Roccat today launched a new "no-frills" mechanical keyboard that it's aiming at "gaming purists," which apparently refers to gamers who want a compact plank without too many amenities cluttering the layout.
To that end, Roccat's new Suora is a frameless keyboard with the keys sitting atop an aluminum plate. There's no palm rest or thick border, which results in a more compact layout with a certain aesthetic appeal. However, in its quest to simplify the design, some gaming features had to be scrapped, most notably dedicated macro keys.
In place of standalone macro keys, the cluster above the arrow keys—Ins, Home, Page Up, Del, End, and Page Down—serve double duty as programmable macro keys. They're labeled M1 through M6 underneath their primary functions.
Roccat also boasts the absence of media keys in its attempt to offer gaming purists what it considers a "distraction-free" layout, though that's only partially true. There are dedicated volume controls above the number pad, and like the macro keys, media controls are integrated with existing keys—F9 through F12 in this case. F5 through F8 contain shortcuts, while F1 through F4 lack any secondary functions.
"The raw design lets you get closer in touch with the action, for lightning-fast and distraction-free gameplay," Roccat explains.
Other features include a Game key (disables the Windows key), blue LED backlighting with 11 brightness levels and a breathing effect, anti-ghosting via n-key rollover, a 1,000Hz polling rate, and TTC Brown key switches rated for 50 million keystrokes.
The Roccat Suora will be available in early July for $100 (€100).
