One thing that divides PC hardware enthusiasts is RGB lighting. For some, it's a tasteless expression of gamer aesthetics and an eyeball-glazing insult; for others, it's a blinding display of neon lights that accentuates their gaming setups. If you fall into the latter category, you might want to check out the latest keyboard offering from Hyte. Not only does it have enough RGB lighting to divert low-flying airplanes, Hyte even calls it the "Keeb TKL."
Ambassadors, you really spoil us too much.
The Hyte Keeb TKL features a "crystal bubble polycarbonate" case that allows the 155-pixel qRGB array to provide an incredible amount of multicolor illumination from all angles.
At the top of the casing are two customizable magnetic rollers that allow users to control all of the usual roller controls, such as volume control, media shortcuts, and tab selection, and below them are what Hyte calls "Flappy Paddle" tactile five dedicated media keys with low-profile blue switches.
Speaking of switches with unusual names, here's one: the Keeb TKL's main key set features Flappy Lavender linear switches designed to provide "unparalleled beauty and spectacular impact," which I was very excited to type this. That's right.
Each switch is pre-applied with Krytox 205g0, which has an actuation force of 40 grams, an actuation distance of 1.5 mm, and a bottom-out distance of 3.5 mm to ensure a fast and responsive typing experience. When I tell Dave about the lubrication of the Keeb switches, he suddenly goes quiet.
There is also a four-layer sound damper, a gasket-mounted 5-pin hot-swappable PCB, and Hyte's Nexus software, which allows for responsive per-key lighting, different animations, the creation of storable macros, and many other Keeb TKL aspects of the Keeb TKL can be customized.
Look, I'm not going to lie: I prefer RGB to be a bit more subtle than this. That said, I can't help but admire the attention to detail, from the lubricated switches to the naming scheme that you won't soon forget, in addition to making RGB versions whenever possible. In other words, it's aimed at a certain segment of the enthusiast keyboard crowd.
This little Keeb stands out from the crowd, but we'll have to wait until we try it to see what it's really like; the Keeb TKL is priced at $179.99, with an expected UK price of £199.
If you get one, be sure to wear sunglasses. And perhaps an ear defender to protect you from that spectacular impact.
_____________________________________ PC Gamer's CES 2024 coverage is courtesy of Asus Republic of Gamers.
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