We’ve spent two weeks with the Isku FX and put it through quite the mill for a membrane keyboard, and it really has performed quite well. It’s often said that those who have gone mechanical wouldn’t go back, but if you did they the Isku FX would be an excellent place to start if you’re a heavy gamer. By the same token, those happy with membrane keyboards should certainly give the Isku FX a long, hard look.

As it always seems with ROCCAT products customisation is the key to getting the most out of the keyboard, whether you’re keen for lighting options or extreme macro and hotkey flexibility, and so the Isku FX perfectly complements the new Kone Pure and XTD mice. The dynamic of communicating between devices through the Talk FX technology opens up options when previously a feature exclusive to one peripheral may feel restrictive; the proviso must be however that the feature is appropriate for the use it is being put to.

In one case, Easy-Aim, assigning the functionality to the keyboard makes it excellent for FPS gaming with a Kone mouse, and in many respects preferable to a similar ‘Aim Button’ on the mouse itself. A second, Easy-Shift[+], is outstanding for hotkey-based MMO gaming without choosing the elaborate mouse solutions which may be a hindrance in other games.

The big unknown is just how much hotkey input style will feature in future years as Blizzard, ArenaNet and similar developers move to a more concentrated hack’n’slash approach for their MMOs. Even so, these elements to the keyboard will never be problematic, only surplus. Additionally multiple profiles will never be unwanted.

In terms of aesthetic appeal, just as with the Kone XTD the lighting should attract those looking for high levels of customisation. Whilst it is uniform, the options available are rarely seen and would set you apart from your gaming cohort in the gloomy lighting of a LAN party. In this regard Talk FX also has great potential for more immersive gaming through dynamic lighting, much of it unrealised as yet.

Once again we are impressed with ROCCAT’s software, which had an excellent layout matched by the layout of the Isku FX itself. One criticism could be that they use a larger window and increase the text size a little, but other than that it’s very difficult to fault.



As good as it is however the Isku FX is on the expensive end for a membrane keyboard, and still suffers from the issues these have – namely lack of responsiveness, dull feel and the impact that has on typing speed and reaction time. It’s possible that low profile keys were chosen specifically due to this weakness. That said, for a membrane type it is still out of the top draw, with a consistent response across all keys which has been an oversight on some competitor products in the past.

ROCCAT’s Isku FX is a fine evolution of the original Isku which adds vibrant lighting to it extensive feature set. The keyboard is ideal when matched with a ROCCAT Kone mouse and is still good when paired with an off-brand alternative. As membrane keyboards go it is robust, but expensive at £85 considering mechanical alternatives at the price, even featuring the promising potential of Talk FX. It has earned its Silver Award, and can now boast a Creative award too.