HHKB Professional Classic Type-S review: A great but specialized keyboard

The compact panel is so beloved that the company behind one of the most advanced custom enclosures for HHKB, The “Heavy Chalice” Norbauer case.Designed and manufactured by A Custom injection molded plastic panel Instead of using individual switch housings.

Coding layout

Photo: Henry Robbins

The biggest benefit of any HHKB is planning. Right out of the box, this keyboard is designed to be intuitive and efficient for programming. The function key is easily accessible via the right pinky, and the Control key has been moved out of the corner to replace the Caps Lock key. The functional layer underneath is also specially designed.

Probably the most jarring part of the layout is the lack of keys in the bottom right and left corners, but (presumably) these keys are absent for a reason. In theory, it’s difficult to get your pinky into the corner while keeping your hand on the first row. Instead, the only key remaining in this row is the smaller Alt key, which can be accessed by your pinky or thumb more easily. While I don’t necessarily agree with the choice to leave the corners empty, the trade-off for an instantly accessible control key is worthwhile, and empty corners have become distinctive enough with HHKB that getting rid of them would be almost blasphemous to the community that has developed around this keyboard.

The new location of the control key is also shockingly useful in video games. Crouching (assuming you don’t immediately reset the crouch to “C”) is much easier, and in games like Hell Divers 2Summoning support items will be a little faster when you don’t have to reach your pinky to the bottom corner beforehand.

Neither the keys nor the polling rate are particularly effective in games. The keyboard only operates at a polling rate of 125Hz, which means it operates at 125Hz Functionalbut it lags far behind much lower prices Gaming keyboards. The keys, being fairly slow tactile keys that take a long time to return from being pressed, won’t be the fastest option by a long shot. However, if you’re mainly focused on casual gaming or aren’t interested in extremely fast responses, the Type-S will mesh fairly well with almost any other games. Gaming mouse To create an acceptable gaming experience.

Enthusiast keyboard

Photo: Henry Robbins

One of the benefits of HHKB is vast After sales. Topre switches have a long history with enthusiasts, and there have been a myriad of different modifications made available over the years, such as rubber domes with increased tactility, replacement sliders that allow standard Cherry MX keycaps to be installed, and even full aftermarket housings made from aluminum and copper. These modifications can allow you to fine-tune your HHKB to your personal tastes, but they all have the same downside: disassembling the Topre keyboard isn’t easy. And I say that as someone who has been working on these keyboards for years.