HiGround Opal Base 65 keyboard review: Hype over substance

What impressed me, however, was the Base 65’s RGB lighting system—between the transparent cover, white silicone dampers, transparent switches and keycaps, and reflective aluminum panels, the RGB completely shines, making the desk This key becomes the central highlight on any desk. Sadly, RGB programming is a bit complicated, and most factory presets have extremely limited customization capabilities.

Pay for looks

The saving grace is HiGround’s pop culture collaborations. You can make a keyboard associate with Minecraftand has previously had tie-ups with game and anime series, incl Naruto, Pokémon, Attack the giant, GundamAnd Yu-Gi-Oh. However, this often comes with a trade-off: Do you want a high-quality keyboard or one designed after your favorite media brand? This keyboard is flashy, colorful, and a hit. But beyond the visuals, there’s nothing new about the Base 65 keyboard or anything to justify the price.

Photo: Henri Robbins

I also want to note the line “all sales are final” in most of the company’s product descriptions. Combine this with big brand engagement and an emphasis on “limited” drops, and I’m reminded of the collaboration-based hypebeast sneaker culture of the 2010s; a marketing strategy that emphasizes exclusivity and causes people to jump on “rare” (i.e. artificially scarce) products and assume they are more valuable/higher quality than they actually are. I know this is a lot of hype beyond the quality of the final product, but I think it’s important to consider Why The keyboard is still the same and Why they sell well despite some problems they may encounter. (As a side note, more keyboard collaborations from HiGround are currently in the works. Zoom on StockX.)

I also found it a bit disappointing when trying to review this keyboard because when HiGround’s release was imminent, every page on its website redirected to a password-protected countdown timer. This means that the keyboard’s documentation, drivers, and even basic product information are unavailable during the wait for a limited release (in this case, a limited release). ). Minecraft keyboard collection).

Ultimately, it’s hard for me to recommend HiGround’s keyboard unless you do Actually want a branded keyboard for a certain media brand and are willing to sacrifice build quality and typing experience.