Potent and portable.
Editor's note: IGN is ramping tech and hardware reviews back up, one product category at a time. We're kicking off with deep dives into some of the best-of-the best headsets, GPUs, Mice, Monitors, and keyboards from the last few years.
The Kingston HyperX Alloy FPS Mechanical Gaming Keyboard(See it on Amazon) is a responsive and attractive gaming plank for budget-minded PC gamers—or those who have blown the budget on a high-quality rig and monitor. It's Kingston's sole keyboard offering under its HyperX line of gaming peripherals and as its name states, it's meant specifically for playing first-person shooters. So if shooting stuff isn't your thing, you should look consider looking elsewhere - although it can still get the job done. At just $99 it's on the more affordable end of the spectrum for a mechanical keyboard with backlighting and Cherry MX switches.
Design and Features
Despite its lowish price, the HyperX Alloy FPS keyboard is well-built thanks in part to its steel frame, hence the word alloy in its name, and comes with handy accessories that include a mesh travel case with an accessory pocket, a sturdy and braided two-headed USB cable that provides power to the keyboard and the charging port, and has red and black fabric that matches the keyboard's lighting scheme.
There are also eight optional keycaps that can be installed on the most important keys (1,2,3,4, and W,A,S,D) as well as a keycap removal tool. As of press time the US model for this keyboard is only offered with Cherry MX Blue switches, but at CES this year Kingston showed that it was planning on offering it with the very popular Red or Brown switches too.
The HyperX Alloy FPS doesn't waste a bit of space; it's all keyboard and standard keys with no extra macro keys or doo-dads to distract from its mission in life. Its keycaps are comfortably contoured, and if you want to use the optional extras they come off as easily as they are installed using the included tool. The optional WASD keycaps are painted red and textured so you can find them by touch, but the four number keycaps are simply smooth, but still stand out visually so they are easier to pluck with your fingertips at a glance. The Cherry MX Blue switches have a satisfying click that offers immediate feedback, which was great for gaming, but I found it to be less optimal when using the keyboard for simply typing. I found it slowed me down a bit since the keys are a bit more bouncy, making it harder to glide from key to key.
The keyboard isn't too heavy despite its solid steel frame, but weighs more than a traditional one so you won't have to worry about it jostling it during hectic gameplay. It has a USB port but Kingston says it's only for phone charging, so forget about plugging your mouse or headset into it. It also does not include a wrist rest since it's designed to be portable via its tote bag and detachable USB cable. Its backlighting is red-only, which is pretty common for non-RGB models, and there are five brightness levels—off, or 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent. There are also six lighting modes to choose from, and the non-responsive modes are solid (always-on), breathing (slow blinking meant to mimic breathing) and wave (keys light up from left to right in a wave motion like you're at a baseball game). The responsive modes include "trigger" and "explosion" where the key lighting respond to presses; the former simply lights up a key when it's pressed then slowly fades, while the latter creates a radiating effect from an individual key.
Finally, there's also a custom mode let me choose which keys to light up, which defaults to 1234, WASD, and the space bar. I like the versatility of the lighting options, though it can't compare to more expensive keyboards that offer more colors as well as the ability to create custom lighting profiles. Changing the lighting scheme is easy since it's done directly from the keyboard with no software required. I just had to press a two-key combination, then use the arrow keys to toggle between modes. In its custom mode there's an indicator lights on the top right that blinks start blinking; select which keys you want lit up and then press the same two-key combination to save.
The keyboard doesn't have standalone media controls, so media playback and volume control are handled using function keys on the top row, which was a pain in our testing. It has a full number pad and a game mode that disables the Window button to avoid interruptions.
Gaming
The keys on the HyperX Alloy FPS are easy to actuate, and respond with a satisfying click. The Cherry MX Blue switches it uses are clicky and loud, which may be a turnoff for some, but I enjoyed the sound and sensation. While a standard keyboard tends to move around if you're rough with it, the HyperX stayed in place no matter how aggressively I mashed its buttons. The HyperX features anti-ghosting and n-key rollover, which makes individual key presses register even when I pressed several at a time, which was helpful in fast-paced games. The textured keycaps made it easy to find the keys by touch instead of having to look away from the screen, and the red backlight gave off a nice glow in low light.
It responded well to my key presses, and when playing Marvel Heroes 2016 on a PC I never missed a move, though my wrists needed a rest after a few rounds since there's no wrist rest included. Turning the volume up on my music drowned out the clacking well enough. As I mentioned, there aren't any customizable keys, which isn't a big deal for FPS gamers typically, but it's something to consider if you need macros or if you're planning to use the keyboard for daily driving like updating Excel documents. That said, the custom lighting feature is helpful since you can highlight only the keys you need to use to decrease the likelihood of a misfire.
Purchasing Guide
The Kingston HyperX Alloy FPS Mechanical Gaming Keyboard has an MSRP of $99.99, which is the same price it typically sells for on Amazon:
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The Verdict
If FPS games are your jam, the Kingston HyperX Alloy FPS is a great tool to have in your arsenal. It's responsive, doesn't take up much space on your desk, and its textured keycaps provide a slight advantage. It feels solid and should be able to withstand years of gaming abuse, but I had to only use it in short spurts since it doesn't include a wrist rest. The upside of course is that its small size makes it easy to slide into the included pouch to carry to a LAN party. Its lack of dedicated media controls are a pain, but not uncommon at this price point.
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