If you live in North America and are into Gaming, then you’ve probably heard of HyperX. By now, the high majority of us are familiar with their DRAM and Cloud headsets. But even after being on the market for five months, there are still those who aren’t aware that HyperX has entered the gaming keyboard sector. Back in October of 2016, the Alloy FPS keyboard with Cherry® MX Blue switches was introduced. Four months later, this same keyboard became available with Cherry® MX Red and Brown switches. Do you want to know how this mechanical gaming keyboard ranks with us? Without any further delay, welcome to our HyperX Alloy FPS keyboard review.
• Attractive, red-on-black design
• Portable design w/detachable cable
• Solid-steel frame
• Cherry® MX switches (Red, Blue, Brown)
• Built for the gamer in mind
• Well priced at ~$100
• No onboard memory
• Keyboard may be too heavy for some
• Keyboard may be too compact for some
Per Marcus Hermann, Senior Business Manager at HyperX, “HyperX is pleased to expand our Alloy FPS keyboard product line to now include Cherry MX Red or Brown switches, along with the blue switches we introduced in 2016. Gamers who play FPS classics like CS: GO or Overwatch can now choose from a variety of Alloy FPS gaming keyboards including a linear switch, a tactile switch or something in between.”
HyperX Alloy FPS Keyboard Review
HyperX Alloy FPS Design and Features
The Alloy FPS is a mechanical gaming keyboard with a 50 million push button life cycle. It comes with six different lighting effects (including a custom effect) to choose from. Of these, two in particular: “Wave” and “Explosion,” are the coolest. You can change the brightness (4 levels) to your liking.
This keyboard is compact, like those made by Coolermaster. Its exact dimensions are 17.4 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches and weighs 2.34 lbs. And in case you haven’t noticed, there’s no wrist guard/plate. You just don’t need one for the games this keyboard was designed to play with.
Flipping the keyboard over, you’ll notice a flat surface with two flip-up legs. The legs are nearly an inch wide with ample space for your thumb to open/close them. The mini-USB connection for the 6′ detachable braided cord is located at the rear of the keyboard. There’s even a USB charging port for your mobile phone battery.
The Alloy FPS keyboard comes with your standard Num-Lock, Caps-Lock, and Scroll-Lock, but it has another lock which is appropriately titled “Game mode.” Enabling Game mode disables the Windows key preventing any accidental press of the Windows key fatal.
Wondering about N-key rollover? There’s no need to. The Alloy FPS has 6-key/N-key modes and is 100% anti-ghosting.
You can also completely lock the keyboard out, for when you want to vacuum it or pull a key out. A key puller, as well as eight red key covers, are supplied as part of the package contents. It has the now standard media player controls such as “Previous”, “Next”, “Play/Pause”, “Mute”, Audio “Decrease”, and “Increase.” You can switch “WASD” to the arrow keys and vice versa. The keyboard also can “Increase” and “Decrease” LED backlight brightness and modes.
And before I forget, I’ve got to mention that this keyboard is portable. Within the package, contents is a terrific padded mesh carry bag.
All-in-all, it’s a nicely designed keyboard with an HX logo on the spacebar.
Final Thoughts
Unlike many gaming keyboards, you don’t need software to work the lighting effects. As stated above, you can change the lighting effects using the Fn + Right/Left Dimming Keys. If custom lighting effects are what you desire, then look no further than the Alloy FPS.
The keyboard itself is beautifully designed with a sturdy build. The red LED lights are bright and vibrant.
The list price of the Alloy FPS Keyboard (whether it has Cherry® MX Blue, Brown, or Red Switches) is $99.99. See the Amazon link at the bottom of this post. If you’re lucky, you may be able to catch it for $20 less on sale at Fry’s or Newegg.
It’s a rare day when we can rave about a product and not say one negative thing, but this is how we feel about the Alloy FPS keyboard. We’re sure you’ll arrive at the same conclusion.
The Alloy FPS was the first keyboard put forth by HyperX and they hit it out of the gaming arena. We highly recommend you check out this product before making your next mechanical keyboard purchase.
Do you agree or disagree with any part of this post? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.
The HyperX Alloy FPS mechanical gaming keyboard comes with a 2-year warranty. Should you need to reach Customer Support, feel free to call one of these two numbers: 714-435-2639 or 800-435-0640.
Don’t hesitate to head over to the HyperX homepage to see their current line-up of products. We hear through the grapevine that a mouse isn’t too far away.
FTC Disclosure: HyperX provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Alloy FPS gaming keyboard sample for review purposes. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own and not a paid product ambassador.
All photographs are the copyrighted property of Beantown LLC © 2017.