![My desk looks exactly like this, only with a lot more random crap all over it.](jpg/wjtmybtzgaibyh69czqt-2.jpg)
I don’t normally go for gaming keyboards with fancy shapes, but there’s something sleek and dangerous about Kaliber Gaming’s HVER Pro X optical-mechanical gaming keyboard. It’s probably the jagged sheet of aluminum screwed atop its otherwise unassuming plastic frame.
The underside of the $90 HVER Pro X is the black plastic rectangle of a keyboard base. The thin, shaped, brushed aluminum plate that’s characteristic of most Kaliber Gaming keyboards is screwed on top. The switches, custom optical-mechanical dealios designed with a pleasing tactical bump similar to Cherry MX Browns, are inserted through the metal plate and soldered in place. It’s like a basic plastic keyboard wearing metal armor. It’s sturdy with little flex. If you dropped it on your bare foot, there’s a good chance it would leave a large gash.
![If someone swung this at your head you might die. I dunno. I am not a doctor.](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,q_60,w_645/grdjojv737zh7lw6sxz9.jpg)
I like the design, even its nonsensical design bits. Why the grooves on the top? What are those two holes for? Should I thread a chain through them and wear the keyboard like a necklace? What about those cutouts on the bottom? Is that to make it easier for someone with tiny legs to hold the keyboard on their lap? I’m pretty sure I could use the logo badge piece in the top center to open a beer. I don’t drink beer, it’s just a feeling I get.
Anyway, like I said before, the HVER Pro X is an optical-mechanical keyboard. That means instead of a switch that makes physical contact in order to register a keystroke, these switches register by interrupting a beam of infrared light. They’re still mechanical switches with moving parts and a pleasant feel, but they suffer less wear and don’t need to debounce after making contact, so they are technically more responsive than standard mechanical switches.
![This is like porn for me. I have problems.](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,q_60,w_645/qqciqeboxb1oapzvfl58.jpg)
Typing and gaming on the HVER Pro X is pleasant. I’m not a fan of the keycaps on the board, which are flimsy with a lot of flex. It’s a good board for someone who wants to slap their own colorful keycaps on top. It even comes with a cap puller mounted underneath the board between its adjustable feet.
The HVER Pro X is an RGB gaming keyboard, with all of the bells and whistles expected of such a designation. It’s fully programmable, with easy-to-use software for creating macros and remapping keys. The RGB lighting is very nice, with a wide variety of preset modes as well as the option for users to create their own. I particularly love the default RGB profile, a pleasing combination of muted tones, pinks, purples, blues, greens, and reds.
![I like pretty lights.](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,q_60,w_645/bzmqqn3tctppoysfrzgp.jpg)
It’s a striking look that wraps up the whole aesthetic. The Kaliber Gaming HVER Pro X optical-mechanical keyboard from IOGear is a sharp, stylish, functional gaming keyboard capable of being used as a bladed weapon in a pinch. I love typing on it, but a part of me wants to mount it to a sword hilt and go on a low-grade rampage. Maybe avoid coming around my house for the foreseeable future.