This keyboard has a screen underneath - and you might not be able to look away
Computer mice brand Finalmouse is taking customization to an eccentric level by revealing a new keyboard with an interactable screen underneath a layer of transparent keys and switches. And the results are pretty striking.
Customizing mechanical keyboards mostly comes down to changing the keys or picking out a new color pattern for the RGB LEDs. But with the Finalmouse Centerpiece, as it’s called, you can instead have the display show a moving cityscape at sunset, a space shuttle taking off, or some abstract 3D animation. Looking at the announcement video(opens in new tab), these skins can be swapped out at any time. Some, as alluded to earlier, are interactive. The koi fish skin, for example, causes the on-screen water effect to ripple whenever you press a key, while another makes sparks fly as you type.
What’s interesting about these skins is that they’re powered by Unreal Engine 5(opens in new tab), a free-to-download 3D graphics creation tool that’s seen use in a ton of video games. Finalmouse states artists will be allowed to create and upload their own skins on the Centerpiece’s display or submit them to the Freethinker Portal app on Steam when that launches. You’ll be able to download up to three skins to the keyboard and switch between them using the buttons on the side.
The video states artists can monetize their creations or trade them with friends. It's unknown how monetization will work, but Finalmouse does allude to some kind of in-app store.
The inside of the keyboard is just as fascinating. The Centerpiece has its own CPU and GPU so it won’t take up any resources from the computer. And it looks like you’ll be able to play games on the keyboard itself. One scene in the announcement shows someone controlling a
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