The graphics card market is a bit of a dumpster fire at the moment. Between miners and scalpers, getting your hands on a new card is incredibly difficult. (opens in new tab) There are even truck heists happening (opens in new tab) over the damn things.
The chip shortage affects the basic supply for graphics cards, so it’s not like manufacturers just have them sitting on shelves. Right now, these things are actively difficult to make, so it’s not too surprising we are seeing some card manufacturers try their hands at other products to pay the bills.
PowerColor is typically known for its GPUs like the PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 Fighter (opens in new tab). There’s often a focus on affordability over power (opens in new tab) on these cards, though the brand does have high end offerings like these beastly Red Devil boards (opens in new tab). Now, with help from well known keyboard manufacturer Ducky, which features in our best keyboards of 2021 list (opens in new tab), this GPU maker is making the switch.
The PowerColor X Ducky One 2 SF RGB (opens in new tab) is a 65% keyboard that has a fairly confusing name as well as Kaih BOX White or Brown mechanical switches. These are backlit with full RGB capabilities, and some keys like the space bar have extra cut outs so these can shine through in cool street art styled patterns. Plus there's a removable USB C cable making it extra transportable. It looks like overall it could be quite similar to the HyperX X Duckey One 2 mini gaming keyboard (opens in new tab), but we’ll have to try it before making any judgement calls.
How to buy a graphics card (opens in new tab): tips on buying a graphics card in the barren silicon landscape that is 2021
For a bit of extra swagger, the keyboard comes with some replaceable keys in red, giving owners the choice as to whether to highlight certain keys. For a limited time, it also features a Red Devil keycap. This single keycap has an aluminum logo and would normally retail for $49.99. It also looks like it might hurt to accidentally type on.
The PowerColor X Ducky One 2 SF RGB keyboard (opens in new tab) is available now at retailers going for a recommended price of $109 USD, £109.99 GBP, or $169 AUD depending on your region.