Wooting was one of the primary analog keyboard manufacturers to interrupt into the mainstream. When the unique Wooting One TKL launched, it was a giant deal—optical swap know-how was nonetheless new to most individuals, and the concept of a keyboard with hyper-fast, adjustable key actuations was each novel and revolutionary on the time.
Later, when it debuted its Lekker Corridor impact swap within the Wooting Two, it was one of many first corporations to make the most of the know-how for gaming. Issues ramped up in 2020 with the discharge of the Wooting 60HE: Wooting was taking preorders months upfront, the keyboard was reselling with huge markups, and Corridor impact fully overshadowed optical switches as the following large factor.
Now, Corridor impact keyboards are a dime a dozen. It kicked off an arms race, and Wooting’s 60HE fell behind. However with the brand new Wooting 80HE, the corporate returned to the tenkeyless (TKL) format of its first keyboard and made a keyboard that’s not solely aggressive however spectacular. The 80HE has each characteristic I would like in a Corridor impact keyboard, with none of the errors I generally see. It’s strong, dependable, and simple to restore.
The 80HE has two variations, one with a plastic case and the opposite with a zinc alloy. The plastic model retails for $200 and is available in opaque black or clear grey. The zinc alloy mannequin prices $290 and features a carrying case. It is available in black or white. It’s also possible to get the keyboard in ANSI, ISO, and JIS layouts. I examined the zinc alloy case in black with a typical ANSI format.
Improbable Performance
{Photograph}: Henri Robbins
For almost each Corridor impact keyboard I’ve reviewed, software program has been a sore spot. They’ve been buggy, awkward, poorly designed, crammed with commercials, or simply plain unintuitive. Even the very best software program I’ve examined, from Keychron, has minor points with connectivity and setting capabilities.
That is the place Wooting stands out. Its in-house app, Wootility, is nice. It’s a easy, light-weight utility that gives in depth changes and customizations. It’s accessible each in-browser and as a downloadable executable, which means you possibly can entry it anyplace and use it offline. Greater than that, each a part of its design is sensible: The appliance is organized, straightforward to make use of, intuitive, and explains each setting. Plus, throughout my complete time utilizing the browser model, I by no means bumped into connectivity points—the minute I hit “enter” for the URL, it acknowledged the keyboard. This isn’t the case for many in-browser keyboard utilities, which don’t all the time wish to join.
Even area of interest options like gamepad emulation labored flawlessly. I replicated the analog inputs of an Xbox controller’s stick and triggers with none hiccups or confusion, adjusting the settings on the fly and nonetheless sustaining keyboard inputs for unmapped keys. I even put down a half-decent lap time in Artwork of Rally after a little bit of apply (and some crashes).