I split my time between playing using a mouse and keyboard and a console controller. For me, a keyboard is not a match for an analog stick in racing games or platformers. They have different strengths.
The Two HE keyboard, which starts at $174.99 without keycaps, is the company's latest attempt to bridge that gap, offering some of the benefits of analog control in the form factor of a keyboard. Gateron-manufactured "Lekker" switches use magnetic Hall effect sensors instead of metal contacts to detect when they've been pressed.
It is an interesting idea, and the implementation of the form factor is relatively painless with a design and software that makes it easy to set up. A lot of PC games end up getting confused by this unusual keyboard's analog controls, which limits their usefulness.
There is no Two HEs available to ship immediately and the Wooting Two HE is available for pre-order. The next US batches are due to ship in April of 2022, while the rest will ship in April of Europe.
You can buy it from Wooting.
The custom Lekker switches that allow it to offer analog controls are the central feature of the Wooting Two HE. Unlike traditional Cherry MX switches, which use metal contacts to register a keypress, Wooting's switches have small magnets in their stems and a Hall effect sensor in their circuit board that can sense when it moves. The difference between lightly tapping a key or pushing it all the way down is known as the gradients of a press. The range of motion has been improved compared to the optical Flaretech switches used in the original Wooting Two, which could only detect between 1.5mm and 3.6mm.
How do magnets work?
There is nothing unusual about the design of the Wooting Two HE. It uses a full-size layout, has per-key RGB backlighting, and connects to a computer using a separate cable. If you prefer to have the cable come out of the top left or top right of the board, there are three channels for that. The cable is braided and nice, but the keyboard is plastic and unbecoming of its higher-end price point.
There are keycaps made from plastic that are available in a bundle for $184.99 or more premium PBT keycaps. The keyboard doesn't come with its keycaps pre-installed, meaning you have to manually install them. When you buy your keyboard and keycaps from different places, it makes sense, but it feels odd when they come in the same box. For a $10 premium, I think it makes sense to go for PBT, a plastic that has a reputation for being more durable.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
An Lekker switch is exposed.
The Lekker switches can be easily removed from the board using IC extractors or other switch pullers and without the need for soldering. There aren't any third-party compatible alternatives for you to swap in, so this doesn't matter a lot. The box with the keyboard has four spare switches in it, which should be helpful if one of the switches breaks.
It feels like any other linear mechanical keyboard to type on when using the Wooting Two HE. The typing sound of the Lekker switch almost reminds me of using a keyboard with Topre switches because of its slightly hollow-out sound. If you are sensitive to that sort of thing, be prepared to make some modifications. It is not the prettiest keyboard I have ever used, but it is functional.
Things get more interesting when you download the companion software that is available across Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is this that allows you to get the most out of the keyboard's analog switches, which it handles alongside other more traditional keyboard companion app tasks.
You can reprogram their actuation point, which is the distance they are pressed down before a key press is registered. This can be set to any size. If you are prone to accidentally keypresses, you might want to set up the keyboard so you have to press a key 3.5mm before it starts. If you want the keyboard to feel responsive, you can set the actuation point to less than half a millimeter. They can be set on a per-key basis. I left the keyboard set on a middle-of-the-road 2mm actuation point, which is similar to what Cherry uses for its standard MX Red switches. I am a basic man.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
The backlighting is in action.
The Wooting Two HE has a rapid triggering technology. The Lekker switches can be activated when you lift your finger up and the keyboard senses you are pushing your finger back down. In theory, this should make the keyboard feel more responsive, but I didn't see much difference in everyday usage.
The controls are on a keyboard.
I was most interested in the possibility of remapping gamepad-style controls to the keyboard. The setup process can be a bit difficult, but the software from Wooting makes it easy. For a first-person game, you might want to map the left analog stick to the W, A, S, and D keys. For a racing game, it might be better to have a controller with a mapped right and left Trigger and a virtual left stick with the A and D keys. If the game supports either Xinput or DirectInput, it should work with the Wooting Two HE.
I found it less complicated to use regular keyboard controls for non-Analog gamepad buttons like A, B, X, and Y. You need to enable the "Enable Keyboards keys" option in the game to use regular keyboard controls for every other in-game action.
:noupscale is a file on thechorusasset.com.
You can use the shortcut buttons on the top right to switch between profiles.
It is possible to save three profiles on the keyboard and then switch between them using the keyboard's A1, A2, and A3 keys, because the control schemes are very specific to certain genres. You can swap additional profiles into one of the slots when necessary.
That is the theory, but in practice it is more of a mixed bag. I thought that any games that relied on keyboard for movement and mouse for camera and aiming controls would be a great match for the Wooting Two HE. A mouse is more accurate for aiming than a gamepad is. A lot of games don't allow you to control movement with a traditional mouse and gamepad.
The software deals with complexity.
Deathloop refused to allow me to use a mouse for aiming because it thought I was moving with a stick. I had a similar problem in Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. It is something that would need to be fixed by individual game developers, but that is something that is aware of. If you want to know if a game will work with the Wooting Two HE, you should look for games that support simultaneous input.
I had better luck with other titles. Left 4 Dead 2 worked without any issues, as did the Halo: Infinite MultiplayerBeta and the other games, but they are not games that benefit from being able to walk slowly. They are designed for you to run full-pelt at all times.
:noupscale is a file on thechorusasset.com
A keymap for racing games is in the software.
There is a Screenshot with the phrase "wotility".
The game that played into the strengths of the two men was Death Stranding. The kind of delicate touch that the game asks of you as you maneuver Sam Porter Bridges, laden with gear and deliveries, over difficult terrain is perfect for the kind ofAnalog control is perfect for the kind of delicate touch that the game asks of you as you maneuver Sam Porter Bridges, laden with The experience was not perfect because of the way the on-screen button prompt would vary depending on what input method you were using with the game.
I used the keyboard for control rather than using a mouse in the game. I was able to roll off the pedal without hitting the brakes or stopping the car because the Wooting Two HE let me depress the A or D key to make a smooth turn.
The games were confused by the two men.
I would still play a racing game with a force-feedback controller or full steering wheel, despite the improvements. For the sake of balance, I tried racing with an Xbox One controller with my PC, and I immediately felt more at home in the game. Being able to feel the car start to slide with your hands and then compensate accordingly, rather than having to look out for audiovisual signals, is something nothing compares to.
Maybe this is not fair. It doesn't make sense that the keyboard is capable of offering force feedback. It shows some of the drawbacks of a keyboard. It can be hard to bridge the gap between a keyboard and a gamepad.
I ran into a bug while using the keyboard. On more than one occasion, Windows refused to pick up the gamepad inputs. It was not easy to fix it by plugging the keyboard into my PC using the steps in the guide, but I could usually do it by using a piece of electronics.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
The two men are in a UK-ISO layout.
The two he achieved more or less what they said they would achieve. Its keys can register analog inputs, and its software makes it easy to remap them to function as gamepad controls. On its promises, it delivers.
It is a niche product that most PC games aren't designed to accommodate, and the result is that several of the titles I tried got confused when I used a gamepad and mouse simultaneously. The keyboard is operating in an environment that doesn't recognize it exists. The benefits of other features like an adjusted point and more responsive key presses are not significant.
If you only want to use one peripheral for your PC gaming, the Wooting Two HE is a more flexible alternative than most regular keyboards. I think most people would be better off with both peripherals in their arsenal, even though it can match a traditional gamepad.
Jon Porter is a photographer for The Verge.
