Gaming keyboard or ergonomic keyboard? You typically have to choose. But in the wise words of Old El Paso Tacos, “Por qué no los dos?” That’s the thinking behind the Asus ROG Falcata, a wireless gaming board that splits apart and connects over a USB-C bridge. Adam Patrick Murray went hands-on with it at Computex.
By the way, Asus sponsored the video on PCWorld’s YouTube channel. Asus did not sponsor this article — I wanted to write it up because I think it’s cool.
The Falcata is a 75 percent board in two pieces, the better to support more ergonomic typing or a more tactical cant, whichever is more applicable in the moment. It’s not the first split keyboard to claim gaming prowess, but it is the first one to come from a major PC gaming accessory company like Asus, which says it developed the design with help from pro eSports gamers.
The design has a lot of adjustment options. It comes with eight different screw-in foot locations, four on each side, plus a bit of extra on the wrist rest (which can also be removed). Because in keyboards, as in the woods, tenting is important! Other features include a small volume wheel on the left side, four layers of sound dampening, 800Hz polling (yes, even wirelessly) and hall effect switches for you twitchy shooter fans, and a bit of RGB bling.
Asus
Asus has apparently heard my grousing about the Armoury Crate software, so you don’t need it for this keyboard (though Asus PR tells me it’s an option, contradicting Adam in the video). You can program the keyboard on its own or use a web-based interface to set up custom profiles. Good on ya, Asus, more companies should do that (and they are).
Because it’s of particular interest to me, I asked Asus PR if you could unplug the right side of the keyboard and use the left side on its own as a dedicated wireless keypad. No comment, though of course eventually we’ll find out when the Falcata launches later this year. Go ahead and subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube for the latest from Computex in Taipei, and watch The Full Nerd podcast for weekly insights on PC gaming.