In the mechanical keyboard world, scoring a board with a unique 75 per cent layout, machined aluminium case, and a keystroke-dampening gasket-mounted plate design normally requires investing in a very expensive custom build or paying into a group buy for a crowdsourced keyboard months or years from production. Or you can just buy Glorious’ GMMK Pro.
Originally sold exclusively through reservations, Glorious’ GMMK Pro is now on sale at the peripheral maker’s online shop, which makes a high-quality enthusiast keyboard readily available for anyone with $269 to drop on the barebones base kit. It’s great for gaming. It’s great for typing. In fact, I am typing on one right now, and have been for the past couple of months. In my relatively large (several dozen strong) collection of purchased and self-built keyboards, the GMMK Pro has quickly become a favourite, thanks to its sturdy build and ridiculously good feel.
It all starts with a barebones board. For $269 you get the assembled case, complete with the custom rotary dial. It comes in black or silver.
This is everything you need to start building your custom keyboard. Opt for the basic aluminium switch plate or purchase the optional brass or polycarbonate plates to adjust your keystroke feel. Add whatever switches you prefer to the solderless hot swap slots. Top them with your favourite keycaps. Use the basic braided cable or spend another $70 on a custom coiled affair, the sign of someone who truly has too much to spend on a keyboard. The Glorious shop lets you configure all the extras, or you can just stick with the basic board and add your own bits.
I’ll eventually have a full review for the GMMK Pro up on Kotaku, but it’s looking good so far. Purchasing all the bits of a premium keyboard at once beats the hell out of signing up for a problem-plagued group buy any day.
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