Review: Strix Gaming Gear

The Strix Gaming Gear review here covers the Tactic Pro keyboard, Strix Claw mouse and Mouse Pad. They are a part of Asus’s Strix gaming lineup, along the Strix 7.1 DSP headset. The whole set shares a common identify of the owl motif design, sharp angular lines, and consistent orange glow lighting.

Strix Tactic Pro

The keys are arranged in a slight ergonomic curve, to assist in locating the necessary keys and for more comfort in typing. On the top-right are the media keys, with a thumbscroll for volume, which feels a bit fragile. The additional buttons on the Tactic Pro is significant. There is a dedicated macro keypad on the left, from M1 to M10. If that’s not enough, there are three small macro keys on the botton of the spacebar, and the function keys (F1-F8) on top double up as macro keys for a total of 21 macro choices. I was initially concerned that the keys on the bottom would result in me hitting them by accident but they are small and low profile enough such that you wouldn’t hit them by mistake. There are indents on them to easily identify the separate macro keys, and easily activated with your thumbs. When working, I use the three macro buttons below for copy, cut and paste.

The key caps are removable with a keycap removal tool that comes in the box. You can also replace the WSAD keys with amber-coloured keys, which is suitable if you are going for the full gamer look. The key caps are standard and you can replace them with 3rd party caps for a personalised look.

The keys are Cherry MXes, and you have the choice of either Blue, Red or Black. We tested the Blue one, and the quality and feel are good as expected of the Cherry MX Blue click-clack nature. These switches are build to last, and you can expect a key life cycle of 50 million keystrokes. More than you can ever throw at them. Overall, the keys feel nice, with that signature mechanical click. But the Blues are undeniably noisy. I didn’t had any problems with key ghosting, but there’s also a toggle switch for NKRO mode, which allows for 6 key rollovers.

The keyboard body is plastic but I didn’t find that to be too much of a issue. I know some of the other mechanical keyboard comes with an aluminum body, but the keyboard itself feels robust and easy to transport around.

As part of the Strix series, the Strix Tactic Pro keyboard uses the same amber backlighting. The key identifiers are lit in a bright golden orange, while the keys are backlit in a light amber just to define the key clusters against the black keyboard. Very tasteful. What’s awesome is that you can hold down the function key in tandem with any of the numeric keypad keys to change lighting modes and brightness.

Setting up the keyboard was easy – just plug and play. The software, apart from being a driver for the advanced features, is mostly used to manage profiles and macros. You can create profiles for different games and have them load up with each game or program. In fact, you don’t even need to install the ASUS software to record macros. The right alt key doubles up as a macro record key and you can record and assign macros directly without using any software. Very useful for LAN gamers. The number of macro keys make this keyboard well suited for games such as MMORPG where you need to access to a lot of different skills and functions on the fly. The same keys come in handy for work though. Especially if you use a lot of Photoshop or Excel and you can map the more complex two key or three key combinations to a macro button. It helps to improve productivity.

The RRP for the Strix Tactic Pro mechanical keyboard is $209.00.

Pros

• Braided Cable
• Cherry MX Keys (quality keys and an experience that you would be familiar with)
• Volume Rocker
• Tons of Macro keys and Profiles

Cons

• Limited Backlighting Options (only amber)
• No USB Hub

Strix Claw Mouse

The Strix Claw gaming mouse is for right handed users but if you are, this is a solid gaming mouse and works well for FPS. Overall, the 5000 dpi resolution lends to a snappy response. The DPI can be switched on the fly, thanks to two buttons under the scroll wheel, which would be useful for FPS shooter games, when switching between a machine gun type spraying weapon versus a sniper rifle. If you need multiple buttons, this is limited to a total of 5 additional buttons. There’s three buttons on the thumb side and although they are clustered, they are big and distinct enough so that you can identify them through touch. There are two more DPI adjustment buttons located under the scroll wheel, which can be activated with your right index finger.

The Strix Claw also features Japanese-made Omron switches, which honestly, I have not heard of them prior to reviewing this mouse. Omron are like your Cherry MX equivalents and they are great for ensuring that each click is captured accurately, and no erroneous double clicking. The scroll wheel is indented and easy to control. The mouse is well built and well constructed. The underside sports three large Teflon feet for smooth gliding, and the cable end is angled upwards to minimise drag. Like the rest of the Strix hardware, software is optional, but if you do install it, it is generally user friendly with great options.

The RRP for the Strix Claw mouse is $119.00.

Pros

• Omron Switches
• Button Accessibility
• Comfortable Size

Cons

• Not much

Strix Glide Speed Mousepad

The mousepad is huge! As the name suggests, the Strix Glide Speed is meant for gamers who love super fast gameplay, require efficient movement with no hindrance to their hands, suited for RTS, MMORPG, or DOTA 2 like games where speed is key. However, I find the surface to have a little too much friction but it does improve precision. The embroidered edge make the pad durable as that makes it fray-resistant and importantly, keeps the corners from curling up. It’s a decent mouse pad, but not something I would particularly spend money on.

The RRP for the Strix Glide Speed mousepad is $32.90.

Pros

• Huge
• Good traction
• Embroidered egde

Cons

• Fabric material prone to stains
• Not particularly smooth