HyperX, Kingston’s gaming accessory arm, has recently announced the HyperX Alloy Origins mechanical gaming keyboard in India. This, compact gaming keyboard comes with HyperX’s custom mechanical red switches and retails at Rs. 11,990 offering almost everything that you’d look in a gaming keyboard.
Normally, gaming keyboards are known for their durability, precision, looks and funky LED lights. We will try to assess how well does this keyboard fare on these parameters, in this review.
HyperX Alloy Origins: Build, design, and performance
Though I’m not a gamer by any stretch of the imaginations, I still prefer mechanical keyboards for the fact that they are much more durable then the membrane keyboards and are very comfortable.
My biggest gripe has been that most mechanical keyboards are bulky and heavy which makes them difficult to operate in case you have a slightly congested work desk like mine.
The Alloy Origins, unlike other gaming keyboards, is compact and simple. The keys are raised slightly from the base making space for RGB led lights to weave their magic.
Every time you press the keys you can experience a different shade of LED lights, depending on the colour scheme that you choose using the Ngenuity software.
The base of the keyboard is compact and is without any extra bezels which making the keys easily reachable. Though a detachable wrist support would’ve been great.
The height of the keyboard can be adjusted to three different levels according to your convenience. Dedicated multimedia control keys are missing from the keyboard but you can control multimedia using the combination keys.
The keys used on the keyboard are HyperX’s first attempt in custom switches and like the Cherry MX RED switches, these are linear and have that satisfactory ‘click sound’.
The keys are extremely light and responsive and these custom switches result in slightly less key travel time compared to other switches. The keystrokes are quicker which means using this keyboard while gaming or for work would be an equal amount of fun.
The slight curved key surface along with the adjustable height means that once you get used to typing on this keyboard, it’d become really difficult to switch to a different one.
One of the biggest improvements is the bundled Ngenuinty software which allows you to customize the LED light show on the keyboard. This software lets you set a different colour for each keyboard and you can save up to three different light patterns.
You can switch between these lighting patterns using the shortcuts on the keyboard. If you’re fond of tinkering with LED patterns, the updated Ngenuinty app will definitely impress you.
The keyboard connects with your PC using a USB type C port and the bundled cable is a high quality braided one. This is a detachable cable that makes the keyboard highly portable and easy to carry around. Extra brownie points to HyperX for this.
Conclusion
The Alloy Origins is an extremely worthy option for hardcore gamers as well as for people who type a lot on their PCs. Even though it comes with custom keys, this keyboard doesn’t feel different than any other mechanical keyboard. While its compact size, sturdy build, and performance work in its favour, it’s the price tag that might be a deterrent for a few.
