Roccat's latest answer to PC gaming, the Isku

The Germans are at it again, creating gaming mice and keyboards for gamers worldwide to enjoy. This time around Roccat has provided us with Isku, their latest gaming keyboard. The Isku is an illuminated keyboard that is able to do about anything you want it to after spending a little time in the driver. Other features include 36 easy access Macro keys, Macro Live! Recording with dedicated button, and driver that allows users full control to their gaming experience. While designed for gaming, you still get a set of multimedia keys for easy access to track control, volume, and the web. After the beating it has been taking, lets see how it rates.

What I really appreciated was the solid build, and attention to the design all the way down to the USB cable. The keyboard has some weight to it and the non slip contacts keep from movement on your workspace while the large granular wrist pad keeps your wrists at a good level to slow down fatigue in long gaming sessions. The reason in which the Isku stands out to me is the ease of setting up macros, whether it be timed keystrokes or long combinations, setup is fast and simple using the Macro Live! Record key. The illumination is a nice touch and makes for easy identification of keys in low light and each profile has it’s own color backlighting.

On the other side of the spectrum, I have yet to find out how to use caps locks as it is assigned to the Easy-Shift[+] key. While we are on the topic of things in which I was unable to change or figure out was the illumination settings. The backlighting pulses on and off and while you can adjust the speed and brightness, I was unable to set to a solid lighting. Making changes in the driver is fairly easily, allowing you to manually adjust about anything on the keyboard, my biggest issue is with keys M1-M5, they are too easy to hit on accident and happened often.

I liked my time spent with the Isku, because not only was it a nice keyboard that matches my Savu mouse and support Roccat Talk which allows you to change functions on the fly. Aside from the futuristic look and heavy duty build quality, Isku works flawlessly by tailoring to the games you are into any way you like. Like any devices we use on a daily basis, it does take some time to get used to the layout, resulting in unintentional commands and potential death to you and your guild. Roccat’s Isku is currently available with a price tag of $79.99.