Gaming
The Asus ROG Falchion keyboard could be perfect for gamers with limited space
It will also fit in your backpack for easy transportation.
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In mid-July, Asus formally declared its entry into the mini gaming keyboard market. At a press conference for the company’s new ROG Phone 3, Asus announced the Mini ROG Falchion gaming keyboard.
The keyboard, designed for on-the-go gaming, is the first miniature keyboard to be developed by Asus.
What we know about the Asus mini gaming keyboard
In the press release announcing the keyboard, the company said that the Falchion will have an “ultrafast” 1 millisecond response time and a stable 2.4 GHz wireless dongle connection.
The keyboard also features a side touch panel that displays the keyboard’s remaining battery life and will allow users to control the volume, pause or play music and zoom the screen in or out. The side touch panel is also programmable, meaning that you can use it as a macro key if needed.
READ MORE: Asus debuts souped-up ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro gaming phones
The keyboard will also use Cherry MX RGB mechanical switches. These mechanical switches will provide a little extra tactile feedback and responsiveness to the keyboard. As a plus (or minus) the switches will also mean loud clicking sounds with each keypress.
It also comes with RGB lighting and a removable, transparent cover that can be snapped on or off the keyboard. The keyboard cover, in addition to helping you keep your keyboard clean, will also modify the appearance of the Falchion’s RGB lighting. According to the press release, the keyboard will have a 400-hour battery life — although that is with the RGB lights disabled. We don’t know how long the keyboard will last with lighting on right now.
As far as features go, that’s about all we know right now. Even with this limited info, the Falchion already looks like a great option for gamers that are short on desktop space or need to clear the way for additional peripherals.
How the Falchion compares to other mini gaming keyboards
The biggest difference between its competition is the keyboard’s wireless connectivity and layout. The Falchion has arrow keys, which are notably missing from options like Razer’s Huntsman Mini. Arrow keys aren’t essential for most games, but they do make navigating multi-line text fields and menus much more comfortable.
The Huntsman is also missing a few other navigation and formatting keys that are included on the Falchion’s layout — specifically, the Insert, Delete, Page Up and Page Down keys. Again, not the biggest difference — but if you’d feel limited by the lack of those keys, it could be a major selling point.
When to expect the ROG Falchion
Asus has given us nothing to go on so far with regards to pricing and availability. If the keyboard costs anything like its competition, however, it could be pretty expensive. The Razer Hunstman Mini, for example, is the current stand-out miniature mechanical gaming keyboard, and it costs $120. This is cheaper than comparable, full-size mechanical keyboards, which tend to retail for around $150 or more, and around the same price as Asus’ 100 percent form-factor keyboards.
Other miniature gaming keyboards aren’t so affordable, however. The Drop ALT mini keyboard, for example, retails at over $200. With no word from Asus yet, it may be best to expect a price in line with the rest of the company’s ROG offerings and Asus gaming keyboards.
What do you think? Are you interested in the Asus Mini ROG Falchion? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.