Roccat Pyro Keyboard Review

Roccat have been on a bit of a roll as of late. Delivering high-end equipment at an affordable price, they have made some really great decisions over the last year. With this rise comes the worry that the next piece you pick up might falter. Luckily, the Roccat Pyro is one of their best yet, delivering an experience way above its price point. 

How does it look?

Before plugging it in, it’s actually fairly understated. With a plastic base and aluminum front, it looks heavy-duty without being over the top. As a full-size keyboard, it’s a little smaller than the Huntsman V2 I previously reviewed, but it’s not a particularly small keyboard. With the small attachable bracing, it’s still a fairly large keyboard taking up considerable space on my desk. 

Plugging it in is where the true joy of this keyboard lies. The colors are sharp and vibrant without being an eyesore. They pulse gently from one side to the other, not sharp enough to draw the eye but just pretty enough to keep you there as you stare. This is an oddly satisfying keyboard just to stare at - not something I thought I’d ever type in a hardware review. 

The keyboard itself is on a small slant that can be further extended via small clips on the back. Only pushing it up another inch or so, these are nice but not all that noticeable. Outside of this, you can find all the usual keys you would on a keyboard alongside a nice display for key locks on the top right and a small Roccat Pyro logo. It looks great without relying on a central gimmick or idea.  

How does it feel?

The Roccat Pyro, possibly due to its metallic look, feels incredibly sturdy in use. Keys all have a very satisfying click and the linear mechanical switches have incredibly fast response time with a smooth movement. There’s just something great about getting on a roll and hearing all those keys tap away. 

Underneath the keyboard holds a plastic palm rest that is fantastic for typing. If you want both hands on the keyboard, it really speeds up the time it takes you to reach your keys. Fortunately, if you don’t like this, you can take it off with minimal effort and use the keyboard without it. This is a nice design choice that lets you customize your experience somewhat. For a cheaper keyboard with such a great feel, it’s rather surprising that it even has some nice extra features like a media dial at the top right to turn your volume up or down.

It seems the whole time I was using the Pyro, I was expecting some flaw to show itself or some issue to come out but it just didn’t. The keys stayed durable and clean, the front still looks great after hundreds of hours of use and the palm rest still feels good underneath my hands. 

This being said, the software could perhaps be a little bit better. Roccat SWARM is software designed to get the most out of your keyboard. Offering unique RGB options and keyboard controls but it rarely feels like a needed function. The keyboard looks so great with its RGB that the software feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. 

SWARM isn’t a bad bit of software, giving some interesting design choices and very unusable sound profiles, but it just doesn't do enough to justify the extra CPU required to run it. This is perhaps the only point in my entire time with the Roccat PYRO where I felt underwhelmed. Hey, one flaw isn’t bad. 

Roccat Pyro Verdict

We’ve reviewed a handful of rather expensive keyboards as of late. With the likes of the Razer Huntsman V2 and Roccat Vulcan TKL Pro, it's clear there’s a market for the more pricey gamer. The Roccat Pyro has managed to come in way under that price range and proved how unnecessary that is for my setup. It comes loaded with great feeling keys, a nice palm rest, some extra little gimmicks and still manages to be durable enough to withstand even the most heavy-handed player. With a fantastic look and an even better price point, this keyboard is hard not to recommend.

The Roccat Pyro was provided by Roccat and can be purchased on their site now.