Many gamers swear by mechanical keyboards and it’s certainly true that they offer up the best response times, but what if you need a good gaming keyboard that can double as a good media or every-day keyboard as well, without all the clickity-clack noises? Roccat may well have the answer here.

The Horde Aimo provides a new style “Membranical-Technology” hidden under its keys. This isn’t just some marketing gimmick as, having used this keyboard for a month now, it’s clear that this new membrane technology comes very close to the feel and response of a mechanical keyboard, while remaining quiet and comfortable to use.

Another thing to note about the design of this keyboard is that the key boarders are wider, while keeping the same spacing as a standard keyboard. This means that there are less gaps between keys and a slightly bigger surface area, aiding typing and preventing dirt from entering under the keys (and if you’re anything like me, you’ll have been guilty of snacking while gaming from time to time!).

The Aimo branding in the name also gives away one of the other features that makes this keyboard stand out. This is part of Roccat’s lighting range which aims to provide a fully customisable lighting system across products (see our reviews of the Kahn Aimo and Aimo mouse for more of these) all controlled by their easy to use Swarm software. In fact, the Horde is even easier to quickly adjust the lighting thanks to a customisable dial in the top right of the keyboard. Alongside the special row of function keys, this dial can control pre-set lighting as well as volume and FX, along with other Windows 10 functions.

The way the keyboard is designed, with the lack of spaces, does mean that the light is perhaps a little dimmer than with other light-up keyboards because there’s no bleed through but in my experience, it was perfectly fine for playing in a dark room and sets of keys can be individually coloured to help with gaming and other tasks. My favourite part of the lighting, though, is in the interactive mode you can set, which changes lighting depending on your actions, even how fast you type. It feels like Roccat have really thought about an alternative use for lighting functions on top of the norm.

Let’s be clear, this new membrane technology is not really going to replace any of the mechanical keyboards in terms of gaming response, Cherry MX still rules the roost here, but for those looking for a well priced alternative to the noisy mechanical keyboards that can double as an everyday keyboard and that also has many extra features including lighting and a great Windows 10 dial, the Roccat Horde Aimo is a great product that seems far more versatile.