ATK, the brand behind several affordable high-performance gaming peripherals, has just announced the new RS8 series gaming keyboards in both mechanical and Hall effect flavors. The RS8 Air is a $99.98 Hall effect keyboard that will launch with a discount bringing the price down to $74.89, while the RS8 Neo is a more traditional mechanical keyboard that will have a starting MSRP of $84.98 but will launch at $59.98. Both keyboards have the same TKL layout, which is often considered as striking a good balance between productivity and gaming use cases, and both keyboards will also feature CNC-machined aluminium, gasket-mounted cases and translucent, frosted polycarbonate keycaps for the RGB backlighting to shine through.
Being a Hall effect keyboard, the RS8 Air will feature 8 k Hz polling in addition to typical HE features, like adjustable actuation, rapid trigger, SOCD, and DKS in addition to the classic key remapping and RGB customization. All of this will happen in ATK's Hub 3.0 software. It also has a hardware switch on the back of the keyboard for on-the-go profile switching without having to remember a keyboard combination or open the software.
The RS8 Air will have an aluminium switch plate for a firm feel and accurate actuation detection, and it will have five layers of internal sound treatment to cut out reverberation and echoes that can be common in aluminium keyboards. The RS8 Air will be available in white or black with Lucid Blade or Ice Blade switches or in pink or Lake Green with Ice Blade switches for an extra $10. The ATK RS8 Neo, on the other hand, leans more into the typing feel and premium build quality aspects than the gaming-focussed Air.
It still has the same design and TKL layout, but it swaps out the stiff gaskets and aluminium plate on the Air for a more flexible polycarbonate plate and softer gaskets. The RS8 Neo also has 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connectivity as additional quality-of-life features, powered by a 12,000 m Ah battery. Despite the wireless connectivity, the ATK RS8 Neo also has 8 k Hz polling, SOCD, mod tap, and a "Plus Music Rhythm" mode that sets the RGB backlighting to react to music.
The ATK RS8 Neo will be available in white, black or Lake Green with Ice Steed switches, in pink with Anya Max switches, or in a special Arctic Fox colorway that comes with Aurora Fox switches and swaps out the translucent PC keycaps for five-sided dye-sublimated keycaps.
Source: TechPowerUp News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing