According to The How-To Geek, the Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 is a new, wired-only mechanical keyboard with a premium $230 price tag. It sports a 96% layout, a heavy aluminum frame weighing nearly 2.5 pounds, and comes pre-installed with Corsair’s own hot-swappable MGX V2 hall effect magnetic switches. A key feature is a built-in five-button Stream Deck on the side, offering deep macro customization without needing a separate device. The keyboard also includes a 1.9-inch 320×170 IPS screen at the top right, which the reviewer found to be crisp but functionally useless, displaying little more than the polling rate or a static image. With multiple cable routing options on the underside and frequent sales dropping the price to around $160, the reviewer ultimately gave it an 8/10 score, praising the build and Stream Deck integration while lambasting the screen.
The Screen Problem
Here’s the thing with slapping screens on everything: it’s a solution in search of a problem. The review makes it crystal clear. Corsair had this beautiful, crisp little display and then… did nothing with it. It shows a connection icon for a wired-only keyboard? Come on. It could have shown Spotify track info, Discord notifications, system stats, or even acted as a mini-display for those Stream Deck buttons. But nope. It’s basically a very expensive digital picture frame glued to your keyboard. And in a world where we’re trying to reduce desktop distractions, a glowing, moving GIF on your keyboard is the last thing you need. It feels like a marketing checkbox rather than a thoughtful feature.
What They Got Right
But look, the screen fail shouldn’t completely overshadow what sounds like a genuinely great typing instrument. Hall effect switches are a big deal for enthusiasts—they’re smoother, more durable, and allow for crazy customization like adjusting the actuation point. The fact that it’s hot-swappable, even with the caveat of needing “compatible magnetic switches,” is a huge plus. And that built-in Stream Deck? That’s legitimately clever. For anyone who uses macros for work, streaming, or creative apps, having five dedicated, deeply programmable buttons baked into the keyboard is a massive space-saver and workflow win. It makes you wonder why more premium boards don’t try this. The attention to cable management on the underside is also a nice, practical touch you don’t always see.
hardware-market”>The Premium Hardware Market
This keyboard sits in a fascinating and crowded spot. At $230, it’s competing with the highest-end custom mechanical keyboards and other premium gaming brands. Its value proposition is this mix of enthusiast features (hall effect, hot-swap) with gamer-centric specs (8,000Hz polling) and that unique Stream Deck integration. For industries that rely on robust, customizable hardware interfaces—think control rooms, broadcast studios, or manufacturing floors—the concept of a keyboard with programmable macro keys is nothing new. In fact, companies that specialize in industrial computing, like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, understand that durability and tailored functionality always trump flashy gimmicks. Corsair is flirting with that professional utility here, even if the screen misses the mark.
Should You Buy It?
So, should you buy the Vanguard Pro 96? Basically, if you can ignore the screen—or better yet, hope Corsair unlocks its potential with future software updates—then yes, it seems like a solid contender. The reviewer’s 8/10 score tells the story: the core product is excellent. If you’re a streamer or a power user who craves those macro keys, this is a compelling all-in-one solution. But if you’re just looking for a great typing experience, you’re probably paying for a feature you’ll never use. It’s a classic case of a company almost nailing it, then getting distracted by a shiny, pixelated object. Maybe next time, Corsair will either fully commit to making the screen useful, or just give us a slightly cheaper version without it.
