In the mechanical keyboard community, there are a handful of keyboards that are revered by the community in general. Some of those keyboards include the Happy Hacking Keyboard (HHKB) and the Topre REALFORCE keyboards, both of which originate from Japan and can be a bit tricky trying to source it in the US.The good news is that in an announcement by Fujitsu, the company has announced that they will be bringing both HHKB and REALFORCE keyboards officially to the US. According to Yasunari Shimizu, President and CEO, Fujitsu Computer Products of America, “There’s decades of history behind these keyboards.”
“The HHKB is an iconic piece of hardware that inspired a movement, redefining what a professional keyboard is and how it should look, feel and function, right down to the layout and shape of the keys. Today’s versions harken back to the classic 1990s model, representing a natural evolution from the original design.”
What makes these keyboards so revered is due to their use of Topre’s “switches”, which technically aren’t switches in the mechanical keyboard sense. The use of Topre’s mechanism combines the feel/sound of a membrane keyboard (minus the mushiness) together with the tactility one might expect from a mechanical keyboard.
That being said, neither the HHKB or the REALFORCE keyboards will come cheap. Fujitsu has announced that the HHKB Professional 2 will be priced at $241 while the HHKB Professional Type-S will retail for $322. The REALFORCE R2 will be priced at $258, while the REALFORCE R2 PFU Limited Edition is priced at $348.00. More information about the keyboards can be found on its website.