The Death of Hobbyist Mechanical Keyboards?
Have you ever owned or customized a mechanical keyboard from a relatively smaller company not from the big brands? Did you like the quirky feel, the unique colors or textures? Well, in the coming years this could unfortunately all be quickly eliminated with the rise of keyboard superpowers. This article is going to talk about exactly why that is the case.
Currently, hobbyist mechanical keyboards are still very much popular and are loved by many. Companies like Kirin, Das keyboard and Keystone are still popular companies despite them being much smaller than larger brands such as Razer and Logitech. Yet, what I will be writing about today is how the unseen future for these smaller, hobbyist keyboard brands could potentially be snuffed out by the mechanical keyboards OVERLORDS known as Razer and Logitech.
THE SMALL EATEN BY THE LARGE
There is much to love about the amazing keyboards being created by smaller companies such as Kirin and Das Keyboard. From the unique keycaps to the perfect compact size, many individuals have fallen for these hobbyist mechanical keyboards. Yet, these companies face severe limitations due to their business size.
Evidently from their reviews, these smaller keyboard companies fall behind in customer service or ensuring the lack of faulty parts. Going one step further, even their brands are becoming overshadowed as the keyboard overlords pump millions of dollars into marketing and having Esports or tech celebrities showcase their products. To put it simply, they are facing the limitations of having less $$$ than their overlord counterparts.
Looking at it from their Overlord counterparts, with the additional capital, they are able to seamlessly replace faulty keyboards, spend more on R&D to produce keyboards with higher quality materials at lower cost and have a fully functional public relations team to handle customer experience. Take a look at the recent keyboard by Logitech, the G915, with its compact and sturdy aluminum case, vibrant RGB design and highly acclaimed typing feel, many review sites have little to no complaints about this keyboard besides its cost. Albeit, that is also somewhat expected when taking into account the high specs of the keyboard.
In fact, many have called this Logitech keyboard and other recent Razer keyboards, the “End-Game” mechanical keyboards that will likely dominate the industry. At this rate, it would only be a couple of years before these overlords completely dominate the mechanical keyboard realm with their superior marketing, R&D and manufacturing costs…
IS ALL HOPE LOST…?
The answer to this question that must be in everyone’s head is actually — no, or at least not yet. Although many are already to succumbing to peer pressure and mass buying from the renowned brands such as Razer and Logitech, there are still many loyal communities who stick to smaller mechanical keyboard companies. They believe that these small companies are able to provide them a unique brand, experience or feature that other bigger companies may not provide them.
In fact, it is in these smaller keyboard companies that unique experiences and features are constantly being innovated in the industry and they help contribute to the overall market with their ideas being brought to life. So not all hope is lost, if communities and their wider societies continue to support small keyboards more, the ruling overlords will not necessarily be able to completely take over and we will hopefully continue to see unique mechanical keyboard innovations pop up.
Everyone’s choices have consequences. So pick your next keyboard wisely :)
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Wraek is a gaming hardware and software start-up that strives to build a strong gamer community. Wraek is currently focusing on designing an innovative gaming keyboard with additional features to make the gaming experience more immersive.
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