The Roccat Vulcan II Mechanical and Vulcan II Mini Air gaming keyboards release on July 20th. After using both over the past couple of weeks for various tasks, I am happy to say they are great options if you're shopping for an upgrade. Initially, I expected both keyboards to be very close in performance and feel. But the more I used them, the more differences I noticed beyond the form factor. The Vulcan II is a great keyboard that replaces the Vulcan 120 series. While the Vulcan II Mini Air also performs great in gaming, it packs some extra tech into the smaller form factor at the expense of some minor comfort and feel.
Specifications
Roccat Vulcan II Mechanical
- Current Price: $169.99 (Amazon)
- Form Factor: Full Size
- Cable: 1.8m 2 x USB-A
- Switches:
- TITAN II OPTICAL RED
- Linear
- 1.4 mm Actuation Point
- 3.6 mm Travel Distance
- TITAN II OPTICAL BROWN
- Tactile
- 1.8 mm Actuation Point
- 3.6 mm Travel Distance
- Switch lifecycle: Tested to 100 million
- Polling Rate: 1000 Hz
- On-board memory: 4MB
- Profile On-board: 4
- RGB: RGB per-key illumination with 16.8m colors + 24 smart keys
- Keyboard Rollover: Full Key (NKRO) with 100% Anti-Ghosting
- Processor: 32-bit ARM Cortex M3
- Software: ROCCAT SWARM
- Adjustable height: Yes, double kick stand
Roccat Vulcan II Mini Air
- Current Price: $179.99 (Amazon)
- Form Factor: 65%
- Connectivity: Detachable USB-C to USB-A Wired, Wireless 2.4GHz dongle, 3x Bluetooth 5.2
- Cable: Detachable 1.8m braided USB-C to USB-A 2.0
- Switches:
- TITAN II OPTICAL RED
- Linear
- 1.4 mm Actuation Point
- 3.6 mm Travel Distance
- TITAN II OPTICAL BROWN
- Tactile
- 1.8 mm Actuation Point
- 3.6 mm Travel Distance
- Switch lifecycle: Tested to 150 million
- Polling Rate: 1000 Hz
- On-board memory: 4MB
- Profile On-board: 5
- RGB: RGB per-key illumination + 29 smart keys
- Keyboard Rollover: Full Key (NKRO) with 100% Anti-Ghosting
- Processor: 32-bit ARM Cortex M3
- Software: ROCCAT SWARM
- Battery life: Up to 240 hours (Varies with usage/proximity sensor)
- Adjustable height: Yes, 3 different heights
When unboxing both keyboards, there were no extras in either box. Such items are typically a keycap puller and extra/optional keycaps to customize your new keyboard. The Vulcan II included the keyboard with an attached braided cable, palm rest, and manual. The Vulcan II Mini Air included the keyboard, Type-C to USB-A braided cable, USB dongle, and manual. Both keyboards have an aluminum top plate and no sharp edges. The plate matches the plastic seam smoothly. At first, I was a bit worried about the plastic back plate weakening the overall design, but both boards have very little flex and feel sturdy. One minor issue I am concerned about on both keyboards is the aluminum plate has a bit of a texture that could attract dirt and dust over time. The keycaps are a low-profile style, which I prefer. The primary functions for all keys are well-lit and easy to see.
Roccat’s Swarm software and drivers were also easy to install after a quick visit to the website. I was surprised at how user-friendly Swarm is to navigate. Your devices are at the top, with the various options for each located below on easy-to-understand tabs. The profiles, profile manager, and macro manager are at the bottom of the window. Once I had updated the keyboard drivers, it was simple to start customizing the lighting. I eventually turned on AIMO intelligent lightning to get a soothing effect with minimal effort. While there are only seven other preconfigured illumination options, the custom mode can personalize it further. Both keyboards have 4MB of onboard storage and can hold up to 5 custom profiles.
Vulcan II Mechanical Keyboard
This keyboard has nonslip feet at the bottom and top of the backplate. It has two positions, lying flat on a desk or in an elevated position using the rear legs, but there is no in-between option. The included palm rest is made of hard plastic that easily snaps into place. It can be removed just as easily and seems like it will be easy to clean with a damp cloth. All the primary keys are well-lit, but for keys with a secondary function near the bottom of the keycap, they may be hard to see for some users. The num lock and caps lock keys are also well-lit. The lighting underneath the plastic of the bottom border is clear to see when activated.
The media controls were a bit of a mixed bag. They are well positioned, but the three media buttons felt like weaker plastic compared to the feel of the keycaps. The volume dial also felt similar to the buttons but has resistance when used, and the push to mute works well.
Gaming with the Vulcan II is a joy. The keys are spaced well, I didn’t have any issues accidentally hitting two keys at once, and I didn’t experience any ghosting. I was initially concerned due to the gaps between the keycaps. But it was a non-issue. Getting used to typing took me a bit longer, but it was also a great experience once I adapted more to the keycaps. One of the things I really like about the Titan II mechanical linear keys is the sound of a deep key click compared to most other keyboards. The noise doesn’t carry anywhere near as far outside my office as the typical clacking from a mechanical keyboard. One final thing to note is that there is no USB passthrough for those that need one.
Vulcan II Mini Air
For the Vulcan II Mini Air, I like that the nonslip material is along the length bottom of the backplate. The height has three options using the rear legs. There is a small storage recess at the top right to store the WIFI dongle. The connector for the USB C connector is recessed as well. I like that they thought to protect the UNB C connector from damage if the cord gets pulled to the left or right by mistake. All the primary keys are well-lit and when pressing the FN key, secondary functions brighten. The logo at the top of the keyboard and a secondary function key also light up and flash when your battery drops below 10 percent.
Gaming with the Vulcan II Mini Air was almost as good as the Vulcan II Mechanical . The key clicks of the optical switches make more noise, and I still had my hand trying to stretch and hit specific keys. Specifically, using FN with one of the F1 – F12 keys was problematic. Meanwhile, I wouldn’t want to use this 65% form factor keyboard for writing. I did manage to keep my typing speed up to par, but the number of mistakes was high.
The Vulcan II Mini Air also shines in connectivity and battery. Once I updated the software, I had no problem connecting using the WIFI dongle or over Bluetooth. While on battery, I also went with full RGB using AIMO intelligent lighting and gamed for several long sessions without recharging the keyboard. The proximity detection also worked well to help save battery life, with the keyboard shutting down lighting when it noticed I was waiting on something. When I was ready to go back to working on a project, I needed only to pick up the Vulcan II Mini, and it would light up again almost immediately.
Final Thoughts
The Vulcan II Mechanical and the Vulcan II Mini Air are both excellent. Depending on your need, one will fit better than the other. The Vulcan II Mechanical is a solid full-size gaming keyboard that is not as loud as other offerings when typing. But the Mini Air is a portable gaming solution that can do some typing in a pinch. It has a great battery life depending on how much RGB is active and is wireless.
