[IC] Laser GMK - 80's & Cyberpunk (LIVE)

[Theodoooore]

I'm excited about this set but I'm getting worried that I won't be able to scrape the cash together in time.

Any word on an ETA?

[mr scooty]

Bars please!
I'm a touch typist but as much as I try, I can't seem to home on scoops.

He's including both

[colbs]

I'm excited about this set but I'm getting worried that I won't be able to scrape the cash together in time.

Any word on an ETA?

On the massdrop page, MiTo said sometime around Q2.  However, Q2 is already full of GBs as far as I know, as GMK Yuri is confirmed for this month, and GMK Nautilus is confirmed for June.  I doubt massdrop would do more than 1 GMK set a month, so July would be the earliest I would expect to see this.  But, it could be even later, as there have been rumblings of other sets like SNES in the pipeline. 

[ShishKabobJerry]

Ohhh interesting. Thanks for the update. Didn't catch that on MiTo's massdrop.

[roostrc0gburn]

On the massdrop page, MiTo said sometime around Q2.  However, Q2 is already full of GBs as far as I know, as GMK Yuri is confirmed for this month, and GMK Nautilus is confirmed for June.  I doubt massdrop would do more than 1 GMK set a month, so July would be the earliest I would expect to see this.  But, it could be even later, as there have been rumblings of other sets like SNES in the pipeline. 

WHO is rumbling about SNES? that project has been on life support for a year and a half. i hope it does happen, but intelli has not been active on this site since march... if there is movement somewhere else, i would love to get in on it

[colbs]

On the massdrop page, MiTo said sometime around Q2.  However, Q2 is already full of GBs as far as I know, as GMK Yuri is confirmed for this month, and GMK Nautilus is confirmed for June.  I doubt massdrop would do more than 1 GMK set a month, so July would be the earliest I would expect to see this.  But, it could be even later, as there have been rumblings of other sets like SNES in the pipeline. 

WHO is rumbling about SNES? that project has been on life support for a year and a half. i hope it does happen, but intelli has not been active on this site since march... if there is movement somewhere else, i would love to get in on it

admittedly, I have not been following SNES too closely.  People were talking about it dropping this year in the GMK Yuri IC.  That being said, it was all 3rd party sources, and not directly from intelli.  Sorry for any confusion, I haven't been paying much attention to that set and just assumed the other folks who were more invested in it were correct in stating it would be coming soonish.

[roostrc0gburn]

On the massdrop page, MiTo said sometime around Q2.  However, Q2 is already full of GBs as far as I know, as GMK Yuri is confirmed for this month, and GMK Nautilus is confirmed for June.  I doubt massdrop would do more than 1 GMK set a month, so July would be the earliest I would expect to see this.  But, it could be even later, as there have been rumblings of other sets like SNES in the pipeline. 

WHO is rumbling about SNES? that project has been on life support for a year and a half. i hope it does happen, but intelli has not been active on this site since march... if there is movement somewhere else, i would love to get in on it

admittedly, I have not been following SNES too closely.  People were talking about it dropping this year in the GMK Yuri IC.  That being said, it was all 3rd party sources, and not directly from intelli.  Sorry for any confusion, I haven't been paying much attention to that set and just assumed the other folks who were more invested in it were correct in stating it would be coming soonish.

well, we can all hope. anyway, i suppose that means that laser could show up as early as july still? although, i think Q3 might be a better guess...

[Ouhei]

July/August would be perfect for me. I have Maxkeys Dolch coming in around June/July which should hold me over on my soon to be 96key board...

[digisax]

I'm not gonna complain about waiting, it means I should be able to build an Ergodox now instead of after the GB for Laser.

[a_ak57]

On the massdrop page, MiTo said sometime around Q2.  However, Q2 is already full of GBs as far as I know, as GMK Yuri is confirmed for this month, and GMK Nautilus is confirmed for June.  I doubt massdrop would do more than 1 GMK set a month, so July would be the earliest I would expect to see this.  But, it could be even later, as there have been rumblings of other sets like SNES in the pipeline. 

WHO is rumbling about SNES? that project has been on life support for a year and a half. i hope it does happen, but intelli has not been active on this site since march... if there is movement somewhere else, i would love to get in on it

admittedly, I have not been following SNES too closely.  People were talking about it dropping this year in the GMK Yuri IC.  That being said, it was all 3rd party sources, and not directly from intelli.  Sorry for any confusion, I haven't been paying much attention to that set and just assumed the other folks who were more invested in it were correct in stating it would be coming soonish.

Actually, intelli himself was the one who said Q2.  That said, not super promising given that he hasn't been here for a couple months.

[roostrc0gburn]

On the massdrop page, MiTo said sometime around Q2.  However, Q2 is already full of GBs as far as I know, as GMK Yuri is confirmed for this month, and GMK Nautilus is confirmed for June.  I doubt massdrop would do more than 1 GMK set a month, so July would be the earliest I would expect to see this.  But, it could be even later, as there have been rumblings of other sets like SNES in the pipeline. 

WHO is rumbling about SNES? that project has been on life support for a year and a half. i hope it does happen, but intelli has not been active on this site since march... if there is movement somewhere else, i would love to get in on it

admittedly, I have not been following SNES too closely.  People were talking about it dropping this year in the GMK Yuri IC.  That being said, it was all 3rd party sources, and not directly from intelli.  Sorry for any confusion, I haven't been paying much attention to that set and just assumed the other folks who were more invested in it were correct in stating it would be coming soonish.

Actually, intelli himself was the one who said Q2.  That said, not super promising given that he hasn't been here for a couple months.

wow. guess i forgot or didnt see that. did not mean to derail this thread, but that could be some good news!

[Tally810]

This is an instant buy for me.  If the set turns out anything like the renders this will be an amazing set.

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[futurecrime]

MiTo, hype for this set has made me revisit Neuromancer (it's nearly twenty years since I read it) and I'm thoroughly enjoying it, so thanks for that. There is one thing though, the DEX pills are octagons, not hexagons. Maybe that's a conscious design choice by you but I thought I'd point it out just in case.

[_rubik]

1) Bars > Scoops
2) The slaps are a great idea! Are they going to be decals or 'bumper sticker' esc.
3) Have you heard anything about pricing yet? Something tells me this'll be a doozy.

[digisax]

1) Bars > Scoops
2) The slaps are a great idea! Are they going to be decals or 'bumper sticker' esc.
3) Have you heard anything about pricing yet? Something tells me this'll be a doozy.

I would love to hear about pricing too, it could make or break this set for me.

[odd13]

Yeah can we get an estimated cost so we can start saving?

[Ouhei]

I don't see why this would be any more than normal GMK sets? The novelty pack might be slightly more since there's more in there than normal.

[colbs]

I don't see why this would be any more than normal GMK sets? The novelty pack might be slightly more since there's more in there than normal.

The hiragana set needs new molds for 47 keys,  and those molds are $300 each. 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

[atomicus]

I don't see why this would be any more than normal GMK sets? The novelty pack might be slightly more since there's more in there than normal.

The hiragana set needs new molds for 47 keys,  and those molds are $300 each. 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

It's official then. Laser GMK will cost $20,000+.

[pomk]

I don't see why this would be any more than normal GMK sets? The novelty pack might be slightly more since there's more in there than normal.

The hiragana set needs new molds for 47 keys,  and those molds are $300 each. 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Yuri should drop soon and it also has a full alpha replacement kit. I imagine these will be about the same price wise.

[colbs]

I don't see why this would be any more than normal GMK sets? The novelty pack might be slightly more since there's more in there than normal.

The hiragana set needs new molds for 47 keys,  and those molds are $300 each. 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

It's official then. Laser GMK will cost $20,000+.

It actually isn't that bad if you think about it.  47 molds at $300 per mold comes to $14100.  Assuming the MoQ of the Hiragana set is 250, then the cost of the mold being split across 250 sets means each Hiragana set would be $56.40 more than a regular set of alphas.  I think that is a relatively low additional cost to have Japanese legends.  Also, the molds would then be ready to be used by other keysets in the future.

[atomicus]

I don't see why this would be any more than normal GMK sets? The novelty pack might be slightly more since there's more in there than normal.

The hiragana set needs new molds for 47 keys,  and those molds are $300 each. 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

It's official then. Laser GMK will cost $20,000+.

It actually isn't that bad if you think about it.  47 molds at $300 per mold comes to $14100.  Assuming the MoQ of the Hiragana set is 250, then the cost of the mold being split across 250 sets means each Hiragana set would be $56.40 more than a regular set of alphas.

I'd hope given the buzz surrounding this they will far exceed the MoQ, which could bring price down?

[SpareWalrus]

I don't see why this would be any more than normal GMK sets? The novelty pack might be slightly more since there's more in there than normal.

The hiragana set needs new molds for 47 keys,  and those molds are $300 each. 

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

It's official then. Laser GMK will cost $20,000+.

It actually isn't that bad if you think about it.  47 molds at $300 per mold comes to $14100.  Assuming the MoQ of the Hiragana set is 250, then the cost of the mold being split across 250 sets means each Hiragana set would be $56.40 more than a regular set of alphas.

I'd hope given the buzz surrounding this they will far exceed the MoQ, which could bring price down?

Looking at past sets MiTo has run, there has been a very high number sold. If this set sells similar numbers, then we should be ok. Running in through MD should give them more buying power as well since they run so many GMK sets I would imagine.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[colbs]

Looking at past sets MiTo has run, there has been a very high number sold. If this set sells similar numbers, then we should be ok. Running in through MD should give them more buying power as well since they run so many GMK sets I would imagine.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Definitely, if the Hiragana alphas hit 1000 orders for instance, then we are talking around an extra $15 or so per order to cover the new molds, which isn't bad at all.  The only thing that worries me is that the Hiragana alphas aren't a standalone kit; if you want to put the Japanese alphas on a standard layout board, you also have to purchase the base kit to get the modifier keys.  This could bring sales down a bit.

On the other hand, on the massdrop page MiTo said he expects Hiragana+ergoplanck to be cheaper than base+ergoplanck (statement bolded to encourage all of my ortholinear brothers and sisters to get in on the Hiragana kit).  So if a lot of planck/preionic/ergodox users get in on laser the sales would be driven up a bit.

With these competing factors, it seems hard to forecast how well the Hiragana alphas will do.  I am planning on ordering them no matter what, b/c I love the legends and getting these molds done means more Hiragana sets could be made in the future at the regular GMK prices.  I really really want these to get made

[ShishKabobJerry]

Looking at past sets MiTo has run, there has been a very high number sold. If this set sells similar numbers, then we should be ok. Running in through MD should give them more buying power as well since they run so many GMK sets I would imagine.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

On the other hand, on the massdrop page MiTo said he expects Hiragana+ergoplanck to be cheaper than base+ergoplanck (statement bolded to encourage all of my ortholinear brothers and sisters to get in on the Hiragana kit).  So if a lot of planck/preionic/ergodox users get in on laser the sales would be driven up a bit.

Ohh that's nice. I didn't catch that on the massdrop page. That's good news!

[Ouhei]

Looking at past sets MiTo has run, there has been a very high number sold. If this set sells similar numbers, then we should be ok. Running in through MD should give them more buying power as well since they run so many GMK sets I would imagine.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Definitely, if the Hiragana alphas hit 1000 orders for instance, then we are talking around an extra $15 or so per order to cover the new molds, which isn't bad at all.  The only thing that worries me is that the Hiragana alphas aren't a standalone kit; if you want to put the Japanese alphas on a standard layout board, you also have to purchase the base kit to get the modifier keys.  This could bring sales down a bit.

On the other hand, on the massdrop page MiTo said he expects Hiragana+ergoplanck to be cheaper than base+ergoplanck (statement bolded to encourage all of my ortholinear brothers and sisters to get in on the Hiragana kit).  So if a lot of planck/preionic/ergodox users get in on laser the sales would be driven up a bit.

With these competing factors, it seems hard to forecast how well the Hiragana alphas will do.  I am planning on ordering them no matter what, b/c I love the legends and getting these molds done means more Hiragana sets could be made in the future at the regular GMK prices.  I really really want these to get made

I wonder if the kits could end up getting broken down to mods/latin alphas/hiragana alphas/novelties/all the other sub kits so people could more affordably get the Hiragana legends.

[SpareWalrus]

Looking at past sets MiTo has run, there has been a very high number sold. If this set sells similar numbers, then we should be ok. Running in through MD should give them more buying power as well since they run so many GMK sets I would imagine.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Definitely, if the Hiragana alphas hit 1000 orders for instance, then we are talking around an extra $15 or so per order to cover the new molds, which isn't bad at all.  The only thing that worries me is that the Hiragana alphas aren't a standalone kit; if you want to put the Japanese alphas on a standard layout board, you also have to purchase the base kit to get the modifier keys.  This could bring sales down a bit.

On the other hand, on the massdrop page MiTo said he expects Hiragana+ergoplanck to be cheaper than base+ergoplanck (statement bolded to encourage all of my ortholinear brothers and sisters to get in on the Hiragana kit).  So if a lot of planck/preionic/ergodox users get in on laser the sales would be driven up a bit.

With these competing factors, it seems hard to forecast how well the Hiragana alphas will do.  I am planning on ordering them no matter what, b/c I love the legends and getting these molds done means more Hiragana sets could be made in the future at the regular GMK prices.  I really really want these to get made

I wonder if the kits could end up getting broken down to mods/latin alphas/hiragana alphas/novelties/all the other sub kits so people could more affordably get the Hiragana legends.

Ive asked before, but I'm not sure we'll see that happen for GMK sets. It would unfortunately increase the cost for most (mods/Latin characters), and usually people aren't very receptive to that with GMK sets (just my view though).

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[digisax]

Looking at past sets MiTo has run, there has been a very high number sold. If this set sells similar numbers, then we should be ok. Running in through MD should give them more buying power as well since they run so many GMK sets I would imagine.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Definitely, if the Hiragana alphas hit 1000 orders for instance, then we are talking around an extra $15 or so per order to cover the new molds, which isn't bad at all.  The only thing that worries me is that the Hiragana alphas aren't a standalone kit; if you want to put the Japanese alphas on a standard layout board, you also have to purchase the base kit to get the modifier keys.  This could bring sales down a bit.

On the other hand, on the massdrop page MiTo said he expects Hiragana+ergoplanck to be cheaper than base+ergoplanck (statement bolded to encourage all of my ortholinear brothers and sisters to get in on the Hiragana kit).  So if a lot of planck/preionic/ergodox users get in on laser the sales would be driven up a bit.

With these competing factors, it seems hard to forecast how well the Hiragana alphas will do.  I am planning on ordering them no matter what, b/c I love the legends and getting these molds done means more Hiragana sets could be made in the future at the regular GMK prices.  I really really want these to get made

I wonder if the kits could end up getting broken down to mods/latin alphas/hiragana alphas/novelties/all the other sub kits so people could more affordably get the Hiragana legends.

Ive asked before, but I'm not sure we'll see that happen for GMK sets. It would unfortunately increase the cost for most (mods/Latin characters), and usually people aren't very receptive to that with GMK sets (just my view though).

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I don't imagine the mods going up in price too much since most people would buy the mods with Hiragana or Latin. And I'd like to see that split as I'd like to get the Hiragana kit but I'd prefer not to end up buying two sets of alphas.

[Theodoooore]

Do my eyes decieve me or has Hiragana overtaken Gaijin in the poll?

Excellent!

I hope it wasn't vote manip.

[rmendis]

Do my eyes decieve me or has Hiragana overtaken Gaijin in the poll?

Excellent!

I hope it wasn't vote manip.

A lot less casual users will buy the hiragana. The same crowd that doesn't post on GH or respond to these surveys. To please enthusiasts, go with Hiragana. To sell more sets, go with Gaijin.

[Owl-]

I don't mind either. I'll still buy either that wins. If Hiragana wins, I'll use that kit as my physical barrier to practice touch typing on the number row.


@Mito
Three Requests:

- Please add one more 1u Fn to the main set
- Add another 2u to the space bar kit
- Add an R1 1u '\|' to whichever Japanese kit that wins.

[Theodoooore]

Do my eyes decieve me or has Hiragana overtaken Gaijin in the poll?

Excellent!

I hope it wasn't vote manip.

A lot less casual users will buy the hiragana. The same crowd that doesn't post on GH or respond to these surveys. To please enthusiasts, go with Hiragana. To sell more sets, go with Gaijin.

Hiragana would also please ISO users like myself as Gaijin would leave us with incorrect legends for which no replacement or substitute exists.

[hiram]

I personally will only be in for the Hirigana set, as the others are just too busy and mess with the aesthetic. Learn to touch-type people! I'd probably still use the numbers from the base alphas though. Maybe even some of the symbol keys (braces, etc) as they just look kinda funky to me.

I'm definitely in for the base set either way though.

@Mito any chance of producing both if there's no clear winner? Really pulling for Hirigana, it really takes the theme to the next level!

[Owl-]

If there isn't a clear winner, just have them both as one kit. Splitting it will just make the MOQ harder for people.

Hiragana would also please ISO users like myself as Gaijin would leave us with incorrect legends for which no replacement or substitute exists.

I don't quite see how it would affect you as I'm pretty sure most of us or 99% of us only grabbing it for aesthetics. So correct or non-correct Latin legends wouldn't even matter; especially if you're touch typing.

[Vigrith]

There's no way they'd make both; even one has been a struggle for both Yuri and Laser, it's SUPER expensive, I'm not a designer and I don't want to put words in people's mouths but I'd say the chances of that happening one way or another are basically zero, if not actually zero percent.

[elfick]

I had previously voted for Gaijin but I went back and added a vote to Hiragana to balance it out as I probably wouldn't buy either, so I didn't think my vote was valid. Besides, after much thought, if I had a choice between both, I'd probably go for Hiragana just for the look.

[Owl-]

I'm aware it will be zero percent to have both, was just saying, haha. If it did come to it, I just saw it as having both would be better sense to me. Price isn't going to please everyone already, but at least you'll get what you want.

I'll still get whichever wins. I feel both kits has been done nicely.

I just don't see why not many picked Hybrid. It looks good in my view. Has a nice balance of both if people are concerned with correct legends to assist them with typing.

[digisax]

I'm aware it will be zero percent to have both, was just saying, haha. If it did come to it, I just saw it as having both would be better sense to me. Price isn't going to please everyone already, but at least you'll get what you want.

I'll still get whichever wins. I feel both kits has been done nicely.

I just don't see why not many picked Hybrid. It looks good in my view. Has a nice balance of both if people are concerned with correct legends to assist them with typing.

I think Hybrid feels a bit unbalanced since the keys don't have 'equal' legends on them

[Owl-]

I think Hybrid feels a bit unbalanced since the keys don't have 'equal' legends on them

Fair enough, though to me it still does feel balanced. Though I'm mainly looking at it from a perspective where it caters for people that would like to touch type but still would like some assistive legends while still showing some flair. Just not a lot of flair as the other two.

[Theodoooore]

Hiragana would also please ISO users like myself as Gaijin would leave us with incorrect legends for which no replacement or substitute exists.

I don't quite see how it would affect you as I'm pretty sure most of us or 99% of us only grabbing it for aesthetics. So correct or non-correct Latin legends wouldn't even matter; especially if you're touch typing.

I place correct legends pretty highly on the aesthetics scale which is why I personally prefer Hiragana.

[Owl-]

lol, fair enough but you're not going to look at them most of the time if you're touch typing so it shouldn't even really bother/affect you unless you want to have it as a framed display piece.

[hiram]

Why invest in an expensive, custom designed set like laser if not for aesthetics? If you're still learning to touch type maybe wait to upgrade to a custom set. Hard to imagine being in this hobby without ALREADY being a touch typist.

[Owl-]

The main set already is the aesthetic and interest for everyone. I'm not saying it isn't a bad decision for any choice made here. Purely an open discussion. I see it from different points of view, and I get where you're coming from about the aesthetics for this side kit.
Plus it is entirely up to one if they want to touch type or not, not enforcing anyone to touch type. I touch type, but I have a friend that can't touch type due to physical disability issues making it difficult, but still enjoys the hobby.

[hiram]

All good points for sure. I just feel like if you're going for aesthetics and the alternate alphas, go for the cleanest looking set, otherwise just stick with the already clean looking Latin legends.

[ArchDill]

Well... I guess the upside if Gaijin does not happen is I will save some money

[Vigrith]

Well... I guess the upside if Gaijin does not happen is I will save some money

Do you actually need the latin legends or do you just prefer the aesthetic of Gaijin? I'm genuinely curious because I know how much into this set you are, I have a hard time imagining anyone actually preferring the looks of Gaijin over Hiragana mono but that might just be me!

[Tally810]

Well... I guess the upside if Gaijin does not happen is I will save some money

Do you actually need the latin legends or do you just prefer the aesthetic of Gaijin? I'm genuinely curious because I know how much into this set you are, I have a hard time imagining anyone actually preferring the looks of Gaijin over Hiragana mono but that might just be me!

I prefer the look of gaijin over everything else also. :>

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[Owl-]

All good points for sure. I just feel like if you're going for aesthetics and the alternate alphas, go for the cleanest looking set, otherwise just stick with the already clean looking Latin legends.

I do side with the aesthetic points and stripping it to mono legends. I just don't see anyone looking at it for typing. You'll just look at it here and there and display reasons. The base latin already caters for all users and is pretty much mono Legends itself. Wanting mono in another legend format is understandable, nothing wrong with that.
The Gaijin kit will still be usable to everyone while still holding that clean aesthetic flair. The mono just narrows down to touch users. Not everyone touch type. Would be great if we're all on the same plane touch typing but that isn't the case.
I believe a kit that is usable to anyone is better in the long run from an empathy point than aiming for a particular group. I'm not saying to ignore us touch typers either, but the gaijin kit is still approachable for touch typing overall.
The Gaijin kit is clean where it stands. It's one of the most immaculate sub-legends sets I've seen. Not messy like other sub-legends sets out there.

I know we're all pretty much aiming for aesthetics on this kit in the end, but there's an option I see to cater for everyone while still having clean aesthetics is a nicer point in my view. Would love to see both but I'm aware MiTo just wants one to go through for price reasons. Regardless, I'm okay with whichever results come out in the end.

[ullr]

I think that claims that Hiragana sub‐legends would not sell as well deserve some scrutiny, considering that while the ‘Gaijin’ set is only useful for keyboards with an ANSI layout, the Hiragana‐only set could function as a set of blanks and work with most layouts. And with the addition of another R4 key outfit any ISO layout. And with the addition of a R4 ‘Ro’ (ろ) key (could be used for ISO or PT‐BR too), R3 ‘Mu’ (む) key, and R1 chōonpu (ー) key you could actually use this set to type Japanese.

The survey was also posted on Massdrop so I think Vigrith might be correct in suspecting that many of the respondents are the casual or new buyers who think “well, between the two I would rather have the US ANSI set since I am American and can’t touch type” but may not even buy the set let alone the (probably expensive) additional kit.

[Owl-]

Either kit will sell well I'm sure. The Hiragana set is pretty much Blanks anyways. All three kits are pretty much straight ANSI layouts, so adding 2/3 Hiragana keys for ISO and split backspace will level the compatibility.
Gaijin can be refined by removing the uppercase characters and leaving just the numbers to even it for most users if regional concerns matter to people.

A poll/questionnaire asking how much one will pay may help gauge a realistic price a user will pay for the kit. It'll likely range around 50-60+ for the kit. The Base is already about 130+ and novelties is in line with the Jap kit.