Hands-on review of the Keychron Orca echo prototype: Reactions at the venue and mixed opinions on the thumb trackball position — Tenkey Vol.11 report
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How did it look from the perspective of custom keyboard designers?
On June 6, 2026, Kopek Japan, an authorized Keychron distributor, showcased the keyboard “Keychron Orca echo,” co-developed by Keychron and Gizmart, for the first time in Japan at their booth at Tenkaichi Keyboard Waiwai Meetup Vol.11.
In this article, along with a hands-on review of the actual unit, we’ll整理 how people at the event reacted to the “Orca echo.”
Note: This content includes statements based on the editorial team’s and author’s predictions. Please understand in advance that the specifications may differ from the final retail product. We also cannot accept responsibility if the information here differs from the specifications of the product sold.
It’s an “everything-in” spec: a 19 mm trackball on the right, a horizontal rotary encoder on the left, and even a touchpad in the center between the halves.
It also features a two-stage tenting mechanism.
It has a 49-key layout, and the keymap can be changed via Keychron Launcher. It supports onboard memory, so settings are saved on the device.
The backs of the left and right halves can be magnetically joined, showing consideration for portability.
It’s scheduled to go on sale via a crowdfunding campaign on Gizmart starting June 19, 2026.
First, let’s look at the parts that weren’t announced in the press release.
The case doesn’t seem to be aluminum; it appears to be made of resin.
Structurally, it looks like the bottom case fits into the underside of the top frame.
The top frame feels like resin made by injection molding.A structure where the bottom plate is fitted in. How it’s secured is unclear.
The mounting method also hasn’t been specified yet, and we couldn’t tell from the mockup.
Tenting is adjustable in two stages, and rather than adjusting two separate legs like the Cornix, it used a standard tilt-stand style.
It has short feet and long feet, allowing two-stage tenting angle adjustment.
The trackball support mechanism used synthetic ruby in the mockup.
It’s unclear whether this will carry over to the production version.
On the mockup, the trackball fell out when turned upside down, so it seems likely some kind of retention mechanism will be added going forward.
As for the horizontal rotary encoder on the left, since it was a mockup, the torque was too strong to rotate easily with the left thumb.
This also seems likely to be adjusted.
As for the keycap shape, what was installed at the moment looked like Keychron’s LSA profile (a spherical style with a slight center dish), but it’s undecided whether it will be officially adopted.
It’s also undecided at this point whether the thumb cluster keys will be convex.
We were also told the key switches are still “under consideration.”
Kawamura
In Japan’s low-profile mechanical keyboard scene, the most popular option is still the Kailh Choc v2 family. Meanwhile, Keychron uses the Gateron Low Profile 2.0 family in its standard line, and they aren’t cross-compatible. In off-the-shelf terms, people who like Lofree tend to be on the Kailh Choc v2 side, while people who like NuPhy tend to be on the Gateron LP 2.0 side.
From actually typing on it, the impression is that if you’re used to the Corne’s column-staggered layout, you should be able to type without issues.
On the other hand, compared with thumb-operated trackball styles like the Keyball or moNa2, the trackball position is clearly different.
If you’re used to those keyboards, more than the feel of controlling the ball, you may need to intentionally rest your thumb further inward, or rotate the keyboard slightly so the outer edges angle upward.
Kawamura
This seems to come down largely to personal preference.
Reactions at the venue
As we went around interviewing people, we heard a lot of comments about the Orca echo.
“A column-staggered layout on a keyboard for general users is pretty bold.”
“I’m not sure about the trackball position. Having it where your thumb touches in the home position might be inconvenient.”
“If it has a trackball, I might not use the touchpad.”
“There aren’t many thumb keys.”
“The thumb key position is slightly recessed.”
“What if you made the frame directly under the thumb keys thinner to make them easier to press?”
“Wouldn’t convex thumb keys be better?”
“I would’ve preferred an aluminum body.”
“I’m worried it’s so light that it might move around.”
The comments have been organized by the editorial team and are not quoted verbatim from interviewees. Thank you for your understanding.
From the perspective of the custom keyboard community, it left the impression that many people had concerns about the trackball position.
Kawamura
Having the trackball where you rest your thumb makes sense in terms of operability. On the other hand, when you look at it as a keyboard, you spend more time typing than moving the cursor, so it’s understandable to argue that where your thumb rests should be a layer key rather than a trackball. That said, this largely comes down to differences in “design philosophy,” and because people interpret it very differently, discussions tend to end up going in circles. These concerns are also an important perspective that comes specifically from users who have put serious time into split keyboards and trackball-equipped keyboards.
“As an off-the-shelf product, Orca Echo has real value in creating an entry point into split trackball keyboards.”
That was a common view.
After all, for beginners, the hurdle of soldering a DIY keyboard kit is extremely high, and there are likely many users who “want to use one but can’t.”
In that sense, as a “keyboard you can buy as a finished product,” the Orca echo feels like a very significant presence.
However, it’s also true that the combination of 49 keys, column-staggered, layer-first operation, and a thumb-position trackball is quite sharp-edged.
So it’s natural to have concerns about whether it’s really appropriate as an entry point for beginners.
Where the Keychron Orca echo sits as a product
First of all, off-the-shelf keyboards and DIY keyboard culture are not in opposition.
I see them as a relationship where, within the broader category of input devices, they respect each other’s positions and push each other forward.
That said, while they share the same category of input devices, the direction they aim for and their nature are completely different.
In other words, if you discuss them through the lens of “culture” without accounting for those differences, it’s also true that it becomes a structure where conflict is more likely to arise.
With that in mind, let’s整理 where Orca echo fits in.
Many Tenkey attendees are keyboard fans and keyboard designers.
What was on display that day wasn’t the production version but a mock (prototype), and many interested people picked it up to check how it felt to use.
It was shown at the corporate booth at “Tenkaichi Keyboard Waiwai Meetup Vol.11,” Japan’s largest keyboard meetup event.
On the day, many keyboard fans gathered, including a lot of DIY keyboard designers.
In other words, it’s likely that many of the people who tried it were “keyboard fans,” and quite possibly “keyboard designers.”
The Keychron Orca echo is a split, column-staggered keyboard being developed primarily by Mr. Nakahashi of the Gizmodo Japan editorial team.
In Gizmodo’s explanation, they don’t directly describe the Orca echo as “a product that incorporates the essence of DIY keyboards.”
However, design elements like reducing key count, layers, column-staggering, splitting, and integrating a trackball strongly overlap with ideas that have evolved within DIY keyboard culture.
In the video, they also say, “We kept shouting our wish for a DIY keyboard, and that’s how we got here,” so it felt fair to view it as a product that brings DIY keyboard-derived ideas into an off-the-shelf product.
Differences between DIY keyboards and off-the-shelf keyboards
That said, DIY keyboards and off-the-shelf products clearly differ in their “direction and purpose.”
DIY keyboards are fundamentally a culture of pursuing “the ideal typing experience for yourself.”
A major appeal is being able to design everything—from layout and key count to pointing-device placement—to fit your hands and work environment.
Off-the-shelf keyboards, on the other hand, have the role of being packaged in a form that more people can understand, buy, and keep using.
Rather than reproducing an individual’s optimal solution as-is, they need to balance usability, ease of explanation, price, support, mass production, and more.
In other words, the “breadth of reach” they aim for is different.
While DIY keyboards are limited to a circle centered on yourself—“delivering to yourself and people who resonate with your ideas”—off-the-shelf keyboards need to reach a much broader audience: “delivering to more people, including general keyboard fans.”
The direction Orca echo is aiming for
At the same time, there are cases where a device built to pursue one’s own “ease of use” ends up being embraced by many people.
That’s how I see the position of products like the Keyball and moNa.
Perhaps their design philosophy and feel were something “not just people around the creator, but many more people could relate to.”
I see the Orca echo not as a product that commercializes DIY keyboard ideas 그대로, but as a keyboard that “reconstructs the essence of DIY keyboards that many people accepted into a form that reaches general users.”
From Mr. Nakahashi’s explanation, Orca Echo’s design philosophy isn’t simply “commercializing split keyboards,” but rethinking the entire input experience.
Thoughts on the Orca echo design, as discussed in the video
Updating to a better input experience: At the core of Orca Echo’s design philosophy isn’t “making a split keyboard” itself, but making the entire input experience—including typing and cursor control—more comfortable.
Reducing how far your hands move from the home position: They emphasize minimizing movement to number keys, function keys, and the mouse/trackpad, aiming to keep input and control as much as possible within reach.
Creating a key layout that makes touch typing easier: There’s an idea of rethinking keys that are “outside your fingers’ reach,” like the number row and function keys, and using layers to make numbers and symbols easier to handle.
Reconsidering the awkwardness of row-staggered layouts: Rather than the typewriter-derived horizontal stagger, they aim for more natural typing by adopting a column-staggered layout aligned vertically to match finger movement.
Finding a usable balance even with fewer keys: Instead of cutting keys to an extreme, they settled on around 49 keys as a result of balancing ease of adoption with input efficiency.
Making number input intuitive: Rather than simply pushing the removed number keys into a layer, they arrange them like a numpad and add touches like a homing marker at the position corresponding to “5,” making it easier to use without looking.
Reducing back-and-forth between the keyboard and pointing device: By building in a trackball, they reduce how often you move your hand from the keyboard to the mouse, keeping input and cursor control close together.
Keeping touchpad-like intuitive control: They aim to substitute intuitive actions like Mission Control and window management—things a trackball alone can’t fully cover—with a vertical-slide touchpad.
Being usable in a natural posture: By splitting the halves and adding a tenting mechanism, they aim for a posture where your shoulders can open and your wrists don’t need to twist as much while typing.
Reaching people new to split keyboards: While incorporating DIY keyboard-like elements, they want it to be easy for first-time split-keyboard users to adopt by offering it as a finished product, with a default keymap and customization via Kechron Launcher.
This summary is based on watching the video and transcribing it.
Summary
That wraps up our hands-on review of the Orca echo.
The Orca echo isn’t a product meant to replace existing split trackball keyboards like the Keyball or moNa.
Nor is it likely a product that commercializes the DIY keyboard community’s “optimal solution” as-is.
Rather, it felt like a product that aims to deliver to more people, as a finished product, the ideas nurtured within DIY keyboard culture—like “reducing how far your hands move,” “making use of your thumbs,” “typing in a natural posture,” and “integrating a pointing device.”
In that sense, Orca echo is less a keyboard for everyone and more a new entry point for people who are starting to feel dissatisfied with ordinary keyboards.
A 49-key, column-staggered, layer-first input experience in an all-in-one device with a built-in trackball is certainly a sharp-edged configuration.
That’s why it won’t be for everyone.
Still, the very fact that a split trackball keyboard you can buy as a finished product is coming to market is meaningful.
If Orca echo leads more people to take an interest in split keyboards and DIY keyboard-like input experiences, that would be a positive change for the keyboard market as a whole.
If this sparks more interest in the DIY keyboard genre and gets more people to pay attention to the idea of “input experience” itself, that’s a major plus for the keyboard market overall.
I can’t wait to see what kind of changes the arrival of Orca echo will bring to the keyboard scene.
It’s not a keyboard I’d recommend to everyone, but for people who are starting to find ordinary keyboards a bit lacking, Orca echo should be a pretty interesting entry point.
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Hands-on review of the Keychron Orca echo prototype: Reactions at the venue and mixed opinions on the thumb trackball position — Tenkey Vol.11 reportHow did it look from the perspective of custom keyboard designers? On June 6,...Keyboard
Kawamura
