ASUS ROG Falcata Split Gaming Keyboard Brings Relief To Your Wrists, Pain To Your Wallet
Does anyone care about ergonomics anymore? Everyone should, and ASUS is proving ergonomics do not have to be an afterthought, even for gamers. Enter the ASUS ROG Falcata, the hardware maker's first 75% split gaming keyboard, which is now available in the United States and Canada if you know where to look and have a big wad of cash to spend on a peripheral (more on both in a moment).
Color me intrigued by the ROG Falcata. In what feels like 100 years ago, my go-to plank for a long time was a Belkin ErgoBoard. It didn't split in half like the ROG Falcata, but it did sport a wavy design that kept my wrists at a more natural angle. In the earlier days of computing before mechanical keyboards became all the rage, I went through multiple ErgoBoards.
Times have changed and these days, keyboard makers are more focused on key switches, RGB lighting, and other perks. That's also true of the ROG Falcata, except it introduces a versatile split design to accommodate a range of gaming setups. You could, for example, simply employ the left half for movement controls and a mouse for aiming, freeing up considerable desk space thanks to the detachable design.
Beyond being able to perform a split, the ROG Falcata sports hot-swappable and pre-lubed ROG HFX V2 magnetic switches with 3.5mm of travel distance, 32gf of initial force, and 49gf of total force. These are housed in a polycarbonate upper housing and feature POM plastic stems, and are good for 100 million keystrokes, according to ASUS.
It also employs a hall sensor. Combined with the magnetic switches at play, ASUS says you can customize the actuation range from 0.1mm to 3.5mm in 0.01 increments.
Other notable features included a rapid trigger with a dedicated toggle switch on the top-left rear panel (by default, just the WASD keys are enabled when activating the rapid trigger), a speed tap mode that prioritizes the last input and automatically releases the previous one (handy for FPS games, whereby pressing two opposing directional keys won't stop the character from moving), dedicated media controls with a volume wheel, SpeedNova 8K and Bluetooth support for wireless connectivity, USB support for wired connectivity, RGB lighting, and up to 200 hours of battery life. Naturally, you'll need to disable the RGB lighting to get anywhere close to that rated metric.
"The ROG Falcata’s five ergonomic tilt positions and detachable silicone wrist rest provide long-lasting comfort, while a multi-function wheel and button let players adjust actuation points, Rapid Trigger sensitivity, volume, lighting, and media on the fly. Four-layer dampening and gasket mounting minimize vibration and ping for a refined, cushioned keystroke feel," ASUS says.
It all sounds great on paper and it has the potential to win over gamers and productivity gurus alike. The caveat, it's not a cheap plank by any stretch.
For anyone interested, the ASUS ROG Falcata is available exclusively at Best Buy for $419.99.
