I loved using this keyboard, but there was one thing I couldn’t get used to

Gaming keyboards are everywhere these days, with plenty of options available, and finding good ones is not difficult. They can be expensive too, so it’s difficult to know if an investment is worth the money. With that in mind, I went into something new Vulcan II Mini Air from Turtle Beach. I have a few ideas.

Turtle Beach bought the company behind these keyboards, Rokkat a few years ago, but in May 2024 it began to start its branding phased.

What I like about Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air

First, the size. The 65% size layout is my perfect setup as it includes the arrow keys. True FPS gamers may prefer 60% of design, but I tend to mix my genres and I’m also a writer in my work life, so I prefer to have arrow keys (and home/end keys). I don’t miss any dedicated media or feature keys, but this is certainly subjective.

The Vulcan II Mini selects the optical switch above more traditional mechanical switches. Due to the risk of generalization, optical and mechanical switches mainly register the operation of each key differently. The mechanical switch uses physical contact between two metal plates, and the optical switch uses a beam of light to detect actuation.

Before testing the Vulcan II Mini, I didn’t use much optical switches, but I can see how appealing it is to hardcore gamers. The idea is that the light startup sensor can make the keypress actuation point much shorter. This means that when your finger presses a key, there is less time between key presses registered by the computer.

According to Turtle Beach, the operating point of the red linear switch is 1.4mm, with a proper improvement at 2mm on most mechanical switches. That being said, if you’re a hardcore gamer who needs to prioritize every millisecond, you’ll only notice shorter action points. Personally, I couldn’t convey the difference compared to the main keyboard with a cherry mechanical switch.

Another major advantage of optics is similar to its advantage Hall effect The switch is on the keyboard as follows: Vulcan II TKL Pro. The sensor is activated by light rather than physical contact between the two plates, thus reducing friction on each keypress. So the switch should last quite a long time. Most traditional mechanical switches are valued at around 100 million presses. These are valued at 200 million. If you don’t tend to upgrade your keyboard frequently, that’s a pretty important advantage.

To be honest, it took me a while to get used to the feel of the optical switch. They are by no means mushy, but they are significantly softer than traditional switches I’m used to. Thankfully, they are more tactile than the Hall Effect Switch. However, a few hours later, I no longer noticed the difference in the feel of the Vulcan II Mini and the atmosphere of a regular keyboard.

The Vulcan II Mini has top-notch build quality. The aluminum top plate gives a lovely atmosphere without creaking and not allowing it to be detected anywhere. At 578 grams it’s not that heavy. The included braided cable is also well designed. It’s nice that it’s available in white, but I’m wondering how pretty it is. The second-place kickstand allows for some fantastic ergonomic options.

Customization is one area where Turtle Beach rises slightly. You can access many of the typical customizations of your gaming keyboard via the Swarm app. However, Turtle Beach adds a quadratic function to the 29 keys, allowing you to quickly trigger another action. These smart keys also come with dual LEDs to indicate when the quadratic function is active. Plus, you can store up to 5 different profiles, allowing you to set up the best configuration for your favorite games.

A self-esteemed gaming keyboard does not prevent you from customizing RGB lighting into heart content. So of course, you can choose from a variety of lighting effects. This will tune the lighting effects to sync all the turtle beach accessories together.

Battery life

Because it is a wireless keyboard, battery life is important. According to Turtle Beach, the Vulcan II Mini says it can be used continuously for 240 hours without the RBG lighting being activated. This is a bold claim. I’ve only been using the keyboard for about 4 weeks that I have it, but even with heavy usage, I still couldn’t kill it, so it’s still RGB lights on. It’s enough to say, battery life is great for me.

One of the tricks Turtle Beach uses to accomplish this is the proximity sensor inside the keyboard, which automatically detects presence and turns the light on/off. Logitech does the same thing with some keyboards, so it’s not innovative, but with Turtle Beach you can adjust the effect somewhat by changing the sensitivity of the sensor. At least that’s the theory. I couldn’t get the Swarm app to save this setting when I changed it, so I can’t talk about how effective it is.

As the name “Air” suggests, this version of the Vulcan II mini is wireless (There is a wired option for $119). It can be connected to four devices. You can connect to one via one via a 2.4GHz wireless dongle through one. The only drawback I found when connecting via Bluetooth was that it couldn’t be displayed in the Swarm app on Turtle Beach. It displayed well when using the dongle, but not on Bluetooth.

Things I didn’t like about Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air

The cool optical switch didn’t have a big typing experience. I’m a writer every day, so I always prioritize the best typing experience first and the second best gaming experience. After using MINI for more than 3 weeks, I was unable to typing comfortably on the same level as the KeyChron Q81 Pro. I’d be happy to admit that much of it could be attributed to the low profile design of the II Mini, which I’ve never found to be as comfortable as a full-size profile.

The wake time on the Vulcan II mini air is significantly slower than many of the other keyboards I have used. I’m not sure if this is due to a proximity sensor or something else, but it can take up to 10 seconds for your computer to start registering your keypress.

Should I buy the Turtle Beach Vulcan II Mini Air?

Overall, it’s a lovely keyboard with many great features for anyone looking for a serious gaming keyboard. The small size means that it doesn’t take up much space on the desk, and the optical switch has fast response times and durability, with almost limitless customization options. But for me, I had a hard time using it as a daily keyboard. It offers me the touch and I feel I like, but if you want to upgrade your gaming keyboard or dive into the world of gaming keyboards for the first time, the Vulcan II Mini Air is the perfect choice.