ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro Closer Look

The size of the box is an indication of how large the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro actually is, and one of the reasons for its girth is due to the fact that the wrist rest is not of the removable type. More about that later. In any event, the Ryos MK Pro is very well protected and will, without a doubt, arrive at your location looking good and ready for action.

Something that probably won’t spark everyone’s interest and some of you may even consider it inconsequential is the molded plastic piece that goes over the keyboard (not pictured). I’m sure it was meant solely for protection during shipping, but it works really well as a dust cover. Again, I’m sure some folks would react with a, “meh,” while others would consider that a nice touch and proof of ROCCAT’s attention to detail. The little things count.

As mentioned above, the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro is of the larger variety in terms of mechanical keyboards. Considering that it is not modular, nor does it have a removable wrist rest, it is going to stay that way. What you see is what you get in terms of size. However, one can make the argument that, having the wrist rest build onto the keyboard, the wrist rest feels more solid and has more of a natural feel to it. At least I would make that argument. Removable wrist rests are designed to be, well, removable. Most of them are hollow pieces of plastic that feel flimsy and will have a tendency to shake, rattle, and or roll. Not the wrist rest on the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro. It is part of the construction.

Flip the ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro over in order to see what it has in store for us. There are rubber pads, that are very generous in size, located in each of the four corners of the bottom of the keyboard. In addition, there is a long, thin rubber pad located under the wrist rest. Combined, these rubber pads will virtually eliminate any chance of the keyboard shifting during use. I have the Ryos MK Pro on a mat and it still won’t move easily.

Other features located on the bottom of the keyboard include the cable channeling and the feet for height adjustment. Nit-pick alert: the feet are very short and have quite a lean to them preventing any real noticeable height increase from taking place.

On the left-side of the keyboard, you will find five macro keys labeled M1 through M5. I have never been a big fan of the macro keys on the left side for a couple of reasons; first, I have a tendency to accidentally depress one of these keys on occasion while working or playing. Yeah, I know it’s probably just me, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Second, the left-positioned macro keys extend the width the keyboard by around 10%. I prefer the macro keys to be above, not to the side, like what can be found on the Gigabyte Aivia Osmium. This is obviously a personal preference and not something I would list as a negative.

The caps lock key may also serve as the Easy-Shift[+] key. This key provides you with the ability to assign dual functions to a single key. We all can relate to how handy this feature can be, especially when gaming. Also, if you have a ROCCAT Talk compatible mouse, the Easy-Shift[+] key on the keyboard can be used to assign a secondary function to each mouse button.

I am a big fan of keys beneath the spacebar. The ROCCAT Ryos MK Pro has 3 programmable “thumbster” keys, labeled T1 through T3 in that location. However, it can be a bit difficult to locate the right one at crunch-time since they are flat and run parallel to the surface. Yes, T2 has a little speed-bump on it to make it easier to locate, but with the other subtle contouring on and around the buttons, it is still a difficult task to find what you are looking for. Also, it takes a little more effort than necessary to depress them. That sounds like a wimpy comment, but considering the effortlessness of the key actuation on the rest of the keyboard, these clearly take more effort. In conclusion here, keys beneath the keyboard are great; but maybe different keys than these.