I’ve never used a trackball, but Keychron’s Nape Pro feels like the perfect ball

New Keychron announced Mechanical keyboards with marathon battery life At CES, but this trackball stole the show. The Nape Pro is Keychron’s first trackball, and its slim frame means it can work on your desk in multiple ways. You can keep it to the right or left of the keyboard like a traditional trackball, or you can place it in front and use it without moving your hands from the keys.

This placement makes it look a bit like the giant Lenovo TrackPoint, which is typically found in ThinkPad laptops but is sometimes used sincere keyboards. It should allow you to move the cursor, operate the Nape Pro’s rotary dial, or press one of six fully programmable buttons—all without changing your hand position.

Paul Tan, co-founder of Keychron, said: Edge The Nape Pro is coming soon to Japan via crowdfunding, but should arrive in the US in the spring for $60 to $100, depending on tariffs.

I look forward to when he comes here. I’d place one under the keyboard — or even to the side — while continuing to use a traditional mouse. The options are fun.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge