I wrote last year how the ASUS ROG Azoth is an incredible keyboard in many different ways, especially how it was the first time I felt (at that point) that a mainstream keyboard could now appeal also to the hardcore keyboard enthusiasts. Things have rapidly improved in the keyboard market since then as you can now get some fantastic keyboards at, or even below, $100. Even offerings from mainstream brands are rapidly targeting the enthusiast base, having finally realized they tend to spend more on keyboards than the average person in the market for a keyboard. They are the ones who are more likely to read or watch a keyboard review, make an informed decision, be extremely specific about what they wish to have in a keyboard, and often spend more on custom keycaps alone than what many readers here will ever spend on a full keyboard. You can even get a CNC-machined aluminium chassis keyboard for under $150 now, which is incredible considering how much they used to cost just a couple of years ago. Add to this the part where so many keyboards have a feature set you can almost tick off a checklist, and it becomes incredibly hard to justify a keyboard that is now being sold for $500.

I got this keyboard in a while ago, although I've had a lot of international travel since to where I did have the luxury of testing it over a much longer period of time too. I also saw how this keyboard at $500 was still selling reasonably well online, based on generated user reviews of authentic buyers. While in Asia recently, I walked into two ROG stores in different countries and the Azoth Extreme was placed prominently, with the staff mentioning how they were more than happy with how well it was selling in the stores. Knowing that online purchases are likely to dwarf retail customers, I think we can say the Azoth Extreme ended up justifying ASUS greenlighting this project. The Azoth, which still sells for $250 today, is half the price and continues to be an exceptional keyboard. You can get most of the features of the Azoth Extreme there for half the price, and yet I have no doubt the Azoth Extreme is a better keyboard in multiple ways. I have to give a special shoutout to that innovative adjustable gasket mount design here, allowing users to go from a hard to a soft typing feel. It changes the keyboard typing experience and sound signature more than you would think, and I absolutely see this being copied by others or even improved upon by ASUS to allow for finer control as opposed to the two discrete options available now. The first party switches used here are also excellent, I can vouch for the ROG NX Storm too, having used it on a retail unit in Asia.

Add to that the rest of the features listed above, and I think it would be fair to say ASUS deserves a recommendation and acknowledgement of the novel features here. It also deserves flack for Armoury Crate though, you can read my thoughts about it on page four. It can be a dealbreaker for some, although thankfully you can make the most of the Azoth Extreme without necessarily ever needing to install it. The $500 MSRP is a lot and I fully expect comments about how overpriced something like this is. The thing is that, at this price point, we are far beyond the reasonable scope of justification for a mechanical keyboard. Those who want an ROG keyboard to show off on the desk will also find less expensive options available. The Azoth Extreme is not for everyone, and is certainly not a perfect keyboard. That "But Expensive" badge below is probably unnecessary given how obvious it is here. Yet I find myself comparing other keyboards to it going forward, and if you are willing to pay for what may be the best pre-built mechanical keyboard today then who am I to stop you? Just be aware that gamers may want to consider magnetic switch keyboards as well, there are certain advantages with those switches that even the best mechanical switches can't achieve.