The Sonic the Hedgehog video games are more or less about one thing: blasting through a level with as much speed as possible. So as lovely as this Sonic-themed keyboard from Higround is, it seems almost antithetical to the spirit of the games, at least if you don’t have all your key positions perfectly memorized.
The keyboard is part of a new ‘capsule collection’ (yes, we’re just as upset about writing those words as you are about reading them) from Higround, who partnered with Sega to help pay tribute to the company’s most recognisable characters and one of its most beloved consoles.
The collection includes t-shirts, pants, bags, keycap sets, and even mouse pads, but the highlight definitely has to be the three heavily-themed keyboards. The most flamboyant of the bunch features elaborately decorated keys (with TTC Speed Silver switches underneath) recreating the iconic Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic the Hedgehog, while a slightly more subtle alternative mirrors the key art for Sonic Adventure 2.
The last keyboard of the bunch pays homage to the Dreamcast, with the console’s logo on the space bar and the arrow keys matching the colours and labels from its controller’s action buttons. Each keyboard appears to be completely free from labels to prioritise the artwork on the keycaps, but in reality, the alphanumeric labels have been moved onto the side of each key for aesthetics reasons, prioritising form over function. At least there’s some form of safety net.
Higround’s Sega collection officially becomes available starting on August 6, through the company’s website. While pricing hasn’t been revealed for any of the items yet, other keyboard releases from the company have ranged in price from $US135 ($187) to $US145 ($201).