IO Gear HVER Pro X Keyboard review: Cold hard keystrokes

From among the lineup of Kaliber Gaming by IO Gear products comes a fresh new mechanical keyboard in the form of the IO Gear HVER Pro X RGB optical-mechanical keyboard. A sturdy mechanical keyboard at a rather economic price compared to other gaming keyboards of its ilk, the IO Gear HVER Pro X is built to supply a solid gaming experience and responsive feedback while saving you a few dollars you’d otherwise spend on this type of peripheral. Is the cost worth it? We’d say you get what you pay for, but the HVER Pro X has enough functionality and versatility that the discounted price does indeed warrant a look.

A sturdy and cool platform

Out of the box, the first thing I noticed about the HVER Pro X is its sturdy aluminum frame. This hard metal machine has a sleek feel to it with a rather low profile design outside of the raised lip banner at the top of the board. It feels sturdy, clean, and cool to the touch. It also features optical-mechanical switches for each key that supply a pretty satisfying keystroke for the most part. The Brown-type switches are said to feature IR technology for 25% faster response, though I’m not entirely sure I noticed a major difference in gaming or non-gaming activities, or at least not a noteworthy one. Either way, the keys have a satisfying press to them and there’s anti-ghosting on all keys to ensure accuracy.

One thing I’m not entirely fond of is the feel of the keys when my fingers are idle on them. It feels like there’s some mild looseness to them that, in my opinion, cheapens the overall feel of the keyboard. I can gently shuffle my fingers across the top of the keys and feel some give. Even so, it doesn’t affect the overall function. It’s just an off-putting feel. And even further, the keyboard comes with a key puller tool and means if you ever need to swap out a key or move them about, it’s easy to do.

Customizing your HVER Pro X experience

Out of the box, the HVER Pro X is perfectly functional and properly-programed with sensible options. There’s also a lockout function for the Windows key if you need it without having to use any extended software. That said, there is also extended software for a bit of extra customization on the HVER Pro X. Unfortunately, the software is not built into the keyboard. You have to go to the IO Gear website to get it and the customization suite is not all that extensive. You can make macros, customize the RGB lighting, change the USB report settings, and that’s it. It feels limited compared to other customization suites I’ve seen.

The RGB is maybe one of the only fleshed out customization options in my opinion and the HVER Pro X keyboard makes solid use of the settings. There are a ton of lighting settings and quite a few ways to adjust each one to make your keyboard an ever-active lightshow. I ended up on a whirlpool rainbow style that’s always fun to see in action. This keyboard is definitely not lacking in showmanship. I only wish the other customizations were so good.

Functional budgeting and flair

The HVER Pro X is a $90 keyboard at retail, compared to similar options like the SteelSeries Apex M750 at $140 and Glorious PC Gaming Race GMMK at $110. That’s a price gap that will likely make a difference for a few people looking for a good mechanical RGB gaming keyboard. The looseness of the keys at rest, the need to go get software from an online source, and the limited customization doesn’t impress me, but the keys feel good and responsive on each press, the platform feels sturdy and clean under my wrists, and the RGB puts on a good lightshow. This keyboard assuredly does the job it’s supposed to do with satisfying feedback to go with it and easy key replacement when you need it, but whether its price differential makes it worth the limitations in customization will likely be up to the players.

This review is based on a review unit supplied by the manufacturer. The IO Gear HVER Pro X Keyboard is available now at online retailers for $89.95

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.