anime collaborations are from everywhere gundam watches and Naruto Almost Anything Nights at Major League Ballparks Evangelion. but these Ghost in the Shell Iconix’s keyboards are some of the best examples of anime-inspired everyday technology I’ve seen. They look sick and they type and play great. At $249 they charge a hefty fee compared to the regular $169 version, but it’s still a decent price for such excellent build quality and unique design.
Standard Iqunix EV63 Ki Ghost in the Shell The version is based on a 65 percent Hall Effect keyboard for gamers. It features a compact layout, 8,000Hz polling rate, and ultra-sensitive rapid trigger keys (popularized by Vooting) to gain a competitive edge over less-geared opponents. This is also wired. These days, wireless mechanical keyboards are everywhere, but if you want an 8K board that also has Hall effect, it’s got to be wired. The regular EV63 has some attractive styling, but two Ghost in the Shell Editions go hard.
They come in two designs: Shell Core and Cyber Blue, both decorated inside Ghost in the Shell Aesthetics, iconography, and character art. They have aluminum cases with bright RGB lighting, pre-programmed with a lighting pattern that matches their color schemes, and frosted keycaps on the Escape, Space Bar, Left Shift, Enter, and arrow keys that let that colorful light shine.
While these keyboards coincide with the July release of a new Ghost in the Shell anime, his look is based on Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film, with close-ups of the characters’ faces on several modifier keys. The Cyber Blue model also features a faint outline of the nude profile of Motoko “The Major” Kusanagi from the 1995 theatrical release poster on its keycaps and bottom case. The effect on the keycaps is quite subtle, as it’s a black outline on dark gray and broken down into a bunch of keys, and it’s much less revealing than the source material, but I’d still think twice about bringing it into a stuffy office.
The keyboard has the highest quality build quality. At 2.7 pounds/1.2 kg, they’re heavy – around the weight of a 13-inch MacBook Air, but in a denser package. Typing on the Ikunix EV63 is very satisfying, especially for a Hall Effect board; They are generally built more for gaming performance than feel and sound. Ghost in the Shell The versions use Keynote Nova linear magnetic switches, which are light and crisp, and the keyboard’s tray mount gives everything a sharp feel and bottoms-out. (The standard EV63 uses Iconix’s Magnetic X Pro or Ultra switches, which I haven’t tested.)
The sound of the EV63 is also fantastic. It’s not as deep, warm, or punchy sounding as super “thunky” non-HE boards like the Evoworks Evo80, but it does have a satisfying clack. Compared to the identical Dry Studio Ice Ring 63 RT gits The EV63 sounds much better to my ears. The cheeky Slice75 HE has more of that thunky sound I usually prefer, but that keyboard doesn’t look like these little works of cybernetic art.
65 percent gaming keyboards designed for competitive shooters are somewhat specialized, and these Ghost in the Shell There are more versions, but they are amazing. There have been anime keyboard collabs before, but many of them look a bit uninspired. I’ve bought my fair share of anime-inspired keycaps, which I think look amazing, but they’re generally unlicensed homages. It’s nice to see properly licensed keyboards that look, sound, and feel good. Designed for the biggest fans and exclusive enough for the most hardcore enthusiasts. The Major should be proud.
Photography Antonio G. By Di Benedetto/The Verge
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