ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe gaming keyboard review

This is probably the longest name of the keyboard we saw. And all because in addition to the name of the brand and the line the key specifications of the model are also “encrypted”. So it turns out that in the title “ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe” there are only twice less characters than the keys on the keyboard itself.

Specifications

ASUS ROG STRIX SCOPE RX TKL Wireless Deluxe

In addition to the keyboard, the box also contains documentation, USB/USB-C cable, USB/USB-C adapter, USB radio receiver and wrist stand (its presence is indicated with the presence of “Deluxe” in the model name).

Design and construction

Asus Rog Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe is a short keyboard without a numeric keypad, as evidenced by TKL in the title – the abbreviation stands for Tenkeyless (“without Tenkey” – digital block). Another name is 80%, these are the sizes in these models compared to full-format keyboards. Tkl is a widespread option for gaming keyboards due to the fact that the numeric pad is not used in games anyway, and if it is removed, it will make room for the mouse on the right, and the player will not have to spread his hands widely on the table.

The case of the keyboard turned out to be really compact – only 35.6×13.6 cm, the thickness of the case together with the keys is quite typical for “mechanics”: the lower row of buttons is at a height of approximately 28 mm above the table level, the upper one – 38 mm. With the help of retractable legs, you can further increase the angle of inclination by raising the top row of buttons to about 46 mm. Both the lower part of the case and the legs are equipped with rubberized inserts, so the keyboard does not slide on the surface of the table, regardless of which option is more to the user’s liking – with extended legs or without.

If the user is used to resting his hands on the table while typing, the wrist stand included with the keyboard will come in handy. It has a plastic case with a soft “top” covered with artificial leather, it is connected to the keyboard using magnets.

The fairly large weight of the compact body (854 g) is due to the use of a massive aluminum top panel. Due to this, the body turned out to be very strong, attempts to twist the keyboard are almost fruitless even with considerable effort. During normal use, the ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe does not bend, although you can barely “press” the top plane into the case, especially if you press on it when the keyboard is on its legs.

The USB cable is removable, 1.9 m long, in a fairly thick fabric braid. It is connected to the keyboard in the center through the USB-C connector, unfortunately there are no options to lay it along the body and move it to the left or right.

The key layout generally corresponds to the American ANSI standard — a long left Shift and a single-line Enter. The only difference from this standard is the long left Ctrl – the same size as the Shift above it (because of this, the manufacturer had to reduce the space a little). There are no additional buttons, the keyboard has a total of 84 buttons – 3 less than the standard TKL (this model also lacks separate PrtSc, ScrLk and Pause keys, their functionality is combined with Del, End and PgDn through the Fn modifier).

This copy of the ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe, as you can see in the photo, has the Cyrillic alphabet, but no Ukrainian characters. These are the nuances of only the sample that got to us for review, while two versions of the keyboard are expected to go on sale in Ukraine at once: one with Ukrainian localization and ABS caps, the other without Cyrillic at all, only with the Latin alphabet, and PBT caps. PBT is considered a more attractive option (the material is more wear-resistant and does not get dirty so easily), however, due to the peculiarities of the production of such caps, it is impossible to apply additional localization to them.

The keyboard is equipped with a full RGB backlight with support for proprietary synchronization with other ASUS devices — AURA Sync. You can adjust its behavior using the proprietary Armory Crate utility.

Switches

Depending on the specific model, the ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe keyboard can be equipped with two different versions of branded switches – ROG RX RED or RX BLUE. These are optical-mechanical switches, in which the mechanical part with a spring interrupts the infrared light flow when pressed, which causes an instant fixation of the button operation. The absence of physical contact and friction significantly increases the life of the switches — the manufacturer claims 100 million actuations.

Thanks to the X-shaped stabilizer, the switch when pressed has a smooth stroke, without backlash and deviation to the side. Also, there is no backlash both when the keys are raised and when pressed all the way. The LED is located in the center of the switch, with a lens above it – this provides uniform and bright illumination of the buttons.

In the model that has been inspected, the ROG RX RED is installed. These are linear switches – with a light, smooth and uniform course, without any tactile or sound response in the moment. The full course of the switch is 4 mm, before the operation – 1.5 mm. Initial effort – 40G, operation – 45G, maximum effort (at the end of the course) – 55G.

This keyboard can also use ROG RX Blue switches. Unlike red, RX Blue has a very noticeable response when working – both tactile and sound. The course of their work is the same, 1.5 mm, the initial effort is noticeably less – 30g, so at the beginning they are pressed even easier than Rx Red. But the effort is noticeably larger – 65G, and after it, the effort requires less – 60G, so with such keys after the work there is a feeling that they “sink” to the end. This type of switch is better suited for fast printing, while linear are considered optimal for game use.

Software

ARMURY CRATE is used for the ASUS ROG STRIX SCOPE RX TKL Wireless Deluxe. It is a versatile utility that works with all ASUS devices, so it is quite large and may seem overloaded with “extra” functions. However, if you have another periphery of this manufacturer, then you can control all such devices from one “center”.

In Armoury Crate, you can change the functionality of any key (except Fn), the behavior of the indicator in the upper right corner (in the form of the ROG logo), in detail setting up keyboards, record macros, create different profiles and store them in the keyboard memory supported up to 6 different profiles), choose energy saving modes and update the firmware.

Connection, Use

Asus Rog Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe can be connected to the computer in three different ways: wire, through USB, or wireless using a USB radio or through Bluetooth. The choice of mode is made by the switch next to the USB-C connector (the USB radio reception holding in the body on the magnet is stored immediately).

Battery life is declared at 76 hours of continuous work using RGB-lighting in the radio regime (the manufacturer does not report how long the keyboard in the Bluetooth mode will work). Asus Rog Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe can be connected to three devices at a time through Bluetooth, switching between them is made with hot keys.

You can do some keyboard settings without Armoury Crate, using hot keys. For example, Fn+Ins switches the upper row of function keys between system and multimedia functions, Fn+ left ALT is used for fast recording of macros, Fn+ 1..6 – for switching between profiles, Fn+ arrows to the left and right change the backlight style, up and down – its brightness, holding FN+ESC performs reset on factory settings, and FN+8..0 switches the keyboard between the devices connected through Bluetooth.

ROG RX RED switches are almost silent in the work, the only sound that can be heard is a moderate knock of the keys when they rise back after pressing (the keyboard has almost no sound of a fully pressed cap on a metal surface typical for linear switches).

Due to the nature of the ASUS ROG STRIX SCOPE RX TKL Wireless Deluxe switches, it is not good for printing the text – this is a purely game model. In games, the keyboard behaves very well, no delay was felt even when playing in the radio. The reaction occurs at a distance of 1.5 mm, not 2 mm, as in most other “mechanic” versions – it also reduces the response time and is a significant advantage in very dynamic network shooters.

The manufacturer declares NKRO mode (an unlimited number of keys at the same time), and during the testing it was confirmed – the keyboard correctly processed up to fifty simultaneous clips (we simply failed to do more).

The wrist stand helps in long term game sessions, but it is especially useful when printing – in this case, it supports the wrist very well, relieving the tension in the wrists. In the games, the fingers on the keys are placed differently, and in short sessions you do not have time to feel the tension but if you play long enough, the presence of a stand is important here.