Why prefab keyboards with custom features will probably remain the exception

Large manufacturers are often late to respond to trends. As a result, peripheral manufacturers are only gradually jumping on the custom keyboard bandwagon. Asus kicked things off this year with the Azoth. I’ve referred to it as a cross between a gaming and homemade keyboard. Now the latest example is Razer’s Black Widow V4 75%. Described as groundbreaking, the keyboard, like the Azoth, is not a full-blooded custom device. But it does offer enthusiast features in replaceable switches, a soft typing feel, and a focus on acoustics.

These features are still uncommon in prefabricated keyboards. Hot-swap was unthinkable for well-known manufacturers two years ago – let alone a keyboard with a 75 per cent layout. The trend toward more customisation from the big names comes when the glory years of custom keyboards have already passed.

The custom keyboard crisis

During the pandemic, custom keyboard projects truly bloomed. Social media was full of how-to videos – I also reported on DIY keyboards. During the pandemic, the subreddit r/mk even had more subscribers than r/lego. Throughout this boom, many innovative projects emerged. The scene as a whole hasn’t only grown, but evolved completely. Many high-quality projects sprung up, and all at great prices thanks to high availability of components.

But now the pandemic has passed, the market for self-built keyboards has collapsed. People are going outside again or devote themselves to other hobbies instead of spending hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of francs on keyboards. However, the scene hasn’t adapted quickly enough to this renewed shift.

Most often, DIY keyboards are financed through so-called Group Buys, based on the principle of crowdfunding. In essence, you’re paying for a product that has yet to be manufactured. However, it’s only produced if a certain number of orders – the so-called Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) – is raised.

Precisely this principle is causing the downfall of many online stores. Why this happens exactly is explained very well in this video (in the section titled Group Buys Then vs. Now). In short, some builders have bitten off more than they can chew with too many Group Buys and the drive for profit. In addition, they cross-funded projects that didn’t meet their MOQ with money from other Group Buys. All with the aim of selling warehoused goods later at a higher price.

Now that the market has collapsed, distributors can no longer pay manufacturers and are sitting on goods no one wants. Customers in these Group Buys, who had to provide the cross-financing, are left without their goods and money. As a result, some sellers have fallen into disarray, others have already had to close.

Confidence in new projects has suffered a serious blow. New enthusiasts probably don’t want anything to do with the Group Buy principle. And anyone who knows about current events would rather keep their hands off Group Buys anyway. Even now, there are still high-quality, innovative projects at prices that were unthinkable before the boom.

Gaming keyboards with custom features will remain the exception

And in the middle of this whole crisis, mainstream peripheral manufacturers like Razer and Asus are stepping in. They incorporate developments from the custom keyboard scene into their keyboards and market them as groundbreaking. And superlatives like these are direly needed to boost sales: the Azoth as well as the Black Widow V4 75% – who thought up this name? – are expensive for ready-made keyboards at over 200 francs/US dollars.

They probably won’t sell well due to their price tags. Unsurprisingly, these keyboards are experiments for their manufacturers – research and development was done by the custom keyboard scene. Neither of them will be produced in large quantities – the Azoth still doesn’t exist in a CH layout. Most likely, the investment simply isn’t worthwhile.

Timing certainly plays a role too. Even after benefitting from the knowledge of the custom keyboard scene when developing the Azoth or Black Widow V4 75%, it still takes at least a year from the drawing board to the market launch of a product. And a lot can happen in a year. An entire market can collapse – as is the case with custom keyboards. It remains questionable whether manufacturers will get involved in further experiments with custom features.

Of course, I could be completely wrong. Maybe the Black Widow V4 75% will sell like the PS5 did at launch, and in three years, every ready-made keyboard will be O-ring gasket-mounted with a bargain-basement clasp and come in the FRL TKL form factor. What do you think?