Varmilo Muse65 HE keyboard review: Not just all show
DexertoThe Varmilo Muse65 HE keyboard is stunning in both design and capabilities, with its rapid trigger functionality, hall effect sensors, and magnetic switches.
The design of the Muse65 is hard to ignore. The 65% sized gaming keyboard is available in a range of designs based on “natural elements”. There are five available in total, each one as stunning as the last.
However, it’s what’s under the hood that matters. Varmilo has equipped the 65% HE board with Hall Effect switches, and rapid trigger functionality, all wrapped up in an aesthetically stunning, and intricately designed bow.
I put the muse65 HE keyboard to the test, to find out if there was more than meets the eye, or if the keyboard is just another in a sea of cozy-looking gaming accessories.
Key Specs
- Switch type: Gateron Magnetic White
- Keycaps: PBT dye-sub
- Connectivity: Wired
- Form Factor: 65% ANSI layout
- Lighting: RGB
- Dimensions: 14.1 x 6.6 x 2.7 inches
- Weight: 4.07 pounds (184g approx)
- Features: Hall effect switches, Rapid trigger functionality, dynamic keystrokes, CNC aluminum chassis, RGB backlit keycaps, 0.2 low latency connection,
- Price: $159
| PROS | CONS |
| Compact 65% form factor | Expensive |
| Hall effect switches | Wired only |
| Range of available designs | Heavy |
| Impeccable theming | Awkward accompanying software |
| Rapid trigger | |
| Quiet & creamy key presses |
Design
For this review, I chose the ‘Ariel’ design, which features a gorgeous mermaid theme dripping from every inch of the board.
Growing up as a big fan of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, this design felt like an obvious choice and I’m glad I chose it. The aluminum-based keyboard comes in a stunning light blue metallic colorway, with white and blue PBT keycaps featuring mermaid-inspired icons.
DexertoCute little blue jellyfish icons have replaced the boring directional arrows, meanwhile, both shift keys are adorned with mermaid silhouettes. The pièce de résistance is easily the space bar, which showcases a stunningly detailed piece of art of a mermaid, which trails off to the keys around it.
Even the back of the metal chassis features a UV glass back panel, featuring art of a ghostly white mermaid surrounded by fish. The aesthetics look right out of ‘What if Studio Ghibli made gaming keyboards.’
While 65% keyboards aren’t for everyone, the compact nature of the Muse65 makes it ideal for those low on space, of which I am one. Its small form factor leaves more room to swing your gaming mouse around when playing games like Sea of Thieves.
However, with only a wired connection available, you’ll still be at the mercy of the dreaded cable management woes.
Not only is the HE keyboard compact, but it has an aluminum plate and tray mount. This is designed to “preserve the sound quality”, and it’s sandwiched between a silicon sheet, which produces a nice clicky tone.
Even with my hard-handed typing, which usually carries from room to room, the padding of the HE keyboard produced a condensed, almost ASMR-like clicky sound.
Features
The Muse65 HE comes with a USB-C cable, necessary for its wired-only connection, and a keycap puller. Unlike the Ducky Zero 6109 keyboard, there aren’t any additional keys to try out. Although with the impeccable theming of the Ariel design, and its available colorways, I wasn’t in a rush to give them a change any time soon.
DexertoThe keyboard’s Gateron dual-rail magnetic white switches ran fine straight out of the box, with each press feeling creamy to the touch. Better yet, its low 0.2ms latency connection was on full display.
While using the HE board, there was no lag to be seen, and writing with the utmost accuracy and precision was easily achievable, especially with the perfect amount of bounce from every press.
However, even Varmilo itself recommends running the HE driver software as “vital” to the overall experience of the magnetic keyboard. There, you can tweak the actuation point of any individual key, which is ideal for games like Dead by Daylight, where the quick firing of the spacebar is vital in any QTE-frantic moment.
Software
With Varmilo’s HE driver software, you can also easily add shortcuts to each function key, which is important when you’re not dealing with a full-sized board.
Like a lot of accompanying PC gaming software, running the HE driver was awkward. There were multiple install pages to run from, and I had to run through it a few times before my Windows-based PC actually registered the keyboard’s existence.
Once it was running, I was taken aback by the inclusion of themes based on the designs of the keyboard. To match the ‘Ariel’ design, my version of the software used the Ariel theme, which is a level of detail I haven’t seen on other devices.
DexertoThe HE driver software also introduces a level of customization for the RGB lighting. There are up to 22 lighting modes to choose from, with the software revealing a detailed preview for each. With the full-color wheel at your disposal, you can individually select the color of every key.
It’s worth noting, that with the fully opaque keycaps, the RGB lighting isn’t that illuminating. Plus, with the heavy theming, and baby blue and white colorway, finding a lighting effect that’s complimentary to the ‘Ariel’ design can be tricky.
Gaming performance
In appearance, the stunning Ariel version of the Muse65 HE keyboard doesn’t match well with the dark horror aesthetics of Dead by Daylight. However, the magnetic white switches paired well when it came to escaping the clutches of the game’s vast array of terrifying killers.
With the previously mentioned HE driver software installed, I was able to adjust the actuation and sensitivity of the spacebar exactly to my liking.
With that set in place, I only had to worry about my attention span, as I was able to achieve a plethora of great skill checks when fixing up generators in the game. Something I otherwise find difficult on a keyboard, as I’m used to the PS5 Dualsense or Steam Deck controls when playing the asymmetrical online horror.
DexertoShould you buy it?
With such an unusual stunning design, the Muse65 HE feels somewhat justified at a price point of $159. While only a 65% board with no wireless connection in sight, that price encompasses the hall effect switches and multiple levels of customizability.
If you’re looking for a 65% keyboard that goes all out on the theming, down to the beautifully printed keycaps, and glass-supported back art piece, the Muse65 HE is a no-brainer.
This HE board also doesn’t skip out on the features you’d want from a modern gaming keyboard, thanks to its super-fast hall effect switches but also has the advantage of looking as good as it feels.
Verdict – 4/5
The Varmilo muse65 stands out in the sea of smaller form factor gaming keyboards for not just its stunning appearance, but its integration with the hall effect switches, rapid trigger, and all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a modern gaming board.
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