Fallout is one of those age-old gaming franchises that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That’s fantastic news for fans of the series – which stretches back to 1997 – and it’s a brilliant fact for collectors, who make up a huge portion of the die-hard Fallout fanbase. For the ultimate Fallout fan, there’s the Ducky x Fallout One 3 RGB keyboard, a wondrous licensed creation from a Taiwanese manufacturer that is simply the perfect peripheral for those venturing into the vast wastes of the Fallout universe on PC.
Introducing: Ducky One 3
Being a lifelong Fallout fan, I was blown away by the first-blush perfection of the Ducky x Fallout keyboard as soon as I unboxed it. It arrived from Overclockers in superb form, being encased in a themed box that had Fallout branding bursting from the cover. That was the start of my intense relationship with the Ducky One 3, which hadn’t spent much time occupying my radar before the Fallout crossover emerged from its vault.
At first glance, the Ducky One 3 looks like a ‘normal keyboard’. The Ducky x Fallout model comes exclusively in a full-sized format, which was slightly disappointing as I prefer ‘tenkeyless’ designs, but it’s not a deal breaker. Once you start handling the Ducky x Fallout keyboard, you quickly understand how polished and well-built the device is. It weighs a ton and is arguably the most solidly built keyboard I’ve ever used – it feels as though it could genuinely survive a nuclear apocalypse.
In terms of the overall structure of the Ducky x Fallout keyboard, everything is where you’d expect it to be. For a Fallout fan, the branding is on point, with Vault-Tec colours running throughout the keyboard – and real fans can pop out some keycaps and replace them with limited edition, Fallout-themed caps, which are fantastic and authentically designed. There’s something special to be said about those keys, too – they feature Ducky’s ‘Quack Mechanics’, which is a term used to describe the production process of the keycaps themselves – they’re made from PBT, which is renowned as being the finest, strongest plastic possible for keycaps.
Now, pairing those PBT keycaps with the Cherry Silent Red switches that I opted for results in dreamlike typing and button presses that feel wondrous time and again. It’s a phenomenal keyboard for gaming or working on, with the acoustics, pressing motion, bounce back, and tuning being almost flawless. It takes little weight to manipulate the keys, and the feedback presented by the Cherry Silent Red switches is nothing short of sublime. I’m writing this review on the Ducky x Fallout keyboard, funnily enough – and it feels great.
It’s worth stressing that the Ducky Fallout keyboard also comes with Cherry Blue, Cherry Red, Cherry Brown, and Cherry Speed Silver switches, which helps to suit your individuality.
Practical Performance
Let’s get into the more practical parts of this Ducky x Fallout review. At £159.99 (which is what the keyboard retails for on Overclockers’ website), the Ducky x Fallout keyboard is at the higher end of the peripheral spectrum, but that’s a small price to pay for a budding Fallout fan with an interest in PC gaming.
I used the Ducky x Fallout keyboard on a range of games, including:
- Fallout 76
- Battlefield 2042
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Escape from Tarkov
- Rainbow Six: Siege
While it’s not the kind of keyboard an esports pro player would opt for, it boasts a solid profile and positioning that makes it brilliant for gaming. However, this is where one of my minor gripes surfaced. I found that the legs of the keyboard aren’t all that great at holding up ‘under strain’. If you’re the kind of gamer who moves their keyboard around or perhaps has less space, you’ll find that friction combined with the weight of the keyboard easily folds flat the legs – I found myself opting to have them folded in entirely to avoid this happening.
On that note, my second gripe should be mentioned. The keys are quite high-profile, standing tall against the frame of the keyboard – which seems to be brilliant for the deep-feeling RGB lights – but it can obscure some elements of the keyboard, namely the ‘lock indicators’. I found that I wouldn’t notice if the scroll lock or caps lock key had been pressed because the number pad obscures the small, white lights from my perspective.
I’m also not overly pleased with the lack of ‘see-through’ or backlit keycaps – it makes it tough to use the keyboard in the dark, and even the RGB doesn’t help the situation much. If you’re not a touch-typer or familiar with a keyboard layout, you’ll have issues:
Minor gripes, as I said.
One element that might bug users is the lack of software. Ducky doesn’t offer anything in the way of an application, and all the RGB features are controlled via hotkeys on the keyboard. It’s not a huge deal, but for some, it might prevent a sale.
Ultimately, I’ll happily stress that the Ducky x Fallout keyboard is one of the best PC peripherals I’ve ever used. As a Fallout fan, the colour palette and subtle branding speak to me quite clearly, and Cherry Silent Red switches combined with the ‘Quack Mechanics’ of the keycaps make for a wonderful typing experience. It smacks of durability and it feels like one of the most premium keyboards I’ve ever used, despite not being the most expensive keyboard I’ve ever used – which is fantastic. Now, I’m going to take my Ducky keyboard and venture back into the wasteland – see you out there.
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