Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Gaming Keyboards Corsair Galleon 100 SD review Gaming Keyboards The Corsair Vanguard Pro 96 wired gaming keyboard is now only $160, a deal that’s all the sweeter when you discover it’s a 2-in-1 device perfect for content creators Gaming Keyboards Corsair brings Hall effect to its dinky enthusiast gaming keyboard in the form of the MAKR Pro 75 Gaming Mice Corsair Sabre V2 Pro Wireless CF review Gaming Keyboards Gravastar Mercury V60 Pro review Gaming Keyboards Asus ROG Azoth 96 HE review Gaming Keyboards QPAD Flux 65 Model 5 review Gaming Keyboards Set sail into the seas of streaming with Corsair’s new Galleon 100 SD keyboard, with its built-in deck Gaming Keyboards Best gaming keyboards in 2026: the fastest, smoothest and loveliest boards I’ve tested Gaming Laptops Mchose Ace 68 16 kHz gaming keyboard review Gaming Keyboards Wooting 60HE v2 review Gaming Mice Be Quiet! 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For Reassuringly solid and sleek A fantastic actuation feel High quality PBT keycaps Against LCD screen isn’t worth the battery drain No adjustable actuation Transparent directional keycaps – why? PC Gamer’s got your back Our experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you. Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware. There is a specific audience who’ll be over the moon about this keyboard, and happy to pay the $260/£240 Corsair’s asking for it. The thing is, it really is a specific audience. While some of its best assets can be universally enjoyed, like the creamy-smooth key actuation and Corsair’s trademark construction quality, a lot of what you’re paying premium price for here is useful only in very particular use cases and tastes.Let’s take the defining spec of the Vanguard Air 99 Wireless, for example: low-profile, optical keys. It’s obvious from the first keypress that Corsair’s design team have lavished all kinds of care and attention on getting the feeling right, from the gasket-mounted design to the 2.5 mm of travel these low-profile keys have, just enough to lend a satisfying feel to each keypress while still fulfilling the low-profile brief. There are apparently five layers of sound-dampening at work to deliver the right sound, and the right feeling. And they got it right.Meanwhile, the sector’s increasingly migrating to Hall Effect magnetic analog switches for the adjustable actuation and overall faster inputs they offer. So, in order to enjoy the sound and feel of this board, Corsair’s asking you to forego the latest and greatest in keyboard tech. For $260.If that seems a bit uncharitable, it’s probably because I’m looking at the Vanguard Air 99 Wireless’ fairly useless LCD screen as I type it. It doesn’t detract from the experience while playing games or at work, but it also doesn’t add much functionality, either. Displaying when the caps lock is on or off, or indicating when I’m scrolling a web page is not a good tradeoff for the battery life that screen must be gobbling up. (Image credit: Future)Swipe to scroll horizontallyVanguard Air 99 Wireless specsSize99%Connectivity2.4GHz, Bluetooth, USB Type-CKeycapsPBTSwitchesCorsair OPX Low-profile opticalHot-swappableNoMedia controlsYes, clickable scroll wheelLightingFull RGB per-keySoftwareCorsair Web HubPrice$250 | £240Buy if…✅ You’re searching for a specific sensation: There are significant downsides to this board, but if tactile feel is the be-all and end-all to you then the combo of low-profile optical mechanical switches and a gasket mount might be a winning one.Don’t buy if…❌ You want a future-proof board: The screen might look futuristic, but it doesn’t offer much value and certainly doesn’t offset the absence of adjustable actuation or faster input resets that analog switches offer.Elsewhere there’s not much to grumble about. Least of all in the visual appeal and build quality of the board, which are exemplary as always. What a great combination of solid and sleek this low-profile unit is, heavy enough to stay put when you give it a light nudge and with an aluminium shell that’s aesthetically pleasing and nice to touch.The PBT keycaps feel great under your fingers, and they’re machined with super-sharp letters and symbols that let the RGB shine through with precision and minimal bleedthrough coming up from the backplate. Er, across most of the board.The exception being the directional arrow keys and the bank of six macro/OBS hotkeys on the lefthand side, all of which have translucent keycaps and so emit a lot more light. I’m not sure how I feel about this, personally. On one hand it makes those keys easier to locate. On the other, who’s using the directional arrow keys in 2026?The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware dealsKeep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.That bank of keys on the left can be used as a stream deck. You’ll need to use Stream Deck software with this rather than the Web Hub, but all six buttons can be mapped to Stream Deck fu