Hey everyone, we're excited to announce the release of DCX Jasmine, one of the winners of our community-driven poll for the next DCX Colorway (more in the works from there!).
We've also managed to make a couple improvements to the DCX keycap family that will be rolled out with the production of DCX Jasmine.
Second 'B'
The first update is that we've managed to squeeze an extra 'B' key onto our alphas mold so that there are now 27 letters made with each injection of the mold (all keys are shot on the same mold so this is not trivial to accomplish). This extra 'B' key will accommodate users who are using an Alice layout, or any derivative that also uses a second 'B'.
Updated 'Shift'
The second update is that we've overhauled (remanufactured) our 'Shift' key molds and replaced them with a newly designed key that slightly shortens the arms on the 'f' and 't' letters, and slightly reduces the spacing between the characters. Each change on its own is fractions of a millimeter, but when combined the result is a more pleasant looking presentation of the 'Shift' modifier.
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These changes will first go live with the production of DCX Jasmine, and will affect all subsequent sets. Restocks of older colors (i.e. White on Black, Cyber, etc.) will eventually reflect these changes when inventory is sold and replenished.
These are the first changes that we've made to the DCX product line since release and we plan to announce more changes in the coming months. Thanks for your continued interest and feedback!
Sep 20, 2022
A community member
Sep 20, 2022
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HoffmanMysterThe Shift looks much better! Great, now I'll need to retire my userpic. š
HoffmanMysterNice work, the Shift key looks so much better! Thank you for hearing out the community. Since the issue stems from the length of the Ā 'f' and 't' letterĀ arms affecting spacing will you also be shortening the arms on the other keys containing any 'f' and 't' letters as well in the future (Alt, Control, Tab, Enter etc.)?
fresh1024The Shift key is the current extent of our plans for improvements (being the only one to have two "arm" characters immediately next to each other). Each key we modify is incredibly expensive to do so, and the Shift had the most room for improvement. There is the potential for additional tweaks down the road at some point but nothing planned at the moment.
HoffmanMysterGlad to see the kitting update to include a 2nd B and split spaces all at a price that will make GMK sweat. Not needing addon kits to cover whatever board we have is exactly what will make DCX more compelling than GMK!
You mention these changes will reach older sets. Does this include the updated kitting or just the fixed shift?
Hopefully the former so I can actually use your Dolch set.
EdTheNerdCan confirm this includes both the updated Shift AND the extra B key - both changes/additions will be included in any future production run since the existing tools were modified to accomplish these two changes.
EdTheNerdThe end goal is to have all sets updated to what we see here with Jasmine. They would include the second B along with the split spaces (spaces not present currently in the other sets, as you noted). I'm hesitant to promise this at the moment just because there could be some unforeseen circumstances, but I do expect that this will be the standard going forward.
HoffmanMysterSounds good, once Dolch has split spaces I can buy it for a few boards!
As for the updated shift key and B in other sets, I'm currently holding off on both WoB and BoW for that.
Do you know how far out they are for the updated tooling?
EdTheNerdUpdated Shift and extra B are implemented at the tooling level, so those will be produced during the next manufacturing run of the sets. Once the current stock runs out, the restock will use the updated tooling. As a result there is no estimated timeline for the refresh currently available - each set will depend on when it sells out.
Aside from "having it now vs maybe months later"?
Drop's bread and butter is not people who will care about a 0.5mm gap on the shift key, its the people who if they have a mech board at all, have only ever used a Razer or Corsair. The people who come here after reading an article on The Verge about whatever Drop's latest prebuilt config of the outdated CTRL with its integrated plate and north facing switches is.
Enthusiasts aren't buying that thing but yet they still churn them out because people buy it. Those people will buy up the old stock eventually.
It's an interesting quandary, for sure. We wanted to listen to feedback and improve the set, and moreover communicate those improvements sooner than later so that people know we are listening and can make informed decisions.
Ultimately, there will be plenty of prospective buyers who aren't interested in waiting for the updated Shift legend or extra B key. Maybe they don't care about it at all, or maybe it's just not worth the wait.