But the real surprise is that what at first looks like a rework of an existing board for almost $600 in parts is actually Angry Miao’s best mech to date.
The RGB 65 is a 65 percent layout keyboard, but its large matrix LED face means it takes up almost as much space as most 75 percent keyboards. It looks a lot like flattened Cyberboard (which costs over $800 for some variants), which makes me wonder if Angry Miao has an extra supply of these LED displays and wants to unload a batch. But thankfully, the RGB 65 takes more of its design cues from one of the most beloved portable devices in human history than an oft-mocked rolling container.
The retro vibes are most pronounced in the white and purple versions, but all of the RGB 65’s colors have small details that pay homage to Nintendo’s industrial design from the original “DMG-01” Game Boy. This includes a curved lower-right corner with six slats to mimic the speaker grill, a negative-relief D-pad cutout around the USB-C port, and fake B and A buttons on the underside that replace the wireless charging pad found on other AMs models. Another aesthetic flourish is a Galaga pixel graphics adorning the plastic antenna window that enables Bluetooth 5.1 and 2.4GHz wireless connections through the all-metal chassis.
Writing on the RGB 65 is a breath of fresh air compared to previous Angry Miao boards. The marble sound signature is still present, but the new Icy Silver V2 linear switches with their nylon housings and revised internal design give the RGB 65 a deeper, much more shredded sound than any other AM keyboard I’ve tried.
I’m relieved to see Angry Miao making strides in the sound and typing feel departments. While I’ve personally enjoyed the sound of most previous AM keyboards, it’s all very subjective. And the “meta” around what’s popular in the custom mechanical keyboard scene continues to evolve. I think Angry Miao does a good job keeping up with the trends here and they should. This is a very expensive keyboard that should feel good and sound great out of the box, especially when you consider that it’s redoing a big design element from the Cyberboard.
The Cyberboard’s 200 LED dot-matrix panel always looked charming, but despite being recycled at RGB 65, it’s better executed and a bit more practical. Instead of being angled away from you and upside down like the Cyberboard, it’s flat on the main deck and easy to see. It’s still mostly a shiny new thing to go with the RGB light show under the keys, but you can use Angry Miao’s site to do some deep customization or download completely ready-made presets from the community. It’s fun to tinker with, even if I end up using it as a large desk clock most of the time.
But the most unfavorable part of the RGB 65 is this “cyber gray” color combination, at least compared to the white and “violet fury” options. It looks slick on its own, sure, but the other two feel like it’s where it’s at for maximum Game Boy vibes. Perhaps if the gray model used opaque light gray or charcoal black keycaps, it could have channeled a small portion of the Game Boy Advance SP or Game Boy Pocket.
Either way, the RGB 65 is in desperate need of some transparent atomic purple or jungle green (which is another ongoing trend), so I hope Angry Miao will consider a cheaper all-plastic version in the future. I’d even be willing to sacrifice a bit of that punch if Angry Miao can afford not to rebuild every little thing out of aluminum.
The AM RGB 65’s Kickstarter campaign launched today, starting at $449 for a no-key kit (no keycaps or switches) and going up to $598 for a complete pre-built package in violet. Angry Miao is offering an 8% early bird discount for the first 48 hours of the campaign.
Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
