Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah

It's one of those rare days that Christmas and Hanukkah (at least the start of) fall very closely together.  It's a wonderful season for all people to celebrate the blessing of family and friends.  May you be merry, happy and truly enjoy peace through out the Holiday season and beyond.

Art by Vectorfresh

More about Topre Realforce RGB availability

I just found out that Massdrop now has one drop going for Topre Real Force RGB Keyboard.  So, looks like Topre is producing more than a few keyboards just to see what the market is thinking.  Although this has not reached CoolerMaster NovaTouch availability level, I take it as a good sign that there are sufficient interest out there.

Since this keyboard is relatively different from a typical Topre Realforce, I think it speaks to Topre's confidence that this may perhaps become a cult hit like the HHKB.  I will be watching this development very closely because I do think that Topre has a one of the more interesting products out there right now.  This is one Topre Realforce that has a rather broad market appeal.  As with any Topre Realforce product tho, the price is almost always a show stopper.  At $260 US dollar/unit, this thing better be good.  :P

What is Hall Effect keyboard switch anyway?

Hall Effect illustration (Wikipedia)

Some of the keyboard related blogs recently mentioned Hall effect key switches.  It was not a term that I have heard for a while and have forgotten what it does.  After a little research, memories come flooding back.  Good and bad...  Anyway, Hall effect sensors or switches work because of a pretty cool physical phenomenon.

Basically the position of magnet (due to magnetic field) can affect a transducer voltage.  So, if the magnetic strength is known, then one can determine the distance of the magnet from the transducer by the output voltage.  Therefore, putting the two and two together, this sensor would make a very good analog keyboard switch.  Also, there are very few moving parts that may fatigue and break, thus Hall effect sensors are also very reliable devices.  So, it shouldn't be a big surprise in the sudden interest in this type of switch lately given the latest rage in analog keyboard.  The simplest resistance mechanics to a key press is a spring, therefore this technology seems well suited for a linear keyboard switch.  It's a pretty good match to what the gaming market desires.  There are some rumblings that keyboard manufacturers are going to bring some Hall effect keyboards to the market that caters to the booming gaming market.  However, it doesn't stop anyone from adding clicky emulations to the key switch.  So, perhaps some enterprising company will figure out how to do so.

Although the idea has been around for a long time, the recent interest in analog gaming sensors has resurrected interest in this kind of device.  However, Hall effect devices are more complex compared to a simple mechanical key switch.  So, in a cut-throat market, price would be a very important factor as well.  So, we will see how well the gaming market adapt to this type of switch or it is just needless complications.  I think there's room for analog keyboards for specific gaming niche.  We will have to figure out a purpose for these wonderful devices outside of that for something this cool to become mainstream.

More Topre Realforce RGB Premium on the way to North America

Wow, that was fast.  The stock mechnicalkeyboards.com had for preorder are already sold out at this point.  Perhaps they will restock in the near future.  I guess Black Friday business was rather brisk.  However, fear not if you missed it.  EliteKeyboards.com is now accepting preorder for the same keyboard.  It should be available around the end of November.

12/02/2016 Update: Yes, mechnicalkeyboards.com has received another shipment.

So it begins.... Christmas shopping season already underway

As the traditional Black Friday expands its domain over a week, probably going morph into over a month, there are plenty of deals for mechanical keyboards all around.  So, if someone just want to take a peek and see what the big deal is all about, this is a good time to get into the game.

Because someone else already does a much better job catching great deals than I do, I will leave it to the experts over at those deal aggregation web sites.  However, it is indeed a good time to score a good deal here and there.  So, have fun and enjoy that new keyboard(s) experience!

Asus announces Claymore keyboard that splits into two

Asus recently introduced yet another gaming mechanical keyboard called ROG Claymore.  This one has all the usual bells and whistles using the ever popular Cherrry MX RGB switches.  However, one thing that is interesting about this keyboard is that it can split into two units.  The main unit is a typical TKL called the core while the number pad is the other entity.  One thing that is interesting Asus mentioned is that the number pad can be used on the left side of the keyboard.  I don't know if the keypad is still usable detached or it has to be attached for it to function.  I can't really tell from the press release.  However, it reasonable to assume that the number pad has to be attached based on the what Asus left unsaid.

Too bad that this keyboard didn't split in the way I would have like it, emulating the Microsoft Natural keyboard line had.  Maybe the next iteration.  We will see.

Topre Realforce RGB Premium now available for pre-order

This is happening a little sooner than I thought, but it's a good thing.  Just like last year's special Ducky Channel Realforce editions, somehow mechanicalkeyboards.com will be able to secure some for the North America market.  The online retailer is now taking pre-order.  The target ship date is end of November.

Indeed, this keyboard is a quite a departure from the classical Topre that we know well.  Previously, Topre has partnered with other OEMs and distributors to feel out new markets, but with this one, I think they are going for it by themselves.  I hope it works out since the gaming market is a bit crowded at the moment.