Screen keyboard by Finalmouse is something no one was expecting or even trying to remotely imagine but here we are as on the November 2, esports influencer Jake Lucky posted a video of a keyboard with a screen covering its entire backplate. This keyboard is supposedly capable of playing normal video or even an interactive background created by a GPU.
The video’s watermark-adorned peripherals manufacturer, Finalmouse, retorted that this was “only the tip of the iceberg” and that further information would be released on December 17.
In the video snippet, koi fish were animated and displayed on the screen keyboard as they swim close to the water’s surface. With the video’s low resolution, it’s difficult to tell, but it appears that the switches are covered by clear keycaps, which keeps the screen as viewable as possible.
“Custom pre lubed linear gaming switch or analog Hall Effect switch choice” reads the text overlaid on the video. You could choose between a high-end mechanism similar to a Cherry MX Red that has been pre-lubricated to improve its feel and sound. You could also slam a Hall Effect switch which is slowly creeping its way into the gaming industry.
The screen might just come with a screen resolution of 1440p or 2160p. It claims to have a CPU, GPU, and storage on board for rendering videos on the display and storing skin selections. In the video, there is also mention of a skin library that can be accessed “through Steam App” that can be played on the Screen keyboard. According to the ad, the board can play common video formats or use Unreal Engine 5 to render interactive skins.
You can view the snippet posted by Finalmouse on their Twitter page.
This might just be a niche for some keyboard enthusiasts as the innovation within this industry has for the most part stagnated since we keep on getting incremental improvements in switches and the RGB can only be improved to a certain point. A screen keyboard could take off for those who strive to personalization but the price point will make or break it.
In the meantime, you can read our review on the Skyloong SK68.
