Why are most 60%'ers custom mods and most 104+'ers Name Brands?

[IBNobody]

There seems to be a large drive for modders to make smaller keyboards. People like 60%'ers because of their size and the added benefits.

Likewise, you see many of the "name brands" focusing on gamer keyboards with more than the "standard" 104/108 keys.

What keeps the "name brands" out of the 60% territory, and why don't we see any 104/108+ key mods?


I'm asking this because I'm contemplating building a 135-key board (104 + 4 media + 27 macro).

[hwood34]

Not a wide enough appeal. As long as tons of people keep buying fullsize, companies will keep making them

[demik]

only one that matters is a name brand

happy hacking keyboard pro 2

[FrostyToast]

This is definitely an interesting discussion since I have not thought of it myself.
Perhaps most people aren't familiar with the keyboard as much and would much rather have the dedicated numpad for quality of life.
Many gamers would like the numpad since some games require that.

Enthusiasts on the other hand are more familiar with their keyboards and look for aesthetics over functionality, thus making 60% boards and TKL boards more appealing than the oversized 104 key boards which also take up more space than necessary.

Gamers will also want tons of macros and keys because they feel their epeens aren't large enough.
However, most people here don't care about silly macros and instead care more about tiny, pretty looking pieces of plastic.

Just my small take on the subject. There are surely more ways to look at this and more that goes into the appeal of certain form factors.

[vvp]

Check out the spoiler here:
http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/how-many-rows-should-a-keyboard-have-t11096.html#p242298

I'm sure I also saw custom keyboard thread with 120 keys or so. I just do not recall where it was.

[Jokrik]

From collector point of view, a full size is a must in the collection
yet I'm stuck with my 65% layout for now...

only one that matters is a name brand

happy hacking keyboard pro 2

I dunno what's that

[VinnyCordeiro]

Check out the spoiler here:
http://deskthority.net/keyboards-f2/how-many-rows-should-a-keyboard-have-t11096.html#p242298

I'm sure I also saw custom keyboard thread with 120 keys or so. I just do not recall where it was.

Samwisekoi is recreating the Model M 122 layout. The project is on halt for the moment, though.

[Shaussman]

Enthusiasts on the other hand are more familiar with their keyboards and look for aesthetics over functionality, thus making 60% boards and TKL boards more appealing than the oversized 104 key boards which also take up more space than necessary.

104key boards don't really take up more space then necessary, especially if you get one without a huge bezel. The numpad is quite nice to have around.

Gamers will also want tons of macros and keys because they feel their epeens aren't large enough.
However, most people here don't care about silly macros and instead care more about tiny, pretty looking pieces of plastic.

This is a pretty big generalization, I'm pretty curious where you got any sort of information to back it up. Pretty much everyone I know who plays games- even MMOs- couldn't care less about macros, including myself.

[IBNobody]

Perhaps most people aren't familiar with the keyboard as much and would much rather have the dedicated numpad for quality of life.
Many gamers would like the numpad since some games require that.

Enthusiasts on the other hand are more familiar with their keyboards and look for aesthetics over functionality, thus making 60% boards and TKL boards more appealing than the oversized 104 key boards which also take up more space than necessary.

Gamers will also want tons of macros and keys because they feel their epeens aren't large enough.
However, most people here don't care about silly macros and instead care more about tiny, pretty looking pieces of plastic.

Just my small take on the subject. There are surely more ways to look at this and more that goes into the appeal of certain form factors.

If I was typing all day in college and wanted a portable or was restricted to a tiny dorm room, I would definitely look into a 65% or 60% rather than some massive IBM 122 behemoth.

Does this mean that most of the enthusiasts are college students? Hmm... I work for a large tech company that hires many grads, and I don't ever remember seeing anybody with a small daily driver at work.

Regarding gamers... I think I may be in the minority. I use macro keys and simple remaps all the time when I game. For example, I'm currently playing Wasteland 2. It's a great game, but the keyboard controls (like many PC games) are spread out across the entire keyboard. L = Logbook, B = Burst Fire, I = Inventory, etc. It's nice to have a dedicated macro pad for some of these controls so that I can bind them in an order that makes sense.

I also used to play a MMO, and I ended up switching to a macro keyboard because I needed the extra keybindable buttons. (I ran a mod that used said buttons to alter the behavior of the mod.)

I dunno what's that

HHKB = Happy Hacking Keyboard

http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Hacking-Keyboard-Professional2-Black/dp/B000EXZ0VC

[daerid]

We get a warped view of market demand here on GH (and other Mech board-focused community). The overwhelming majority of keyboard buyers prefer full 104 keyboard layouts. Even tenkeyless formats are really only popular in the power user / gamer market.

[IvanIvanovich]

I think it's simply most people will just buy what they have always used. Most commonly that is going to be 104/105/108 key fullsize. There has been more uptake of tenkeyless in the gaming market, but it's still not predominant. Otherwise I think most companies are simply not daring enough to try and release much products that push outside the traditional norms very much. Companies usually aren't too interested in taking risks on new products unless they can see a clear demand and profit opportunity.

[greekplaya990]

It seems like they are going the safe route with the most commonly used by most people layout. I just got my mom a mech and she's insistant on a numpad and im sure it doesnt have to do with inputting THAT many numbers that it would really matter. Seems like just preference of some people.

[esoomenona]

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