HyperX has added another mechanical keyboard to its peripheral lineup, the Alloy Elite 2. The keycaps are not actually made of pudding, but of a special material that allows the RGB backlighting to really shine. I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of typing on pudding, because it doesn't sound the least bit appealing to me.

Most of the keycaps are almost entirely solid, with light spilling out from underneath and showing through the font engraved at the top. In contrast, HyperX's pudding-shaped keycaps have translucent sides to allow more light to escape.

However, these are still two-layer ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) keycaps, not double-shot PBT (polybutylene terephthalate); HyperX actually sells a standalone PBT pudding keycap, but the Alloy Elite 2 decided to use ABS.

Underneath the keycaps, HyperX uses its own Red keyswitches, which, like the Cherry MX Red switches, are linear (meaning that there is no tactile feedback and the key action is smooth) and have a load rating of 45g. However, HyperX claims that the actuation point is slightly shorter, 1.8mm versus 2mm, and the travel distance is less, 3.8mm versus 4mm. As for durability, HyperX's Red is rated to withstand 80 million keystrokes, while Cherry rates the MX Red as "over 50 million."

In the upper right corner of the Alloy Elite 2 are dedicated media keys, including a volume dial. Users can also switch between three onboard profiles, but there are no dedicated game/macro keys.

Other features include USB 2.0 pass-through, 100% anti-ghosting, full N-key rollover, and an RGB light bar located above the keyboard.

The Alloy Elite 2 is available now for $129.99.