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When the Launch finally launched (so to speak), I got a surprise. Although it’s not precisely the keyboard that I would have designed if I’d been in charge, there’s a lot for me to like here. In some ways it’s almost as though System76 worked their way down my wish list. With that in mind, let’s check the feature list:
• 75% key layout
• milled aluminum body with “floating” switch design
• N-key rollover
• hot swap switch sockets
• Kailh BOX Royal or Jade switches
• RGB LED backlight array
• magnetic foot for 15% incline
• fully programmable based on QMK
• GUI configuration app that runs on Windows, Mac and (of course!) Linux
• dye sublimated PBT keycaps, XDA profile
• integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2 hub
A lot of this will look familiar to anyone in the custom keyboard building hobby, with a few exceptions. Keyboards with an integrated USB hub are not unknown, but they are pretty uncommon. Likewise, split spacebar layouts are usually limited to tiny 40% or 45% boards, not something I expected to see on a 75% layout, and virtually never in combination with the hot swap feature.
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Other aspects of the key layout are a mixed bag. The choice of a 75% layout, with a row of F-keys and a sort of scrunched-in nav cluster, is a compromise between functionality and desk space. It seems to instantly alienate a lot of traditionalists who only know full-sized ANSI-104 keyboards with a number pad and believe that’s what they must have. On the other hand, this kind of layout is now wildly popular in the mechanical keyboard hobbyist community. Personally, I question the value of dedicated F-keys in the 21st Century, as I think they’re a relict from the DOS era. Still, there are a fair number of programs that rely on F-keys, and keeping those keys on the board doesn’t widen its footprint at all, which is what matters when thinking about desk space.
Another polarizing aspect of the Launch is its use of only 1u, 1½u and 2u sized keycaps. There are only two stabilized keys on the board, those being the 2u spacebars. I think this is a smart idea. Stabilizers are often a source of problems, so minimizing the use of them is fine with me. Having only three keycap sizes makes it, in theory at least, easy to swap them around and customize the board. However, there have been cries of pain from the hobbyists. “How are you going to get a keycap set to cover this weird thing?” (Well, of course the first thing they think about is slapping a colorful set on it and showing the pics on R/mk!) Compounding the problem, the keycaps it comes with are homely and not the greatest to type on, IMHO. (I’m not the biggest fan of XDA profile.) The urge to replace them is understandable.
EDIT: Almost immediately after posting I realized the left Shift is also a 2u stabilized key. Whoops!
Although the fit-and-finish of the entire board is exemplary, I have to say it’s just not a looker. To my eyes the minimalist black base, 75% layout and functional-but-plain keycaps make it come across a bit homely, not photogenic in the same way as (for example) a White Fox, and obviously this little thing can’t have the physical presence of my old IBM XT keyboard.
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An ugly part of the layout, IMHO, is the bottom row. Instead of the usual series of 1¼u modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Super, Fn, Menu), we get a jumble of 1u and 1½u keys that prevents them from being rearranged and organized in any familiar way.
This is the first hot-swap keyboard that I have owned. Hot swap is all the rage now, and I agree that it’s a great feature. We can swap out a defective or failed key easily, or even replace the entire set with our own preferred switches. The only reason I hadn’t owned a hot swap board until now was because of my aforementioned dedication to split spacebars. Hot swap and split spacebars were two features that never intersected until now, and I always had to choose between them. This unfamiliarity would bite me, as we shall see. But first, the switches. . .
The Launch comes with your choice of Kailh BOX Royal (tactile) or BOX Jade (clicky) switches. I applaud the choice of BOX switches, as I was already a convert, and I have already built keyboards using BOX White, Pale Blue and Burnt Orange switches. Burnt Orange became my favorite, go-to switch. I had also tested samples of BOX Royals, but I had never typed on a keyboard built with them. So how are they?
I’m sorry to report, these switches are not working out well for me. First up, they are too tactile for my taste. They feel rough and tiring in comparison with my old standby Burnt Orange. Even worse, though, some of these switches are malfunctioning. Certain ones are ultra-sensitive and register a hit at the lightest touch. On my board the apostrophe key was the worst culprit. Barely resting my pinky on it, with no perceptible motion, was enough to get apostrophes spewing out. Sometimes even hitting the adjacent Shift key would cough out a spurious apostrophe. Although it was the worst, it’s not the only super-sensitive key. Other keys sometimes experience “spells” of ultra-sensitivity for a while, then get over it. Once it was the right spacebar. Sometimes it’s the letter A.
So, I experimented. I used the provided tool to swap the apostrophe switch, took out the Royal and put in a Burnt Orange. Problem solved! I can’t blame System76 for this one. This is all on Kaihua, the makers of Kailh switches. These Royal switches are bad. If this was a widespread problem, surely I would have heard about it? Maybe it was just a single bad production batch, I dunno. This incident does, however, clearly show the benefits of a hot swap keyboard. Can you imagine if this problem cropped up on a soldered board?
However, there is also a dark side to hot swap switches. The first time I tinkered with them, I managed to damage my board. I was trying to swap in a few Hako True switches purely as an experiment, but I killed my F key. A pin had missed its socket hole, and instead it applied physical pressure to the socket itself. Pressing down hard, trying to get the switch to seat, I caused the socket to peel away from the PCB. This was not something I was equipped to fix, and I had to return the keyboard to System76 for a replacement.
Although that was a frustrating experience and caused the delays to this review, it was also illuminating. Assistance from System76 was good, conducted through the support ticket system on their website. It’s nice to communicate with someone only one time zone away from me, who is also located in the same place where the boards are designed and manufactured and who in turn can talk with the guys who do it.
The plan at first was to get a replacement board out to me. However, System76 are struggling to catch up their production with demand. I suspect a parts shortage might be in the mix, as we all know the state of affairs now in 2021. Luckily for me, the technicians were able to repair the damage and return my own board to me. (Again, try to imagine something like this with a Chinese vendor!)
The nature of the repair is a bit of a mystery. I’ve taken the bottom plate off and peered closely at the PCB with a light and a loupe, and I can’t see any scars, any hint of damage. It’s either the most flawless repair in history, or they swapped out the entire PCB.
Incidentally, I have since gotten my hands on another (much cheaper) hot-swap board and got in some practice working with it. An important trick I learned is to install switches with the keyboard connected to my computer and the Keyboard Tester open. If I partially insert a switch, and it seems to hang up, I can tap the stem and see if it registers a hit on the tester. If it does, then I know the pins are started into their correct holes, and it should be safe to go ahead and press the housing down into place. On the other hand, if it doesn’t register, then I can pull the switch back out and see if it’s okay. I believe this should help me avoid a repeat of the ham-handed damage I inflicted earlier.
The other major feature of this board is its configuration software. According to System76, the firmware is based on QMK, which is certainly familiar to me, albeit with conflicted feelings. System76 have built their own graphical front end, the aptly-named “Keyboard Configurator”. This is available for Windows, Mac and (of course!) Linux. Since I am running Ubuntu MATE on my Thelio, I downloaded the AppImage version. Right away I was floored by how user-friendly, seamless and foolproof it is. This is System76 schooling us all in How It Should Be Done, I thought.
However, I have to admit that my own knowledge was out of date. I’d been compiling QMK firmware from the command line, then using Atmel Flip on a Windows PC to flash my keyboards, which was an enormous pain in the neck. While waiting for the repaired Launch to come back to me, I discovered VIA. It’s quite similar to the System76 Keyboard Configurator, although not cross-compatible. You can’t configure a Launch using VIA, and you can’t configure other keyboards using the Keyboard Configurator.
There are a few minor differences. Keyboard Configurator does not provide access to some advanced features of QMK, such as Mod-Tap, although I know this feature has been requested and may show up eventually. VIA provides everything that QMK can do, although some features (again, Mod-Top being an example) require you to look up the QMK codes and type them in. On the whole, however, these programs are more alike than they are different—and both of them are far beyond the clunky and limited software provided with most commercial, programmable keyboards. (GMMK, I’m looking at you!)
I should also mention the RGB lighting. This board does have it, individually addressable, programmable, though I’m not sure how you really program it. What I’m seeing in the Keyboard Configurator are only a few very basic lighting controls that are assignable to keys. Do you have to dig deep into QMK to really take control over the RGB? I have to admit RGB is not my thing, so I am unlikely to investigate this further. The first thing I learned was how to turn it off. Also, the keycaps it comes with are totally opaque, which greatly reduces the visual impact of RGB.
My big gripe about the LED lighting, however, is the lack of any Caps Lock indicator light! It doesn’t matter if RGB is switched on or off, there’s nothing associated with Caps Lock. Believe it or not, some of us still do, in fact, use Caps Lock from time to time. Even cheap, disposable keyboards from Walmart have a working Caps Lock indicator. Not having one on a $285 board is scandalous. Fix it, please! It’s got to be possible with a little programming. The hardware is obviously already there.
This is also the first keyboard I have owned with a floating key design, where there is no “fence” rising up to surround the keys. This might make the board more susceptible to damage if dropped or given a hard knock, but it might also make it somewhat easy to keep clean. Notably, there is absolutely nothing in front of the bottom row of keys, between it and my hands. This resulted in some typos whenever the palms of my hands brushed against those keys, although I’m sure the ultra-sensitive Royal switches compounded this problem. I bought a rather nice wooden wrist rest (Orcas, from Drop) that I believe may help, although I’ve never used a wrist rest before with any of my other keyboards. The walnut of the rest matches the trim on my Thelio. Maybe System76 should think about offering something like this too.
Other features. . . The aluminum case is well-crafted in an understated and minimalist way. The magnetic foot is perhaps a bit of a gimmick, although it’s a very nicely executed one. Not being built into the case (unlike flip-out feet), it does represent an item that could be lost. However, it snaps into place and clings so firmly, it can be a bit difficult to remove. Those are some strong little magnets. It’s definitely not going to fall off by accident. It’s also unlikely to ever break, as compared with plastic feet.
The built-in USB hub provides four ports on the back: a type A and a type C connector on each side. This should prove handy. The keyboard’s own centrally located connector is type C, and it comes with both an A-to-C cable and a C-to-C cable, braided with aluminum housings at either hand. Swank!
When the Launch was first revealed, there were some gripes about it being wildly overpriced at $285. This is almost entirely a matter of perspective, of where you’re coming from. If you’ve been using common, semi-disposable keyboards, then this must seem like a fortune. If you are coming from the mechanical keyboard hobbyist background (like myself), then it doesn’t seem out of line at all, given the quality and the feature list. The GMMK Pro, another programmable, premium, 75% keyboard that is presently wildly popular, tallies up pretty close to the same price, or maybe a bit less, depending on shipping and your choice of switches. However, the GMMK Pro doesn’t have a split spacebar, doesn’t have an integral USB hub, isn’t made in the USA (if you care about that sort of thing), and their configuration software is Windows-only and doesn’t have the flexibility or user-friendliness of Keyboard Configurator.
This is the first keyboard product from System76, and I hope only the beginning. With that in mind, I’d like to offer some suggestions:
1. Check those super-sensitive switches! Something is not right there. Also, consider offering some milder-and-smoother switches than those extreme Jades and Royals. And maybe a linear switch, or a silent switch?
2. Give us a functioning Caps Lock indicator light, please!
3. Give us more keycap options. What it comes with are not bad, but I think it’s possible to do better. I’d nudge you towards PMK’s G20 profile keycaps. They may look peculiar, but IMHO they’re fantastic to type on. They’re also made in the USA, which you might appreciate. Offering some accessory packs of keycaps for increased customization would also be a benefit.
4. Look into producing a matching accessory number pad! I understand your manufacturing is backed up right now, but when you get that sorted out, a number pad would be a great next project. I’ve seen comments from several who rejected the Launch keyboard outright because it doesn’t have a number pad. An accessory pad would be ideal, because you can locate it anywhere on your desk. A simple 4×5 key matrix should work fine. (If you’ve ever seen a Max Falcon-20 pad, there’s your starting point.)
In summary: In the eyes of some (I’m thinking the R/mk crowd) the Launch may lose points for not being sufficiently flashy or photogenic. In the eyes of others (outside the MK community), it’ll lose points for being costly, strange and unfamiliar. From a functional standpoint, though, it’s well thought-through and does a lot of things right, and it is well executed, and I think the backing of System76 counts for a lot. For some (including me) this could be “endgame” material.
