20 years in the Republic of Gamers, part five: gamers look outside the box for their next competitive edge

In many ways, the story of PC gaming is the story of control interfaces. Back in the day, most of us only interacted with our PC via our keyboards — so typing words was the way we played games like Zork, the original Bard’s Tale, or one of the multi-user dimensions (MUDs) springing up on online bulletin board systems. Joysticks were around, certainly, and made it much easier to land your plane in the OG Microsoft Flight Simulator without crashing, but the port necessary to plug one in wasn’t available on most folks’ home computers unless they installed an add-in card. 

The arrival of the mouse as a standard home peripheral changed everything, but perhaps not as quickly as you might expect. The mouse kicked off the golden age of point-and-click adventures, but most gamers kept both hands on their keyboard for the original DOOM and other entrants in the emerging first-person shooter genre. Marathon and Descent pioneered mouse look, but it says something that the original Quake used keyboard input by default. It wasn’t until the legendary gamer Thresh won John Carmack’s Ferrari by ruthlessly dominating the competitive Quake scene with mouse look that modern keyboard-and-mouse FPS gaming started to catch on. Even then, the control scheme didn’t go mainstream until Half-Life made WASD input the default configuration.  

By the time ROG started working on our first peripherals back in 2013, many gamers had grown tired of using gear which treated their hobby only as an afterthought. They’d made do with keyboards and mice that were built for other use cases, and were increasingly aware of the extent to which their peripherals were holding them back. And the more that these gamers poured time and effort into the rapidly growing genre of esports, the more they sought out advanced weaponry. 

This is part five of our multi-part ROG 20th Anniversary Retrospective. Click here to see the full series of articles. 

Putting gaming first   

Compare the way that gamers use a mouse to the way that creators touch up photos or office workers navigate spreadsheets, and it’s clear why gamers weren’t satisfied for long with the early versions of this crucial peripheral. In all these contexts, accuracy is crucial, but gamers have far more need for speed. When you whip around in Counter-Strike to squeeze off a shot against an enemy who’s caught you unawares, you’ll need to move your mouse at high speed, probably across a large portion of your mousing surface, all while landing with pinpoint accuracy at the exact spot that will line up your enemy in your crosshair. 

To equip gamers for success in moments like these, we launched the very first ROG mouse back in 2013. The ROG Eagle Eye GX1000 made quite a first impression with its brushed aluminum build, and it allowed for high-end personalization with support for four customizable profiles, an adjustable weight system, and flexible button mapping for its programmable side buttons. (Side note: even though gamers tend toward ultra-light mice these days, there was a time when they added weight to their mouse. On purpose! And some still do. It's all about choice.) But arguably its most important innovation was under the hood. Equipped with high precision laser sensors capable of up to 8200dpi and PTFE feet for effortless surface gliding, it gave you instant-strike capabilities with every move.   

In 2014, we took another step forward with the original ROG Gladius. DPI only tells part of the story of a mouse’s ability to track quick, fast mousing movements. The specialized optical sensor in the Gladius could track up to 200 inches per second and 50g acceleration. To allow gamers to toggle into sniper mode at a moment’s notice, the Gladius enabled instant switching between two sensitivity levels — a standard mode tuned at 1600DPI for everyday gameplay, and an extra-low speed mode at 400DPI for better aim and more accurate sniping. 

Doubling down on versatility  

For other scenarios, gamers sought equipment with far more versatility than they could get with standard peripherals. Think about the control setup of a raid healer back in the heyday of World of Warcraft. Back then, healers needed quick access to a massive library of spells, preferably through a click-to-cast setup that allowed for easy interaction with their teammates’ health bars. But even when using keyboard modifiers, it was easy to run out of buttons on your mouse for mapping abilities. 

For these gamers, we launched the versatile ROG Spatha. This mouse’s main claim to fame was in its 12 programmable buttons, including six on the side in easy reach of your thumb. The Mayan-patterned grip and ergonomic design kept you in complete control. But  this mouse also set the stage for a new era of versatile connections. It not only let gamers choose between wired and wireless modes, but also included a magnetic charging dock that would conveniently top up the mouse whenever it wasn’t in use.  

In 2020, we broke away from normal with the innovative ROG Chakram. The Chakram’s most obvious innovation was the joystick on its left side. It could operate in an analog mode that allowed for intuitive control in flight sims, racing games, and open-world titles, while digital mode turned the stick into a four-way controller that offered quick access to powerful commands in first-person shooters and real-time strategy games. The Chakram's head-turning design isn't locked away in a museum, though. The ROG Chakram X Origin maintains the input arrangement while offering modern amenities like an 8K polling rate, a 36,000 DPI sensor, and hot-swappable switches.

This emphasis on versatility carried over to ROG’s first entries into the keyboard market. The first ROG keyboard was the ROG Horus GK2000, announced in early 2016. The aggressive style of this deck turned heads with its large aluminum frame and wings, but there were plenty of options for tinkerers to play with, too. The behavior of every key was customizable, and it included five additional keys for macros. A built-in tray gave you a convenient spot to park your smartphone. An updated version in 2017 replaced the red backlighting with RGB LED illumination that you could line up with your other gear through Aura Sync.  

As competitive gaming was taking over the industry, gamers were increasingly sensitive to the size of their keyboards. To make more space on their desk for their mousing hand to do its work, they started to look for smaller keyboard options. Tenkeyless options that dropped the numpad were becoming more popular, since they dropped a set of buttons that were essentially useless for gaming purposes. Unfortunately, those buttons are incredibly important for productivity, making tenkeyless decks a non-starter for many.  

In late 2016, we broke the impasse with the ROG Claymore. Rather than ditch the numpad entirely, this innovative keyboard made it a detachable extra with flexible placement options. You could access the numpad when you needed it, and then tuck it away in a desk drawer during your gaming sessions. You could even dock it to the left side of the keyboard to make use of it as a handy macro pad. 

Speaking of detachable extras, the more-recent ROG Falcata looks at the Claymore’s detachable numpad and says, “hold my energy drink.” This split gaming keyboard allows users to completely remove the right side of the board. First and foremost, this allows for more ergonomic positioning options. Gamers who need ergonomic decks usually have to give up the idea of getting a keyboard with real gaming credentials, but the Falcata bridges the divide. Second, the Falcata creates possibilities for competitive esports gamers looking for an easy way to increase space for the mousing hand. 

Switching switches  

At the heart of every keyboard is a set of switches, some kind of mechanism for registering when you’ve pushed a button. In the keyboarding community, the classic buckling spring mechanisms prominent back in the 1980s are somewhat legendary for their mechanical design, tactile response, and delightfully noisy clicks and clacks. In the 1990s, membrane switches became more common, in no small part due to their cheaper manufacturing cost. More generously, membrane switches also offer relatively quiet operation, making them a better fit for most office environments.  

Neither buckling springs nor membranes were well-suited for the world of fast-paced PC gaming, though. While keyboards with these switches could enable typists to hit high words-per-minute marks, they weren’t well-suited for gamers trying to hit the same button over and over again as fast as possible. Buckling springs required too much key travel, and membrane switches required users to bottom out the switch with every press.  

The advent of Cherry mechanical switches was a gamechanger. These new switches employed a mechanical design that allowed for a variety of typing experiences. The smooth linear Cherry MX Red switches were an overnight sensation among gamers, as they allowed for ultra-fast actuation and repeat presses. Other varieties, like Cherry MX Blues, brought back the classic clicky feel and sound.  

Early ROG keyboards gladly made use of Cherry switches, but it wasn’t long before we started working on in-house alternatives. Today’s ROG mechanical keyboards, like the award-winning ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless, wield new ROG NX mechanical switches, specially tuned for smooth keystrokes, enhanced stability, and clean, “thocky” acoustics. 

We’ve also debuted switch designs that break the mechanical mold. With the launch of the ROG Strix Scope RX and ROG Claymore II in 2021, we debuted ROG RX Optical Mechanical Switches, which used an optical trigger to detect each key actuation. The optical trigger was tucked inside a housing that provided a typing feel unlike any other key switch on the market. Rather than using a narrow central stem, ROG RX Switches had a large, hollow stem securely held in place with four corner latches, and an x-stabilizer that keeps the cap moving smoothly throughout the stroke. This arrangement provides exceptional force consistency minimizes any distracting wobble of the keycaps under your fingertips.  

Our latest innovation is the ROG HFX V2 Magnetic switch. This line uses the ROG Hall Sensor to detect each key actuation. Traditional mechanical switches require a return to the reset point before the next click registers. With the ROG HFX V2 Magnetic Switch and the Rapid Trigger feature, the switch resets instantly as it moves upward, delivering maximum counter-strafing potential with minimal effort.  

Magnetic switches also allow for something that’s never been possible with any other switch type: customizable actuation. Through our web-based Gear Link interface or a built-in multi-function wheel, you can adjust the actuation point of the switches in precise 0.01mm increments. With one keyboard, you can have the ultra-fast actuation you love for competitive game or the longer key travel that you prefer for typing.  

If you’re interested in ROG magnetic switches, check out the ROG Falcata, ROG Falchion Ace HFX, the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE, or the ROG Azoth 96 HE.  

The ROG Azoth established ROG as a leader in the emerging custom gaming keyboard space  

The whole concept of a personal computer was built on a “do-it-yourself" mindset, so it came as no surprise when keyboard enthusiasts started taking matters into their own hands. Armed with new generations of switch types, these tinkerers started crafting bespoke boards that showcased their individual creativity and talent. 

As much fun as it is to browse the latest creations of the fully custom keyboard space, most of us don’t have the time, budget, or workshop space to craft our own decks. To give mainstream gamers a chance to get in the fun of keyboard personalization in a design that was ready to roll right out of the box, we debuted the ROG Azoth in 2023.  

This keyboard was (and remains!) a playground of customization options. Key to the formula is a hot-swappable switch design that gives you the freedom to swap out the switches with a fresh set — or extend the lifespan of your keyboard by replacing worn-out switches as necessary. The Azoth’s selection of bundled accessories, including a switch lube kit, makes a true one-stop-shop for anyone getting started on a custom gaming keyboard journey.  

Today, the ROG Azoth is available in several variations. At the very top of our custom gaming keyboard stack is the ROG Azoth Extreme. It offers the same compact 75% layout as the original Azoth, but boosts your experience to new heights with even more premium materials, more customization, and a full-color OLED panel. Opting for the ROG Azoth X is a bit like getting a fully customized keyboard right out of the box. It starts with the white version of the ROG Azoth as a visual foundation and then goes all-in on personality. The central keycaps offer a white top with semitranslucent material on three sides so that the RGB lighting can shine through boldly. The keycaps around the edges are predominantly black, with specialized caps for CTRL, ESC, enter, and the spacebar providing bold accents.  

The latest entry to the series is the ROG Azoth 96 HE. This gaming keyboard brings back the numpad while measuring only a centimeter wider than a standard tenkeyless keyboard. Equipped with hot-swappable ROG HFX V2 magnetic switches and a next-gen ROG Hall sensor, it ensures lightning-fast input detection and consistent responsiveness. Tri-mode connectivity lets you seamlessly switch between up to five devices, with polling rates of up to 8000 Hz.   

PC controllers get the ROG treatment  

These days, most any game in your PC library will let you pick between controller input or your trusty mouse and keyboard without any fuss, but that wasn’t always the case. The 1990s saw a variety of gamepads and controllers hit the scene for PCs, but they often required the installation of specialized drivers and manual configuration of input settings, and your experience was almost entirely dependent on the game developer having the resources to include proper controller support. (Narrator: they often didn’t.) 

In 2005, Microsoft strode into this Wild West like an Arizona ranger with a big iron on his hip, releasing the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows and a new standard under the hood that finally allowed for a true plug-and-play experience. It's hard to imagine games like Dark Souls reaching the same level of popularity on PC without this groundwork. 

Unfortunately, too many controllers exhibit the “curated garden” approach of game consoles, a design philosophy that always clashes with the spirit of customization and choice that defines the PC gaming space. To fill in the gap, we debuted the ROG Raikiri and ROG Raikiri Pro in 2023. The first ROG PC controllers gave gamers full, customized control over their play through intuitive rear buttons, selectable step triggers, and customizable analog sticks. The Pro model kicked things up a level with a built-in OLED display.  

If the original Raikiri was a bold opener, its successor is a finishing move. The ROG Raikiri II revamps the experience with a streamlined shape, ultra-responsive control, anti-drift TMR joysticks, extended battery life, and a premium set of accessories. Connect this to your PC, and you’ll enjoy incredible responsiveness through the 1000Hz polling rate of ROG SpeedNova wireless technology.  

But the star of the show might be the micro-switches. The face buttons, D-pad, bumpers, and back buttons all use micro-switches for a low-travel, clicky feel and instantaneous tactile feedback. Paired with the 1000Hz polling rate, these switches allow for an incredible level of responsiveness. For fast-paced gaming, there’s no better choice.  

A history of innovation 

When PC gaming first started decades ago, gamers made do with the peripherals and control interfaces available. Even though that early gear wasn’t designed with their field in mind at all, gamers and developers worked with and around the limitations of those peripherals to create all-new experiences.  

Today, you don’t have to settle for hand-me-downs from other types of PC users when you connect a keyboard, mouse, or controller. You have options designed with gaming in mind from the start. Often built with direct input from gaming professionals, ROG gaming peripherals upgrade your PC setup with cutting-edge responsiveness, control, and customization.