Back in mid-July, I talked about the Das Keyboard 5Q, a cloud-connected mechanical keyboard that may have found success through crowdfunding but carries a few details that aren't entirely satisfying. Even so, it's too early to say the Das brand has “lost its way,” which brings us to the new Das Keyboard Prime 13, with a much cleaner design, LED backlighting, genuine Cherry MX switches, and a USB port in its case.
And in another episode of “Lisandro talks about mechanical keyboards,” the latest news doesn't arrive via a Kickstarter campaign but directly from an official page. The masterminds at Metadot have their hands full with the upcoming debut of the Das Keyboard 5Q, but that hasn't stopped them from launching a simpler version, and why not, one more aligned with the desires of certain enthusiasts. The cloud connection and the switch change in the 5Q weren't so well received; however, the story is different with the brand-new Das Keyboard Prime 13. Essentially, what Das achieves with this mechanical keyboard is “clearing the slate” and returning to a slightly more conservative position.
First, the Prime 13 uses authentic Cherry MX Brown switches, ideal for those seeking a light tactile feel (in other words, you feel a slight “bump” when pressing an MX Brown) without generating too much noise (45 grams of force per keypress). Next, we find white LED backlighting, with no RGB variables or anything similar. Then we discover the cable is two meters long, a distance more than sufficient for most setups. The next entry on the list is a USB port that works in “pass-through” mode (that is, it serves as an extension for a USB port on the back of your computer, since the cable comes with two connectors), and to round things out, we see NKRO (N-key rollover), a feature highly desired among competitive gamers.
The official Das Keyboard Prime 13 page lists a price of $149, but you'll probably need to wait a couple of days to see it on the European market. As far as I know, the Das brand has no official distributors in Spain, so importing it from the UK, France, or Germany doesn't sound too far-fetched.
