Roccat Arvo Compact Gaming Keyboard, Good, but overpriced

December 18, 2019

Roccat Arvo Compact Gaming Keyboard, Good, but overpriced

I’d been waiting for this keyboard for some time, so when it showed up on amazon i grabbed it. The keyboard is very small and compact, but feels sturdy and well made, the keys have a nice press to them, the anti-ghosting feature on them has made my presses more precise, and the whole thing looks fantastic. The macro keys function exactly as you’d expect and the software is simple and powerful. The only small gripe i have is that the f keys are very small and close together, which can make them a little irritating to use in a game that relies a lot on them. Since those kinds of games are rare however, i can’t cut a star off of an otherwise perfect compact gaming keyboard. Highly recommended to any gamer who hates gaming keyboards, that look like a 2 by 4 plank of wood with 999999999 pointless macro keys.

Make no mistake, this is a good keyboard. It’s got a very small surface area, making ideal for restricted desk-space but the keys are a good size (even the f1-12 keys, which sit at the top edge are well-constructed and balanced). Its very tactile, with good key response and is arranged nicely. But the quality of the keys is a little inconsistent – the arrow keys at the bottom of the num-pad are noticably different; they aren’t as nice to use and feel weak to press. The backlight on the arrows (when active) is also weak. In particular, the keyboard is arranged so that the entire num-pad can be cycled between num-grid operation and arrow key operation using the mode button (top right). When the arrows are active they are back lit blue but the other keys aren’t. Therefore it can be a little confusing to realise which keys are in which mode on the num-pad (e. I really don’t think it would have been too much trouble to extend the back-lit mode-toggle idea to the other keys as well and it would have been so much better. Like i say, this keyboard is good overall with a few minor gripes outlined above. It would have been fine if it was like £15 cheaper. As it stands, i think its too much money to pay, especially given the features are limited (3 customisable keys, thats about it). Great for a gamer with restricted deskspace but ultimately, overpriced.

This is a good keyboard, it feels nice to type on and the small profile makes your desk a lot bigger. However i found that after a while i was hunched over while using it, my hands were so close together that it was very easy to start sinking down as my elbows were so close to my sides. The location of the cursor/delete keys is also a pain, i’ve used this for five twelve hour days and also over the weekend and i simply cannot get my fingers to locate the cursors and delete key without some significant key mashing, after a while it feels frustrating to feel like you’re not getting any better with the location of the buttons. I think to really get the hang of this keyboard i’d need to replace all other keyboards i use (work etc) with one of these so i didn’t have any other layouts scuppering my progress. I love the quick thumb keys, i’ve set them to cut, paste and copy as i do a lot of that and it’s simply great – what a nice idea and surprising that i’ve not seen it more often. My thumb naturally moved between them after only a couple of hours use and i was delighted with the results. Cost wise it’s very expensive, at nearly £55 it’s a lot of money to spend on something that isn’t great for your posture simply to save some space.

This is a great keyboard, the keys are medium height and is nice to type on and is nice and responsiveroccat have done a great job of positioning the keys to make it as small as possible and is probably the best keyboard if you have restricted desk space or go to lan parties alot, like another reviewer has said the f1 to f12 keys are well balanced, the rest of the keys i think are consistent, i have been gaming on it for a month now and no key has started to give up, so quality is good and the three thumbster keys are a great innovation easy to reach and press for macros. The mode feature is nice to keep it small as possible, but if you are switching between a game and a browser for example it can become confusing whether is it a 4 or del. The keyboard looks amazing even without full illumination. However, this keyboard a bit expensive for what it is. Although one could argue your buying quality, would be nice to see it priced around the £35 mark though. This keyboard is great for fps gaming, even more so than a standard full size gaming keyboard as you have the 3 thumbster to set as macros which is plenty for a fps. As for other games mostly rpg and mmos this keyboard suffers. When you press the mode button it will disable number 2 on the number pad so you can use the up arrow key, which can become annyoing if you have hotkey bars in an mmo for example and most mmo u use the arrows o move the camera, and the lack of macro buttons hurt it. So if your mostly play mmos id give this a miss, but on the whole this is a good keyboard.

Very good keyboard, was expected from roccat.

This review will be a-i like it but. . Typefirstly what’s good about this keyboard. Looks-the reason i bought it. Make no doubt this is a fantastic looking keyboard, and it’s size is great. Keys-keypresses feel absolutely fantastic. Really, really good the rolls royce of keyboards. Macro keys-nicely positioned. . The antighosting only covers the wasd group. If you use these keys then great, but i’m a leftie, using pl;’ instead(everything else mirrored).

Very nice build quality, however mine was not uk layout.

Key specs for Roccat Arvo Compact Gaming Keyboard:

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Compact design, medium-height keys, ultra-effective non-slip base;3 programmable thumbster keys, macro manager, 2 additional macro keys;Anti-ghosting capability for simultaneous keystrokes;6 illuminated status keys, key deactivation, mode switch button;High durability with robust metal base
3 programmable thumbster keys, macro manager, 2 additional macro keys
Anti-ghosting capability for simultaneous keystrokes
6 illuminated status keys, key deactivation, mode switch button
High durability with robust metal base

Comments from buyers

“good quality nonetheless and not a major issue
, Wonderful Keyboard
, Great keyboard. I like it more than my Razer
“

Fast delivery, and in mint condition. They keyboard is very pretty, easy to use, comfortable, and sleek. A compact keyboard it is, no restrictions from your everyday use, and looks very sexy when the lights are off. You won’t regret getting this.

After using this keyboard for a few days now it has really grown me. The quality of the product is out standing, for just £30 you really get what you pay for. A sturdy, attractive compact gaming keyboard that registers all of your key strokes without fail every time. As a league of legends player key strokes mean everything. It is also very comfortable to use and i would highly recommend this to anyone who has a small budget and a love for video games.

Wingreat roccat build quality. I don’d use more than supplied but. Would of loved just a low level one. Failroccat customer support is always a winits a winner.

Great buy keys are so soft to use.

I like it more than my razer deathstalker due it its compact nature. It does take a bit of getting used to as the key layout is slightly different as it is a compact keyboard. It is not a mechanical keyboard but the keys do have a nice feel to them.

I’ve been a lover of roccat for years and i needed a replacement for my somewhat humungous logitech wave so when i saw this for 35 quid i snapped it up and it’s the perfect size, weight and the keys make just the right amount of ‘click’. Highly recommend this to anyone.

Decent compact keyboard, however some of the buttons do not match up, even though it was supposedly a uk version at the time. Good quality nonetheless and not a major issue.