There’s a world of options out there when it comes to keyboards. You can get them in all sorts of sizes, different types of switches, and various options in keycaps. Some are designed for gaming, some for utter silence, and some for pure ergonomics. If your dream keyboard is compact and looks like a handheld console straight out of 2001, then you just might take a liking to the PromoType KeyBoy Advance.
As you can tell from the name, it’s a keyboard based on the GameBoy Advance. Don’t worry, it’s not a handheld keyboard, so you can actually set it down on a desk for working on your desktop. However, its shape, color scheme, and general design come straight out of Nintendo’s sixth-gen gaming handheld, making it an absolute treat for retro gaming fans who keep a special place in their hearts for the second biggest selling portable in the 2000s.
The PromoType KeyBoy Advance has a 50 percent layout, so it’s very compact, making it ideal for folks who like to minimize the amount of footprint their keyboards take up. It has a total of 48 keys out front, complete with a dedicated number row, although it ditches the function keys like other 50 percent keyboard designs. What’s unique about this is it adds a pair of keys on the top corner edges, which are meant to mimic the shoulder buttons on the GameBoy Advance. While the shoulder keys are designed to decorative out of the box, you can assign functions to them using the open-source Vial software suite.
The housing is shaped to resemble the GameBoy Advance’s silhouette, complete with a power indicator LED on the upper right corner and speaker grille cutouts on the lower right side to really dial in the aesthetic. They even threw in the side palm rests from the original console, although it’s purely decorative as far as the keyboard is concerned, since you can’t comfortably type in this holding it hand, regardless of how compact it looks. Do note, it’s not a faithful reproduction of the GBA’s likeness, but a close-enough representation while still maintaining proper keyboard function.
The PromoType KeyBoy Advance has a fixed typing angle of seven degrees, with a front height of 19mm, so it should be plenty comfortable to use on a typical workday. It’s available in both wired and wireless configurations, although they don’t have a Bluetooth option (only a 2.4GHz wireless receiver). The keyboard uses a 1.6mm black core PCB in your choice of either MX wired soldered, MX wired hot-swap, MX dual-mode hot-swap, or MX tri-mode hot-swap.
Do note, this is sold as a barebones kit. That means, it doesn’t come pre-built. Instead, you get components that you’ll have to assemble piece by piece. In case that’s intimidating, don’t worry, since keyboards are pretty straightforward to put together. It also doesn’t come with switches and keycaps, so you’ll have to purchase a set of those separately. What’s included then? Well, you get the top and bottom case, the PC, the plate, a set of top-mount O-rings, a Poron pillar (to eliminate resonance from the space bar), rubber feet, USB cable, full set of screws, and a 2.4GHz wireless receiver (if you pick the dual-mode or tri-mode PCBs).
The PromoType KeyBoy Advance is available now as a preorder group buy. Price starts at $275.
