Roccat Ryos MK Glow Keyboard Review

Overview

 

Here we have the Roccat Ryos Glow, one of the latest keyboards from the German manufacturer of high quality gaming peripherals. The Ryos MK Glow sits in the middle of Roccat’s new Ryos Series keyboard range (along with the Ryos MK and the Ryos MK Pro). Being a fair man I thought I would meet Roccat in the middle and check out the Ryos MK Glow model. Should I have opted for less (Ryos MK) or more (Ryos MK Pro)? We shall see…

The Ryos MK Glow is an illuminated mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Black switches (Brown switches are also available). The Ryos MK Glow features N-Key Rollover, Roccat Talk, dedicated Macro and Thumbster keys, a 32-bit ARM Cortex processor and a Smudge Proof keyboard (ED: what ever that is!). Other than that the RYOS MK Glow also features an Easy-Shift[+] key for secondary functions on the keys, six adjustable brightness levels, 1.8m USB cable and an extra large ergonomic wrist rest.

 

 

 

The Roccat Ryos MK Glow came in an extremely large box (eclipsing my monitor and desk behind it!) with a large image of the the Ryos MK Glow keyboard on the front. The front went on to highlight the following features.

The back of the box has a smaller image of the Ryos MK Glow with a mass of information regarding the keyboard. Most of the information is repeated from the front of the box but with a little bit more detail on some of the features. Roccat have highlighted the Smudge-Proof glossy look, Industry-Leading Cherry MX Key Switches, Roccat Talk and the Easy-Shift[+] key. Also, the box highlights the Tech Specs, System Requirements and Package Contents.

The sides of the box just features various illuminated images of the Ryos MK Glow, Logos and manufacturing information.

 

 

With the box lid lifted I was surprised that there was no foam insert to keep the Ryos MK Glow safe during delivery but the cardboard bumpers did keep the keyboard free from movement. There was a very well molded plastic blister covering the keyboard which gave it a very futuristic look. The 1.8m USB cable was tucked away at the back of the box in the cardboard bumper.

 

 

The contents of the box contained the Roccat Ryos MK Glow keyboard (of course!) and the very informative fold out Quick-Installation Guide.

 

At the time of writing the Roccat Ryos MK Glow is retailing for £105 on ebuyer whilst offering a 1 year warranty.

 

Specifications/Features

courtesy of Roccat

* Additional details available here

 

First Impressions

 

First impressions of the Roccat Ryos MK Glow are very good, although second impressions were of how to make space on my desk!? The Ryos MK Glow is a pretty big keyboard, not heavy, but just big. This is mainly due to the ergonomic wrist rest which also encompasses the Thumbster keys. The keyboard features Cherry MX black switches and full key illumination so let’s take a closer look at this big boy…

 

 

Looking at the keyboard as a whole you can appreciate why they have made it the size it is, the ergonomic wrist rest, Thumbster buttons and tiered keys really pop out at you. The left of the keyboard features the five macro keys and directly next to them is the (Caps Lock) Easy-Shift(+) key. Running along the top of the keyboard are the function keys with their secondary media capability and illumination level key. The right hand side features the Ryos MK Glow logo (no it does not illuminate) 🙁 and a LED indicator to show you that you are using the secondary key function. The key-caps have a concave design with a soft finish to them ensuring that your fingers stay where they should be when using the keyboard. I was a little surprised though that the Ryos MK Glow did not come with a key-cap puller.

The Ryos MK Glow features a Smudge-Proof Glossy Look. This non-reflective dotty surface treatment gives the keyboard a very distinctive design as well as keeping it fingerprint free (meaning more snack eating 🙂 whilst gaming!). The smudge proofing does not continue past the Thumbster keys though so keep your grubby paws away from this area as it is a fingerprint magnet!

The underside of the Ryos MK Glow features five (including the wrist rest) big anti-slip rubber pads. There are also two single height feet with a good spring motion to them and the pads also have a rubber soles on the bottom of them. There is also a groove for the USB cable to sit in and a specifications sticker.

 

 

The ergonomic wrist rest is what really draws your attention to this keyboard is what makes the peripheral a bit on the massive side!. Roccat have encompassed the Thumbster keys here and also their logo, although, sadly not illuminated. It all works very well visually and once you make space for the Ryos MK Glow on your desk you will be happy that it is as big as it is. The wrist rest with the Roccat logo is not only visually pleasing but also very ergonomically comfortable.

 

 

From the sides you can see that accentuated tiered keyboard design with a good 2mm height difference as it goes from row to row. The ergonomic wrist rest flows naturally down on the same angle as the keyboard so that your fingertips fall naturally into place on the key-caps. The feet on the underside of the keyboard add that bit of height that you might want (I did) giving you a more tiered feeling which I prefer when I am Gaming. When the feet are not in use then the keyboard lies flat on the five rubber pads which stop it from going anywhere.

 

 

 

There’s a lot to like about Roccat’s Ryos MK Glow once you get over its initial size. The Cherry MX black switches (which I personally love) were tiered at the right angle up the keyboard. The ergonomic wrist rest with its Thumbster button placement were well designed, but I do feel though that Roccat could have added some USB ports on a keyboard for this size but I guess they have to keep something for its big brother.

 

Hardware Installation

The Roccat Ryos MK Glow connects to your Gaming Rig by way of a single USB plug. The plug is found at the end of a 1.8m non-braided cable (bit of a shame). The cable is very flexible and thin as there is no USB connectivity on the Ryos MK Glow 🙁 (the Ryos MK Pro does though).

Testing Methodology/Setup

 

The Roccat Ryos MK Glow was tested on my Test Rig, a fresh installation of Windows 7 Ultimate N 64bit (service pack 1) was performed prior to testing. As no software is provided with the Ryos MK Glow the latest Driver for this keyboard was sourced from the Roccat website (here). Version V1.39/FW1.24 was installed and used throughout testing. The ‘Quick-Installation Guide’ walks you through all of this process in a step by step manner.

 

The following games were used during testing:

• Battlefield 4
• Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

Hardware Performance

 

BACKLIGHTING

 

 

The backlighting for the Roccat Ryos MK Glow is somewhat lacking in the variation department but makes up for it in the brightness department. Of course, the Roccat MK Pro features all the bells and whistles when it comes to per key lighting but I would have liked to see a little bit more effort put into the LED lighting on the Ryos MK Glow. It would have been nice to at least light up certain areas of the keyboard such as the WASD keys, Macros or Thumbster buttons. Other keyboards that cost less feature this after all! But where it makes up for this is in the brightness area and boy does the Ryos MK GLOW!!! Yes it does. There are six levels of brightness on the Ryos MK Glow for 100+ keys and this goes from off to what I can only say is eye achingly gorgeous. If you like a bright keyboard illumination (and I do!) then you will love the Ryos MK Glow. It will turn your darkened gaming room into an air traffic control tower without the stress of the job itself. The illumination can be controlled via the keyboard or in the software.

I did have one problem though and that was the fact that the LED in the number 5 key switch died on me within the first week. 🙁 I have never encountered this before and can only put it down to a faulty LED that did not want to live any longer! The problem was fixed of course by a replacement of a new Ryos MK Glow within a matter of days (thanks).

 

KEYBOARD & SWITCHES

 

 

So we (here at pcG) have come across many different keyswitches in our time, Kailh, Romer-G and Razer to mention some of the mechanical ones and also membrane and plunger variants. I have always been a big fan of the Cherry MX keyswitches and more so the ones of the black variety. I like to think that I have strong hands and fingers and this does not bode me well on keyboards with sensitive keyswitches. So when I saw that the Roccat Ryos MK Glow featured Cherry MX Black keyswitches I was of course chomping at the bit to getting my hands (quite literally) on it.

I was not disappointed with the Ryos MK Glow keyboard and Cherry MK Black keyswitches and why should I be. The years of producing great keyswitches have always shown in the quality and durability that is synonymous with Cherry MX. During gaming my fingers literally bashed down upon the keys and I was rewarded with the feeling and the sound of the Cherry MX Black keyswitches doing their work. As I said before, when I am playing games such as Battlefield 4 I can get a little bit over excited when finding my keys to spot enemy personnel or drop a medipack. I need to know my finger is on the Q button or pressing number 4 and give it that 60g of pressure and feeling the black keyswitch do its thing. I have nothing against Cherry MX Red or other more sensitive keyswitches, but I always end up pressing the wrong button en route to the one I was after in the heat of the moment!

As for the additional keys on the Ryos MK Glow you could not ask for more. The Macro keys are well positioned and the Thumbster keys are in the perfect place to assign a quick grenade throw Macro to, they’re positioned well and easily found when needed. The Easy-Shift[+] is also the caps lock key and this can be changed in the software to whichever function you want it to serve. This key enables you to double your amount of keys by assigning a secondary function in the software. Apart from the switches underneath them the keycaps have a soft touch concave feel to them as I said earlier. Also, add to that the ergonomic comfortable wrist rest and you have a great keyboard for Gaming.

I have always been a big fan of Cherry MX Black keyswitches and after using the Ryos MK Glow I will continue to be so and further champion them! 🙂

 

SOFTWARE

 

The Roccat Gaming Software can be downloaded here, Version V1.39/FW1.24 was installed and used throughout testing.

The Main Control screen has all the information and functions for basic key assignment and information. The Easy-Shift[+] key allows you to completely remap your keyboard by assigning a secondary function from a simple command to a complex Macro to virtually every key on the keyboard. Next there is the configuration for the FN key, the FN key can be used for the F1 – F12 keys and enable you to change volume, brightness, open calculator and browser. The media keys are also located on the function keys. There is as section next where you can enable or disable the Windows, Tab and Left shift keys. In the top right hand corner there is the Key Illumination Brightness control and underneath that we have the tabs for changing the Dimmer or Timeout of the Illumination. The Sound Feedback section is next and here you set the volume or switch off the sound for when you are recording Macros, switching profiles or earning trophies (ED: Trophies, what trophies!?). The Driver reset option is also here for resetting to factory defaults.

 

 

The Key Assignment screen has an image of the Ryos MK Glow and the software breaks down the keyboard in four specific zones, these four zones are the M Keys (Macro), Thumbster Keys, Easy Zone (main keyboard) and F Keys (Function). Cycling through these options will highlight an area on the screen showing you what you currently customising. There are two areas of customisation which are the primary and secondary depending on if you want to assign to functions to one keys.

Recording Macros is very easily done through the Macro Manager at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Once you are in there you need to “add Macro set” and enter name, then click “new” in the left hand corner and also add a name. Once this is done press record and you are all set to add your key commands and press stop recording when you are done. I was not sure if the software allowed Mouse commands to be recorded into the Macro so I used the Roccat support email to ask and they replied with an answer by the next day. The answer was yes and this was possible by right clicking the Macro after you have finished recording it, then you have the options of inserting Mouse commands or inserting/editing delays. There is also a Preset Function option which allows you to choose Macros designed for about 30 games. I was a little surprised that they only had an option for Battlefied 3 and not 4 but it still worked fine of course. Assigning a quick grenade throw to one of my Thumbster buttons was a godsend during my many hours on the “siege of Shanghai” (personal favourite) map.

 

 

The third software screen is a bit of an unusual one and it is called the “Roccat R.A.D.”. This is a trophy screen and it records how many times you use the keystrokes for WASD, Thumbster, Easy-Shift[+], Multi Media and M-Keys. When you reach milestones in the key usage you will be awarded virtual Roccat Trophies (16 in total), it even lets you share your accomplishments. I would like to tell you what those trophies were or looked like but I have yet to be awarded anything… 🙁

 

 

The last software screen is Update/Support and here you can find out the Driver information and also download the latest Driver if needed. It was from this screen that I clicked on the “Online Support” option to ask about the Macro Mouse query. Clicking on the support Tab will take you to the email support webpage.

The Ryos MK Glow also has a feature called “Roccat Talk” which enables your Roccat devices to communicate with each other. This is a big selling point for Roccat, but, as I do not currently have any other devices of the same brand I am unable to review this feature. I would look forward to any comments from anyone who is using the Roccat Talk as to how it fares.

Overall the software was very good, there are plenty of options for Macro editing and assigning different key functions. The secondary key function is great and very easy to configure. My only gripe is that there is no option for illumination configuration like I said before. I wasn’t expecting per key lighting but it would have been nice to light up just the WASD keys or Thumbster keys at least…

 

Final Thoughts

 

There’s no doubt the Roccat Ryos Glow is a very good mechanical Gaming keyboard and the Cherry MX Black switches never fail to impress me. But, even with the great illumination and software the Ryos MK Glow has, I would probably pay the extra to have its bigger brother the Ryos MK Pro.

The Roccat Ryos MK Glow came to pcG in a huge box (big keyboard that’s why), with the contents (Keyboard/USB connection and quick-installation guide) well packaged with cardboard bumpers. Once I got the Ryos MK Glow out of the box I could see that I was dealing with a serious keyboard, the size alone takes you by surprise. Once you start using the Ryos MK Glow you will understand why size matters and will likely fall in love with its ergonomic wrist rest and sleek design.

As you can already guess, I am a big fan of Cherry MX Black switches and Roccat has only made me love them more. The design of the keyboard is flawless and the tiering of the key switches is just perfect for me. I felt my game experience was elevated to a new level while I was using the Ryos MK Glow. The key placement for the Thumbster switches was spot on and I am not sure if I can ever live without them from now on! The Easy-Shift[+] function is also a worthy feature and great for expanding your amount of key capabilities.

The Ryos MK Glow illumination comes in at top marks for the level of brightness and back lighting. I wasn’t expecting Per-Key illumination (leave something for the Pro) but I would have liked to have illuminated sections of keys at least. As I touched on earlier in the review it would have been beneficial to me whilst playing games to illuminate only the WASD/Space keys or the numbers from one to five at least.

The software for the Ryos MK Glow is packed with features and is easy to navigate. Setting up Macros and assigning them to the keyboard is done with ease, even the secondary option of configuring keys is not confusing and self explanatory. The layout of each software screen is clearly labelled and you will not have a problem fine tuning your Ryos MK Glow to your liking. The Roccat R.A.D. Trophy screen is very interesting and you do get a little bit addicted to viewing your statistics and waiting to see what will happen. On top of all this the online support from Roccat is very helpful (proven!) and quick.

If you don’t want to pay the extra £30 for the Ryos MK Pro and have the key Per-Key illumination, full choice of key switches, media hub (two USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out pass-through) then you will not go wrong with the Ryos MK Glow. An amazing gaming keyboard with great software, bright illumination, my favourite Cherry MX Black switches and that very comfortable ergonomic wrist rest!

 

Verdict

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Many thanks to Roccat for providing this sample for review