ASUS raised the bar with the Azoth and has done it again. The ROG Strix Scope II 96 is a compact full-size mechanical keyboard with typing and gaming chops to spare. Built with brand new, pre-lubed mechanical switches, layers of sound dampening, high-speed wireless connectivity with mind-blowing battery life, and more, this is one of the best gaming keyboards available today.
Specifications
- Current Price: $179.99 (Amazon)
- Key Switch: ROG NX Mechanical Switch
- Connectivity: USB 2.0 (Type-C to Type-A), Bluetooth 5.1: RF 2.4GHz
- Size (Full/TKL): 96%
- Keycap: PBT doubleshot
- Battery Life: Up to 1,500 hours
- Lighting: RGB Per keys
- AURA Sync: Yes
- Anti-Ghosting: N Key Rollover
- Macro Keys: All Keys Programmable
- USB Report rate: 1000 Hz
- RF 2.4G Report rate: 1000 Hz
- Cable: 2M USB type A to C braided cable
- OS: Windows® 11
- Software: Armoury Crate
- Dimensions: 377 x 131 x 40mm
- Weight: 1012g without cable
- Color: Black
- Contents
- 1 x ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless
- 1 x wrist rest
- 1 x 2-in-1 ROG keycap & switch puller
- 1 x wireless receiver
- 1 x USB extender
- 1 x ROG-themed spacebar keycap
- 1 x USB cable
- 1 x ROG sticker
- 1 x quick start guide
- 1 x warranty booklet
ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 - What Is It?
The ROG Strix Scope II 96 is a top-of-the-line yet reasonably priced flagship gaming keyboard. Retailing for $180, this keyboard offers build quality, features, and responsiveness that puts it toe-to-toe with any other gaming keyboard on the market and, in my opinion, beats nearly all of them. It doesn’t have optical or analog switches, so it won’t allow you to adjust your actuation point or anything like that, but what it does offer is one of the best typing and gaming experiences you’ll find in a mechanical keyboard and absolutely next-level battery life over wireless.
The keyboard uses a compact full-size layout known as 96-percent. It features most of the keys you’ll find on full, 104-key keyboard but shifts the arrow keys and navigation and editing cluster to move everything closer together. The missing keys are all available as secondary functions accessible by holding the Fn button, but unless you’re really dying for Scroll Lock and Pause, you’ll really only need to do this for Home, End, and Print Screen — though Home and End become physical buttons just by turning off Num Lock, so even that’s not quite true. The layout has a slight learning curve (the “0” on the number pad and the right shift keys are both shorter), but it’s quite reasonable, especially if you need the Num Pad for work or to use as an in-game macro pad.
ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 - Built Like a Tank
The keyboard is built like a tank. It features a metal top plate with a floating key design that exposes the switch housings below and a plastic case. It’s heavy too, weighing in at 2.23 pounds without the palm rest attached. The top plate is matte, gunmetal grey to avoid fingerprints while the bottom features slashes of glossy plastic for a bit of hidden flair (also small enough to avoid fingerprints).
The keycaps are equally high quality. They’re made of thick PBT plastic and have a slightly grainy texture. Unlike ABS, the most common plastic used for keycaps, PBT is denser and more resistant to finger oils. Combined with the texturing, it is very resistant to smudging and won’t shine over time. The keycaps also use doubleshot translucent legends and display the RGB very well.
The keyboard also comes with a removable palm rest for added comfort. It snaps into place using strong magnets and short of picking the keyboard high off the desk, it stays in place well. You can even pick the keyboard up to move it, but the magnets won’t support its weight when there’s any kind of strong pull, so you can’t move it between desks with the palm rest attached.
ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 - Built for Next-Level Typing and Gaming
What really sets the Scope II 96 apart is how excellent its typing experience is. It uses new switches, excellent stabilizers, and layers of sound dampening foam to deliver a typing experience that’s only rivaled by ASUS’s own ROG Azoth.
One of the big upgrades this keyboard brings with it is new switches. The Scope II 96 uses ASUS’s new Snow switches. These switches are pre-lubed with a refined process that rivals the hand lubing dedicated enthusiasts do. The switches features a light 40g actuation force, a 1.8mm actuation point, and 3.6mm of total travel, making them lightweight and fast. They have a clean, light, poppy sound signature that’s completely free of pinging or reverberation.
This is because ASUS of the layers of sound dampening and acoustic tuning has implemented into its construction. There’s foam between the plate and circuit board, removing open space between the switches, and drawing out their sound. There’s dampening inside the case, removing any sense of hollowness completely. There are also small foam pads directly beneath each switch, lending it a bit of poppiness.
It sounds eminently clean, much better than the vast majority of gaming keyboards on the market today. Smooth and satisfactory acoustics make a keyboard much nicer to use, whether you’re gaming or typing, and that’s absolutely the case here, enhanced further by the switches excellent smoothness and responsiveness.
ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 - Wireless, Battery Life, and Programmability
The ROG Strix Scope II 96 offers excellent reliability and responsiveness across each of its three connection methods: wired, 2.4GHz SpeedNova Wireless, and Bluetooth 5.1. It can connect to four devices at a time, easily swapping between them with a quick key combination. For gaming, you’ll certainly want to use 2.4GHz for its wired-like 1ms response speed, but for slower paced games and productivity, Bluetooth is a reliable alternative.
Where things get a bit mind-blowing is when we look at battery life. Most wireless keyboards quote aspirational figures using only Bluetooth. Good wireless keyboards offer 200 hours or more using this slower connection method — and one you’re probably not going to be using for gaming. Not here.
The ROG Strix Scope II 96 is rated for 1,500 hours of battery life using its 2.4GHz SpeedNova dongle. That’s 62.5 twenty-four hour days or 187.5 eight-hour work days. If you’re like most of us and only game for a few hours a day, you can count on it lasting more than sixteen months before needing to be plugged in.
Now, there is a caveat: this is with RGB turned off and if you turn it on, that battery life almost certainly drops back down in the hundreds. ASUS doesn’t disclose what that rating is, but when you’re starting with 1,500 hours using the 2.4GHz dongle you’ll actually be using, and it’s safe to say that this is one of the absolute best wireless gaming keyboards on the market when it comes to battery life (as well as sound, feel, and responsiveness).
Update 8/11/23 - Since publishing this article, reader Vrika alerted us to a blog post rating the battery life with RGB at approximately 90 hours. Given how bright the RGB is, this is about average, but a big difference from the 1,500 hours expected without backlighting and worth bearing in mind. To extend beyond 90 hours, we recommend decreasing the brightness or disabling it whenever you're comfortable doing so. Thank you, Vrika!
For actual gaming, I wasn’t able to tell any difference whatsoever between playing plugged-in and using the dongle. It’s fast, with no delay at any time. Even moving the dongle behind my PC where interference would be more likely, I wasn’t able to get it to miss a beat. It’s strong, steady, and lacks nothing behind a wired connection, all while offering superior typing.
As you might expect, the Scope II is also fully programmable. Using ROG’s Armoury Crate software, every key can be remapped or assigned a macro or shortcut. Its volume wheel can also be configured to control different aspects of the keyboard, like RGB brightness, skipping tracks, or carrying custom commands for each direction (like scrubbing a timeline when you scroll up or down). It also allows you to customize its RGB lighting, including a neat timeline system for programming your own RGB animations. It works well, if a bit clunky, and I don’t like how it forces updates before allowing you to access different controls, but it gets the job done.
Final Thoughts
The ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 is one of the absolute best gaming keyboards available today. It’s combination of excellent switches, acoustic tuning, tremendous battery life, and outstanding build quality set it apart in nearly every way. If you’re looking for a typing experience that’s similar to custom keyboard, with the looks and performance of a flagship gaming keyboard, this is the choice for you.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
