As the popularity of streaming, eSports and content creation grows, so does the need for gear that is able to not only stand up to daily wear and tear, but also look stylish while doing that. There are several companies out there that are vying for our hard earned cash, with some having a separate division dedicated to gaming accessories. One such company is IOGEAR. Mostly know for their A/V, networking and other products used mostly for a business setting, last year IOGEAR sent us their Dock Pro 60 USB-C 4K Station with Game+ Mode. Unlike their other docks, this one was build to not only for the working professional but the working professional with a Nintendo Switch, as the dock also supported the Nintendo Switch. Now IOGEAR is stepping it up for the gamer as they produce gaming gear under their KALIBER GAMING brand. One of the latest products was revealed this past CES 2020 and was shown off at both PAX South and East was the KALIBERGAMING HVER PRO X RGB OpticalMechanical Keyboard.
KALIBERGAMING HVER PRO X RGB OpticalMechanical Keyboard
Manufacture: KALIBER GAMING by IOGEAR
Make/model: HVER PRO X RGB OpticalMechanical Keyboard
Specs: weight- 1.0kg, L- 46.8cm, H- 3.0cm, D- 18.0cm, cord length- 151cm
Contents: HVER PRO X RGB OpticalMechanical Keyboard
Warranty- 2 year limited warranty
Price- $89.95 on iogear.com
The KALIBERGAMING HVER PRO X RGB Optical Mechanical Keyboard is a pretty hefty keyboard. Coming in at a 1.00kg (about 2 pounds) the HVER PRO X is an optical mechanical keyboard that sports an aluminium body with plastic keys. Most keyboards that I have owed in the past were made out of a hard plastic and when put through a stress test, would crack at the slightest bend. The body of the HVER PRO X does not budge. Another advantage of the keyboard having an aluminium body is that it makes it water-resistant, great for when you accidentally spill your drink of choice on it as it won’t short out the keyboard, only make it very sticky.
Being a “console pheasant” I was confused at the “Optical Mechanical” part of the HVER PRO X. I knew what a optical keyboard was and I knew what a mechanical keyboard was, so how does an Optical Mechanical work. Short answer is that they combine the photoelectric switches of an optical keyboard with the physical switches of a mechanical keyboard to as quoted on the HVER PRO X product page: “Play at the speed of light with 25% faster key response actuation”. I honestly have no idea what that means, but compared to the last keyboard that I used the HVER PRO X keystroke response was much faster and accurate.
Another cool feature that I like about the HVER PRO X is the ease of pulling of the keys and rearranging them with the help of a tool that’s included with the keyboard. This is pretty useful when playing MMOs and you want to switch from WASD to arrow keys. Personally even with other game I think I would still WASD to arrow keys as I’m more used to the directional arrows than WASD but that’s just me. Speaking of MMOs, the HVER PRO X has fully programmable keys to use for macros, shortcuts and other functions that are used. This is made easy to do with a small prong like tool that helps remove the keys with ease. The HVER PRO X also allows for programmable macro keys with up to three different profiles to suit any gaming situation . This is done with a program that you can download off of the HVER PRO X’s product page. This is especially useful for those who play MMOs and need to get quick access to spells, skill or another type of action/item.
With my time with the HVER PRO X, I think its a solid keyboard. At a mid-tier price of $89.95 its simplicity gets the job done and it features such as programmable micros, replaceable keys, water resistant makes it perfect for those who are looking into getting a quality keyboard with out breaking the bank. Plus having RGB lighting makes it look cool.
