Review: ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini

The ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini is the direct competitor to the SteelSeries Apex 9 Mini. This was a keyboard I’ve recently looked at, and quite frankly, I loved it. Therefore, this keyboard has a lot to do if it wishes to gazump its market-leading rival. Fortunately, though, its build quality and usability make it stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, its striking RGB lights are eye-catching and fantastic to look at.

With an anodised aluminium top plate and 65% form factor, this is designed for smaller spaces and it is built to last. What’s more, unlike the Apex 9 Mini, the ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini includes the arrow keys as standard. Now, this may seem like a minor point, but I like this standard functionality and was a bit lost without it.

All of these things aside, people buy these gaming keyboards for one reason only, and that is to be one step ahead of the crowd. Accordingly, does this accessory do that, or will you lag behind? Why don’t we unbox this small but powerful beast and see how it performs?

What’s in the box of the ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini?

• The compact and sturdy packaging is fully recyclable and is great to look at. The captivating colours and stunning imagery look upmarket and inviting. What’s more, it has all the key information you could ever hope for.
• The ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini. This tiny keyboard looks fantastic! It is available in UK and US format and in black or white colour options.
• A detachable USB-C cable. This braided cable is sturdy and is a whopping 1.8m long.
• The user manual. Unsurprisingly, this gaming keyboard has lots of different functions. Therefore, I recommend reading the manual to get the best out of it.

Technical Aspects.

The most important aspects of a gaming keyboard are how well it performs and how comfortable it is to use. After this, you want to focus on compatibility, looks, and other minor elements. So let’s concentrate on what’s important, and that is its unbelievably responsive input speeds.

Thanks to the incredible and exclusive TITAN II Optical switches, you experience minuscule actuation on every keystroke. In fact, to be accurate, it is a mere 1.4mm actuation for every input. Consequently, every action and every command is responsive and mind-blowingly quick. This may not seem important, but in competitive gaming, every nanosecond counts. Fortunately, with the ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini at hand, you know that you’ll always be one step ahead of the competition.

Furthermore, ROCCAT is so confident in the technology that they have tested it to a massive 100 million keystrokes! Subsequently, these keys will last double the standard lifecycle of other mechanical keyboards. As such, your investment is sound as you won’t need to look for a new keyboard for some time. Alongside this, the TITAN II switches are compatible with most third-party cross-mount key caps. Therefore, if you wish, you can customise your look without jeopardising your performance.

The final performance area to note is the EZ functions. With 5 programmable user profiles and Easy-Shift [+] button duplicator technology, you can maximise your keyboard functionality. There are 30 multi-function smart keys that are equipped with dual LED indicators. Accordingly, whenever the secondary functions are activated, you are instantly aware. Again, this may seem like a minor thing, but it isn’t. In the heat of the battle, when you switch between different profiles or macros, you’ll want to know exactly where you stand. Thankfully, the dual LED indicators reassure you of your settings and this reduces user error.

Incredible build quality.

For me, ROCCAT always delivers when it comes to build quality. Their products are built to last, look fantastic, and stand out from their competitors. Unsurprisingly, the ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini is no different. With its hardwearing anodised top plate, it looks amazing and is built with durability in mind. What’s more, the 65% form factor is amazing if you have a smaller workstation. This compact design allows for sweeping mouse movements without compromising your competition-ready keyboard.

On top of this, the RGB display is eye-wateringly bright. The aforementioned dual LED functionality is fascinating and is a market-leading concept. What’s more, like other ROCCAT products, this one will sync with any AIMO-enabled products. Subsequently, your workstation will be vibrantly synced with every piece of tech you own.

Is the ROCCAT Vulcan II Mini worth it?

Recommending a £100+ gaming accessory isn’t as easy as it sounds. Why? Well, anything over £100 is a hefty investment. However, like every other ROCCAT product I’ve looked at, I’m not disappointed with what I’ve experienced. Out of the box, this device worked perfectly and was a pleasure to use. With a little trial and error, I could connect it with my AIMO-enabled devices, and set up each user profile to my liking. What’s more, for everyday usabilities such as emails or web browsing, it was comfortable, responsive, and a joy to work with.

I asked myself whether this stands out from the crowd, and the answer is yes! It looks fantastic, is built to last, and is unbelievably responsive. Moreover, it is designed for third-party cross-mount key caps; it has been tested for a massive 100 million keystrokes and has 30 multi-function smart keys. On top of this, its 1.4mm actuation is unbelievably responsive and keeps you ahead of your competitors. Consequently, this is a phenomenal gaming keyboard and I have no problems recommending you to buy it here!

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