Hands-on review: HyperX Alloy Origins 60 mechanical keyboard

The HyperX Alloy Origins 60 is the 60% version of the HyperX Alloy Origin's keyboard. We took a look at this mini mechanical marvel.

I've been using the HyperX Alloy Origins keyboard for a year or so now. And I swear by it. It's a solid keyboard that feels nice to play a game with and nice to type with. Having gotten used to a positive feel of the keyboard, there's no way I'd use anything else.

HyperX's Alloy Origins 60 keyboard has the same solid metal build quality as its bigger brother. It also has the same RGB lighting effects.

Whilst the keyboard is 60% of the size of a regular keyboard, the keys are still the same standard size. The keyboard's footprint has been reduced by removing the function keys, the navigation keys, and the numeric keyboard.

The keyboard's functionality is retained by liberal use of the FN key. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's no more difficult than using a laptop keyboard.

The Alloy Origins 60 is a mechanical keyboard rather than the cheaper membrane keyboards. This makes the keys more responsive, and button presses a lot more positive. The keyboard uses red linear switches favoured by gamers as they don't need much force to push down and respond faster. They are not as loud as blue switches or brown switches that are best for touch typing. It has a satisfying feel but still makes a bit of a noise that may not be to everybody's taste.

It's a wired keyboard, so installation is easy. It uses a USB Type-C to Type-A cable, with the keyboard having a USB Type-C socket. This means that devices with just a USB Type-C socket can be connected via an am aftermarket cable.

Being a gaming keyboard, it has a game mode that can switch off multiple key combinations that may be undesirable while playing. The keyboard is also 100% anti-ghosting to ensure that the correct keys are registered in the order pressed. N-key rollover allows multiple keys to be pressed at once without issue, which is exactly what you want playing a first-person shooter.

Using HyperX's NGENUITY beta application, the keyboard's RGB lighting can be set up and keys reassigned. NGENUITY also works with HyperX mice and memory to coordinate the lighting effects. The Alloy Origins 60 RGB lighting is very nice. The versatile application can apply RGB effects to only certain keys or even assign certain presets on a per-game basis. Outside of the application, the keyboard has three presets that can be selected and the brightness adjusted.

The package also comes with a keycap removing tool as well as a patterned replacement space bar and a keycap with the HyperX logo. The universal nature of the easy-to-remove keycap means that the keyboard can easily be customised with aftermarket keycaps for a truly unique look.  

The HyperX Alloy Origins 60 proves that you don't need to sacrifice quality if space constraints require a small keyboard. This device delivers every bit the same experience as its larger counterparts.

It's perfect as a complement to a laptop gaming set-up or just where desk space is a premium. Whilst not the lightest keyboard, it'll easily fit in your bag. This means, instead of using an unresponsive laptop keyboard, you can take a decent keyboard with you when you are on the move.