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[Techreport] A technology overview of the Aimpad R5 analog keyboard

4K views 73 replies 25 participants last post by  flabioh 
#1 ·
Some of you may know that i have been promoting Aimpad Keyboard Technology for the past couple years and The company has finally gotten alot things to go right and have moved up and close to production. Techreport was kind enough to take a prototype of the keyboard and spend some time using it and do a review for Aimpad. Flabioh is the president of the company and is also a member here of OCN.
Please take some time to read the review and ask any questions you may have. This product is community driven and has changed alot in the last 2 yrs.
Quote:
The Aimpad R5 analog keyboard-that we're reviewing in prototype form-makes for an interesting juxtaposition to the Steam Controller. Not that they're direct competitors per se, but because they're both devices that seek to combine the best of both keyboards and gamepads. However, their methods couldn't be more different and-spoiler alert-I prefer the Aimpad's approach. Here's why
Source

Aimpad is also running a survey on there website where you could win 1 of 4 $50 Steam gift cards
Aimpad Survey Source
 
#2 ·
Well consider me intrigued. I have seen other mech KBs that use some type of IR sensor to get analog input but this the 1st I have seen that does so with off the shelve switches. Also I am sure that the issues with darker colored switches (i.e. black, browns, etc.) could be easily fixed by putting something reflective on the bottom of the stem if I was interpreting the diagram in the article correctly. @downlinx is there anyway to buy one of these even though it is still in the prototype phase? I would love to get my hands on one & would be willing to be a beta tester of sorts by giving my feedback to the manufacturers. If there is anyway to buy one of these please PM me the info.
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#3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob27shred View Post

Well consider me intrigued. I have seen other mech KBs that use some type of IR sensor to get analog input but this the 1st I have seen that does so with off the shelve switches. Also I am sure that the issues with darker colored switches (i.e. black, browns, etc.) could be easily fixed by putting something reflective on the bottom of the stem if I was interpreting the diagram in the article correctly. @downlinx is there anyway to buy one of these even though it is still in the prototype phase? I would love to get my hands on one & would be willing to be a beta tester of sorts by giving my feedback to the manufacturers. If there is anyway to buy one of these please PM me the info.
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Hey@Rob27shred,

I can answer your questions. You are correct, the darker colored switches could be modded using reflective paint on the bottom of the switch. In our very early prototypes we showed at PAX East a couple years ago we actually did just that. We were using MX Black switches and we had to use a white acrylic paint otherwise we get no analog signal at all. We were doing all sorts of crazy things back then, but we don't have any of those limitations now. Ideally Cherry or Gateron or other manufacturers would just make the switch color that you want with the properties that you want but you have to order switches in the hundreds of thousands or even millions for them to be willing to do that. We aren't quite there at the moment.

We did a small production run of 20 keyboards a few months back. In that small of a volume the cost is stupidly high. If I were to "sell" one of them it would be like $500. That is no where near what I consider to be a reasonable price for anyone regardless of how cool I think it is. The purpose of these 20 keyboards is to generate interest like we did with TechReport and a few other publications, as well as to generate business leads by providing a reference design on how to implement the technology in current mechanical keyboards. So, I can't sell these particular ones. That being said, there are plans for a giveaway of the keyboard that I expect to show up in a few days or so that an everyday gamer can be a beta tester.

The best way you can help us make this thing a reality at the moment is completing our survey if you haven't already: http://aimpad.com/aimpad-survey The whole purpose of this survey is to help us decide what final form the keyboard needs to be in to appeal to the most people and how we need to price it to see if it will be feasible.

I'll check on the thread from time to time if anyone else has any questions.
 
#9 ·
Survey submitted.

This concept has always been very exciting to me. I really hope all these years later that I can finally get my hands on one of these lovely analog keyboards!

BRB, throwing the survey at all my friends
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#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by pas008 View Post

there is way more to it but I was giving quick gamer standpoint
Yeah I get why having the ability of a joystick in a key cool, but I don't see the need for a full keyboard built around it. Why can't switches have it so any keyboard could be made to add the functionality? The steam controller is whole different beast as it negates multiple devices and makes handheld an option. This negates a joystick on a gamepad, but not much more. We'd still need a surface to place this on with a mouse.

ps...I'm not trying to debate ...just talking about the subject..
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by maltamonk View Post

Yeah I get why having the ability of a joystick in a key cool, but I don't see the need for a full keyboard built around it. Why can't switches have it so any keyboard could be made to add the functionality? The steam controller is whole different beast as it negates multiple devices and makes handheld an option. This negates a joystick on a gamepad, but not much more. We'd still need a surface to place this on with a mouse.
because just few keys are biased
not everyone plays on the same keys as you or me or the next person
and making each key have functional layers without the need to actually use a function or layer key

example fully presed C could be programmed to copy
slight C is c
after people make the adjustment could be used for faster and more productivity
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by maltamonk View Post

Yeah I get why having the ability of a joystick in a key cool, but I don't see the need for a full keyboard built around it. Why can't switches have it so any keyboard could be made to add the functionality? The steam controller is whole different beast as it negates multiple devices and makes handheld an option. This negates a joystick on a gamepad, but not much more. We'd still need a surface to place this on with a mouse.
The keys can be made, and could be licenced out to other companies if that is what the owners decide to do. The keys alone however are useless. You also need a controller that can understand those analog keys and pass a signal to the computer. The computer then needs new software to interpret those new signals that up until this point never existed and thus aren't standard to any OS or game.

To make those fancy keys, controllers, and software, they are going to need money and testing. Money tends to come from selling stuff.

Make a bit more sense now?
 
#13 ·
I guess the article just confused me a bit by throwing the steam controller in there. They are not really comparable at all. Gamepads yes........We could take a gamepad, throw in some speech to text, and have just about the same functionality as this...that would be more comparable.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by maltamonk View Post

I guess the article just confused me a bit by throwing the steam controller in there. They are not really comparable at all. Gamepads yes........We could take a gamepad, throw in some speech to text, and have just about the same functionality as this...that would be more comparable.
Article was poorly written by some "reporter" at Techreport. Confusion is understandable.

The keyboard itself is made by a small startup that needs help getting their name out there. They've been developing this for years and really deserve some praise for their good work. Most don't make it this far nor are as connected to the community.

If you want to you can look up some older threads from a few years ago when this was first announced. You'll get a better idea about what is going on here (even if the prototype in those articles/videos is now outdated).
 
#15 ·
I think the writers intent was to try to relate the concept to something that people are already familiar with because for a lot of people the concept of an analog keyboard can be really confusing. The Steam Controller combines a keyboard, mouse, and joystick into one device. Likewise, the R5 does the exact same thing. At a USB level it presents itself to the operating system as an xbox controller, a keyboard, and a mouse. So, I see where he is coming from in comparing it to the Steam Controller. But, he also does point out that our approach is completely different. Whereas Valve wanted to take all these inputs and convert them into a completely new device, my intent was to take existing and familiar inputs and just make them better. This way the learning curve is extremely small. You use the device the exact same way you use now as a Keyboard/Mouse user, but when you want it to do something slightly different (move slower, adjust steering, peaking a corner, etc), then the device is ready to respond to those slight inputs when you need them.

Thank you everyone who has completed the survey so far! Your responses have been incredibly insightful!
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by pas008 View Post

think you read that wrong

plz reread
Quote:
Originally Posted by flabioh View Post

The Steam Controller combines a keyboard, mouse, and joystick into one device. Likewise, the R5 does the exact same thing. At a USB level it presents itself to the operating system as an xbox controller, a keyboard, and a mouse...... You use the device the exact same way you use now as a Keyboard/Mouse user, but when you want it to do something slightly different (move slower, adjust steering, peaking a corner, etc), then the device is ready to respond to those slight inputs when you need them.
I re-read it......can you clarify?
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by maltamonk View Post

I re-read it......can you clarify?
You are still using mouse/keyboard like normal. The keyboard will have extended functionality through the use of analog measures. EG: W pressed at shallow depth results in walk and full down results in run akin to that of a joystick being depressed slightly and fully.
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zero4549 View Post

Survey submitted.

This concept has always been very exciting to me. I really hope all these years later that I can finally get my hands on one of these lovely analog keyboards!

BRB, throwing the survey at all my friends
wink.gif
Finally a Zero post (response) that isn't super long!
tongue.gif


I Agree !
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by maltamonk View Post

I re-read it......can you clarify?
While the keyboard does present itself as a mouse, I would not recommend using the keyboard in "mouse mode" for most gaming purposes. However, there are a couple of use cases.

1) If you spend a lot of time typing, editing word documents, editing excel spreadsheets, etc., then you spend a lot of time moving your right hand from the keyboard to the mouse, and from the mouse to the keyboard. Each time you do this you have to lift your hands from the "home typing row" find and grab the mouse, move it to where you want and perform your mouse functions, then let go of the mouse and re-align yourself with the keyboard and return to typing again. The use case with our keyboard is that you can keep your fingers in the "home row" at all times and control both the keyboard and the mouse. You would be typing with your fingers in the home row and then press the CAPSLock key with your pinky. The ESDF keys are then used to move the mouse smoothly based off how far down you press the keys and in which direction based off pressing two keys simultaneously. You can scroll up and down using Q/A and press the left click with the "Space Bar'. So, with your fingers all in the same position you have full control over the mouse. Move it where you want, perform your action, and press the CAPSLock key to return back to normal typing mode. The experience is similar to moving the mouse around like the red nub found on an IBM/Lenovo laptop.

2) The second use case is that you can sit back in your chair with your legs kicked up on your desk with the keyboard in your lap while browsing the OCN forums and not have to reach for the mouse to navigate around. I actually used this "relaxed" position to play CIV V earlier this week. It works fine in turn based games well because you don't need the speed and accuracy to get headshots or something like that. I have played around with some other interesting things like being able to pan the camera in League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm using this mouse mode but generally speaking the ideal gaming solution is combining the keyboard with the mouse for smooth movements of the character/vehicle you are controlling with analog WASD and pinpoint accuracy of the camera/view with the mouse in the other hand.
 
#25 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankzro View Post

Finally a Zero post (response) that isn't super long!
tongue.gif


I Agree !
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