Wooting 60HE V2: Hyped gaming keyboard gets full aluminium case, 8 kHz polling, ergonomic layout, industry-first switch design in refresh

By far the biggest changes to the Wooting 60HE V2, compared to the original 60HE, are physical. Not only will the 60HE V2 feature an all-aluminium case with plenty of sound damping materials — which made the Wooting 80HE very pleasant to use in our review — the new keyboard will also be available in an optional split space layout. The split space layout separates the 60HE V2's space bar into three separate keys, giving users a much greater degree of customisation, making the 60% layout much more viable, and potentially improving ergonomics significantly. Wooting says the 60HE V2 will be available with both a solid space bar and a split space bar, although it's unclear if this will be two separate PCBs and plates or whether the default 60HE V2 plate and PCB combo will support both split and long space bars. Typically, users of keyboards with split space bars use only one space bar as space, with the additional thumb keys serving as other modifiers, like shift, ctrl, alt, or layer keys. 

In addition to the alternate layouts, the Wooting 60HE V2 features removable attachment points for the infamous Wooting strap on both the left and right edges of the case, once again providing users with an additional degree of customisation. Wooting hasn't confirmed what keycaps will be available on the Wooting 60HE V2, but they look like the same OEM-profile double-shot PBT shine-through keycaps that we tested and liked on the 80HE. 

Many of the changes to the 60E V2 come by way of under-the-hood additions, from a new plate material and mounting style to improved sound damping materials. For starters, the 60HE V2 will feature the same friction fit pad as the Wooting X Optimum case, which should provide a slightly more dampened bottom-out feel than the traditional tray mount of the original 60HE. Wooting has also once again switched out the plate material, from steel on the 60HE to FR4 on the 60HE V2. This should give the 60HE V2 a slightly poppy, but cleaner, sound signature than the original 60HE. 

Wooting has also included a silicone case pad for sound absorption and dampening, but there is an included EPDM foam insert that can be used to swap out the silicone pad for users who want to adjust the sound signature. As with the 60HE and 60HE+, the 60HE V2 will have a Poron foam sheet between the plate and PCB to shape the sound and eliminate echo and reverberation. Also new on the 60HE V2 is a tape mod, again ripped straight from the 80HE's design and the enthusiast keyboard community. The tape mod should help reduce high-frequency sounds and clean up the sound signature further. 

In terms of the PCB itself, the 60HE V2 will feature all of the same occasionally game-breaking features as the likes of the 80HE, and Wooting has updated the onboard MCU to deliver 8 kHz polling, with a theoretical latency of just 0.125 ms as long as Tachyon Mode is enabled. Unfortunately, there is no wireless connectivity this time around, and Wooting has previously confirmed with Notebookcheck that it is unlikely to launch a wireless Wooting keyboard, because of the company's preference for gaming performance. 

Along with the new and improved 60HE V2, Wooting also announced that it would be launching a new switch that takes lessons from the Gateron Magnetic Jade Pro switches, which have become and easy Hall-effect switch recommendation (curr. $57.99 for 70 pcs on Amazon) for their clean sound signature and smooth feel. The new Lekker Tikken (named after the Dutch word for "type") switches, however, take the closed-bottom design of the Gateron Jade Pros and stretch out the total travel to 4.0 mm, instead of the 3.5 mm of the Gateron switches. 

Wooting claims that the Tikken switch is an industry first, because of the combination of the long travel and the closed bottom. Much like the Lekker L60 V2 switches we tested, the Lekker Tikken switches have a starting force of 40 gf, a bottom-out force of 60 gf, and what looks to be a transparent PC top for RGB transmission. The new switches will also be pre-lubed, so they don't need to be pain-stakingly opened up and lubricated by end users. 

Along with the new switches, the Wooting 60HE V2 will have updated pre-lubricated, screw-in, PCB-mount stabilisers, and Wooting says it has improved its lubrication process and uses a lot more lubricant in the stabilisers. Put together, these changes should result in quieter, smoother stabilisers, although the Wooting 80HE also used PCB-mount stabilisers, and the space bar stabiliser is often criticised for being rattly and loud.