Break out your soldering iron, the MiniVan kit is back on Massdrop. The MiniVan is a 40% fully programmable (all keys) mechanical keyboard with staggered keys. The full kit includes a CNC milled aluminum case and mount plate, PCB, Cherry stabs, cone shaped feet, 46 switches in your brand of choice (Cherry MX, Gateron, Zealios or Matias), MX compatible PBT keycaps (laser etched legends or blank) and a detachable Mini USB cable.
Kingston Announces HyperX Alloy FPS
Not wanting to be left behind, Kingston has also announced their first mechanical keyboard. Dubbed the Alloy FPS, it will be produced under their HyperX line of hardware optimized for PC gaming. The full size HyperX Alloy FPS will initially be produced with only one switch, the Cherry MX Blue. A bit of a departure from your typical gaming oriented mechanical keyboard, which usually emphasizes the “advantages” a linear MX Red switch has on gaming performance.
It’s fairly minimalistic in design, with a two-tone red/black color scheme that extends down to the detachable, braided Micro USB cable. It has a single color backlight (red) with dynamic lighting effects and adjustable brightness. The top plate is aluminum and the Cherry MX Blue switches are plate mounted. Costar stabilizers are used for the larger keys.
The default keycaps are black ABS with a basic, eye-appealing font for the shine through legends. Optional red keycaps with a textured surface are included for the WASD and other gaming focused keys. Kingston has thankfully kept all the keys, bottom row included, to a standard key size.
Of course the Alloy FPS also features 6-key and full NKRO with a Windows key lock mode. What self-respecting gaming keyboard wouldn’t?
Look for the HyperX Alloy FPS to release in the US sometime later this year (Q4) with a MSRP of $100. It will first launch in Australia, China, Mexico, Russia and Ukraine on August 29th.
