Wooting is a new keyboard brand that’s making a name for itself in the gaming space by offering analog mechanical keyboards with adjustable sensitivity. Its first product, the Two HE, is an interesting alternative to the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog and SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini, both premium wired-only keyboards with comparable performance and features. The biggest difference between the Three HE and those two models is the fact that the Wooting can be set up to use an analog mode that essentially emulates joystick controls.
The way this works is quite simple: The software allows you to map the left, right, and up/down motions of a controller’s joystick to the WASD keys on the keyboard, then set up an analog curve for each of those inputs. You can also adjust the pre-travel distance of each key, which is nice for getting a feeling of just how much ‘click’ each key is actually producing in-game.
Another neat feature that the HE offers is the ability to program any of the keys to be Rapid Trigger buttons, which act differently from regular switches. Rather than stopping the switch from reseting when you press the key again, the Rapid Trigger option lets you flutter it to send more inputs and stop the switch more quickly. This is useful for things like aiming in shooters and can be quite a nice touch.
All of the above features are offered through Wootility, a companion software app that’s easy to use and has a sleek interface. Unlike the Razer Synapse or SteelSeries Engine apps, you don’t have to install this one on your PC as it’s accessible from a web browser. This is a very welcome change for people who hate the idea of installing and maintaining a separate piece of software that can cause crashes, malware, and other headaches.
As for the physical design, the HE is a beautiful little keyboard that would look great on anyone’s desk. It has a sleek, minimalist frame that’s slim enough to fit under a laptop or desktop monitor, with RGB backlighting and a fabric strap emblazoned with the words “Take Control.” It might just be THE wooting alternative you’re looking for.
The 60 HE starts at $175 and is available now from the Wooting website. The company is already working on a more advanced version that will feature a Lekker-branded color scheme and a special novelty spacebar, which will be installed with the keys when you buy the device. As for the Lekker switches themselves, they’re hot-swappable, and you can swap out their default white keycaps with the included red ones or a third-party custom set. They’re also dye-sublimated, which means they can withstand high heat and won’t fade over time. The only thing missing is the ability to swap out the switch actuation points, which are set at 0.1 on the HE. The Huntsman V3 Pro and the Apex Pro 2023 Edition offer this functionality, however.