The manufacturer of exclusive gaming mice Finalmouse has big plans for the first entry into the mechanical keyboard market. The Finalmouse Centerpiece model will surprise everyone not only with the price of $349, but also with a screen that plays images and videos built into the transparent material of the keys. You literally type directly on the screen – an effect worthy of fantasy films. At the same time, all the advantages of a mechanical keyboard are preserved.

The keyboard is wired and connects to a computer via USB Type-C. The body is made of anodized aluminum with engraving and looks beautiful even without the screen on. All those little nooks and crannies can be hard to keep clean.

There has been at least one similar attempt to implement this idea in the past: the Optimus Popularis keyboard. However, it only provided the ability to display key combinations and other useful information through separate transparent buttons, which did not create such an attractive visual effect.

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The trailer shows a keyboard showing a series of visualizations – Matrix-style scrolling green text and nature videos. Sometimes the images are interactive: a pool of water that dynamically emits splashes when you touch specific keys, there are also simple interactive games. The company calls the technology behind the combined keyboard display the DisplayCircuit glass stack (DisplayCircuit Glass Stack).

The Finalmouse Centerpiece can store three skins in memory, which can be switched between on the keyboard itself. Additional skins will be available for download from a program called The Freethinker Portal (!). Creators of user skins will be able to upload them to the portal and charge a fee. Rendering is powered by the keyboard’s built-in CPU and GPU, which Finalmouse claims support Unreal Engine 5 (!).

After Optimus Popularis, a question arises for the creators of the new keyboard: is it comfortable to type on it? The conceptual predecessor was practically unusable as a normal keyboard. Encouragingly, the Finalmouse Centerpiece uses classic Cherry MX-style switches, which should guarantee a certain level of quality. The company has partnered with switch manufacturer Gateron to develop what it calls a “custom linear mechanical switch with automatic lubrication” based on Gateron’s Black Ink switch designs.

In addition to the Gateron switch, Finalmouse says optional Hall effect switches, similar to those used in the Wooting Two HE, are available for the Centerpiece. This design uses switching magnets, rather than standard metal contacts. Hall-effect switches can sense non-discrete clicks and allow the user to adjust the click force. This version is advertised as having a polling rate of 8kHz, which should minimize input lag.

The overall layout of the keyboard is compact – the user gets arrow keys, but not a functional row. On the surface, the keys from the trailer appear to be low-profile and relatively flat, unlike the massive, bent caps on most mechanical keyboards. Presumably this is done so that the keys show the screen. Their legends are printed on the front (and not the top, as usual) of the key, which can make them difficult to read and type without using the blind method.

Also, the typical features of advanced keyboards are not mentioned anywhere: support for reassigning keys or hot-swapping switches. The trailer contains little information about technical specifications, such as the resolution of the built-in display or other features. Obviously, more detailed information will appear during independent tests of such an interesting device. The keyboard will go on sale in early 2023.

The $279.99 Corsair K100 Air Wireless with 3.5mm Cherry MX switches is the brand’s thinnest and most expensive mechanical keyboard

Source: The Verge