OLED Keyboard

[neblig]

http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

Every key of the Optimus keyboard is a stand-alone display showing exactly what it is controlling at this very moment. This is one of the coolest gadgets I've heard about in recent memory. I wonder if this technology is similar to the Nintendo Revolution controller.

Editor: Keep in mind that the pix are just renders and don't yet represent a real product.

[51|RandoM]

neat idea, good luck getting it funded.

[thecrazyd]

I'd buy one if it was under $100. Which I doubt it will be.

[Voodoo]

This freakin' rocks!
http://www.insyncva.com/images/angry_baby.jpg

[Tricky Thumb]

Someday... someday...

[PIPBoy3000]

The main problem with OLED things at the moment is that certain colors have a short lifetime. Even with recent advancements (http://www.cdtltd.co.uk/press/current_press_releases/383.asp) the lifetime of the blue is around 6,000 hours at maximum brightness (about 8 months continuous use). If it's only used 8 hours a day or at dimmer settings, it'll probably last a few years.

Still, it will certainly be expensive, but hopefully some of you crazy early adopters will plunk down a couple hundred bucks on it so that we normal people can afford it a few years later. :rolleyes:

[mister_slim]

This seems to be far too expensive to manufacture to be worth it. Typing speed is dependent on learning the key layout so looking at the keyboard is not necessary. I could see this being useful for people learning a jargon-heavy program like photoshop, but it would also need to be full supported (will the keyboard change in response to every modifier combination, including shift, control, option, function and apple? Will each shortcut have a well done and clear icon?).

Basically, handling this in the way Zelda games do, putting the relevant information on the screen, makes more sense for games than trying to jam displays everywhere.

Oh, and here's an interesting Sony concept, the datatile (http://gprime.net/video.php/sonyrevolution).

[Zanzibar]

I'd buy one for WoW hotkey setups alone. If they can create one for under $200 then I'd buy it.

[jonchaos]

This was posted at Hard OCP yesterday. Maybe quote them?

[Tricky Thumb]

That datatile thing is way cool.

[Evil Avatar]

This was posted at Hard OCP yesterday. Maybe quote them?

It was posted to our forums yesterday. Should we quote ourselves?

[Thenetcase]

I'll definitely buy one if it's less than $200... For sure.

[Morrolan]

This was posted absolutely everywhere. It's not as though it was a HardOCP exclusive...

Cool keyboard, I guess. I'd want somethink that added functionality though. The only games this would actually be useful for would be deep strategy games which require a billion keys. I'd be impressed if the keys had enough resolution to display not only the main function, but also the shift-press and ctrl-press functions. Probably won't, though.

[Rommel]

This was posted absolutely everywhere.

A friend sent me an IM with it. Why? Because it is one of the coolest peripherials in years. Seriously, this could be the future. Just its idea could spawn further advancements and the eventual template for true laser-guiding holographic interfaces.

[sickfallout]

If the revolution controller uses anything like this technology like the OP mentioned in the edit, Nintendo wins. At least from my perspective.

[vladthedog]

this was the first time i saw it, and this was also the first time i said to myself "i'd spend more than 20 bux on a keyboard" (i normally spend about 5 bux... on "deal" keyboards) ... in fact, under 200 msrp and i might hafta (of course, on sale ;) heh.. ) i wouldn't use it for games (thats what the nostromo n52 is for) but it would be awsome to use for various progs (like photoshop).. but it would definately hafta ship with some great software that you could creat your own custom mappings as well as custom icons :)

[Furious Wang]

I agree with slim. I don't see any practical application of this technology in console video games. Other than being "cool" I don't see any real reason to desire this technology at all. I can remember the '3' key as the Shotgun just as easily as some ridiculous icon. I can find a Photoshop function in an onscreen menu as quickly as by examining a keyboard. When you are looking at the screen your brain will still be thinking of the Flood Fill as 'G' and the Magic Wand as 'W'.

[Snowmit]

I would buy this if it dynamically changed depending on what other jeys you were hitting. Especially for french accents and so on.

[Gorilla800lbs]

This would be very useful for multi-lingual setups.

[Thenetcase]

Cool keyboard, I guess. I'd want somethink that added functionality though. The only games this would actually be useful for would be deep strategy games which require a billion keys. I'd be impressed if the keys had enough resolution to display not only the main function, but also the shift-press and ctrl-press functions. Probably won't, though.

The problem is your a gamer... I can think of a ton of reasons to get this.
Apparently you missed the part where they said that every key on the keyboard was fully programmable to do macro commands ... do you even know what a macro command IS?

Needless to say, this would be amazing for programming, graphics design, desktop publishing, teaching typing (make everything blank for example). It's just amazing the possabilities.

-TNC-

[DannoHung]

I would buy this if they added an API so I could like, write a visualization plugin for Winamp to make my keyboard glow in response to the music I was listening to.

[tai.mei.shu]

this would be be great for C++

[TrackZero]

The problem is your a gamer... I can think of a ton of reasons to get this.
Apparently you missed the part where they said that every key on the keyboard was fully programmable to do macro commands ... do you even know what a macro command IS?

Needless to say, this would be amazing for programming, graphics design, desktop publishing, teaching typing (make everything blank for example). It's just amazing the possabilities.

-TNC-

TNC, you just said he's a gamer, then you act like he wouldn't know what a macro is? Sheesh, take it easy.

Aside from that, I agree with you, there are many possibilities that can be done with this device. And it's just flat out cool and any geek would want one, even if for no practical reason.

[TrackZero]

It was posted to our forums yesterday. Should we quote ourselves?

I think the answer is, yes. ;)

[Draft]

That keyboard is fucking sweet, but I would not buy one. Perhaps my typing style is too extreme, or my nature too filthy, but I tend to slag keyboards hard.

[Edwin]

That keyboard is fucking sweet, but I would not buy one. Perhaps my typing style is too extreme, or my nature too filthy, but I tend to slag keyboards hard.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/TheRealEdwin/image.gif

[flyinj]

I think it's cool and all...

It's just that I like thinking of my keyboards as disposable. If I ever break one, it's just $20 for a new one.

I'd hate to have to consciously think of how expensive the thing I'm typing/gaming on is at all times.

[bobbler]

That thing is sexy.

[Orphiuchus]

I dont look at the keyboard most of the time anyway, what difference does it make if its displaying things I already know?

[bobbler]

I dont look at the keyboard most of the time anyway, what difference does it make if its displaying things I already know?

Who cares! it is shiny and has colors.

[Mr.Green]

Sure is cool but I don't think it's very useful unless you have Alzheimer's disease or something.

Oh and btw, you don't need that keyboard to assign macros to keys for crying out loud.

[11thfinger]

If you don't want to buy it, or are too poor, stop trying to piss on everyone else's good time. There are some of us who would buy this and enjoy it.

[Kyle Jones]

It's a damn smooth keyboard. I'm sure they'll find a way to get it on the market. For how much, I wonder... Probably a lot more than I'm willing to spend on a keyboard.

[BigJonno]

Who cares about real functionality? It wins on "OHMIGODTHAT'SSOF'INGCOOLITMUSTBEMINEIMUSTHAVEONENO W!!!!!11111ONEONETWOONE" factor alone.

[Alis]

My first thought was nice idear i might get one, then i looked at my keyboard and saw the grime, crumbs, hair and skin, i also recall how many keyboards get beer/wine/orange juice spilt into them. If i did get one it would have to be washable.

[gsmith]

Wouldn't buy it; placement of the return key is too far out of the way and would slow down my typing. Maybe I'm missing the point, but its the same in real life -- many of the "cool" keyboards have stupid key layouts! And I know I could reprogram this thing, but the "big" button would still be too far away.

[megatron666]

This would be a bad ass keyboard to lean vi and emacs on. Even if you do know many of the commands for those two editors the keyboard would still be a good compliment for programmer.

For the people who are complaining that the keyboard is impractical and that they wouldn't buy one, you are gamers and you are thinking like gamers. This could have many useful purposes like helping teach people how to type, helping tech people the commands to Photoshop, helping with vi/emacs commands, etc. So, it may be true that this keyboard might not be very useful for gamers that doesn't mean it is useless.

[MasterKwan]

I'm with Orphiuchus, it's a pretty pointless piece of engineering. It's another product invented looking for customers instead of a product invented that the customers are asking for. If you're looking at your keyboard while playing games, you're dead anyway. The first thing they teach you when you learn to type is to NOT look at the keyboard. Hell, if I ran a company I'd ban these things. Just another time waster for people to jerk with when they should be working.

Why would I need this for programming? 90% of the codes in my head before I start typing, and most of the time, cut and paste from boilerplate blocks is how you start new functions, classes anyway.

Cute and all, but it'll be another piece of orphan technology. It's the Segway of keyboards.

[pannel]

............maybe all letters/numbers should be removed from all keyboards? That way people would never need to look at their keyboard??

[kwillhan]

the keyboard could only be useful to the mass public if it were to come able to change faces based on what program was being used, which would invaribly mean there would be some kind of strange icon floating in the bottom corner of the screen that signified that knowing, and then when you had something it didn't know, you would what? spend half an hour or more 'drawing' little icons for your one hundred plus key key board? It's total crap.

That being said, I'm going to own one before any of you. I'LL BE THE FIRST!

No really. I seriously want one. That think looks like my best friend, but with strange russian capitals.



kelly

p.s. I seriously want one. With the pretty donkey button.

[BenSkywalker]

If this was $200 I'd buy it instantly- $300 if they made an ergo model.

Maybe the very narrow minded can't grasp it, but not everyone uses the computer just like they do. I can type ~120 WPM in English- but what about when I need to switch over to German, French or Portugese? It's one thing to memorize a keyboard for your native tongue, quite another to try and recall where everything is mapped to using a third or fourth language ;)

Also it would be nice when playing say Civ4 to have all the commands visible on the keyboard- and the quick change keys would be very nice(Alt-Tab works, but a single key would be much faster to swap to any of eight different aps).

[Zanzibar]

............maybe all letters/numbers should be removed from all keyboards? That way people would never need to look at their keyboard??

LOL! Thank you for that, and welcome to EA.com.

Pretty salient point, dontcha think? If a new piece of software or game had this set up on the keyboard, the first few frustrating days of sailing through menus to find the commands and the keyboard shortcuts would be eliminated. Seriously, how many of us still want 'keyboard map layouts' in our gaming instruction manuals? I know I sure do.