Tag: Split Space Bar

  • Wooting Teaser: New Hall-Effect Keyboard with Split Space Bars

    Wooting Teaser: New Hall-Effect Keyboard with Split Space Bars

    Key Takeaways

    1. Wooting is developing a new gaming keyboard, hinted at in a recent YouTube video featuring CEO Calder Limmen.
    2. The upcoming keyboard likely has a 60% or 65% layout, lacking a function row, with possibilities of unusual layouts.
    3. It features a split space bar design, enhancing ergonomics and productivity by allowing modifier keys for easier access.
    4. The video subtly highlights keys F, R, and 4, possibly referencing FR4, a popular material for mechanical keyboard plates.
    5. Wooting continues to engage with its community through playful teasing and hints about their upcoming products.

    Wooting has made a name for itself by popularizing Hall-effect technology, and they recently launched the Wooting 80HE, a product we highly commended in our evaluations last year. Now, it appears that Wooting is busy developing its next gaming keyboard, and they’re already giving fans a sneak peek at the design.

    A Sneak Peek

    In a recent short video on YouTube, Wooting humorously noted that an unreleased keyboard appeared “accidentally” in a clip featuring the company’s CEO, Calder Limmen. The keyboard can be seen briefly behind Limmen, though it’s somewhat blocked from full view. Nonetheless, there are clues about what the new keyboard might look like.

    Design Features

    First off, it’s clear the upcoming keyboard lacks a function row, which suggests it might be a 60% or 65% layout. However, there’s a chance it could be something unusual, such as a TKL without function row or even an F-row-less 1800 layout. More intriguing than the layout is the bottom row. Instead of the usual long space bar, the keyboard in the video features a split space bar with three keys replacing the single long one.

    Ergonomic Benefits

    If you didn’t know, split space bars are often found on compact keyboards, such as 40% layouts and Alice-style boards like the Keychron Q13 Max we reviewed recently. These layouts can significantly enhance productivity and ergonomics since you can assign frequently used modifiers to one of the space bar keys for easier access with your thumb.

    Subtle Hints

    During the video, some keys on the keyboard are highlighted in red. It’s not entirely obvious, but the keys appear to be F, R, and 4, which might reference FR4, a popular plate material used in high-end mechanical keyboards that can produce a nice “poppy” sound when typing.

    Wooting is known for teasing upcoming products and engaging with the community, often in a playful manner, and this seems to be another instance of that. Of course, it could also be Wooting having a little fun at the expense of the community or trying to mislead any would-be detectives.

    You can find the Keychron K4 HE, a 96% Hall-effect gaming keyboard we recently reviewed, available on Amazon for $144.99.

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  • CheckMag | Why Split Space Bar Keyboards Are Worth Considering

    CheckMag | Why Split Space Bar Keyboards Are Worth Considering

    Most individuals tend to rely on just one of their thumbs for hitting the space bar, whether they are typing or playing games. Interestingly, even in the world of enthusiast mechanical keyboards, many still feature a single long space bar that occupies about half of the bottom row. An alternative comes in the form of split space bar designs, which break the space bar into two or even three separate keys, as seen with the Epomaker TH40.

    The Purpose of Split Space Bars

    The main aim behind the split space bar design is to maximize the use of our thumbs, which are typically the most agile fingers we have. While this design can indeed enhance thumb function, the perception of technology, especially keyboards, places the split space bar in a somewhat awkward position.

    Advantages of Split Space Bars

    Utilizing a split space bar can lessen finger fatigue and potentially boost both typing speed and accuracy, provided that users are willing to invest some time to adapt. The clear benefit of a split design is its efficient use of space on the keyboard’s bottom row, but there is much more to it. With keyboard customization tools like VIA, having double or triple space bars unlocks numerous possibilities.

    Rather than just pressing one large button with your two strongest fingers, QMK/VIA enables users to remap one or more space bars to functions such as Shift, Enter, or even a layer shortcut on the additional keys. In theory, this remapping allows for adding macros or punctuation that might not be available on the base layer, similar to what we accomplished with the Epomaker TH40 recently.

    Improved Sound Quality

    Another advantage of split space bars is that they tend to produce a better sound, primarily due to their smaller size, which generally makes them easier to stabilize and quiet down.

    After you become accustomed to using a split space bar, particularly if you’ve customized it to your preferences, returning to a traditional keyboard layout can be quite challenging. However, this is where the issues arise. Despite the increasing popularity of Alice layout keyboards, such as the Keychron Q8 Max (currently priced at $219.99 on Amazon), these layouts remain non-standard, meaning that split space bar keyboards can be pricey.

    Challenges in Adoption

    The limited adoption of such designs contributes to the lack of standardization. Many split space bar keyboards still come with both space bars set to function as, well, Space, which is not much more useful than a standard wide space bar. These keyboards can only be effective if users are willing to navigate keyboard customization software to configure the extra buttons in a meaningful way. It seems unlikely that anyone besides the most dedicated enthusiasts and tinkerers would take the time to do this.

    Until a practical standard layout for split space bars that appeals to the average user is established—though the hardcore enthusiasts will remap it regardless—we may all remain stuck in the realm of 7u space bar frustration, twisting and bending our hands in awkward ways just to type a capital “T.”

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