ROG STRIX Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe Keyboard (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
It’s been a while since I’ve had a new keyboard to look at in front of me. Ever the enthusiast, I jumped at the chance to see what ASUS had coming up in a fresh new tenkeyless variety. Here we have the ROG STRIX Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe, and boy is it a nice one. It does have an obscenely long name however, so I’ll just be calling it the Scope from here, not to be confused with its non-wireless version that we as a site have not covered.
Now this isn’t my first ASUS keyboard, and there are a lot of parallels to be drawn between this and the ROG Claymore II I covered last year. You have the same fundamental RX red and blue switches on offer, with both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz connectivity available on top of a standard USB C cable. You also have support for Armoury Crate, the ASUS gaming driver suite, and all its benefits and pitfalls. There’s also a few changes in terms of key configuration, some of which I like, others I’m a little more on the fence with.
At a glance, we have a fairly versatile keyboard that’s targeting FPS gaming in particular, with the lack of reliance on a numpad and the bindings you could throw onto it for something like an MMO. The idea here is that the space otherwise occupied by the numpad can now be where your hand sits, leading to some slightly more comfortable gaming sessions. Despite the numerous keyboards lying beside my desk, this is actually the first traditional tenkeyless design I’ve looked at, and I’m a little split on what’s offered. I am quite fond of the lower profile in terms of desk space, which is a positive of the design as a whole. I do feel like the folks at ASUS could have done better with the space available though, with the upper-right of the keyboard being occupied by a large ROG logo. It’s aesthetically pleasing and lights up in gamer colours, but there’s space there for three additional keys that would be much more functional.
For any long-time user of a computer keyboard, the glaring oddity on the Scope is its left control key. It’s huge, and I really don’t know why. I can understand it’s used a lot in games, and especially in first-person shooters as a means of crouching or sprinting, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard somebody complain about it being too small. It’s possible I’m just not in the right spheres to hear such whispers but for day to day usage, I found myself hitting it instead of the Windows key more often than not. It’s an odd problem to have, but I suppose if you find yourself catching the Windows key too much when gaming, this might be a boon for you.
The other odd key would be the one sitting atop F12, dubbed the “stealth key”. It has a picture of a hooded individual and everything. Though I think the branding of what is ultimately a show desktop key is rather goofy, it is a somewhat neat idea in terms of swift privacy. There are certainly worse features that could sit atop the function keys. The function keys themselves are quite interesting here too. Something I haven’t come across on my own keyboard adventures, F1 through F4 function as normal, with only F5 through F12 being set to their media functions as default. On paper this is really neat, with having easy F2 access being particularly great as somebody who spends plenty of time renaming files, and F4 for closing apps quickly. I do wish they left F5 as standard as well though, with it being one of the more useful function keys. You can of course still use it by holding the Fn key, or even change this but it feels one step away from being as good as it could have been. I will add in here that it’s possible to remap the behaviour using Armoury Crate, so assuming you don’t mind going through the software, this can be tweaked to your liking.
Looking at the switches, I still only have good things to say about the proprietary RX switches on offer. I’ve previously had the chance to use both the red and blue variants, with the reds being what I have here with me today. Though the memory of the blues has somewhat faded outside of that I really liked them, I can confidently say these are some of the smoothest linear switches I’ve used to date. Of my personal collection, they’re only really etched out by the Wooting two HE’s incredibly interesting Lekker switch. It does of course all come down to preference, but I’ve consistently enjoyed what ASUS put out in this department. As a bit of an addendum, RX switches also come with a unique stalk design, rooting the keycaps to the switch at four points, resulting in an incredibly stable keycap that really does feel great.
The lighting for the Scope is another standard affair for an ASUS keyboard. The colours are really quite vivid and crisp, but at the end of the day they’re fairly standard across the board when looking at these big-name brands. When connected to Armoury Crate you can customise these to your liking with your usual assortment of effects. Whether you want a rainbow crossing your keyboard or a laser being sent out for every key you hit, your expectations will more than likely be met.
Based on previous experiences it should go without saying that the wireless experience is a joy. I’m really fond of the fact you can store the wireless dongle within the keyboard to avoid the classic conundrum of losing the blasted thing. The switch on the back of the keyboard works well and makes it clear as to whether you want to use the keyboard wired, via Bluetooth, or via the included dongle. In each mode I can’t say I felt any noticeable lag, but as always, this should be taken with a pinch of salt as I’m not the most perceptive to it. If it is a genuine concern, using the keyboard wired for your serious gaming sessions really is no hassle at all. One aspect I was confused about in particular when looking at the keyboard was what I thought to be a useless ROG logo in the top-right, where a few keys could quite comfortably sit. After a bit of confusion, I did find you could enable this as a battery indicator using Armoury Crate, though there really isn't much in the way of signposting to say so. I still do prefer the clear and visually quite appealing barred battery of the Claymore II, but this does do the job once setup.
I feel like I'm getting old but having some kind of information on this page feels like it would be beneficial.
I really do like this keyboard, but whether I can or can’t recommend it largely falls on its pricing, and right now, I don’t actually know how much it’ll cost. The wired variant of this retails for £140, with it currently discounted to £90 at a number of retailers at the time of writing. If ASUS could price this close to its wired RRP I do think it’s a good buy, but much more would put it too close to the Claymore II for me to be able to recommend this over that, especially given the additional versatility of the Claymore II. The ROG STRIX Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe keyboard has an outrageously long name, but its unique switches and tweaks make it a joy to use. If you find yourself wanting to save space on your desk over a full layout keyboard and see this one around at a good price, it’s one to consider.
Verdict
- RX switches remain outstanding to use
- Left control key is interesting, and may appeal to some
- Versatile triple connectivity with wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4 GHz
- Can store the wireless dongle in the body of the keyboard
- Pleasant lighting and sturdy build quality
- Wasted space in the top-right of the keyboard
- Odd sizing of left control key could throw people off
- RGB Indicator could use better signposting in Armoury Crate
- Likely to be expensive for what's on offer
