As with the recently covered Genesis RK85 RGB keyboard, AQIRYS's biggest issue now is to get its name known beyond a regional distributor that it is the house brand. While I concede that my limited knowledge of the European market doesn't help—let alone that of Romania—not being able to easily buy a product under review makes it hard to even consider for purchase. This is beyond whether the product is good at all and really pushes the bar higher than for most others since it has to be exceptional or offer something quite unique to get people to go the extra mile to order it. AQIRYS says an international online store is being set up as I write this, and the goal is to have it up and running in Q2 of this year.

With the Aludra TKL, AQIRYS is clearly looking to appeal to gamers by going further down the L33T speech train than most. Dedicated keycaps spell out "ALL ABOUT GAMING" on the top row, and another asks you to "Start the Rage." But outside of this, the gaming-centric features end up being macro support, a game mode, software profiles and program shortcuts, and a linear switch by default. Nothing distinguishes the Aludra TKL from the vast majority of keyboards on the market, let alone at the $100–110 price point, at least until you get to the 25% lower pricing from third-party retailers. In fact, aesthetics are the biggest USP, with that keycap set and white case working well with full backlighting as well as side lighting on all four sides. It makes for a highly attractive light show for those who like it.

The issue is that even customizing the lighting is not trivial, with a combination of software drivers needing optimization and onboard controls necessary to get everything exactly as you want. Of course, if all you care about is getting some dynamic light effects done, a couple of minutes in the software are enough. The more you dig into things, the more you realize this is a feature set that has been offered many times before, and the bar for $80–100 mechanical keyboards has never been higher. Take the Akko 3098B for example, which offers hybrid wireless connectivity, more switches, better quality keycaps, and many different designs to choose from. There's also the recently announced GMMK 2 keyboard—it comes in at a similar price, does even better at software, and offers backlighting and side lighting, too. It is also more readily available. I originally was not even aware of the 25% discount from other stores, and as I understand it, the international AQIRYS e-shop will reflect this, too. The AQIRYS Aludra TKL is a lot more attractive at ~$80, and would be more readily available too, so definitely wait for the new store to be functional before you decide to purchase this keyboard, if at all.