While split keyboards have been around for ages, they don’t often venture into the world of gaming. The vast majority offer improved ergonomics and comfort for long days at the office, skipping high-end specs and premium mechanical switches. That’s not to say these keyboards aren’t capable of double-duty, but limited polling rates and productivity-oriented features mean they typically lack what you'll find on a modern-day gaming keyboard.
Asus has managed to bring the two worlds together. The ROG Falcata is a split 75 percent keyboard that's fast and comfortable. You get 8,000-Hz wireless polling for super-fast response times, fully-adjustable Hall effect switches, and gaming-focused capabilities like Rapid Trigger and SOCD (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Direction) input, alongside multiple ergonomic features. However, the $420 MSRP (and even the common $280 discount) is a steep asking price.
Familiar Layout
Photograph: Henri Robbins
The typing experience on the Falcata is shockingly good. The switches are smooth without noticeable wobble, and the typing sound is reasonably deep while still maintaining some midrange. It doesn’t have the distinct top-end “clack” of a Cherry MX switch, but it’s better than many Hall effect switches I’ve tried.
The shorter split space bars result in a typing sound that’s more consistent with the rest of the keys (the length of a space bar typically results in a deeper sound than other keys), and the stabilizers in the longer keys are all lubed exceptionally well—none of them rattle or stick at all. They use an older model of clip-in plate-mounted stabilizers that aren’t quite as effective as modern printed circuit board (PCB)-mounted stabilizers, but the older design means the stems simply clip onto the internal wire and can be removed for re-lubing without disassembly.
Typing on this keyboard when it’s not split is perfectly normal. The two halves slot together without any gap, and the split space bar is functional, with each half sitting directly underneath its corresponding thumb. The only real hiccup is the B key. Technically, you should be pressing “B” with your left hand. It’s what nearly every typing program and guide teaches. However, a lot of people (myself included) don’t do this; instead, like heathens, we stretch our right index finger across the keyboard to hit it. Unlike other split keyboards, the ROG Falcata doesn't have a spare B key on the right half.