Asus gave my favorite gaming keyboard a makeover, and I

I’ve nearly finished my review of the Asus ROG Azoth X, the brand’s latest deck and a successor to one of the best gaming keyboards I’ve used in my entire life. Overall, I’ve been impressed with this new generation device – but there’s one design feature I swapped as soon as I could.

The main deck features pudding keycaps.

I love RGB as much as the next keyboard enthusiast, but I’ve always found these translucent toppers a bit… much. They cheapen the look of a seriously expensive device, adding a blocky, loud vibe to the aesthetic as a whole. It’s doubly heartbreaking because I love the actual space-age design. If I could keep these legends, stamps, and doodles, just without that garish glow underneath I’d be set.

Of course, those pudding caps haven’t stopped me from enjoying the Asus ROG Azoth X overall. The original was one of my favorite decks for a long time – it had to be physically discontinued before I started looking elsewhere.

Much of what made the classic Asus ROG Azoth so impressive is still here. Say what you want about this gaming brand, it knows how to sound dampen a keyboard. Every tap is gorgeously absorbed, allowing those super smooth ROG NX switches to thunk with a crisp clarity and super satisfying feel overall. That battery life is still turbo-charged – I’ve very rarely had to reach for the cable of shame in my setup so far.

You’ve got the speed of those switches, the functionality of a 75% keyboard with an additional OLED display and control toggle, and the comfort of a particularly well built chassis. What more could you need? For $300, you might be thinking about Hall effect switches.

This is a fully mechanical deck and, while it is hot-swappable, you’ll get far more customization options from a set of magnetic clickers. Of course, they’re not for everyone – you certainly won’t get this kind of premium typing feel from something like the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Gen 3, for example.

The Asus ROG Azoth X certainly stands out from the crowd, and I’m a big fan of its futuristic sensibilities, but that extra glare of RGB does let it down. Maybe it’s time to get the Tipp-Ex out.

I’m also rounding up all the best wireless gaming keyboards and more of the best hot-swappable keyboards on the market. Or, take a look at the best membrane gaming keyboards for something a lot cheaper.

Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I’ve written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i’m focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.