Keyboard - What Type Of Keys Will Be Used?

[Prophet]

Just wondering - what type of keys will actually be used for the KB?

Some type of membrane? Or independent plastic buttons? I'm guessing there will be very little travel either way. Obviously this won't be a typing machine of course.

Also - will the be a CTRL key in the final design? Seems like an important key to have.

 

[DaveC]

Just wondering - what type of keys will actually be used for the KB?

Some type of membrane? Or independent plastic buttons? I'm guessing there will be very little travel either way. Obviously this won't be a typing machine of course.

Also - will the be a CTRL key in the final design? Seems like an important key to have.

As far as I know it will be separate plastic buttons.

 

[Shiny]

Also - will the be a CTRL key in the final design? Seems like an important key to have.

There's talk of assigning keys like that to the shoulder buttons, but i'd prefer having dedicated keys, myself.

I'm more interested in how the keyboard feels.
I'd prefer clicky buttons for a device this small, but not too stiff like some cell phones.
The keys shouldn't make too loud a sound, either; I don't want it to sound like i'm cookin' up some popcorn while using this thing :/

 

[Prophet]

Yeah, I hate stiff buttons. I would like to be able to edit documents in a pinch with Open Office.

 

[DaveC]

How about if they kind of have that "soft click" like the action buttons on the GP2X, PSP etc do? This is the type where when you press down you feel the rubber under the key give and then "pop" down in place? They make no click sound and are not stiff like the cell phone buttons mentioned. They have decent travel and can also be used in some games when you run out of the "normal" gaming buttons, or while playing in vertical mode.

 

[Chip]

I've owned probably half a dozen cell phones with qwerty keypads in the last 5 years, so I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur.

Keypress feedback (what DaveC was talking about) is definitely important. Since key travel distance will be negligible, it is very important to have distinct tactile feedback to know when you have actually pressed a key and when you haven't.

More important than that, especially for tubby bastards with fat thumbs (like myself), is key shape. I don't mean round vs. square, I mean flat vs. domed. All the renders so far show a keypad with flat keys with no gaps between them. It will be exceedingly difficult to tell one key from another by feel with a design like this. It will be even more difficult to press one at a time with fat thumbs.

If you examine qwerty keypads on cell phones, you will see that the keys are always domed to some extent. Especially tiny keypads (like the Palm devices) have highly rounded, pebble-like keys. You can shrink the keys significantly in the first two dimensions and maintain usability, as long as you expand them a bit in the third.

So what's the deal, Pandora team? Are we married to flat keys, or is there a chance for something a bit more thumb-friendly?

 

[JyCet]

I'm probably alone to think that there are not enough keys on the keyboard.

ESC - SHIFT - CTRL - ALT need, for me, dedicated keys.

Sorry I'm a little off topic :/

 

[Yrx]

How about if they kind of have that "soft click" like the action buttons on the GP2X, PSP etc do? This is the type where when you press down you feel the rubber under the key give and then "pop" down in place? They make no click sound and are not stiff like the cell phone buttons mentioned. They have decent travel and can also be used in some games when you run out of the "normal" gaming buttons, or while playing in vertical mode.

I could go for that.

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

Or we could really go retro and employ the same trick Sir Clive Sinclair did with the ZX Spectrum, have an audible click sound when you press a key. The click can be turned on, off or volume adjusted. Also if the click was a small audio sample you could then use your own click sound instead of the default one!

 

[Prophet]

I'm probably alone to think that there are not enough keys on the keyboard.

ESC - SHIFT - CTRL - ALT need, for me, dedicated keys.

Sorry I'm a little off topic :/

Hi Jycet!

You're not really off topic at all, I mentioned that too in my original post. Those keys would be nice to have.

I read that they plan to use the shoulder buttons for some of them.

As for the keys themselves - I do also think they should be seperated better than seen in the renders, and that some sort of non-stiff buttons with feedback would be ideal.

And honestly, I'm just very happy to see a keyboard at all. I think it's one of the best features of the Pandora design, and will turn out to be a great advantage.

 

[Alex.]

The keyboard will also be very practical for original games that exceed the control complexity of an arcade setup, thanks to intuitive keyboard shortcuts: S for sell, U for upgrade, A for attack etc.

Not to mention entering hiscore names will no longer be a chore

 

[DaveC]

As for the keys themselves - I do also think they should be seperated better than seen in the renders, and that some sort of non-stiff buttons with feedback would be ideal.

I tend to agree with this. I was wandering around testing all kinds of remotes for TVs, calculators etc. Most of those use a one piece silicone membrane type keypad. Some were better than others but a few had that very nice soft but tactile feedback to them. If there were hard plastic keys over the rubber membrane switches I think the keyboard would have a nice feel to it.

 

[prairiefire]

The keyboard will also be very practical for original games that exceed the control complexity of an arcade setup, thanks to intuitive keyboard shortcuts: S for sell, U for upgrade, A for attack etc.

Not to mention entering hiscore names will no longer be a chore

hahah... i love how sqdef made it into this thread... S for sell your tower, U for upgrading your tower.... er wait.. what's attack for?? :huh:

 

[geise69]

I have been wondering how we are going to go about needing F1-F12 keys for certain emulators? (Atari ST for instance)

 

[WarmFluffyUK]

I have been wondering how we are going to go about needing F1-F12 keys for certain emulators? (Atari ST for instance)

The emulator could possibly use one of the A,B,X or Y buttons plus a number key or something? I am guessing that is down to the actual emulator though.

 

[Turnip]

I think it would be cool if the keyboard buttons had a green back light like the ones on a mobile phone so you could see them clearly in the dark.

 

[DaveC]

I have been wondering how we are going to go about needing F1-F12 keys for certain emulators? (Atari ST for instance)

The emulator could possibly use one of the A,B,X or Y buttons plus a number key or something? I am guessing that is down to the actual emulator though.


The other thing is for non-typing keys like function keys those could be mapped to the touchscreen. Since all emulated computers were 4:3 aspect you will have some free space on the sides which would be perfect for those extra keys.

 

[geise69]

I have been wondering how we are going to go about needing F1-F12 keys for certain emulators? (Atari ST for instance)

The emulator could possibly use one of the A,B,X or Y buttons plus a number key or something? I am guessing that is down to the actual emulator though.


The other thing is for non-typing keys like function keys those could be mapped to the touchscreen. Since all emulated computers were 4:3 aspect you will have some free space on the sides which would be perfect for those extra keys.


Yeah I completely forgot about the touchscreen haha. That could work great for certain keys. Again though as WarmFluffyUK said, it depends on the emulator. Also the dev. It's a good idea though.

 

[scarath]

I think it would be cool if the keyboard buttons had a green back light like the ones on a mobile phone so you could see them clearly in the dark.

Yeah i hope they do this for the first edition, if they dont i'll be pissed if i buy one and then 6 months later the release another with a backlit keyboard in cool -ass green

Or we could really go retro and employ the same trick Sir Clive Sinclair did with the ZX Spectrum, have an audible click sound when you press a key. The click can be turned on, off or volume adjusted. Also if the click was a small audio sample you could then use your own click sound instead of the default one!

with a fart noise if you hit the wrong key ...

 

[aconsumer]

I' m a bit hesitate on the first edition of any system, especially for overall layout. I saw a defiantly progression on the GP2X, and I'm sure that any system this will happen, as people realize what is good and bad about the initial design. It would be nice to have a keyboard with back lights, but I don't think it should be green. I'm hoping that they still release a red version, and if they do, I think the keyboard should be a red color back light, and maybe blue for the black version, and white or something else for the white. Or even a cool black light design. Green seems to be kinda overused though, and since this system has a really cool modern retro vintage look to it, would be cool to see something that compliments the design. As far as keys go, I think it would be nice to have the Alt, Ctrl etc... keys..but seems like they are stuck on the original design for the first release. This might be a good reason to wait for the second edition (however painful that would be for me =[). It would be nice to be able to feel the ends of the keys as well, but I'm sure that will be added somehow. I don't think round will be possible..but maybe a slight square raised box would be possible.

I have been working on this site for a week collecting various Pandora GP2X info, as well as home brew, Linux and Audio Production links. Check it out and comment if you would like. Any feedback is appreciated, its still in early stages though.