No, the Swift key allows you to swipe your fingers across the keyboard to type words just like on a smartphone. You just press the Swift key and start swiping.
Amazon if you don't look at the image to verify the correct model? Search for "Nixeus Moda Pro" on it, and you'll get a $55 pricepoint; but it's for the 10keyless model.
I understand not wanting to chase price changes indefinitely after an article is published; but when it changes right before or right after publication I think you should update it. When they're out of sync at release it always end up filling the comments with lots of clutter from confused/annoyed people. eg a third of the comments here are about not being able to find it for the price in the headline.
I have to agree. Once you hit $70 you are in gaming keyboard territory and then the conversation changes. I'd rather have my $80 Corsair with Cherry keys than this for $70. At $55 I might consider getting one for work but at $70 it isn't worthy of its own review.
Alright Ryan Smith! Anandtech, sellin' some boards-yo... makin price go up with the article! Hope they cut you some of that fine cheddar for uppin' interest in their product!
I wouldn't say minimalist designs are only appealing to entry level buyers. A couple years ago it was easy to find high-end mechanical keyboards that where minimalist, standard 104 key ANSI layouts. Now that boards have started coming with compulsory LEDs, highly subjective styling and dozens of extra keys, I have a significantly harder time finding something that's both high-end and not covered in extra bling. If Nixeus wants to step this up and make a higher quality $100ish board with the same minimalist ANSI layout, there would certainty be room in the market for it.
Ditto, I have a Corsair and I just don't get along with its key spacing - this looks a lot better and doesn't come with any of the extraneous frills like lighting that I don't need. Price is pretty good too, most of the kbs I was looking at were at least $75+ and most seem to be much closer, or more, than $100.
They sell the plain ones. The plethora of LED and extra features have exploded because that's what consumers want to justify the $$ for a mechanical switch keyboard. Us professionals have been using them for years. I'm not sure you're having trouble finding them or that they are just buried in a sea of the fancy ones.
Two small issues: - Label of third dropdown is "Per-Key Quality Testing, and Final Words & Conclusion", but that page doesn't contain Final Words & Conclusion. - Second paragraph, first sentence "The Nixeus Moda Pro is a standard 104-key keyboard but that adheres to the ANSI layout." Not sure if that "but" makes sense.
That second one gave me pause too. I think it's supposed to say "The Nixeus Moda Pro is a standard 104-key keyboard but does not adhere to the ANSI layout."
Nixeus replaced the left Windwos key with a Fn key, so it's not really ANSI. It's actually my main gripe with the board. That left Windows key is something I use all the time, but I couldn't care less about media keys the Fn key enables.
Derp... Yes, I meant to say the right Windows key. I use both Win keys, depending on the key combo. Win+L is always the right key, since that's a one handed move that way.
I'd be content if the Fn key can be turned back into a Win key somehow (I think DIP switches are "in" right now for keyboard configuration).
I'm typing on a 20 year old IBM Model M right now; sticker on the bottom says Easy Options by IBM. These keyboards are for all intents indestructible. And of course, you can still buy them:
I like the concept of a minimalist keyboard that does away with the LEDs, macro keys, and other functions I personally wouldn't find useful. The Nixeus' pricing is good even with the recent increase since the article was published. I think its biggest downside is the lack of an included wrist rest which I find useful when typing. Most of my time at a keyboard is dedicated to writing so the omission would be something I'd notice right away. The other thing I don't care for about it is its design. It looks a bit awkward without the keys being recessed into the surrounding board a bit. I'm sure it types just fine, but I have trouble wrapping my mind around the style.
not to derail this, but it's amazing. We get more reviews about keyboards than we do about video cards.... which is amazing considering how mundane keyboards are.
Different people have different skillsets. I believe the author of this article does their peripheral/case reviews, which requires a totally different skillset and dedicated time requirement than that of videocard testing
They take a lot less work to produce. Other than the photography and per key testing, all the data acquisition is done by just using the keyboard to do other work. Just by page count the 1070/1080 review was 8x longer than this one. In terms of material written it's an even larger disparity.
I think the sticking point for a lot of readers who make comments about articles they're not seeing published yet are doing so because there were previous comments by the article writer that set expectations for say a week or two after they're made. Not delivering on those estimates can cause a loss of trust and credibility which stirs up peoples' ire. I don't necessarily agree with the idea of bringing up those concerns in an unrelated article, but there it's really a very clear way of expressing displeasure to the writers elsewhere.
The other problem is that new GPUs are pushed out by the manufacturers on routine cycles amid months of hype and teasers so it isn't as if their release ought to catch anyone by surprise. It didn't for AT's readers and it certainly shouldn't for AT's writers who are probably more informed about what the industry is up to than we are. One would expect them to plan accordingly so they can publish content in a timely manner, but that doesn't appear to be the case. That also would warrant legitimate complaining.
However, in AT's defense is the fact that the writers go out of their way to conduct extensive tests using sound methods even though they're geographically separated from one another and budget-limited. The articles, when they are finally published, are excellent technical deep dives which differentiates Anandtech's work from other sites that benchmark something and paste in a few obvious observations about what a chart already makes clear to the reader. Reading things like, "Wow, that new Tseng Labs ET6000 with 4MB of MoSys Multibank DRAM is 10 FPS faster in FlightSim 5.0 than the old ET4000!!!" when there's a chart right above it that I just looked at showing that data is silly. Tom's Hardware Guide used to do that back in the early 2000's to my great annoyance. At least AT's articles include a lot of additional information about why the ET6000 cranks out those extra 10FPS.
Also in AT's defense, with new manufacturing processes, there's a lot more technical information to gather, ingest, fact check with vendors, and so forth prior to publication. That's not been the case as much in the 28nm doldrums we saw over the previous few years so these articles are probably more challenging to write this time around.
Clearly those factors don't weigh the same in the minds of each reader, but they are all worth considering while we (im)patiently wait for the next major review to come out.
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40 Comments
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tarqsharq - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
If I didn't already have an older mechanical keyboard at work, I would definitely look into this one for a mechanical beater for on the job typing.Although, I prefer reds for gaming, and switching between reds/browns for home/work every day is a harsh transition for my brain for some reason.
MisterAlexEsquire - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Looks like it does come in Red (as well as Blue and Brown). http://amzn.to/2altaDnBut I'm with fneuner on the supposed $55 price. I'm not seeing it for under $64.
thesavvymage - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
Using camelcamelcamel (Amazon price tracker), it was 54.99 from July 4 to July 29, which is probably around when this review was being written.JoeyJoJo123 - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
"There is also a significant difference between similarly sized keys, such as the Swift and Enter keys."You mean Shift?
jimjamjamie - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
No, the Swift key allows you to swipe your fingers across the keyboard to type words just like on a smartphone. You just press the Swift key and start swiping.MisterAlexEsquire - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Ha, what a freakin' racket that would be—and on mechanical switches, no less.WinterCharm - Sunday, August 7, 2016 - link
It would be the funniest and most useless and maybe useful feature ever.bryanlarsen - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
"Apparently Nixeus figured that metallic edges would be too sharp for a keyboard, or they were disproportionately expensive to manufacture."Extruded and stamped aluminum is way cheaper than milled.
fneuner - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
where do you find this for 55.00 - is that in English Pounds?zeeBomb - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Are these the mechanical keyboards from monoprice? As a Canadian do they accept Canadian shipping and money?Im surprised to see cheap mechanical keyboards being made. Makes affordably much comfortable for everyone.
DEADLIFT - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
Why in the world are you asking this dude if a specific seller accepts Canadian addresses or currency? Go ask the people you want to buy it from.TaquitoTaco - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Where can this keyboard be found for $55? I checked right after the article was posted and the cheapest I could find it was $69.99.DanNeely - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Amazon if you don't look at the image to verify the correct model? Search for "Nixeus Moda Pro" on it, and you'll get a $55 pricepoint; but it's for the 10keyless model.DanNeely - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Or the price went up between the check done while writing the article and publication. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.TaquitoTaco - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Yeah, but they reviewed the full sized model and stated it to be $55. The price must have changed since publication.Ryan Smith - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
That seems to be the case. When this article was submitted for publication it was indeed $55.DanNeely - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
I understand not wanting to chase price changes indefinitely after an article is published; but when it changes right before or right after publication I think you should update it. When they're out of sync at release it always end up filling the comments with lots of clutter from confused/annoyed people. eg a third of the comments here are about not being able to find it for the price in the headline.Zim - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
I have to agree. Once you hit $70 you are in gaming keyboard territory and then the conversation changes. I'd rather have my $80 Corsair with Cherry keys than this for $70. At $55 I might consider getting one for work but at $70 it isn't worthy of its own review.rabidpeach - Wednesday, August 17, 2016 - link
Alright Ryan Smith! Anandtech, sellin' some boards-yo... makin price go up with the article! Hope they cut you some of that fine cheddar for uppin' interest in their product!Mr Perfect - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
I wouldn't say minimalist designs are only appealing to entry level buyers. A couple years ago it was easy to find high-end mechanical keyboards that where minimalist, standard 104 key ANSI layouts. Now that boards have started coming with compulsory LEDs, highly subjective styling and dozens of extra keys, I have a significantly harder time finding something that's both high-end and not covered in extra bling. If Nixeus wants to step this up and make a higher quality $100ish board with the same minimalist ANSI layout, there would certainty be room in the market for it.Icehawk - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Ditto, I have a Corsair and I just don't get along with its key spacing - this looks a lot better and doesn't come with any of the extraneous frills like lighting that I don't need. Price is pretty good too, most of the kbs I was looking at were at least $75+ and most seem to be much closer, or more, than $100.bigboxes - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
They sell the plain ones. The plethora of LED and extra features have exploded because that's what consumers want to justify the $$ for a mechanical switch keyboard. Us professionals have been using them for years. I'm not sure you're having trouble finding them or that they are just buried in a sea of the fancy ones.ComInliner - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Well someone took photography lessons. If only now you can teach him to respond to product review requests.pseudonymmster - Wednesday, August 3, 2016 - link
Two small issues:- Label of third dropdown is "Per-Key Quality Testing, and Final Words & Conclusion", but that page doesn't contain Final Words & Conclusion.
- Second paragraph, first sentence "The Nixeus Moda Pro is a standard 104-key keyboard but that adheres to the ANSI layout." Not sure if that "but" makes sense.
Mr Perfect - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
That second one gave me pause too. I think it's supposed to say "The Nixeus Moda Pro is a standard 104-key keyboard but does not adhere to the ANSI layout."Nixeus replaced the left Windwos key with a Fn key, so it's not really ANSI. It's actually my main gripe with the board. That left Windows key is something I use all the time, but I couldn't care less about media keys the Fn key enables.
DanNeely - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
The gallery (keyboard itself and the box) here shows the right windows key being replaced with the Fn key not the left one.Do you use both windows keys? If not, can you remap the layout and swap the keycaps?
Mr Perfect - Friday, August 5, 2016 - link
Derp... Yes, I meant to say the right Windows key. I use both Win keys, depending on the key combo. Win+L is always the right key, since that's a one handed move that way.I'd be content if the Fn key can be turned back into a Win key somehow (I think DIP switches are "in" right now for keyboard configuration).
Mikuni - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
Probably $100 in Europe.CaptainNed - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
Meh, it's not a Model M.FunBunny2 - Saturday, August 6, 2016 - link
damn. someone as old as me.guyr - Sunday, August 7, 2016 - link
I'm typing on a 20 year old IBM Model M right now; sticker on the bottom says Easy Options by IBM. These keyboards are for all intents indestructible. And of course, you can still buy them:http://www.pckeyboard.com/
BrokenCrayons - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
I like the concept of a minimalist keyboard that does away with the LEDs, macro keys, and other functions I personally wouldn't find useful. The Nixeus' pricing is good even with the recent increase since the article was published. I think its biggest downside is the lack of an included wrist rest which I find useful when typing. Most of my time at a keyboard is dedicated to writing so the omission would be something I'd notice right away. The other thing I don't care for about it is its design. It looks a bit awkward without the keys being recessed into the surrounding board a bit. I'm sure it types just fine, but I have trouble wrapping my mind around the style.Mr Perfect - Saturday, August 6, 2016 - link
It looks odd, but it makes it significantly easier to clean without the recess. Silver linings and all that.Vorl - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
not to derail this, but it's amazing. We get more reviews about keyboards than we do about video cards.... which is amazing considering how mundane keyboards are.thesavvymage - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
Different people have different skillsets. I believe the author of this article does their peripheral/case reviews, which requires a totally different skillset and dedicated time requirement than that of videocard testingDanNeely - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
They take a lot less work to produce. Other than the photography and per key testing, all the data acquisition is done by just using the keyboard to do other work. Just by page count the 1070/1080 review was 8x longer than this one. In terms of material written it's an even larger disparity.BrokenCrayons - Friday, August 5, 2016 - link
I think the sticking point for a lot of readers who make comments about articles they're not seeing published yet are doing so because there were previous comments by the article writer that set expectations for say a week or two after they're made. Not delivering on those estimates can cause a loss of trust and credibility which stirs up peoples' ire. I don't necessarily agree with the idea of bringing up those concerns in an unrelated article, but there it's really a very clear way of expressing displeasure to the writers elsewhere.The other problem is that new GPUs are pushed out by the manufacturers on routine cycles amid months of hype and teasers so it isn't as if their release ought to catch anyone by surprise. It didn't for AT's readers and it certainly shouldn't for AT's writers who are probably more informed about what the industry is up to than we are. One would expect them to plan accordingly so they can publish content in a timely manner, but that doesn't appear to be the case. That also would warrant legitimate complaining.
However, in AT's defense is the fact that the writers go out of their way to conduct extensive tests using sound methods even though they're geographically separated from one another and budget-limited. The articles, when they are finally published, are excellent technical deep dives which differentiates Anandtech's work from other sites that benchmark something and paste in a few obvious observations about what a chart already makes clear to the reader. Reading things like, "Wow, that new Tseng Labs ET6000 with 4MB of MoSys Multibank DRAM is 10 FPS faster in FlightSim 5.0 than the old ET4000!!!" when there's a chart right above it that I just looked at showing that data is silly. Tom's Hardware Guide used to do that back in the early 2000's to my great annoyance. At least AT's articles include a lot of additional information about why the ET6000 cranks out those extra 10FPS.
Also in AT's defense, with new manufacturing processes, there's a lot more technical information to gather, ingest, fact check with vendors, and so forth prior to publication. That's not been the case as much in the 28nm doldrums we saw over the previous few years so these articles are probably more challenging to write this time around.
Clearly those factors don't weigh the same in the minds of each reader, but they are all worth considering while we (im)patiently wait for the next major review to come out.
JBVertexx - Thursday, August 4, 2016 - link
so the new titan x has dropped, the rx 470 has dropped, and Anandtech has yet to release anything on the 1060, which dropped almost 4 weeks ago.What is going on Anandtech. I don't care how much more elaborate your articles are. They aren't 4 weeks more elaborate. Completely Unsat.
10basetom - Friday, August 5, 2016 - link
It looks like the price increased $15 since the publication of this article.gmbytes - Friday, December 9, 2016 - link
i own this.. and it zapps my hands and provides exquisite BSOD's when placed on hibernate... (*win7)