a keystroke based on the actuation point or travel distance.

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There's also a dedicated section for actuation point adjustments, which can be changed globally or on a per-key basis. And as a Hall Effect keyboard with a focus on gaming, there's detailed Rapid Trigger and Speed Tap customization that lets you adjust various sensitivity and other parameters. It's in-depth stuff, and the level of control you have over how these features and the switches perform is commendable. ASUS even adds a switch calibration tool, which provides an additional layer of control to ensure peak performance and prevent issues or deviations when making precise sub-millimeter adjustments.

Rounding out the Gear Link options, you can enable or disable the various wheel functions and the ability to create a custom mode where you've got control over the scroll up, down, and click settings. Rounding out the gaming-focused customization, you can also make changes to the Zone mode, which is the gaming mode that limits the 8K polling to standard gaming-related keys. This is one of those features that helps set the ROG Falcata apart from the pack, contributing to its status as a premium and feature-packed gaming keyboard.

Gaming Performance and Productivity

Gaming Performance

One of the great features of the ROG Falcata is the ability to change the global actuation point for all keys on the fly using the scroll wheel, which gives you a clear visual indicator for when you pass the 2mm marks. A low actuation point, paired with a 32g initial force, makes the ROG Falcata incredibly fast for competitive gamers, offering a light and rapid touch. There are also on-the-fly controls for Rapid Trigger and Speed Tap settings, and being able to find the right combination when we fired up Call of Duty was fantastic.

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Now, the way the left half of the ROG Falcata connects to the right half is via a proprietary link cable that looks like a USB-C cable. ASUS packs two in the box, one super short and the other a bit longer. One of our initial concerns with the design was whether there would be any noticeable latency difference between the two halves, especially in 8K mode. After playing titles like Call of Duty and DOOM: The Dark Ages, it's safe to say that the performance is flawless, and it was also cool to be able to disconnect one half of the keyboard entirely for that pure gaming mode.

Productivity

As a TKL keyboard with a 75% layout, the spacing and key separation are great for both gaming and productivity. As established, the ROG Falcata is designed for gaming performance; however, its split design and versatile feet and height options also allow for a more ergonomic layout for typing. Essentially, being able to position things so that your wrists are straight, as opposed to being constantly angled, is beneficial for long typing sessions. However, the silicon wrist rests don't really support your wrists in the same way a foam wrist rest would, so there is a downside to the ergonomic capabilities of the ROG Falcata. On the plus side, the adjustable switches are also fantastic for productivity, as they provide fine-grained control over setting the perfect typing settings.

Keyboard Click Sound Level

To test a keyboard's overall sound level, we use the Ozito Digital Sound Level Meter, capturing the sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" multiple times and recording the maximum dB level. This indicates how "loud" the switches used are for everyday usage. The following chart showcases where the ROG Falcata Gaming Keyboard sits.

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Final Thoughts

ASUS has created something truly impressive with its ROG Falcata gaming keyboard. Its split design and long list of gaming-focused features make it one of the most versatile, responsive, and best-feeling Hall Effect keyboards on the market. The acoustics are also right up there, and with the multiple layers of foam, stabilizers, and premium sensors, you'd be hard-pressed to find another keyboard that delivers this level of performance. Additionally, the split design and various height and angle options add a layer of ergonomics to the simple act of jumping into a competitive game for a few rounds.

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It's not perfect, and it is expensive, which means that if you're not going to be taking advantage of the adjustable magnetic switches and features like Rapid Trigger and Speed Tap, you're better off looking elsewhere. Additionally, after several hours of testing and usage, we found the horizontal scroll wheel to be slightly too small and stiff. This isn't a deal breaker, and the wheel's functionality covers all of the keyboard's gaming-focused features. Plus, the arrival of Gear Link means that you no longer need to install and fire up Armoury Crate for customization. All in all, ASUS's new ROG Falcata gaming keyboard is another impressive premium offering from the company, and has quickly become one of the best Hall Effect boards of the year.