Asus’ speed-tapping keyboard unveiled on same day Valve bans practice

By Jacob Roach Published August 20, 2024

The Asus Falchion Ace HFX keyboard. — Asus

Asus just announced its first rapid-trigger gaming keyboard, but the timing is awkward. The Falchion Ace HFX includes a rapid-trigger toggle, which immediately resets the keypress when you release it. Brands like Razer and Wooting have used this for speed tapping, allowing you to strafe very quickly in games like Counter-Strike 2. The problem? Valve just banned this sort of rapid triggering in Counter-Strike 2.

You can still use the feature in other games, but it’s possible other titles will follow Valve’s lead to ban this type of hardware advantage. Regardless, the Falchion Ace HFX is still an exciting keyboard. It’s the first keyboard Asus has released that uses Hall Effect, or magnetic, switches. You can still get the advantages of an instant reset with the Falchion Ace HFX in games like Counter-Strike 2, even if you don’t use the speed tapping feature.

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The keyboard itself comes in a 60% frame, but Asus crams in the keys for a 65% layout. This is the same layout we saw with the Falchion RX LP earlier this year. The Falchion Ace HFX uses full-sized keycaps, however, so it should be more suitable for competitive play.

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To also help with competitive play, the Falchion Ace HFX includes an 8,000Hz polling rate, which we first saw on the ROG Azoth Extreme recently. You can connect the keyboard with USB-C, but Asus includes two USB-C ports on the keyboard. That allows you to position the cable comfortably depending on your setup, or to connect the keyboard to multiple PCs and quickly swap between them.

Features for the Asus ROG Falchion HFX keyboard. — Asus

Despite the competitive focus, Asus didn’t skimp when it comes to the internal build of the Falchion Ace HFX. The keyboard includes a gasket mount and five layers of internal sound dampening, so it should hold up between matches when you’re typing.

Asus hasn’t announced pricing or a release date for the Falchion Ace HFX yet, but it says the keyboard should arrive in the last few months of the year. Given the rapid-trigger feature and the robust internal design, you should expect the keyboard to land above $150, and possibly even push above $200.

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Lead Reporter, PC Hardware

Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…

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