HyperX Alloy FPS RGB review: "Primed to give you an edge in shooters"

The HyperX Alloy FPS RGB gaming keyboard isn't messing around. While it may seem simple - sparse, even - at first glance, that modest shell hides what is comfortably one of the best gaming keyboards I've used for a long time. With a recommended price of $109.99 / £99.99, it's more affordable than a lot of the competition as well.

Features

As its name would suggest, the HyperX Alloy FPS RGB is primed to give you an edge in shooters like Apex Legends, Fortnite, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare when combined with the best gaming mouse. To do this, it's got a more compact design than you might be used to. Although it has tenkeys, it does away with dedicated media controls and macro buttons. Instead, all of its keys are programmable. It can store three on-board profiles, too.

Love it or hate it, this portable design is complimented by a solid-steel frame that's lit up like Christmas by exposed, extra-bright RGB lights. And yes, it's true that there's no wrist rest. However, the Alloy FPS RGB makes up for that with USB passthrough for charging your devices. It also plays host to Kailh Silver Speed mechanical switches that provide an audible and satisfying 'click' when used, and they've got low actuation (i.e they don't need much force to be pressed down).

Design

You probably wouldn't be able to tell that the HyperX Alloy FPS RGB's got all those tricks up its sleeve by looking at it, though. As I mentioned before, this is a plank without many bells and whistles to speak of. That won't be to everyone's taste.

Nevertheless, this makes it flexible - it's ideal for office work or gaming at home, mostly because it's not too distracting. You can't fault the RGB lighting, either. It's gorgeous and quite tasteful.

Performance

Where the HyperX Alloy FPS RGB excels is performance. Its space-saving sensibilities mean that everything is within easy reach. The Kailh Silver Speed switches are every bit as reactive as they promise to be, too. It doesn't take much to push them down, yet there's still a satisfying 'clack' noise when you do.

What's more, they're bouncy enough that your fingers are able to fly from one key to the next. This comes in very handy when a firefight demands split-second reactions. It saved my butt in Apex Legends more than a few times and was equally useful when manipulating the camera or preparing my troops for an unexpected pincer-movement in Total War: Warhammer 2.

To be honest, the only thing I wasn't keen on was the FPS RGB's tendency to pick up dust. The black frame seemed to be a magnet for it.

Overall - should you buy it?

In short, the FPS RGB really does the business. It's the best shooter-focused keyboard I've tried over the last year (even when pitted against the new Razer BlackWidow and ROG's excellent Strix Scope), and it's also marginally cheaper to boot. What's not to love? If you're looking for a new gaming keyboard that balances cost and performance, you couldn't do much better than this.