Introduction

It has been over six months since our last Roccat keyboard review in which we took a look at the Suora FX. It had some teething problems with the software driver, so it is about time for a look at yet another Roccat keyboard today to also figure out how Roccat's Swarm has come along. In a sea of mechanical keyboards that are easy to mistake for one another, we are going through some variety here on TechPowerUp as of late with some scissor switch keyboards, wireless keyboards, and a keyboard with a crown dial, and Roccat steps up as well in providing yet more flavor by the way of a keyboard that offers analog/force-sensitive controls. Enter the Isku+ Force FX, and thanks again to Roccat for providing us with a review sample.


The Isku+ Force FX is part of Roccat's Isku series, and if you are familiar with it, you know already that this is not a mechanical keyboard. It is a (much) larger-than-full-size membrane keyboard with a lot of extra keys all over the keyboard to provide dedicated functionality that is both pre-programmed and programmable. There is also at least a color of backlighting and presumably more, just going by the picture above, and we see a lot more indicator lights than we are generally used to. This is much more than a regular keyboard in both size and functionality, and this is before we even get to what makes those Q/W/E/A/S/D keys different. So let us begin our review with a look at the specifications below:

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The product box for the Roccat Isku+ Force FX is a very good indicator of the form factor of the keyboard inside, with an extremely large box in two dimensions being used here. Roccat has a semi-glossy print on the cardboard itself, so excuse the reflections in the photographs, but we can still clearly see the use of the black and blue color they tend to prefer for their products. Of course, this is mixed in with some RGB to indicate the backlighting color options available, and on the front, we have the company and product name along with a large printed illustration of the keyboard with a few choice marketing taglines for good measure. The back is busier with a few more illustrations and specs/features in multiple languages. This even continues on the sides to where Roccat has made the most of the real estate available here, and a seal over a double flap in the middle helps with keeping the contents inside in place.


Opening the box, we see the keyboard itself taking up most of the space available. The keyboard cable is neatly tucked away in a compartment above, and removing the keyboard shows us the accessories that come with it. These come in a plastic pouch, and Roccat supplies a multi-language quick installation guide, a few stickers, and a disposable information manual to abide by if or when you need to. I do recommend reading the guide, although there is so much to deal with when it comes to the keyboard that you really need a more detailed overview or tutorial instead. Roccat does have a few video tutorials on their official YouTube channel, handy for when you get around to the pressure-sensitive controls section.