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ROG Falcata review: excellent performance and intriguing design if you can stomach the price

Name: ROG Falcata
Brand: ROG

No, it's not broken, it's meant to be like that.

Sebastian Kozlowski

Last Updated on September 16, 2025

ROG Falcata review: excellent performance and intriguing design if you can stomach the price

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ROG Falcata
Design and features

Onboard controls

Pricing
Performance

Gearlink
ROG Falcata

Conclusion

As a brand renowned for its gaming prowess, ROG offers a wide range of components for gaming enthusiasts, particularly in its extensive lineup of peripherals that includes a diverse selection of gaming keyboards. As it continues to innovate and expand on some of those, I’m taking a look at the ROG Falcata – one of the brand’s latest gaming keyboards with a twist.

Cutting out the numpad and utilizing the 75% (TKL) form factor, it becomes a bit trigger-happy with the removal of keys, emphasized by its unique ‘split’ design. Equipped with its own mechanical switches, it utilizes magnetic Hall effect sensors for some impressive and customizable actuation points.

With some rather great innovations and features, the Falcata is certainly an interesting and fun keyboard to utilize. That’s if you can stomach the price and have the patience to get used to the slightly different and unconventional setup. So with an ergonomic look but not the experience, we review the keyboard to its full extent.

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Prices correct as of October 9th, 2026.

ROG Falcata

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

Form Factor: 75% Split
Key Switches: ROG HFX V2 Magnetic Switch
Keycaps: ROG PBT Doubleshot
Connectivity: USB 2.0 (TypeC to TypeA), RF 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5
Dimensions (LxWxH): 327mm x 127mm x 38mm (without wrist rests, +90mm to width)
Weight: 968g (without cable and wrist rests)

What We Think

Utilizing some proprietary switches and designs, the ROG Falcata is certainly one of a kind. Coming in two parts, it looks like some ergonomics, but it doesn’t quite achieve that compared to other dedicated keyboards for that. Instead, it’s made for gamers, with some fast magnetic switches and plenty of controls and RGB that can be adjusted. It certainly is a fantastic board to use once you get used to it and want to pay the rather high price for it.

Reasons to Buy

Fantastic hall effect switches
Great customizability and control without the need for an application
Plenty of connectivity options and controls onboard
Turns into a great gaming and travel board
Has the latest gaming features to take advantage of
Great padding and design quality for great sounds

Reasons to Avoid

Eye-watering high price tag
Feet and wrist rest installation takes time and experimentation
Proprietary Type-C link cable
Looks ergonomic but doesn’t quite go the full way
The wrist rest is slippery and takes time to get used to typing on it

Design and features

From the moment you open the box, it’s clear this keyboard comes packed with hardware. Each half of the split board is bagged separately, along with its matching wrist rest – an unusual but clever setup. Beneath those, you’ll find two long boxes housing the rest of the accessories: three cables, a USB extender, eight detachable feet, a keycap puller, an Allen wrench, screws, plus the usual documents and stickers.

One standout feature is the screw-on wrist rests, which attach directly to each half of the board. While a little unconventional at first, the design makes the setup sturdy and allows you to position the halves exactly where you want them. The detachable feet are similarly peculiar – you’ll need to screw them in manually, and following the quick guide may leave the keyboard feeling a bit unstable. It takes some trial and error to get the placement right and eliminate wobble.

The wrist rests themselves feel solid thanks to the rigid plating, with silicone padding held in place by small studs that lock into the grill underneath. The main board also benefits from a layered internal build: beneath the metal chassis lies silicone foam to reduce noise, followed by a PORON switch pad for impact absorption, another layer of PORON foam for vibration control and added stability, and finally, a bottom silicone pad to dampen echoes.

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At the top of all that, ROG has its own PBT doubleshot keycaps, a standard and long-term durable method of creating keycaps. Additionally, coating the ABS plastic with a UV coating aims to achieve long-term endurance and abrasion resistance, thereby maintaining its shine.

These are installed onto ROG’s own HFX V2 magnetic switches, a combination of Hall effect and mechanical design, which targets extreme sensitivity with top responsiveness and amazing typing feel. Pre-lubed and with a walled stem, it claims the ability to keep the housing dust-free and consistently smooth over time.

There is just 3.5mm of travel distance requiring a force of 32gf initially and a total of 49. The actuation point can be adjusted thanks to the magnetic design, setting it between 0.1 and 3.5mm in 0.01 increments, which provides great control over it, either in the software or on the board itself.

For the rest of the design of the keyboard, it splits in two by the F6 and six keys, putting T, G, and B on the left (with a space bar found on both sides). On the left, there is the multifunction button with a roller, along with a display of the settings being changed. While on the right, you can find the usual home keys tightly packed together – as the 75% sizing pushes all the side keys, arrows, and function keys together (likely to keep it in reach of each hand).

On the back end of the board, the left has the rapid trigger switch, which is a nice feeling and satisfying toggle as it is used in the Falchion ACE HFX, which we also reviewed. Next to that, you can find the connectivity controls, switching between USB, 2.4GHz, and Bluetooth (a decent range of options to choose from). At the end of the left side, there are two Type C ports, the first to connect a PC, and a proprietary Link port for connecting the two halves together.

On the right side, the back has the other Link port, and at the end of it, there is a place for the USB dongle to slot in. On the connecting edge, there are rubberised magnets that keep the two halves held together with a decent amount of force and allow the keyboard to be used as one.

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As for underneath, there is plenty of rubber to prevent the board from sliding around. But the circular openings do have screw holes in the middle that allow for the eight feet to be screwed in. The keyboard offers two height options, giving you some flexibility in how you set it up. However, it’s not as straightforward as the usual flip-out feet — it requires a bit of tinkering. Since there are more mounting holes than feet included, finding the right combination for a stable, wobble-free setup takes a few adjustments.

Onboard controls

One of the highlights of the keyboard, apart from it being split and a bit unique, is the rather interesting control system on the left side of the board. With six different available settings to choose from, it is a quick and easy way to change up some of the settings.

The included options are: system volume, media track, keyboard brightness, rapid trigger sensitivity, actuation point, and a custom mode. These can be adjusted in the Gearlink software as well, and to what extent they affect your keyboard, but even by default, they can alter the settings quite effectively.

Selecting these with the ROG button in the top left, and using the roller as the control (which can also be clicked in for selecting options), provides a surprisingly intuitive and effective control method. Allowing for some rather quick and easy changes without ever having to have the software installed or open to alter it.

That is one of the main methods of control, but there are also plenty of included functions embedded into the board. Adding an Fn key next to the Copilot button allows for on-the-go adjustments, including changing profiles, lights, battery information, media control, and more, without requiring additional buttons. But if you do want to use just the left side, you do lose access to the FN button and its controls, even if that side works on its own.

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Pricing

Much like the other ROG keyboards we’ve looked at, it does come at an annoyingly high premium. With the Claymore II and Falcion ACE HFX at around $200/£200, they come at a rather high cost. Now, with its more perplexing and unique design, the Falcata comes at an even higher price.

You can find it for $420 at Best Buy and £335 at Overclockers; it certainly is not a cheap peripheral. Even the be quiet! Dark Mount didn’t reach that level of pricing, and certainly marks itself as a rather premium high-end option that very few will spring for. Considering it’s neither an ergonomic nor a small dedicated WASD one-handed gaming keyboard, it certainly has an unlikely niche to target.

Performance

As soon as I put my hands on the keyboard, it was a rather different experience. Of course, when I put it together, it’s really much like any other, except for the fact that it’s all bunched up together. With the home row and arrows so close to the main alphabet letters, it all gets a bit cramped and too close for my liking.

Splitting the board apart offers up some better ergonomics, and being able to angle them to your arms’ natural placement, it definitely has a much better feel when I can point them more towards each other. However, you still have the problem of it being a flat keyboard, like any other gaming keyboard; it very much seems like a faux ergonomic keyboard. For that, you’d want something also angled to be more vertical and eliminate the need for your forearms to be flat.

It also doesn’t help that the silicon wrist rest is rather slippery. Even if I don’t fit the feet on for elevation, the wrist rest is angled either way (just less severe without the tilt), so I’m constantly fighting to keep my hands up against the keys and be able to type. Even if I wanted to use a separate one, it wouldn’t quite work with the two halves separately at an angle and take away some of its worth in design.

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Taking off the silicon pads (easier than unscrewing the whole piece), I got to test it without my hands sliding down constantly. It does sit a bit too high for long and comfortable typing. Especially to prevent any strain, wrist rests are important, just as it is limited in this form factor, especially if you prefer having the rest a bit further away from your keyboard.

But beyond just trying to find my footing (I guess) on the board, I need some time to get adjusted. When touch typing, using the board in split design means the lettering isn’t all in the correct places, but sometimes you still want to reach the other fingers with the opposite hand. For example, pressing B with my right or Y with my left is now impossible. The segregation is definitive and constrains how you type.

Also, the 75% form factor and cramming everything down really made me prone to making mistakes. It eases up over time, but initially it’s rather substantial. There are plenty of times I hit the home row, print screen, and those other buttons by mistake, and it definitely took a few hours to get adjusted. And it seems to require being just a bit more spread out.

When it comes to the actual performance, the Hall Effect switches are rather impressive. Being able to adjust the actuation point right down to the millimetre, it can be a very responsive typing and gaming experience, as you can customize it to your liking. Enabling fast reflexes, or something a bit more tame that doesn’t make for wrong inputs or mistyping.

But just being able to move each half separately and adjust the angle does let it sit nicely (and angled), depending on what I’m doing. Such as in Counter-Strike 2, where I do like playing at an angle, it’s a lot easier to move just one half of it. It does help that there are two length link cables that allow some slack between the two, as the shorter one seems to limit the two halves to just sit connected as one.

Another nice design choice is the USB adapter that you’ll usually put close to the keyboard. It has a clip on the underside that allows me to clip it to the top of my deskpad and not have it sliding away, ensuring the smallest distance between the two, minimizing latency. Although it’s not going to make much difference, realistically, it does keep things tidy.

Gearlink

When it comes to controlling the keyboard, you can do it all through the ASUS Gearlink. There is no requirement for installing software like Armory Crate (that can take up precious resources); you can just set it all up once and forget about it. Only then, being able to use the onboard controls to change things or just adjust things on the site occasionally.

There is a surprising amount you can do on there, with plenty of customizations and changes up for grabs. With all the key assignments and combos, you can change each one to set-ups you like. Even then, adjusting each of the keys, including the trigger points, adjusting rapid trigger, and even speed tap.

Thanks to the hall effect switches, you can get down to the smallest details and get the responsiveness you need, and it is very detailed. Along with, of course, the various lighting setups you can change up and adjust to your liking, including turning it off.

One of the cool features on the board is the multiwheel, and in the software, you can turn off certain functions. Instead of having to go through all six, you can keep the ones you want and need, making adjustments on the go easier as well.

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ROG Falcata

4 /5

Editor’s Rating

How We Review

Specifications

Form Factor: 75% Split
Key Switches: ROG HFX V2 Magnetic Switch
Keycaps: ROG PBT Doubleshot
Connectivity: USB 2.0 (TypeC to TypeA), RF 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5
Dimensions (LxWxH): 327mm x 127mm x 38mm (without wrist rests, +90mm to width)
Weight: 968g (without cable and wrist rests)

Conclusion

Much like the rest of its gaming lineups, ROG certainly provides high-quality and gamer-looking hardware. That includes the ROG Falcata, with the addition of its ‘split into two’ design; it certainly has innovation and fancy features on board. Even having hall effect magnetic switches, a durable design, and its multifunction button and wheel, it has everything you might need.

However, it doesn’t come cheap; all the proprietary design and hardware quickly add up, as one of the most expensive out there, costing as much as some PC components. Even making the USB-C link cable proprietary feels a bit iffy, as well as not being as ergonomic as it looks, especially with slippery wrist rests. So the keyboard certainly is made for a rather specific audience.

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