ASUS ROG Falchion 65% Wireless Mechanical Keyboard Review

How Much Does it Cost?

This keyboard is technically available now, but it’s either out of stock or a genuine pre-order system is in place. So much tech is out of stock right now after Black Friday that it’s hard to tell. Either way, you can pre-order it directly from ASUS for just £149.99, with an estimated delivery date of January 20th 2021, so only about a month from the time of publishing this review.

Fun note as you may have missed it, but the URL for the store to buy this is “https://uk.store.asus.com/pre-order-rog-falchion-65-wireless-mechanical-gaming-keyboard-with-68-keys-wireless-aura-sync-lighting-interactive-touch-panel-keyboard-cover-case-cherry-mx-switches-and-up-to-450-hour-battery-life.html” jeezes ASUS, that’s something!

For comparison, the Corsair K63 has a lot less features and is £181, the Logitech Lightspeed has good features too, but that’s £210, and the Hexgears K950 is still £160 and again, has fewer features. It may be small, but the ASUS ROG Falchion is seriously good competition.

Overview

It’s one of the best keyboards I’ve ever used, there, it’s that simple right up front. It’s not particularly the most practical keyboard I’ve ever used, though, as that would simply be any standard full-size keyboard. I like a full number pad for work, but I can live without one. Also, the home keys and a few others have been moved, which takes a little getting used to given my touch-typing fast-paced workflow. However, it is clearly labeled and laid out, so learning the layout didn’t take long.

Gaming

Forget being 100% practical in the office and typing another lengthy email. No, this keyboard is about kicking ass in any game you throw at it, and it really does deliver. I’ve been playing Elder Scrolls Online, Death Stranding and a whole bunch of other stuff that isn’t CyberPunk and just having a blast with it. The wireless design means I can shuffle it around my desktop with no issues, plus, I can even kickback with it on my lap and put my feet up on the foot rest… a power move I never considered with my wired keyboard. The 60% form factor frees up a HUGE amount of desktop space too, so I dropped the DPI on my mouse and made use of all that extra range.

Those mechanical switches are what you expect, perfect. However, the overall feel of the keyboard is really what makes it stand out. There’s no rattle, vibration or hollowness to it, so every strike feels crisp.

Build Quality

It’s totally over built, which is honestly always a good thing for a keyboard. It’s built to survive a trip to LAN parties… or whatever we all do in 2021 when the world hopefully opens up again. Even at home, that Polycarbonate lid will keep pets, kids and other things from poking at the switches well enough.

It’s really the sum of its parts. PBT caps, Cherry switches, aluminium, polycarbonate, braided cables, gold-plated jacks, it’s premium front to back, inside and out.

Should I Buy One?

If all you want is a solid keyboard for the office that can still slay when it comes to gaming, the ASUS RoG STRIX Scope RX will get the job done nicely. If you need something smaller, the Scope TKL Deluxe is a fantastic option and comes with a lovely wrist rest too. However, if you want something compact, durable, wired and wireless, and packed full of features, you’re going to struggle to find anything quite as impressive and cool as the Falchion. It’s one of my all time top ten keyboards!