Computex 2018: Varmilo and Ducky showcase new keyboards

While Computex has now come to an end, we have just a couple more stories to bring you from the show floor. The first of these is definitely one for any mechanical keyboard enthusiasts out there, as we went hands-on with new models from both Varmilo and Ducky.

 

Starting with Varmilo, the first item we saw from the Chinese manufacturer was the Varmilo Ti. The name refers to the titanium alloy used for the frame of the board, which is manufactured entirely by CNC machining, and we can tell you it is a very hefty board. Varmilo even claims that over 70 hours of work goes into making just a single board – and this is reflected in the price, as the Varmilo Ti will set you back a cool $4500.

Perhaps more affordable for the everyday customer is the Varmilo V Motion at $170. This looks like a fairly standard mechanical keyboard, though the brushed metal finish is quite appealing, but it has quite a significant party trick – it uses motion to control the lightning. In practice, this means you can move your hand around and even gesture with your fingers, and your movement will be recognised and translated into changes to the keyboard's lighting.

Moving over to Ducky now, the first thing we saw was Ducky's new Blade with low-profile Cherry MX switches – which actually makes it the third low-profile mechanical keyboard we have seen this week, after offerings from MSI and Cooler Master. Despite its small form-factor, the Blade still sports low-profile doubleshot PBT keycaps, aluminium side trimmings as well as a detachable USB-C interface. The Blade will be available for $160 at either the end of this year, or early 2019.

Also priced at $160 is the new Shine 7. This packs in a lot of features for the price, including the zinc alloy used for the exterior of the board, Cherry MX RGB switches, doubleshot PBT keycaps, support for Ducky Macro 2.0, as well as a detachable USB-C interface. 

If the standard Shine 7 looks a bit too plain for you, however, there is also a limited edition Year of the Dog Shine 7 available. There will only be 2018 units manufactured, and the unique design is thanks to tattoo artist Michael Chan who worked with Ducky to create the keycap design. This limited edition will set you back $200.

KitGuru says: There was plenty for keyboard enthusiasts to get excited about at the Ducky/Varmilo stand – I am personally very taken with the Varmilo Ti, although I don't think I could afford one.

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