Roccat ISKU Gaming Keyboard Review

Manufacturer: Roccat
Product Name: ISKU Illuminated Gaming Keyboard
Model Number: M-INT-ROC-ISKU-KEYBOARD-UK
Price As Tested: £69.99 (Amazon UK) Equivalent to approximately $110 USD at today's exchange rate.

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Roccat.

Roccat has shown us here at Benchmark Reviews that it has what it takes to compete successfully in the gaming mouse market. What we are going to find out today is whether they can follow that success with the Roccat ISKU Illuminated Gaming Keyboard. Like the KONE[+] gaming mouse, the ISKU gaming keyboard has EasyShift[+] and when these two devices are paired together they can communicate with each other using the Roccat Talk protocol.

There are three EasyShift[+] zones featuring 28 easy-to-reach macro keys, 5 doubly-programmable dedicated M-keys and 3 doubly-programmable Thumbster T-Keys. It is possible to assign different pre-defined functions to the eight media keys and you can also re-assign the F-keys to be used as shortcut or application launch keys. The illuminated keys have five levels of brightness and will auto dim when the keyboard has been idle for a predefined amount of time. If this hasn't got you interested then I don't know what will.

The Roccat ISKU is larger than your average keyboard and has an inbuilt wrist rest, you had better be sure that you have plenty of desk real estate if you intend to get one of these beasts. The shape and design of the Roccat ISKU is like a mix between space age and industrial, the color scheme works really well and makes for a nice change from the plethora of red/black gaming peripherals currently available. The price is a little high for this keyboard I think, but here are a lot of good features and a unique way to customise your load out so it's down to you in the end if you think it is worth the price or not. If this is the sort of keyboard you have been looking for then read on to find out if it has what it takes as we test it in a variety of games and applications.

Roccat ISKU Features

• Blue key illumination with 6 brightness levels including off setting
• Easy Shift[+] for simple key duplication and activation
• 3 Easy Shift[+] zones featuring 28 easy-to-reach macro keys, including 5 doubly-programmable dedicated M-keys and 3 doubly-programmable Thumbster Keys
• Macro Live! recording button for in-game macro setting; 180+ macros in 5 profiles
• 8 media & hotkeys; 25+ assignable functions
• Medium-height keys; optimum keystroke; advanced anti-ghosting
• ROCCAT Driver & Macro Manager, incl. macro presets for games, multimedia & office apps
• Integrated Extra-Large Granulated Wrist Rest with optimized surface texture
• Cable channels for better device organization
• Non-slip base with lock-on keyboard feet
• Fast profile switching; 5 Profile-Status LEDs
• ROCCAT Talk: Set Bonus by combining devices

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