On November 2, esports influencer Jake Lucky published a video (opens in new tab) of a keyboard whose entire backplate is a screen.

Peripherals manufacturer Finalmouse replied that the video was "just the tip of the iceberg" and that more information would be released on December 17.

Lucky's original video shows an animation of a carp swimming near the surface of a pond on a keyboard screen. It is hard to tell with the resolution of the video, but it appears that there are transparent keycaps over the switches so that the screen is as visible as possible.

The text lined up above the video states "Custom Pre-Lubricated Linear Gaming Switches or Analog Hall Effects Switch Options." This means that you can choose between something like the Cherry MX Red, but pre-lubricated to improve feel and sound, or a Hall Effect switch. Hall effect switches are a high-end mechanism previously limited to industrial applications, but increasingly seen in consumer inputs such as analog sticks and key switches.

The text further explains that the board has the option of 4k or 2k resolution on the screen. It states that it has an onboard CPU, GPU, and storage to render video to the display and store skin options. The video also mentions a skin library that will be accessed "via the Steam App". This is not a reference to Valve's platform, but to a proprietary service that Finalmouse is planning. The video states that the board can play standard video formats and render interactive skins via Unreal Engine 5.

In addition to commenting on Lucky's post, Finalmouse has released a cinematic trailer (opens in new tab) for the product." Free thinking comes to mechanical keyboards," the company announced in a tweet.

Pretty neat indeed. However, something in me has an aversion to this product. Like the previous RGB, the interactive virtual koi pond nibbling at your fingers while you're gaming or typing will get distracting and tiresome after a while.

Maybe it's just not my cup of tea. I'm a traditionalist and have always had a soft spot for the DIY spirit of mechanical keyboards. I firmly believe that the aesthetic peak of a keyboard is like the old IBM Model Ms, with a handful of colorful caps (that open with a new tab) that break up all the beige.

Obviously, I hate fun and fear the new. If you want a keyboard that looks like the one in the office of the Arasaka Corp-type guy from Cyberpunk 2077, Finalmouse might have you covered.