Latest news with #TKL
CNET
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Represent Sauron With This Special Edition TKL Mechanical Keyboard That's 35% Right Now
If you're looking for a new keyboard, but want to get something a little bit special, then maybe a special edition would help. There are lots of options out there, but there's only a handful that'll let you show off your love for The Lord of the Rings. Amazon has a deal on the Drop + The Lord of the Rings Black Speech TKL mechanical keyboard right now that knocks it down to $130. That's a 35% discount, and it's a great price for a stunning keyboard that most LOTR fans will adore. This gorgeous keyboard has all the normal symbols in tiny font next to the amazing Black Speech spoken by Sauron and his collective of Uruk-Hai and other powerful allies. The TKL keyboard fits better on smaller desks, and it's got an LED backlight for a really menacing feel. It comes in a sturdy aluminum case, Holy Panda X mechanical switches for an incredible feel and sound and the whole package just looks amazing. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. All of this means that this is easily one of the best keyboard deals going on right now. The quality is solid, it looks fantastic and the discount is great. Why this deal matters Getting your hands on a nice keyboard can cost a lot of money, especially if you're looking at a special edition. The Lord of the Rings is a timeless classic, and new fans are constantly finding it, which makes this a cool keyboard for any age. With this discount, it's a no-brainer.
WIRED
02-07-2025
- WIRED
Wooting's 80HE Feels Like the Pinnacle of Hall Effect Keyboards
Wooting was one of the first analog keyboard brands to break into the mainstream. When the original Wooting One TKL launched, it was a big deal—optical switch technology was still new to most people, and the idea of a keyboard with hyper-fast, adjustable key actuations was both novel and revolutionary at the time. Later, when it debuted its Lekker Hall effect switch in the Wooting Two, it was one of the first companies to utilize the technology for gaming. Things ramped up in 2020 with the release of the Wooting 60HE: Wooting was taking preorders months in advance, the keyboard was reselling with massive markups, and Hall effect completely overshadowed optical switches as the next big thing. Now, Hall effect keyboards are a dime a dozen. It kicked off an arms race, and Wooting's 60HE fell behind. But with the new Wooting 80HE, the company returned to the tenkeyless (TKL) layout of its first keyboard and made a keyboard that's not only competitive but impressive. The 80HE has every feature I want in a Hall effect keyboard, without any of the mistakes I commonly see. It's robust, reliable, and easy to repair. The 80HE has two versions, one with a plastic case and the other with a zinc alloy. The plastic version retails for $200 and comes in opaque black or transparent gray. The zinc alloy model costs $290 and includes a carrying case. It comes in black or white. You can also get the keyboard in ANSI, ISO, and JIS layouts. I tested the zinc alloy case in black with a standard ANSI layout. Fantastic Functionality Photograph: Henri Robbins For nearly every Hall effect keyboard I've reviewed, software has been a sore spot. They've been buggy, awkward, poorly designed, filled with advertisements, or just plain unintuitive. Even the best software I've tested, from Keychron, has minor issues with connectivity and setting functions. This is where Wooting stands out. Its in-house app, Wootility, is great. It's a simple, lightweight utility that provides extensive adjustments and customizations. It's available both in-browser and as a downloadable executable, meaning you can access it anywhere and use it offline. More than that, every part of its design makes sense: The application is organized, easy to use, intuitive, and explains every setting. Plus, during my entire time using the browser version, I never ran into connectivity issues—the minute I hit 'enter' for the URL, it recognized the keyboard. This isn't the case for most in-browser keyboard utilities, which don't always want to connect. Even niche features like gamepad emulation worked flawlessly. I replicated the analog inputs of an Xbox controller's stick and triggers without any hiccups or confusion, adjusting the settings on the fly and still maintaining keyboard inputs for unmapped keys. I even put down a half-decent lap time in Art of Rally after a bit of practice (and a few crashes).
