In the last few weeks I’ve been testing the Roccat Pyro mechanical keyboard with games like Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, Counter-Strike: Global OffensiveAnd Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
It’s an excellent keyboard overall, although it does stumble in a few areas.
From a top-of-the-line keyboard you expect to be able to tap keys to thrash a troll or quickly crouch for a perfect shot. While the Roccat Pyro offers these essentials and a few others, including comfort, some players may find it difficult to use.
Due to the firmer build, typing may be more difficult at first. I tested both my standard Acer Nitro 5 keyboard and the Roccat Pyro. Initially, my typing speed was worse, but once you got used to the Pyro’s firm build quality, it settled back to a normal pace.
I often stumble with the mechanical keyboard due to the spacing between the keys. At points with Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, I fumbled with the R button and prematurely activated my ultimate. While adjusting to the mechanical keyboard can take some time, I’d recommend giving it some time to get used to the Roccat Pyro’s different feel.
However, with my left hand, it still feels difficult to hold down the CTRL key to crouch while using the WASD keys to move. This is especially evident when you want to play a tactical shooter Counter Strike Global Offensive. The gap is pretty big, and as a mostly console gamer, I doubt I’ll get used to that feeling.
The Roccat Pyro feels great for controlling characters in the games I tested. It helped me dodge attacks from goblins Dark Alliance with ease or line up shots in gloriole. I no longer feel as uncomfortable moving diagonally as it did on previous keyboards in the past.
As a freelance writer, hand strain is a big factor for me. I often feel my hand cramp when I’m gaming for hours, and I’m sure you would like some comfort if you also have an office job.
Luckily, the Pyro keyboard has a smooth, detachable palm rest that feels stable when set down. It can be easily installed by attaching it to the bottom of the keyboard, and while using it, my hands have more surface area to type on. It reduces the pain and should also help during long gaming sessions Rainbow Six Siege, League of LegendsAnd Call of Duty: Warzone.
While the palm rest is easy to install, it also comes with the caveat that it will also come loose. With a slight adjustment of the keyboard, the rest slips off easily. Future iterations should have the palm rest firmly in place.
The clicking noise a mechanical keyboard can produce is music for any writer or gamer. It gives you a satisfying feel on your fingers and the sound confirms the premium nature of this $99.99 product.
If you care more about the style of the keyboard, the Roccat Pyro’s looks are sleek. You can change your RGB setup with a program called Roccat Swarm, which you can install from the official website. Here’s what you can try:
- AIMO Intelligent Lighting
- Wave
- Line
- Fully lit
- Heartbeat 2.0
- breathing
- Fade FX
- Ripple FX
- Custom mode
The free software is very useful and user-friendly. You can preview the lighting effects in the Key Lighting section. Almost every setting looks cool, and if you want to show off your setup, this is a great way to wow friends and family, as the RGB lighting is pretty bright, especially at night.
You can also set five different profiles. You can add a picture to each profile to make it stand out and switch them on the fly to make the process easier. One nice thing is that you can have your keyboard profile switch automatically when it opens your specific games. Simply link the .exe of the program and you’re ready to go in the Roccat Swarm profile manager.
Setting up macros is easy too, as there’s a long list of functions you can add to an established key. Functions like turning off the PC, changing the DPI, changing keyboard profiles, opening an application and more can be mapped to the board. There is also an Easy Shift feature that gives the WASD keys a second function when the Shift key is held down.
However, the AIMO lighting is hit and miss for me. While playing Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, the colors change depending on the environment. For example, when my character is near a flame, the keyboard turns red. When I’m in a meadow, it turns green. While I mostly look at my screen while gaming, it’s a nice touch, especially when it’s dark when you can see the lighting better in your peripheral vision.
However, sometimes it didn’t work and in some places purple was displayed in a wooded area that doesn’t have that color at all. I also want it to be more responsive to what’s happening in the game as there is a slight lag.
Additionally, the Roccat Swarm software doesn’t do a good job of explaining what AIMO can do with a vague description either. According to some marketing buzzwords, it just states that it presents “fluid, nature-inspired scenarios.” I’m still scratching my head after researching it, and the April Fool’s Day video, which is the top result on YouTube, makes this feature even more confusing.
The Roccat Pyro feels sturdy with its brushed aluminum plate and claims that the switches have a lifespan of 50 million keystrokes each. The cable is 6 feet long and touches the floor slightly from my desk, and you know which cable it is because the end has a keyboard symbol on it. Nice gesture.
Another useful feature of the Roccat Pyro keyboard is the volume wheel on the top right. With no hardware installation, the volume can be increased or decreased instantly by simply twisting the nozzle.
As a relatively new PC gamer, I’ve always found it frustrating to start the game with the Windows key and then click the volume wheel to turn the volume down. Now that I’ve saved my ears from absolute destruction, I can just crank the volume down to a comfortable level with the nozzle on the right.
Roccat Pyro Keyboard Review – The Verdict
Advantages
- A satisfying, premium feel to the keys
- The anti-ghosting feature works like a dream
- The volume wheel
- Cool RGB lighting that’s relatively bright, especially at night
- The palm rest really helps with hand strain
Disadvantages
- The distance between WASD and CTRL is quite large
- AIMO software can be unclear
- The palm rest can easily slip off
I slide my feet (or fingers in this case) into the world of PC gaming and after trying this mechanical keyboard I can’t go back to the norm. While the palm rest can slip and the keys can be too wide for my liking, the Roccat Pyro keyboard delivers a premium typing and gaming feel.
It also helps to have a fancy RGB lighting set with the Roccat Swarm software. The Pyro can appeal to gamers who need appropriate setups for their competitive titles with its numerous profile options, and the custom mode gives you the freedom to separate colors in the layout. This is a keyboard that most PC users would love and I highly recommend it.
[Note: Roccat provided the Pyro keyboard used for this review.]
