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Turtle Beach Vulcan II XP Review: Clicky Compromise
Turtle Beach is no stranger to competitive-grade gaming keyboards. In recent years, it has focused on its mid- to high-tier Vulcan range, with the Vulcan II XP as its newest entry.
It has a lot going for it—Titan HS mechanical switches, easy modification and customization options, and a suite of pro-tier gaming features available through its support software. However, while it arrives as a full-size keyboard (NumPad included!), a series of trade-offs and compromises ultimately make it feel very middle-of-the-pack.
Measuring 462 x 153 x 32 millimeters, it looks undeniably sharp thanks to its low profile and floating-key approach, all sitting atop a premium brushed-aluminum top plate. Unfortunately, the first compromise is the disappointing underside: a cheap-feeling basic plastic shell basin. Thankfully, the legs feel sturdy when popped up, adding around 10 mm in height and a comfortable angle to the board.
I also like the included soft foam wrist rest, which snaps to the front underside and adds nice support when gaming or typing. It's not memory foam, though, so I fear it might lose some of that cushion over time. The Vulcan also has integrated media controls on the top right with back, play/pause, and forward buttons, plus a media wheel with a push-to-mute feature.
It’s a $150 wired-only device (Turtle Beach is launching a wireless version, the Vulcan II XP Air for an extra $50) that connects via a detachable 1.8-meter USB-C to USB-A cord. A physical connection means zero input latency, which competitive gamers will benefit from.
The corded approach does make the Vulcan II XP a breeze to set up. Plug it into a Windows PC, and that's it. But you’ll need Turtle Beach’s Swarm II app to get the most out of it, especially given that the default RGB lighting is a blinding rainbow cascade.
Swarm II brings out the best in this keyboard. Visually, it offers 10 built-in customizable light effects—you can adjust brightness, pattern speed, and colors for some templates. They're pretty gimmicky—especially the Snake one—but it makes for a fun showcase. What's cooler is that you can adjust every LED, perfect for the 11th “custom” slot where you can choose colors, speed, and one of six patterns. You can turn the LEDs off entirely, but only through the app.
Beyond the eye candy, Turtle Beach packs in an impressive slate of features. You can remap inputs down to the individual key and store those configurations as one of five onboard profiles—perfect if you want layouts tailored to specific games, or a more work-oriented profile.
Critical to the keyboard’s gaming credentials, it includes a macro manager that lets you create custom inputs and command combos, down to how many milliseconds of input it should take before activating a keypress. It supports dozens of popular games by default, from competitive favorites like Counter-Strike and Overwatch to single-player epics like Skyrim, which have popular modding scenes and can benefit from bespoke controls. It even has presets for office apps and Photoshop, adding to the Vulcan’s overall versatility. You can easily import new layouts, too.
I’ve been testing the version with linear switches—Turtle Beach also offers a model with tactile switches, both available in black or white. If you’re new to mechanical keyboards, the main difference is that linear keys press all the way down smoothly, while tactile ones have a little “bump” of resistance as the internal switch activates, which you can feel as the keystroke registers. It’s ultimately personal preference.