Gaming peripheral makers appeal to gamers in a variety of ways, from Tron-like lighting to programmable commands and customizable features. Newcomer Feenix is taking a different tack with the Autore ($163), a mechanical keyboard that has a stylish (if somewhat spartan) design, and a premium price to match. But is the sleek Autore worth the money?

Design and Features
The Autore has a fairly basic design—standard keyboard layout, with a 10-key numeric keypad—dressed up with a glitzy finish. Look past the fancy finish, and the Autore is a lot like the Rosewill Mechanical Keyboard RK-9000I, in that it doesn't have any of the bells and whistles commonly associated with gaming keyboards in this price range. Both the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate (2014)($156.00 at Lenovo) and the Editors' Choice Roccat Ryos MK Pro($111.86 at Amazon) offer several extras, like dedicated macro keys, adjustable backlight, USB pass-throughs, and adjustable height. The Autore has none of these features. There are also no media control buttons—not even volume control—which left me constantly irked that I had to go to my mouse for what used to be a simple keystroke.

It looks cool, though. The aluminum finish over the gray plastic construction gives the whole thing a dull metallic sheen that isn't quite metal, and isn't quite plastic. Unfortunately, the whole keyboard still feels like plastic, regardless of the finish. The lettering on the individual keys as also extremely light. Feenix has opted for a subtle san-serif font, screen-printed on the keycaps with such a light line weight as to look blank from more than a few feet away. While that's fine for those who touch type, it's a hassle for anyone who doesn't.

The Autore uses Cherry MX Brown switches, which aren't anything particularly special, as we've seen the same switches offered on the Roccat Ryos MK Pro and several other mechanical keyboards in recent months. Feenix has also tried to further optimize the Autore for faster typing and gameplay by shaving down the weight of each individual keycap, but I didn't see any benefit in my tests.

Since it has no programmable features or software-dependent extras, the Autore is a basic plug-and-play device. It comes with a miniUSB-to-USB cable for standard connection, and a USB-to-P/S2 adapter for use with older connections. Since it's a basic USB keyboard, the Autore will work with Windows, Apple, and Linux.

Performance and Price
When tested in day-to-day typing and gaming, the Autore performed adequately—as any straightforward, no-frills mechanical keyboard would. The lack of features, as mentioned above, felt a bit limiting, but it's no different than the Rosewill RK-9000I. The one odd quirk of the Autore, that I haven't run into before, is that each key, in addition to usual clickety-clack that is common with mechanical keys, also has an audible sound coming from the springs and key switches. I have no problem with a noisy keyboard, but hearing the switches contacting and the springs flexing is an unwelcome distraction.

Conclusion
It's not uncommon for a brand to cultivate a certain image and position its products as premium offerings, but there needs to be something backing it up. The Feenix Autore, unfortunately, doesn't offer much for its premium price. It does have a stylish look with its spare design and metallic finish, but that's not enough to justify the high price. For the same money, the Editors' Choice Roccat Ryos MK Pro offers more features and customization, which is why it remains our top pick for gaming keyboards. The Feenix Autore, on the other hand, is only recommeand can afford to pay the high price and have money to burn.

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