Changes of the Times as Seen in the HHKB Studio

The news has just broken that PFU has, surprisingly, performed a complete renewal of the HHKB for the first time in 27 years.

I am someone who fell in love with the HHKB philosophy, used an HHKB Pro2 for nearly 15 years, used Realforce keyboards in parallel, began to feel the flaws and limitations of those keyboards, and ultimately ended up with the System76 Launch keyboard. So, I couldn't help but be hooked by this news.

My prediction = 'The era is mechanical' was correct

What surprised me most about this news is that the HHKB has actually abandoned its traditional electrostatic capacitive switches and settled on the same Kailh mechanical switches as the Launch keyboard.

It also supports hot-swapping and allows for free keymap configuration. It has incorporated exactly all the points I sought and fell in love with in the Launch keyboard.

I was happy to see that my prediction, which I have written about, that 'the era is mechanical' was correct. It is gratifying that the HHKB brand itself has proven what I have long believed: that the essence of the HHKB philosophy is not its proprietary electrostatic capacitive switches.

Judging from the video, the typing sound feels very similar to the traditional HHKB.

Beyond the switch change, it is a product that is likely to draw both praise and criticism regarding its design and specifications. But it makes me happy to see that PFU is taking a bold approach.

With the adoption of gesture pads and a pointing device, there is a sense that it is evolving by further pushing the concept of 'controlling everything with the keyboard.'

Honestly, for someone like me whose passion for HHKB cooled after seeing the Bluetooth models and discovering the durability, comfort, and high customizability of mechanical switches that surpass electrostatic capacitive ones, this is impactful enough to wake me up.

It is interesting that such a cutting-edge product is coming out of Japan, a country that doesn't often produce such edgy hardware.

I am looking forward to the review videos and articles that will surely appear in the future.

By the way, I have no plans to buy it for now. Despite writing all this,

'The Launch keyboard is the world's best for me'

is what I believe. Even with the news of the new HHKB, that belief remains unshaken. In fact, with the HHKB adopting the same switches, I have gained confidence in my own foresight (no one else will say it, so I'll say it myself) and have even fallen in love with the Launch all over again.

Though, if I touch the actual device, I might end up thinking, 'I want it after all' or 'HHKB is the best after all.' (laughs)

See you later.

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