You can build just about anything out of Lego, and now that even includes your keyboard. Pixel is a new mechanical keyboard from MelGeek that can be customized with Lego bricks around the rim, on the back or even on the keys themselves.
At its core, the Pixel looks like any old keyboard, complete with 88 keys in all the right places (here’s hoping you won’t miss a num pad). The difference is that the whole thing is dotted with the familiar bumps that stick to Lego pieces – or should we say generic “building bricks,” since Lego itself doesn’t seem to have been consulted.
Anyway, the wide open spaces around the edges of the keyboard are your playground to decorate with patterns, pictures, words, or whatever else you can think of to procrastinate when you should be working. The back of the Pixel is also a big canvas for your artistic expression, although we’re not sure how many people are going to see it under there. You can even pop off the plastic keycaps and stick a brick onto each key, with three different color schemes on offer. And no modern PC accessory is complete without some gaudy lights. On the Pixel they line the edges and sit above the directional arrows.
It’s not just the look of the keyboard that’s customizable either. If you have a preference for how each keystroke feels and sounds, the switches can be easily popped out and changed. And the functions of specific keys and shortcuts can be set using an app.
The keyboard under all these gimmicks sounds pretty solid too. It can be connected to Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android and Linux systems, and a range of devices including desktops, laptops, phones and tablets. It can be wired through USB Type-C or connected wirelessly via Bluetooth, cycling through up to eight devices at the push of a button. If you’re not using the little USB dongle, it tucks away neatly into a slot on the righthand side.
For some people, a keyboard is too important a tool to mess around with gimmicks, and we totally get that. But for others, the Pixel might seem like a fun way to express themselves on something that’s usually drab and boring.
MelGeek is currently seeking funding for the Pixel on Kickstarter, where it’s already smashed its US$50,000 target 15 times over, with more than two weeks remaining on the campaign. Pledges start at US$199, and if all goes to plan shipping should begin in January 2023. Check it out in action in the video below.
Pixel keyboard can be customized with Lego bricks [New Atlas]