Ergodex DX1

To me it looks pretty dorky, but I’ve seen enough rave reviews for the Ergodex that I’m seriously lusting after one. According to the promotional materials and reviews, the Ergodex is essentially a keyboard construction kit. You’ve got a rectangular pad that a clear plastic tray sits on top of. Then you can place up to 50 keys anywhere on the plastic tray, using some sort of adhesive that is apparently relatively easy to remove, allowing for the keys to be repositioned. The pad then detects the keypresses whose actions are programmed by accompanying software.

Why would anyone want to pay $150 for a build-it-yourself keyboard? For gaming, of course! Yes, I can set keybindings for my warlock in World of Warcraft, but using this kind of device I could arrange keys logically and spatially in a way that makes more sense to me. Think of it as just another user interface mod.

This reminds me a bit of the excellent Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander which really enhanced the experience of games like Diablo II and Age of Empires II for me (though, as the linked-to review notes, definitely not for extended all night gaming sessions due to ergonomic issues).

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