The Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard: A Review on Its Almost Greatness

Alienware has created a keyboard with a ton of solid features that brings it in line with dedicated accessory brands. But it misses the mark with its janky driver software, and it’s about $30 too expensive to make it an easy winner. The Alienware Pro Wireless Keyboard is a serious contender in this admittedly hyper-specific category. It has a compact and stylish body, dual-function wireless, excellent switches, and solid typing. Unfortunately, its good hardware is let down by half-baked software, and the high price may dissuade otherwise excited buyers. The Pro Wireless Keyboard has a lot going for it, including a compact and stylish body, dual-function wireless, and excellent switches. Allegedly designed with input from over 100 pro gamers with the long-running Team Liquid name-dropped, this board is aimed squarely at the pros. The switches of the keyboard pop right out of an aluminum deck that softly curves down to a plastic lower body, pleasantly contrasting with the more angular and aggressive lines of most mechanical keyboards. The Wireless Pro comes with a USB Type C dongle, a rarity even among high-end accessories, and offers quick switching between the 2.4GHz dongle and up to three Bluetooth devices. It’s a bit on the heavy side at 29 ounces, which I’m putting down to that curved aluminum deck and a gigantic internal battery. Alienware claims 72 hours of full-brightness RGB gaming or nearly 800 hours with the lights off and the 2.4GHz mode active. Michael Crider/Foundry The Pro Wireless is offered with only Red switches, supplied by Alienware and pre-lubed from the factory. The “Alienware linear” reds are excellent, offering super-light and smooth operation, making extended typing and gaming sessions pleasant and comfortable. Despite Alienware’s claim that this board is for pro gamers first and foremost, it walks an impressive tightrope between being good for play and practical for work. However, its software is not quite up to the mark. Alienware’s “Command Center” constantly demands that the user installs the Dolby Access app from the Microsoft Store and has a nasty habit of losing connection to the keyboard with the 2.4GHz dongle plugged in.