This hobby went from nice typing experience -> premium build -> custom build -> ASMR sound channels.
Y’all lost the plot.
I glad to see this comment with positive karma. Gives me hope.
For me the biggest plot line deviation is how $250 keyboards are considered budget/value/entry options, and “premium” models aren’t really better in terms of features or functionality. They’re still the same basic CNC aluminum chassis with decorative weight, three PCB options, and occasionally a novelty like encoder knob or LCD screen. Customers are paying for artificially generated exclusivity and hype. They have become collectors.
Keyboards, at the end of the day, are tech devices. Yet advancements like tri-mode connectivity are super hard to come by at the higher end. In the YouTube space around mechanical keyboards, there’s no discussion of gaming performance. Like, is there no overlap between people who game and people who are interested in cool keyboards? I don’t want or need the mech space to turn into the RGB infested hellscape that gaming gear has become, but right now the high-end peripherals discussion is either epilepsy-inducing spec-fest or ASMR shiny collectibles, with seemingly no middle ground.
I just bought the Mode Envoy and I haven’t built it yet because I’m still not sure if I can live without a dedicated backtick/tilde button. The rest of the F row I could frankly do away with instantly. As a programmer though, I frequently need the backticks and I like being able to smash ESC. I know there’s the split backspace layout but I feel like if there’s one key that needs to be a bit bigger, it’s backspace.