The Alloy FPS keyboard is a minimalistic, compact mechanical keyboard that comes with a good quality mesh travel pouch, making it ideal for competitive FPS gaming and LAN events.
Product on Review: HyperX Alloy FPS
Manufacturer and Sponsor: HyperX
Street Price: UK: £99.99, US: $119.99
Looking to quell the demand for high quality gaming peripherals that have a no-nonsense plug-and-play experience, the HyperX team present the Alloy FPS mechanical keyboard. It has a compact solid steel frame that features Cherry MX Blue switches and red backlighting. Beside the features you would expect from a gaming keyboard, such as full anti-ghosting and 1000Hz polling, the HyperX team throw in a selection of FN media keys and customisable lighting.
The Alloy FPS features a detachable USB cable and a mesh travel bag, ideal for transportation, and despite the minimalistic design, the HyperX team also manage to squeeze an additional USB port specifically for charging your mobile devices.
Overview by HyperX
HyperX™ Alloy FPS Mechanical Gaming Keyboard features a minimalistic, compact design that’s ideal for FPS gameplay. Its space-saving layout maximises desktop space for FPS mouse movement. Ultra-portable, HyperX Alloy FPS comes complete with a high-quality mesh travel pouch to store and protect the keyboard and accessories, and the detachable, mini-USB braided power cord reduces storage bulk and potential cable damage. For high-precision, gaming-grade key contact and reliability, it features Cherry® MX mechanical keys.
Technical Specifications
Switch: Cherry MX Blue
Type: Mechanical
Backlight: Single color, Red
Light effects: 6 LED modes and 5 brightness levels
Connection type: USB 2.0 (2 USB connectors)
USB Passthrough: Yes (mobile phone charging only)
Polling rate: 1000Hz
Anti-ghosting: 100% anti-ghosting
Key rollover: 6-key / N-key modes
Media control: Yes
Game mode: Yes
Cable Type
Detachable, braided
Length: 1.8m
Dimensions
Width: 441.65mm
Depth: 129.38mm
Height: 35.59mm
Weight (keyboard and cable): 1049g
Type: Mechanical
Backlight: Single color, Red
Light effects: 6 LED modes and 5 brightness levels
Connection type: USB 2.0 (2 USB connectors)
USB Passthrough: Yes (mobile phone charging only)
Polling rate: 1000Hz
Anti-ghosting: 100% anti-ghosting
Key rollover: 6-key / N-key modes
Media control: Yes
Game mode: Yes
Cable Type
Detachable, braided
Length: 1.8m
Dimensions
Width: 441.65mm
Depth: 129.38mm
Height: 35.59mm
Weight (keyboard and cable): 1049g
Packaging & First Look
The packaging looks very similar in design to the Cloud Stinger we reviewed recently, with gunmetal grey, black and red colours. Though arguably a little more toned down, with only the required information such as branding, what the product is, regional layout and what switches it uses.
The sides show some more detailed information about the specification, and the rear displays various key points including the USB charging port, the detachable cable, the included textured keycaps, and the carry pouch. Other information is about the benefits of a compact design and its robust construction.
The travel pouch is soft, padded and high quality with the HyperX logo across it. It features an addition pouch on the underside for cables and accessories.
There are additional red gaming keyboards of 1 2 3 4, and textured WASD keycaps and a keycap remover. The detachable cable is 1.8m long and is braided in a black and red design. It features a single miniUSB and two regular USB ports to plug into your system (one for the keyboard, the other for a power boost for the charging port).
The Alloy FPS is small, compact elegant with a smooth satin black finish. The mechanical switches are exposed which makes for easy cleaning.
Closer Look
Some of the F keys double as media and volume control keys, as well as a gaming mode (disables Windows key, alt+F4 etc).
The left/right cursor keys control the lighting modes, up/down control brightness.
From the side you can see how low the Alloy FPS is, at just 35mm high, it is a full 3-5mm lower than most other mechanical keyboards.
The primary connection for the keyboard is a miniUSB, alongside it is the USB charging port.
The underside is plain with rubber non-slip pads along with the ubiquitous angle adjustment feet.
The Alloy FPS uses Cherry MX Blue switches only at this point and the larger switches use metal distribution bars.
The lighting is moderately bright, but not as bright as some others, though as a minimalistic keyboard, normally lighting serves purely as a functional feature.
The Alloy FPS features, solid, breathing, trigger, explosion, wave and custom effects in 5 levels of brightness (off, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%).
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
To setup the Alloy FPS requires 2x USB 2.0 ports, from there on it is plug-and-play. The frame is surprisingly small, elegant and very strong. The steel frame makes it feel heavier than it is as it is relatively lightweight at just over 1Kg. The included cable I feel could have been longer, 1.8m feels like it may be a little restrictive for those who have their desktop situated in a less convenient manner, though for most it will suffice.
Due to its compact size, a wrist-rest isn’t needed for comfortable use as all the keys are easy to reach. The additional USB port is for charging only and doesn’t carry any data. This is good in a way as many mobile charging cables are often short, though I feel that it could have been a traditional pass-through as a means of more versatility.
The construction quality feels awesome, though if you do travel a lot I would practice caution as the compact nature of the Alloy FPS leaves the keycaps rather exposed and a sharp knock to the side could potentially damage some switches or keys.
The custom lighting effect is actually quite interesting, it is the last on the right to select, once done you hold FN + right CTRL together until the backlight turns off, you then press any keys that you want to come on, then hold FN + CTRL again to save the setting.
Performance
Though only available in Cherry MX Blue (tactile/clicky) these are a favourite for many and the tactile feedback is ideal for gaming. These switches combined with the compact size make typing and gaming a very pleasurable experience. If you are gaming, you may choose to use the textured red WASD keycaps, that help identify where those oh-so-important keys are instantly without looking. The assurance of having full NKRO and the proven reliability of the Cherry MX switches adds to the final impressions of the keyboard.
Conclusion
In our time spent with the Alloy FPS, we found that this design ethic is something that we wholly appreciate, and one that many other gamers will too. The compact, non-imposing design with assured performance is something that we can easily get behind. Sure there are no fancy lighting effects, but this product is about raw performance, not spending eons messing around with driver software.
Though, this product also has some stiff competition from another equally impressive keyboard: the ROCCAT SUORA. The SUORA has a similar design principle but it’s cheaper, has macros, and does have driver support (though no needed). Though arguably, the Alloy FPS does many things that the SUORA doesn’t. It has an additional USB port for charging, it has 100% NKRO, it has per-key customisable back lighting, and for those who care, it uses Cherry MX switches. Though, it is also fair to say, each cater for different needs, so you now have a choice, red or blue (or Blue and Brown switches). The Alloy FPS is a beautiful addition to the compact, minimalistic gaming keyboard group.
The Alloy FPS is a beautiful addition to the compact mechanical gaming keyboard market, it provides solid, reliable performance that is just as ready to travel as it is to game.
Pros.
+ Beautiful design
+ Compact and portable (detachable cable, carry pouch)
+ Solid construction
+ USB Charging port
+ Full NKRO
+ Customisable lighting
Cons.
– No macros
– Price
+ Beautiful design
+ Compact and portable (detachable cable, carry pouch)
+ Solid construction
+ USB Charging port
+ Full NKRO
+ Customisable lighting
Cons.
– No macros
– Price
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
