Pros & Cons
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- Gorgeous design, with lighting highlights and chrome knob
- Satisfying typing feel
- Elgato Stream Deck support built-in
- Compatible with consoles and Macs, as well as Windows PCs
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- Pricey
- Ho-hum battery life
Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless Specs
| Dedicated Shortcut Keys | |
| Interface | 2.4GHz Wireless |
| Interface | Bluetooth |
| Interface | USB Wired |
| Key Backlighting | RGB Per-Key |
| Key Switch Type | Corsair OPX Low-Profile Switches |
| Media Controls | Dedicated |
| N-Key Rollover Support | |
| Number of Keys | 107 |
| Onboard Profile Storage | |
| Palm Rest | None |
| Passthrough Ports | None |
The line between gaming keyboards and productivity keyboards has blurred in recent years, with many premium gaming keyboards offering functionality for complex workflows—not just gaming—baked into their high-performance keys. The Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless ($259.99) is one such example. Highlights include an elegant, compact profile, incredible-feeling low-profile optical switches, a striking mini LCD in the top-right corner, and Elgato Stream Deck integration. This Editors' Choice winner is the full package for content creators and serious gamers alike.
Design: Exquisite Looks, Satisfying Keys
If you’ve followed my keyboard coverage, you might know that I prefer mechanical keyboards over membrane keyboards, and I typically don’t like low-profile key switches. So when the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless arrived in PC Labs, I had some doubts right off the bat.
But they vanished once I unboxed this spiffy peripheral. The Vanguard is a so-called "99%" keyboard, which means Corsair has managed to fit all the keys of a full-size keyboard, including number pad keys, into a smaller-than-normal package (1 by 16.7 by 5.4 inches, 2 pounds). Corsair pulled that off mostly by reducing the key spacing. Despite its compact layout, the Vanguard also manages to cram a column of programmable keys on the left side of the keyboard. (More on those later.)
Admittedly, it took some time to get used to typing on this tighter keyboard. I currently split my time between the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, a sawed-off gaming keyboard with a chunky frame and satisfying mechanical keys, and the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980 Keyboard, a low-profile full-size productivity keyboard I use in the office. Both give ample room for my hands to stretch out and type.
Because of the Vanguard’s more compressed key layout, I found myself constantly hitting the wrong keys with my left hand whenever I reached for the Shift and Control keys. The adjustment wasn't as major as switching to an ergonomic keyboard, mind you, but it was enough to make me consciously tweak my typing style.
(Credit: Zackery Cuevas)Features: Tops of the Opticals
Once I became acquainted with the Vanguard, however, I started to appreciate this fancy board. A gasket mount and five sound-dampening layers give each key press a satisfying “thocky” sound. Corsair deploys its house-brand optical switches, called OPX Low-Profile, on the Vanguard. These optical switches feature a short 1.5mm actuation distance for improved keypress responsiveness. They're a huge improvement over the K100 Air Wireless, which the Vanguard is based on. The K100's ultra-low-profile keys aren't ideal for gaming.
What’s the difference between optical and mechanical switches? Much like magnetic switches, optical switches don’t need to make a physical electrical connection inside the switch to actuate. Optical switches use infrared light beams and light sensors to register key presses. A press blocks a beam, which a sensor in each key mechanism then registers. Mechanical keyboards, as you might have guessed, rely on an electrical contact being made, which can result in those keyboards wearing and tearing faster than keyboards with optical switches. (Read more about key switches of all kinds in our explainer.)
(Credit: Zackery Cuevas)In addition to the 1.5mm actuation point, the OPX switches offer 2.5mm of total travel distance and a 45g actuation force. This means that key presses are fast and responsive, and that each press doesn’t require too much force. Your hands won’t tire out too fast from pressing buttons.
The optical switches also enable a welcome feature for hard-core gamers. Called FlashTap, Corsair’s new technology harnesses the concept of simultaneous output of cardinal directions ("SOCD"), providing cleaner movement techniques for twitchy maneuvers such as counter-strafing or jiggle peeking. Esports pros and those in the know rely on these moves while playing competitive shooters.
FlashTap can also function similarly to Razer's Snap Tap: If you find yourself in an instance where two opposing directions are detected, you have the option for the keyboard to register the last input, the first input, or remain neutral. It’s not active by default, but can be turned on with a keyboard shortcut and adjusted with Corsair’s new web-based utility, the Corsair Web Hub (which I'll discuss below).
It’s one of those things you probably don’t think about, unless you’re playing shooters with your mouse and keyboard. But it’s a change that even casual gamers can notice. I found it especially helpful in games such as Marvel Rivals and Marathon, where your character is constantly bouncing back and forth between targets.
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(Credit: Zackery Cuevas)Underneath the keyboard, you’ll find two adjustable feet that give the Vanguard some much-needed tilt—enough that I can forgive the lack of a wrist rest. Toward the top of the board, you’ll find a small magnetic indentation that houses the keyboard's 2.4GHz USB receiver, as well as switches to change connection types (Bluetooth or 2.4GHz) and operating system. (Corsair offers full Mac compatibility, making it one of the few gaming keyboards that are good for Macs.)
The Vanguard comes in two color schemes: black and white. I tested the white variant, which appears in the photos and which I think pops well on my desktop. PBT double-shot keycaps let the adjustable RGB lighting shine through, and the soft glow illuminates the board nicely.
At the top right of the board, you’ll find an eye-catching 1.9-inch IPS display. You obviously won’t be using this tiny screen for gaming (at least until someone gets Doom running on it, which is the way of all things), but you can load up to 20 GIFs or up to 250 photos (with a max file size of 500K) to give your keyboard some character.
Software: A Hub for Content Creators and Hard-Core Gamers Alike
Interestingly, the Vanguard launches without support for iCue, Corsair’s downloadable software utility. As of this writing, iCue support for the Vanguard is coming soon, but until then, users who want to adjust their keyboard settings can head to the Corsair Web Hub.
There are plus sides to using the Web Hub over downloading the utility. For one, you can access and adjust up to five profiles across any computer you use. (That is, so long as you are using Chromium-based web browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Opera—sorry, Brave and Safari users.)
(Credit: Corsair/PCMag)Once the Web Hub recognizes the Vanguard, it’s business as usual. Here is where you can tweak the keyboard's functions, from lighting effects and key assignments to fine-tuning FlashTap and programming macros. It’s as intuitive and as useful as iCue.
That would probably be enough for most keyboards, but Corsair takes it a step further by integrating Elgato Stream Deck support into the keyboard. Content creators and streamers can set up quick functions and assign them to the six additional keys along the left side, which I mentioned earlier. And the Vanguard lets Stream Deck users take things even further with a built-in virtual keyboard. A Stream Deck launch button is included on the keyboard, and pressing it opens a profile for users to customize. Here, you can easily drag-and-drop functions and even plug-ins from the Stream Deck marketplace to set up your command center as you see fit. While I’m not the target audience for this function, it’s definitely a cool add-on for both casual streamers and full-time content creators.
(Credit: Zackery Cuevas)You can also customize the keyboard’s Game Mode in the Web Hub. Game Mode is a function on esports-ready keyboards that locks out certain keys—like the Windows or Copilot keys—to ensure that you don’t accidentally hit something mid-game that can interrupt play. On the Vanguard, Game Mode also lets you set your preferred polling rate and preferred FlashTap mode. Once that's saved, all you need to do is press the Game Mode button on the keyboard to activate the whole combination.
While we’re on the topic of polling rates, it’s worth mentioning that the Vanguard utilizes Corsair’s SlipStream Wireless, which allows the keyboard to reach up to 8,000Hz polling rates in both wired and wireless modes. The polling rate indicates how often the keyboard sends data to the PC per second. For example, a 1,000Hz rate reports 1,000 times per second (every 1 millisecond). The higher the rate, the less delay between actions and on-screen response. It’s vital for esports gamers, but even casual gamers can reap the benefits of faster reaction times.
(Credit: Zackery Cuevas)In addition to PCs and Macs, the Vanguard supports the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. Corsair says the Vanguard’s battery can last between about 29.5 hours (2.4GHz mode, 20% LCD brightness, LED backlight on) and 57 hours (Bluetooth Mode, 20% LCD brightness, LED backlight off). This comes up a little short compared with other wireless gaming keyboards, such as the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard. (That one's rated for 72 hours of battery life over a 2.4GHz connection with RGB on, 798 hours with RGB off, and a whopping 1,800 hours over Bluetooth.)