Asus ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE review

Planning

• Chassis increased by 75%
• Solid build quality
• Smart touch bar and roller combination

Compared to the older Falchion products, the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE has a slightly different design. For example, it has been moved to a 75% layout, which adds a function bar and a single-column navigation cluster for additional features. As opposed to the 65% option they usually use, you get more options back than you’d think without bulking up the overall case too much, so I’ve often preferred keyboards with a 75% layout.

That said, the distinctive touch of the Falchion range remains in the trademark touch bar at the top. This is located next to the scroll wheel in the top right corner of the frame, while both can be software remapped for a range of functions.

The wheel is a particularly clever addition, as by default it fine-tunes the operating point and keyboard hotkey sensitivity without any software intervention, making it very easy to change on the fly. Additionally, there is a switch on the right side that can quickly enable and disable the quick release with the flick of a switch.

Otherwise, the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE impresses with its fit and finish. Asus continues to use a plastic mixture in the lower part of the chassis and a metal top plate for greater durability. If I’m being nitpicky, an all-metal case would have been nice considering the price and what some rivals are doing, but there’s no talk of any onboard flexibility, so what Asus has done here is fine.

In addition, this keyboard features double-shot PBT keycaps for extra durability and a touch of quality. PBT is a much more durable and light-resistant plastic than the typical ABS that I’ve been used to in keyboards for a while, whether gaming or not, and it’s a much smarter game for long-term use.

Performance

• Redesigned HFX V2 switches
• It’s easy and especially fast
• Hassle-free wired connection with faster reporting

It’s inside where Asus has significantly improved the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE over the older V1 HE switches by equipping it with newer HFX V2 switches. For reference, the V2s include optimizations such as shorter overall travel (3.5mm vs. 4mm), which is more noticeable in use than you might think, and a larger magnet for more precise customization. It is now possible to set the trigger or reset point in 0.01mm increments for super-precise inputs.

If you don’t know, the benefit of Hall-effect switches is this: you can use adjustable actuation points to change how much you want the input to register up or down the travel. If you need speed and responsiveness, like for motion control or reloading in FPS games, you can set it high. Otherwise, if you want to avoid pressing a key, you can set it as low as possible to avoid possible mishits.

In addition to reducing overall travel time, the HFX V2 switches have an even lighter actuation force of 32 grams compared to the original’s 40 grams. This makes these some of the lightest HE switches and, combined with the shorter travel, some of the fastest switches I’ve tested in a while.

Asus has also switched to a POM stem, which is lubricated, which means these switches feel particularly smooth and slick under the fingers, and introduced a new block stem design that reduces key wobble and helps with stability. It certainly works well; inside you’ll find five layers of sound deadening to cancel out any rattle or sound – the acoustics here are superb.

The brand also claims that this keyboard is hot-swappable, so it’s technically possible to switch switches without any soldering, though it doesn’t say which switches work here besides the HFX V2 and V2X models (the difference between them is that the -X model has an even lighter 30g force and -X-style stabilizer for additional shock reduction). It’s certainly very rare for an HE keyboard to have the option of swapping out for more traditional three- or five-pin MX-style switches.

Speed ​​Tap, Asus’ SOCD-style strafing technology, is also present, though in practice it’s more of a spec sheet flourish than something you’d want to use in ranked play, as most competitors flag and hand out bans.

All of these combine to make the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE a powerful gaming product with fast inputs and hyper-sensitive quick release capabilities. I tried it out during my regular runs of Counter-Strike 2 and was seriously impressed with the speed of movement, weapon switching and more.

This Asus keyboard is fully wired, which means a convenient and lag-free connection, plus you don’t have to worry about charging. You also benefit from 8000Hz polling, so you can report inputs more often than other, more standard gaming keyboards. Mere mortals may not benefit from it, but for the pros that this board is targeting, for whom every split second counts, it’s worth adding.

Software and lighting

• Smart web-based software
• Bright backlight

With the Falchion Ace 75 HE, Asus has moved away from the clunky Armory Crate suite, which I’ve never been a huge fan of, and moved to Gear Link, a web-based solution.

Being completely browser-based, it’s noticeably easier and simpler to navigate, and the functionality on offer is comprehensive, with actuation and reset point tuning, quick trigger configuration and more advanced options like dynamic keystrokes and mod tapping for anyone looking to dig deeper to customize inputs to the nth degree.

The motherboard’s RGB lighting is also fully customizable with Gear Link, and the software also controls the behavior of the touch bar and scroll wheel, allowing you to assign them to functions that suit your workflow – whether it’s media controls, actuation tweaks or custom macros. It’s a really nice piece of software to pass the time, which hasn’t always been the case with Asus peripherals in the past.

Should I buy it?