Aside from the acquisition by HP, the announcement of the Alloy Origins 60 is the next surprise I get from HyperX. I’ve been using quite a number of 60% keyboards throughout the years and I’m eager to see if HyperX can really deliver what I’m looking for on a keyboard in this form factor.
Some will argue the facts that I’m about to say about the 60% keyboard but hey, this is what I have to say after using it for roughly a month. So, let’s begin.
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The box and accessories
From the box, we can see that the keyboard comes with double shot PBT keycaps, HyperX Red linear switches, and a 2-year limited warranty. If you’re not into linear switches, it also comes with HyperX Aqua tactile switches variant.
Inside the box, you’ll find the usual paper documents, 2 extra keycaps for the spacebar and escape key each, the USB type-A to type-C cable for data connection, a plastic ring-type keycap puller, and the HyperX Allow Origins 60.
Built like the Alloy Origins but smaller
If you’re currently using a HyperX Alloy Origins, you’ll be sure to know just how sturdy the keyboard is and that’s the exact same thing I have in mind when I first took it out from the box. Thanks to the ‘aircraft-grade’ Aluminum body which HyperX claimed, it’s almost impossible to get the keyboard to flex under normal circumstances.
Since I’m using the HyperX Alloy Origins myself, the biggest upgrade I can see is that they now use is the PBT double shot keycaps instead of ABS, the undesirable ABS in the year 2022. Though the included keycaps are still ABS, which is a bummer.
The switches used here are HyperX switches which according to HyperX, have a long lifespan that can withstand 80 million key presses.
The stabilizers used here are the commonly seen Cherry-style stabilizers to keep the longer keycaps stable. Minor rattling can still be observed but at least you don’t get keycaps popping up from the other side when you tapped one side really hard.
Although it also has a detachable cable design, the slot size for the USB type-C header is just too specific and only a certain size of USB type-C header can fit into it. The original cable fits very well and it’s actually very sturdy as compared to a lot of the keyboards with detachable cable I’ve seen to date.
This is not good news for those who like custom cables, however. I have a lot of USB type-C cables that cannot even fit into this slot, so I can see the trouble that is about to come if I were to lose the cable that comes with it.
Moving on to the base of the keyboard, other than the Kingston logo that is for some reason, still present on the product label even after the acquisition by HP.
As the keyboard case already has some weight to it, the rubber feet are able to provide a good grip on a clean surface, preventing the keyboard from sliding around. The 3-level adjustable kickstand is another good feature you’ll find on the HyperX Alloy Origins 60, although I don’t really use it myself.
The FN layer
Since the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 is a 60% keyboard, keys that are normally present on full-size keyboards now come in a different layer that can only be triggered when the FN key is held down. Due to this, 60% keyboards will take quite a while to get used to.
If you’re using a 60% keyboard that has the arrow keys mapped to the WASD cluster on the FN layer, the starting is quite a pain but then again, you can always remap the keys using the HyperX NGENUITY software anyway.
And because the FN layer for the arrow keys is placed on the bottom right of the keyboard, the right control key that I’m used to is now the FN key.
The software HyperX NGENUITY
Firmware update, RGB lightings customization, and key mapping can be done easily on the software but the user interface doesn’t really scale up well and you’re left with a lot of empty spaces in the end.
It’s not the most intuitive software I’ve seen so far but at least it’s not hard to navigate through the functions available on this software. One thing I’ve noticed about the software is that it is only obtainable via Microsoft App at the moment and it can be a pain if you’re using older Windows operating systems, OS X, or any Linux distribution.
Is the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 worth getting?
60% keyboards have definitely gained quite a lot of users throughout the years but the learning curve is still rather steep for first-time users who are taking that big leap directly from a full-size keyboard.
While the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 is indeed a very well-built keyboard I don’t have much to complain about when it comes to the build quality, there are some facts to look into if you plan to get this keyboard. Slight compromises like limited choice of 3rd-party cables, custom keycaps, and the price tag of RM 499 which is on the higher side can be a turn-off because you can actually get some decent 60% custom keyboard at about the price.
If you just want a sturdy keyboard that will probably last you for a very long while and don’t really want to deal with any sort of customizations, the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 is probably that keyboard you can really consider for.
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