I’m a big fan of my ROCCAT Vulcan keyboard, it looks good, plays well and sounds amazing, but mechanical keyboards aren’t for everyone. Depending on your budget they can be very expensive, for example I’m using the ROCCAT Vulcan Aimo 121 which retails at around £149.99. It’s probably why ROCCAT have built an excellent membrane based keyboard that comes in at under £50 giving them a wider market reach for gamers of all budgets.
The ROCCAT Magma on first inspection feels quite cheap and when you first turn the keyboard on the RGB can be quite overwhelming, but it’s once you begin to use the keyboard those concerns.
The keyboard comes with a nice wrist rest that is easily attached and unattached depending on your preference. It feels cheap but once it has been attached to the Magma it looks great and provides the right amount of support while typing or gaming.
The keys are spaced out nicely enough that for day to day use while working, you are less likely to make mistakes, when gaming you won’t make mistakes while in your all important matches. The quieter keystrokes are perfect if you are a late night gamer who needs to keep the noise down and the bright RGB will help you allow you easily play in those dark conditions. This isn’t a keyboard for those who play competitive esports, despite the excellent advanced anti-ghosting technology.
Using ROCCAT’s swarm software you can customise the keyboard to suit your needs. The RGB is split into 5 zones, they produce bright vivid colours under the Semi-transparent top plate. By default the keyboard is set to use their AIMO lighting system that reacts to what you’re doing on the screen to give an interactive experience. Swarm has vastly improved over the past year or so, it’s much more stable than it used to be.
If you are looking to customise colours to individual keys you are out of luck but you can’t make use of Swarm to customise what the keys surrounding the WASD zone can do. Holding down the designated Easy-Shift[+] button unlocks a second function that can help you whether you are working or gaming.
I was dubious about this keyboard at the beginning but once I began to use it i’ve discovered just how good it is. Considering the price, build and features it’s safe to say this is the best membrane keyboard I’ve used. You could safely spend a bit more on your next gaming rig and use the spare cash to buy this, because you should.
The ROCCAT Magma is available for £49.99 direct from their website.
