For years now, if you've wanted the gaming functionality of a keyboard but the ergonomics of one of the best PC controllers, there's really only been one place to turn. Azeron's Cyborg keypads have well and truly won the war for those looking for an alternative way to play, and now it seems the brand is teasing something totally new.
Azeron's devices are said to be used by more than 80,000 gamers and creators in over 100 countries, and although the stars of this Latvian show have been the Azeron Cyborg and Cyborg II, the portfolio of this brand's products has been slowly expanding over the years. Both the Azeron Cyborg II and the original Azeron Cyborg have had a Compact variant that swaps out the top towers of keys for pressable, button-like ones. The Azeron Cyro is an all-in-one mouse and keypad, complete with a thumbstick just for fun.
And now, it seems the range is expanding even further, with something that promises not to be a variant of one of the existing Cyborg devices. Over the weekend, Azeron sent out an email to its marketing subscribers saying, "We've been building something new behind the scenes.
"It's not a Cyborg. It's not a Compact. But it might be exactly what you've been waiting for. A fresh take. A different design. Still 100% Azeron," The cryptic email concluded.
The first thought many might have is that Azeron is taking a step into a conventional lane. It's created a mix of a keyboard and controller, so maybe it's making either a controller or keyboard? While I would love to see an Xbox Series X controller made by this brand, I'm not so sure that's what's in the oven. Azeron took to its social media accounts earlier today with the first teaser image for the new device, as seen below.
At first, I thought from the teasing email over the weekend that Azeron might be cooking up a left-handed controller which would function similarly to the Xbox Adaptive Joystick, or the upcoming Hex Evo. From that image above, however, it looks as though Azeron is making a new type of keypad that uses keyboard switches.
A few commenters have suggested that the upcoming device might be the second version of Cyro, the mouse that the brand already has on its shelves. From the teaser image, we can see its rubberized feet, which suggest this is a stationary device.
It looks to me like, instead of the unique omicron switches we have on Azeron's Cyborg devices so far, this new one will create an ergonomic bed of keyboard keys. There don't appear to be any markings on the device assigning each button to a letter, so I'd assume it'll still be fully programmable.
I'd bet that the idea behind this device is to attract more keyboard players to Azeron's devices, since up until now, it's really been the alternative for those who aren't fans of keyboards. The curved finger towers will still make using the new device easier in theory, since each key being on a different angle will allow you to differentiate which one you're about to press. Although this sounds complex, anyone who has used an Azeron device will attest that it doesn't take long to build up that muscle memory.
It looks to me like that image shows the left-hand side of the pad, and so my eyes are filling in the opposite side with a thumbstick that'll line up with the other keypads Azeron has made.
Who knows what may be in Azeron's 3D printers, but I'll be keeping a very close eye out for more teasers and announcements.
Looking for more alternate controller methods? Take a look at the best racing wheels for PC, the best Xbox Steering wheels, and the best PS5 steering wheels.
