An Asus ROG Strix branded keycap with a GPU tribute design has been spotted for sale in China. The keycap replaces your Right Shift key, and it follows the highly recognizable triple fan ROG Strix design formula. We have seen similar ideas executed before, but the new Asus ROG TouchStone goes the extra mile, or three, courtesy of its solid aluminum alloy construction and the working trio of ball-bearing fans. The packaging is pretty cool too.
The custom keycap business has grown in tandem with the mechanical keyboard boom over the 10 or 15 years. Some moderately sized companies indulge keyboard enthusiasts with keycap sets and custom caps, but you will find many are from boutique makers and trading sites like Etsy. However, one of the biggest PC components makers is now showing an interest, as Asus ROG puts its sizable boots in the field.
You must be dying to check out the specs of this new keycap, so we have put together a table breaking down all the critical aspects of this design below.
The specs appear to tick the meticulous attention to detail and premium construction boxes beloved by PC enthusiasts. Then, of course, we have the gratuitous spinning fans to distract from doing actual work on the PC, too. Moreover, it is nice to see the use of packaging here, to enhance the "new GPU installation" vibes you might be yearning for while you sit out the GPU market's shortage/pricing issues.
Right shift key replacement, uses popular MX crosspoint and clones fitting
Size
R-Shift 2.75U standard (51mm long, 18mm deep, 11mm down to 7.8mm height)
Materials
Aluminum alloy
Construction
CNC carved, anodized, polished, and brushed body, with lazer engraved Republic of Gamers motif
Special features
You can spin the built-in ball-bearing fans
How much does the Asus ROG Strix TouchStone cost? This mini GPU tribute was listed at 399 Chinese Yuan by ZFrontier China, roughly $63. Sadly, we can't find any traces of this carefully crafted keycap in ZFrontier's global store.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
PC gamers can throw away their fidget spinners, thanks to the Asus ROG Strix TouchStone keycap with spinning fans. It seems like a quality product, crafted from aluminum and uses the popular MX cross-type fitting.
Asus ROG Strix TouchStone Is a GPU Keycap With Spinning Fans : Read more
A key-cap that costs more than a number of capable mechanical keyboards. <_<
And I'm sure there's nothing quite like having parts of your shift key rotating under your finger when trying to type. Though I think a majority of people largely ignore the right shift anyway, so usability might not be as much of a concern, especially on a keyboard mostly being used for gaming.
