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  • The Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro Review, Manual Guide, Software Support

    The Roccat Vulcan

    ROCCAT VULCAN TKL PRO

    The Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro is a compact version of the Vulcan 120 unveiled in 2018 . By skipping the numeric keypad, it adapts more easily to purely gaming oriented use .

    This Pro version is also distinguished by the integration of new Roccat Titan Optical switches, even more responsive and durable. It is offered at a manufacturer price of 159 €.

    A non “Pro” version is also available, it uses an identical design but incorporates traditional mechanical switches. Count 129 €.

    Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro Test

    After a convincing Roccat Vulcan, the German manufacturer finally unveils a TKL version of its flagship keyboard. Two models are presented, with on one side the Roccat Vulcan TKL carrying mechanical switches at 129 € and on the other a Pro version at 159 € , opting for new optical switches. It is on this second version that we are focusing today.

    Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro – A compact and powerful gaming keyboard
    This switch to the TKL format mainly targets competitive players, those who do not necessarily need a numeric keypad when gaming but rather additional space to move their mice.

    See Also : Redragon Karura K502 Nice Gaming Keyboard

    For the rest, the design and general conception of this Vulcan TKL takes again the bases of what we had already discovered with the original model. We therefore remain on a well-defined style, with low-profile chassis and switches giving pride of place to the backlighting.

    Design & Ergonomics

    As explained in the introduction, this new Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro broadly resumes the design of its big brother. The rather atypical style of the full version seems to have been a hit with gamers and this Ten Key Less version should probably catch the eye of many gamers.

    Before going into a little more detail on the design of the keyboard itself, a point concerning its new dimensions. If the Vulcan was rather large on a desk, this switch to TKL brings a much more compact format.

    With a length of 36 cm and a width of 13.3 cm, the keyboard is much more discreet when placed on its desk. The borders around the keyboard are thinner and this TKL version does not include the wrist rest that came with the Vulcan 120.

    Reduce Format

    Thanks to this reduced format, you save space for moving your mouse and this is particularly interesting if you are used to playing with low sensitivity. The Vulcan TKL Pro is also much easier to transport, especially since it now has a removable USB-C cable.

    On the finish side, the keyboard frame is made of plastic but the upper part is accompanied by an aluminum plate reinforcing its structure. The set withstands our various tortures well and does not bend under pressure. No complaints.

    On the back, there are two retractable feet to manage the inclination of the keyboard. Unlike some competitors, including the Logitech G915 TKL , only one height is available. Several rubber inserts make it possible to stabilize the whole once placed on its desk or an XXL mouse pad.

    The Roccat Vulcan

    Keys for Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro

    As for the keys, there are no differences compared to the Vulcan 120. There are transparent switches that perfectly highlight the different RGB lighting effects. The keycaps cover only the top of the switches and have a slightly curved shape that is supposed to better fit the fingertips.

    Note that these are ABS keycaps and not PBT. A bit of a shame not to benefit from a better finish on this Pro version compared to the classic TKL.

    In use, however, this format requires a little adaptation time and during the first uses it is sometimes a little more difficult to actually slide your fingers from one key to another. You get used to it fairly quickly.

    More Shortcut Keys for Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro

    On the right of the keyboard, there is a wheel to manage the sound volume as well as an additional button to mute the sound. Other additional commands are available as shortcuts with the Fn button. In particular, you can manage your music using the F9 to F12 keys or adjust the effects and lighting intensity using the directional arrows.

    By combining Fn + Del, it is possible to lock Fn mode to have direct access to these shortcuts. You can also replace the Windows key with the Fn key or activate Game Mode directly from the keyboard.

     

    See Also : Roccat Kone AIMO Remastered Review Test And Support Software

    Roccat Swarm software

    Like most of the brand’s peripherals, the Vulcan TKL Pro is compatible with Roccat Swarm software . You can create up to 5 configuration profiles and load them automatically according to your games or applications.

    The first tab “General characteristics” allows you to manage the delay and speed of key repetitions or to obtain audio feedback on each keystroke. Nothing very interesting here unless you want to hear a laser noise with each activation

    Software Support For Roccat Vulkan TKL Pro

    Software Support

    The “Key Assignment” tab can be used to modify the mapping of each of the Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro’s keys. You can create your own macros or select actions proposed by Roccat. It is also possible to assign a secondary action via EasyShift mode [+]. This second mapping is accessible via the Caps Lock key when Game Mode is activated.

    Finally, the last tab “Key lighting” allows you to adjust the various RGB effects of the keyboard. Here we find the usual options of the brand and in particular the AIMO lighting that can be synchronized with other Roccat peripherals. For the rest, it is a little less complete than what Razer or Roccat offers for example.

    Performance and Optical Switches

    Now it’s time for the performance of this Vulcan TKL Pro and its new Roccat Titan optical switches. Unlike conventional switches, activation is carried out here when the switch passes through a light beam and no longer by mechanical contact.

    The new Roccat Titan Optical switches

    A design that is found on more and more keyboards, including the Huntsman range from Razer or the recent Corsair K100 RGB . In practice, this makes it possible to overcome the rebound delay after each activation, but also to improve the durability of the switches. For its Titan, Roccat announces up to 100 million pressure.

    Currently, Titan Optical is only offered in a linear version. They have a total stroke of 2.8 mm, for activation at 1.4 mm. The activation force is not specified by Roccat, but according to our research it would be 45 g.

    In use, the keystrokes benefit from a particularly pleasant activation. The optical switches are very “fluid” and the keyboard does as well during daily tasks as in gaming. It is responsive and precise and each key benefits from a very correct stabilization. A good job from Roccat.

    Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro’s Performances

    Regarding the noise of these linear optical switches, you can find a demonstration in our presentation video. The activation itself is not particularly loud, but the keyboard frame can tend to resonate with the keys, especially when the keyboard is tilted slightly on its feet.

    Conclusion

    By taking the basics of the Vulcan 120, this new Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro should once again convince many players.

    Its atypical but successful design allows it to stand out from the competition and its new optical switches respond perfectly to the slightest strike. Its compact size is better suited to purely gaming use , with much smaller dimensions than the original version.

    Now there is the question of price, because at nearly 159 € , this Pro model is clearly not cheap. The classic TKL version is for its part offered at a price of 129 € and seems to us to display a better quality / price ratio for the majority of users.

    Summary

    GOOD POINTS

    •  A very compact TKL format
    •  A design as efficient as ever
    •  Responsive and durable optical switches
    •  Detachable USB-C cable
    •  Bright RGB lighting

    NEGATIVE POINTS

    •  Keycaps a little too “square”
    •  Roccat Swarm software still lagging behind the competition
    •  Too expensive ?

     

  • Roccat Vulcan II Mini review

    Roccat Vulcan II Mini review

    GAMING SUPPORT –  The Roccat Vulcan II Mini keyboard and its very compact format. We can notably mention Razer with its Huntsman Mini and Blackwidow V3 Mini , SteelSeries with its Apex 9 and Pro Mini, the K65 RGB Mini and K70 Pro Mini Wireless from Corsair or even Fnatic and its Streak65 . Only Logitech G still seems a little behind, but we imagine that their model will not be long in coming.

    So with a little delay on the competition, can Roccat impose itself on this format more and more appreciated by the players? Response after a dozen days at his side.

    Design & Ergonomics

    The Vulcan II Mini generally takes up the design of the previous keyboards in the range and in particular the Vulcan and Vulcan TKL Pro that we had already had the opportunity to present to you on GamerTech.

    The look of these keyboards is clearly one of their main strengths, with the various iterations of the Vulcan standing out quite a bit from the competition thanks to an airy and slender design, emphasizing RGB lighting.

    The main novelty of this Mini version is thus found in its format, which as its name suggests now passes on a reduced model, here at 65%.

    As a reminder, this design, even more compact than that of the TKL models, ignores the numeric keypad and the F1 to F12 keys. Faced with the 60% models, on the other hand, we retain direct access to the directional arrows as well as to an additional column on the right of the keyboard.

    In practice, there is a tendency to favor this design at 65% rather than 60%. The difference in terms of dimensions is not huge and we gain in comfort of use as well as in productivity.

    Dimensions

    Once placed on a desk, the latest addition to the brand knows how to be discreet. With dimensions of 324 x 116 x 31 mm, the Roccat Vulcan II Mini adapts to the smallest spaces while providing a large sliding surface for mouse movements. An essential point if you are used to playing with low sensitivity. To give you a better idea, the animation below compares the Roccat model to a few other references that have already passed through our hands.

    A little more in detail, the finishes of the keyboard are similar to those of previous Vulcans. We thus find a chassis with an always very thin design, here reinforced by an aluminum upper plate. The model takes the torture pretty well despite a fairly light weight of 500 g.

    We also find these “floating”-looking keys, with these keycaps which only cover the upper part of the mechanical switches. It’s a bit of the hallmark of this Vulcan range and we must admit that visually the result is still just as convincing. Note that it is now possible to replace these keycaps with more traditional models if desired (cross stem).

    Regarding the keycaps installed by default, Roccat does not specify their design but everything seems to lead to believe that they are ABS plastic models. Not necessarily ideal in terms of durability and fingerprints can quickly appear.

    Accessible

    On the command side, all the actions of the deleted keys obviously remain accessible via the FN key. You can also access some additional shortcuts to manage your music, the sound volume or the intensity of RGB lighting. Classic.

    The Vulcan II Mini is also compatible with the EasyShift[+] option, found on most of the brand’s mice and keyboards. The feature provides access to an alternative mapping and therefore benefits from many additional shortcuts.

    By default, the option is activated when you hold down the TAB key, but you can also imagine activating it from your Roccat mouse . These options are adjusted from the Roccat Swarm software that we present to you a little further down.

    At the back of the keyboard, there are two retractable feet allowing the tilt to be adjusted on two levels. A rubber insert placed on the front part of the base ensures good stability to the whole.

    Finally, let’s finish with a point on connectivity. The Roccat model works only wired, via a USB-C connector placed in the center of its rear edge. For once, we would have liked the manufacturer to finally offer a switch to wireless with this new version in compact format. The keyboard could thus have been placed as an alternative to the Corsair K70 Mini Wireless , Razer Blackwidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed ​​or Cooler Master CK721 .

    Roccat Swarm Software

    As explained above, the different keyboard options can be configured via the in-house Roccat Swarm software. It is available free of charge from the manufacturer’s site and if you already have it, all you have to do is launch it and then update it.

    The tool allows you to create up to 5 configuration profiles, which can then be automatically loaded according to your games or applications. Enough to allow it to display good versatility despite its compact format.

    From the “Key assignment” tab, you can modify the secondary mapping of the keys, the one accessible via the EasyShift[+] functionality. Here, it is possible to choose among the different categories of actions already offered by Roccat or to create your own macros.

    The EasyShift[+] option is activated by default by holding the Tab key, but only when the keyboard is in “Gaming” mode, which can be activated via Fn + Windows.

    On the lighting side, they are configured from a second tab. Here you can choose between different effects or customize each of the keys with the color of your choice. Nothing really new on that side, even if we have to admit that some competitors offer slightly more complete options, including the possibility of customizing several layers of lighting.

    A new tab is also appearing on the lower part of the software, allowing you to customize the second LED found on 30 keys of the keyboard, namely those offering a second mapping accessible via the FN key. To our surprise, only some of them are customizable, especially those dedicated to media or sound volume. For example, the second lighting of the numeric keys is not customizable, while the latter have two LEDs.

    Also, for some keys the second lighting is always activated, while for others it only activates when the action in question is activated. In short, all this deserves in our opinion to be reworked a little and we hope that a firmware update will offer a little more latitude on the side of these second lights because the idea is rather good.

    Overall, the Roccat software meets most of our expectations, but as often, we regret an interface that is not necessarily the most intuitive. The tool has changed very little in recent years and a global overhaul would be really welcome.

    Switches & Performances

    The Vulcan II Mini inaugurates the brand’s new optical switches: the Roccat Titan II Optical. They take up a design fairly close to the manufacturer’s previous linear switches, still with a total stroke of 3.6 mm, an activation at 1.4 mm and a force of 65 g. They are advertised with a durability of 100 million activations.

    Without really giving more details about their design, the brand promises an even smoother activation with this second generation. These new switches mainly benefit from a revised design at the stem level, offering much better compatibility with other keycaps .

    In use, these new switches are rather convincing and we benefit from a pleasant keystroke. Activation is perfectly responsive and the keyboard does well for both gaming and office use. However, not everyone will necessarily be a fan of the keycaps installed by default on the Vulcan II Mini and these require a little time to adapt to keys with a more classic design.

    On the noise side, Roccat improves what we discovered on the previous Vulcan TKL Pro. The switches are quieter when activated and above all no longer resonate inside the chassis. Good news !

    Conclusion

    With this Roccat Vulcan II Mini, the brand presents its first mechanical keyboard in an ultra-compact format. Fans of the range will therefore now have the choice between three different sizes, with the classic “Full-Size” version, the TKL model and therefore this new 65% version.

    The keyboard itself does not really revolutionize the sector. In addition to its design which contrasts a little with the competition, the rest is rather classic. Offered at the manufacturer price of €149 , we could have expected a little more from Roccat, with in particular wireless connectivity options or even a “Hot-Swap” design.