In my job, I'm not supposed to pre-judge products before I test them. Sometimes the initial reaction to photos of a piece of kit can be misleading, so in an effort to be as objective as possible, I do my damndest not to baulk at an iffy-looking object before I've got the chance to get my hands on one myself.
So when I found photos of this split ergonomic keyboard this morning, I stayed calm (via PC World). Perhaps it's just me, I thought. I'll post it in the PC Gamer hardware team chat, and see if perhaps others might coo over it with desire.
After all, I can be a crotchety beast in the mornings, so perhaps my initial reaction wasn't the best take.
Nope, we're not fans. There was one dissenting voice among the team, my esteemed colleague Nick Evanson, a man who's tested more ergonomic keyboards than you can count. "I want it," said Nick. "I hate it, but I want it."
A controversial-looking object, then. Anyway, it's called the Epomaker x Feker Alice 60 (I really wish I was joking), and the chassis and keycaps are made entirely of, you guessed it, wood. Which wood remains unclear from the product description, so tree-enthusiasts, feel free to write in. Still, according to the listing, there are some genuine benefits to using the most natural of materials to build a modern keeb.
"Just like concert halls that naturally reflect sounds better, a wooden keyboard naturally dampens sound, which can make typing on a wooden keyboard quieter compared to other materials.
"The soft thud and muted clack of wooden keycaps and cases are pleasing to the ear, especially in a quiet environment. Aesthetically, wood brings a touch of nature and craftsmanship to your workspace, creating a more inviting and personalized area."
Blimey. I can buy that it's got a muted clack, as wood can be quite a naturally sound-dampened material, although whether it's inviting is a matter of personal taste. There's something of an "ick" factor to the idea of typing on wooden keycaps that I can't quite get past, but that's probably another unfair early judgement.
Ergo-feature-wise, it can be split into two halves and has a detachable numpad. Personally, I've never really been able to get on with the idea of having half a keyboard for each hand, but fans of the form factor (like dear Nick) espouse the benefits on the regular, so there must be something to it.
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It's also got USB Type-C wired, and 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity, so plenty of modern options there. The wooden wrist rest is described as a "must-be", which is a phrasing that's possibly a mistranslation of a "must-have", or potentially another sign that I've well and truly fallen behind with the times. Anyway, it's here, it's wood, and along with the rest of the keeb it'll cost you $549.
Wait, how much? That's more expensive than the Asus ROG Azoth Extreme, and that's got an OLED screen and an 8,000 Hz polling rate. Or rather, twice the price of our best ergonomic keyboard for gaming, the Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB. It's got its work cut out for it then, this wooden keeb, even if you can get past the looks.
Nick, you can take the review on this one. I feel like I've disqualified myself already. And if you need me for anything, you'll find me taking a walk in the woods, muttering about key caps the whole way home.
