If you’ve ever felt the need to fully customize your keyboard, the gaming peripheral company SteelSeries might just have your answer. SteelSeries’ Shift offers gamers the option to completely remap every single key as well as the ability to swap out the physical keyset itself. The concept, originally developed by Ideazon’s Zboard, has been refined in its SteelSeries spiritual successor.
“With the introduction of the SteelSeries Shift, we’re able to bring another unique and powerful gaming tool to consumers,” said SteelSeries CEO, Bruce Hawver in a press release. “The Shift greatly expands the functionality and concept of the original Zboard, which joined our product line in 2008 as a result of our acquisition of Ideazon, with new SteelSeries features that will provide gamers with a keyboard experience that can be customized for all types of games. As we bring the SteelSeries Shift to market, we are continuing to work with the best developers and publishers in the games industry to offer player’s unique layouts and functionalities that will enhance their entire gaming experience.”
Keys can be programmed to perform complex macros or up to seven simultaneous keystrokes, while keysets can be popped out in a z-like fashion (hence the original Zboard’s name) to allow for a different look and feel between games. If you so choose, you could literally have a different keyboard for every game in your inventory.
No detail is lost on this keyboard. Individual keys have been reinforced to provide a life cycle of 15 million keystrokes for all your button-mashing needs, up from the typical 1-5 million keystroke life cycle. Additionally, keys have been fine-tuned to require different levels of force based on how often they’re used. Heavily used keys, like letters, require 60 grams of force, while the space bar, enter key and others require 70 grams of force.
The keyboard’s host of features, however, does come at a price. The Shift with its default keyset will retail for $89.99, while additional keysets will go for $24.99 apiece.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure might never be the same.