Higround
With a set of surprisingly okay gaming movies under his non-existent belt, Sonic the Hedgehog is on a roll in ways he hasnt been for ten years or two. But even probably the most obsessive Sonic fan might pause at the most recent designs from boutique keyboard maker Higround. In the end, Sonic is very much indeed a console gaming icon. Whats the idea of getting a lot of stylish PC gaming accessories emblazoned with a Genesis-era blue blur?
Highground
Conceptual issues aside, these 65% mechanical boards may have plenty of appeal for die-hard fans. Note the pixelated printing on the Green Hill Zone keyboard: Sonic himself is going out on the S key, and his life and ring counts are placed cleanly on the area bar. Its designed to be paired with the desk mat of exactly the same design. Theres also a matching set featuring Sonic and his edgelord rival Shadow, if youre more in to the post-2000s era of the series.
For my money, Im interested in the keyboard made to commemorate the Dreamcast, Segas fondly-remembered final home console. Note the wire frame thats spread across the keys, and the arrow keys designed to indicate the controllers colorful A/B/X/Y scheme. I especially just like the orange triangle on the Escape key, which matches the energy indicator on the console. Sadly it appears like theres no matching desk mat for that design.
Highground
Assuming they follow the pattern of Higrounds previous keyboard releases, these will undoubtedly be standard 65% designs (note the entire arrow keys) with PBT keycaps, Kailh Box switches with hot-swap PCBs, USB-C cables, and RGB lighting. The keyboards and desk mats will drop on the site at noon Pacific tomorrow. As Gizmodo notes, you can find no prices, but previous licensed boards and mats out of this supplier cost an acceptable $135 and $50, respectively. At the very least a few of the keycaps will undoubtedly be sold separately ($60 each), but again, is only going to focus on 65% layouts.
