The ROG Falchion mechanical keyboard released late last year, and I was originally planning to review it first before the ROG Claymore II showed up and took precedence given the embargoed release date. In many ways that keyboard stole the thunder for my own experience with the ROG Falchion because it offered so much more. Then came the even newer ROG Falchion NX with ASUS's latest first-party ROG NX mechanical switches, further making this version seem like old news next to the new hotness that will be sold alongside which ASUS claims to just add mode options. There is still plenty to talk about here, however, since the ROG Falchion is one of a kind as far as mainstream brands go.

It does appear 2021 is the year established mainstream brands with a much larger retail channel than niche keyboard-only makers have realized there is a market for 60% keyboards—whether or not it targets gamers. The likes of Razer, CORSAIR, and HyperX went this route, so I was pleasantly surprised to see ASUS follow suit with the 65% form factor ROG Falchion. It is also quite unlike the Claymore II in that there is minimal branding, at least by ROG standards, and an overall cleaner aesthetic with a bezel-less design. The company goes further by even using the left side of the keyboard for some extra functionality you would otherwise see on a larger keyboard, with the novel use of a touch pad and side-mounted LED strip. The touch pad allows five control options based on gestures, and the LED strip works as a multi-functional indicator, which again replaces the need for dedicated indicator LEDs.

I also appreciated the use of PBT doubleshot keycaps by default, although some of the top-facing legends are laser etched and will wear out sooner than you'd think. There are also some front-facing legends for a good overview of all the Fn functions, whereby you simply press Fn and the associated key for the functionality. This brings back a lot of the functions you might otherwise thought lost forever even before key mapping enters the picture courtesy Armoury Crate. I still think ASUS needs to work hard on the software, though. It has more pages of bloat than actually relevant menu options for the device you've installed it for in the first place. Having to use a second program to create more advanced lighting effects also just reeks of outsourcing to different teams, and there are plenty of UI updates that should rather necessitate the resources used to make this come off as a one-stop shop instead. There is a lot to like here, but I am just not sure if the novel aspects alone make it worth the asking price. Perhaps if the ROG NX switches are that much better than their Cherry MX equivalents.