Over the years, KiiBOOM have very kindly sent me all kinds of amazing keyboards to try out, but I must admit that the Cybrix 29 has been one of the most unexpected.
The Cybrix 29 is a 29-key Hall effect half board, designed for use as a gaming pad. That is, a small, auxiliary keyboard designed specifically for WASD-type gaming. I am not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination. A little bit of Fortnite, Mario Kart, and Skyrim are about as far as I go, and I never play any games on my PC. So, reviewing the Cybrix 29 had me scratching my head a little bit.
The Cybrix 29 comes in three colourways: Pink, Silver, and Black. I got the Pink. It’s USB-C only, with no wireless connection options, and is Windows and Mac OS compatible. Cherry Profile dye-sub PBT keycaps complete the aesthetic.
The wired-only connection is due to the focus on speed and accuracy: the Cybrix 29 boasts an 8000Hz polling rate, transmitting inputs 8x faster than standard 1000Hz keyboards.
Hall Effect magnetic switches deliver adjustable actuation points down to 0.01mm accuracy. The sensitivity of the keys can be adjusted according to the user’s preferences and requirements. Keys can even be set to have two different functions, triggered by a tap or a long press, respectively.
The Cybrix 29 has three aluminium control knobs, which are independently assignable and customisable. All of this customisation is available via KiiBOOM’s own free-to-use software.
The switches on the Cybrix 29 are KiiBOOM’s own magnetic Duskrises, which are, of course, fully hotswappable. They do sound and feel lovely, and have very nice resistance to them.
The upper part of the board is made of
CNC Aluminium, with its lower half of frosted acrylic. The acrylic base allows the Cybrix 29‘s fully customizable south-facing RGB lighting to shine through.
Given its size, it almost goes without saying that the Cybrix 29 is a very portable board. Thanks to the aluminium, it weighs around 0.42kg, so it’s still sturdy and stable on the desktop. A layer of Poron Foam adds an extra bit of sound-dampening to the board.
So, if you’re not a gamer, why might the Cybrix 29 be of interest? Artists, writers, musicians, photographers, streamers and lots and lots of other people use Macro Pads and Stream Decks to optimise their workflow. With its three knobs and huge range of customisation options, the Cybrix 29 offers an awful lot in the way of quick access, within a very small footprint. It can do a lot more than most of those other devices, look and feel fantastic while doing it, and it’s surprisingly affordable as well. Sometimes you have to think outside the box a little bit to make best use of things, and I feel as though the Cybrix 29 might surprise a few people if they give it a chance.
The Cybrix 29 is available to order directly from KiiBOOM for $89.99 USD