I'm not often impressed with RGB lighting. Having spent the past year traipsing around the world looking at the very best PC hardware currently on offer, after a while all those glowing lights tend to blur into one.
Which is why this Alienware Wireless Pro keyboard came as something of a surprise when I pulled it from the box for my review. Activating the switch on the rear caused a simply dazzling display of RGB that literally made me "woah" out loud, and for that alone it should be celebrated.
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Of course, this wouldn't mean a thing if the rest of the keyboard wasn't any good. Thankfully, it's a bit of a peach. I don't think it'll necessarily be to everyone's tastes, but there's something wonderfully old-school about the aesthetic, something 70's sci-fi that really got my juices flowing.
It looks like it was ripped straight from the bridge of the Nostromo, and sounds like it too. It's got more of a ticket-y-tock than a thockety thock, and some will find that noise a little loud and distracting. But personally, it took me right back to the beige keyboards of my youth in all the best ways, and the positive switch action and crisply cut PBT double-shot keycaps meant that my typing felt just a little more accurate.
Ask my editors: this is a very good thing for me. Anyway, I could bang on for a while about how this keyboard looks and sounds but it's better you see and hear it in action for yourself. Cue, a demonstration video.
Cool, ain't it? If that RGB is a bit much for you (and let's face it, it's set to dazzle and stun straight from the box for obvious reasons), it's all easily tweakable in the Alienware Command Center—with per key lighting options, brightness settings, and a host of other customisation options that are blissfully straightforward to setup.
Trust me when I say, this is something of a rarity. Alienware's customisation software isn't pretty, but it's at the very least simple to use. Chalk another one up in the Pro Wireless' favor.
It's also got a lovely little cushioned slot in which to keep its 1 KHz polling dongle, and there's Bluetooth 5.1 on board for more connection options, too. The soft click feet are another highlight, and reflective of the build quality of this keeb overall. It's solid as a rock, properly sturdy under pressure, and feels like the high-end object that it is.
Still, at $200 I felt it was a bit expensive, and that kept me from recommending it as an addition to our best gaming keyboards guide. However, for $150 at Amazon I reckon this is a great shout for someone looking for a high-end wireless keyboard that stands out from the crowd.
That typing noise won't be for everyone, but if, like me, you're susceptible to a blend of old-school charm and modern hardware theatrics, I don't think you can go far wrong picking up one of these.
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