Product: Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO
Type: Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
Price: $289.95 AUD
Availability: Out Now
Link: en.roccat.org/Keyboards/Vulcan-120-AIMO

Last year Turtle Beach finalised its acquisition of German company and maker of many a fine peripheral - the highly respected Roccat. Having cut its PC teeth in the world of esports, creating input and audio tools for pro gamers at a time when only a few were doing just that, Roccat quickly became associated with quality across the all-important factors of performance and build. And so, this acquisition was good news in that it sees the Roccat line-up continue unimpeded. Except that with a wider reach, Roccat can extend its international arm a little further by bringing more of its peripherals to our shores.

And if this is your first taste of Roccat, well, prepare your palate for the sort of fine-wine reserved for black-tie affairs as the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO is without a doubt one of the best mechanical keyboards available today. And sure, it has the price to match its premium aluminium build and stylish look and feel – but that’s bolstered by the truly excellent feel that comes from Roccat’s own impressive Titan Switch. Where a low actuation point and swift travel distance can lead one to the promise land. That is, exceptional movement in the sort of game where strafing to avoid being hit happens whilst you're trying to line-up the perfect shot.

Press Any Key

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The low-profile floating-key design is what you would call “in right now”, much like how parachute pants were big in the 1990s. That is, a mostly minimal approach to keyboard design were the form supports the function and lets the per-key RGB lighting handle the sizzle. Parachute pants on the other hand, were anything but minimal. Ahem. Anyway, even though the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO’s design is minimal it is a thing of beauty. The brushed anodized aluminium plate is not only sturdy in the ‘try and bend me’ stakes but it contrasts perfectly with the black shell and the matte black keys. Plus, little touches like being able to see a few of the screws on the top plate adds style the more welcome elements like a volume dial and mute button. Sadly, the lack of a play/pause button combo can be felt.

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"If this is your first taste of Roccat, well, prepare your palate for the sort of fine-wine reserved for black-tie affairs as the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO is without a doubt one of the best mechanical keyboards available today.”

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Where the first bit of impressive design arrives come with the keys themselves, even though they are of the floating and hovering variety each Titan Switch features dust-resistant housing which pretty much eliminates the problem of dust accumulation found in this style of mechanical keyboard. Best of all this housing and the firm but thin key-caps don’t diminish the quality and intensity of the RGB lighting in the slightest. In fact, one of the first things we did was tone down the brightness (via the Roccat Swarm software) from 100% down to about 30% - and still got a prominent but not retina-melting glow.

Type Cast

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Switch Type: Titan Switches (Roccat)

LED Color: RGB

Cable: Wired (USB)

Dimensions: 23.5 x 46.2 x 3.2 cm

Product Weight: 1150 grams

Features: AIMO lighting engine, 1.8mm actuation point (tactile, silent), 3.6mm switch travel distance, 512kb integrated macro & settings memory

Where the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO goes from great to, err, even greater comes with the Roccat-developed Titan Switches – tactile and responsive, with a great overall feel. Although the more game-friendly low actuation point might take some getting used to, the results across productivity were surprisingly good. Paired with a string of first-person titles like DOOM Eternal, Valorant, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and the results were indeed impressive. Which ultimately comes down to the quality of the Titan Switches and the key-caps that were designed for a fast, tactile, and wobble-free response. And for those wondering, the keyboard errs on the side of silent – audible but a far cry from the more clicky-options out there.

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"Where the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO goes from great to, err, even greater comes with the Roccat-developed Titan Switches.”

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Bringing it all together is the versatile if not all that great to look at Roccat Swarm software, which offers intuitive control over lighting, profiles, macros, and even fine-tuning the character repeat rate. Which is… tttttttttttttttttttttttthis. Pretty cool that it’s there, even if it’s something we’re never going to mess with. In the end though having great software makes the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO a great mechanical keyboard, where the only areas we could see improvement would be to offer a softer wrist rest and include a few more media keys. And maybe have those not be made of soft rubber. In the end a definite winner, and a testament to the quality of Roccat’s own Titan Switches and knack for creating a stylish product.