CES 2012: Tt eSPORTS Knucker Keyboard at Thermaltake's Booth

When it put together the Tt eSPORTS Knucker keyboard, Thermaltake decided to take a step away from the whole mechanical keyboard switch trend.

Thermaltake's exhibition at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2012) obviously includes various peripherals.

Alongside the high-end gaming hardware, the company also displays an item that is not quite as advanced as the rest.

The goal, obviously, was for a lower price to be possible, as not everyone can afford to spend large sums of money on a peripheral.

That doesn't mean that the product developer didn't toss in some perks along the way, though.

One thing that may catch user attention is that the Knucker settles for rubber-dome key switches instead of leaping to Cherry MX mechanical ones.

It bears noting, though, that Thermaltake strove to make the rubber plungers feel more like the latter.

Reports on-site say that the keyboard does feel “springier and crisper” than other rubber-dome models, so that goal was achieved to at least some extent.

Moving on, since this is still a gaming peripheral, Thermaltake implemented anti-ghosting technology, which permits up to 12 keys to be pressed at once.

Finally, the company threw in glowing key labels, so that users may clearly see what they are pressing on in the dark.

Unfortunately, rubber-dome keyboards are known for the considerable shorter lifespan than what mechanical switches allow for.

While Cherry MX can last for up to 50 million keystrokes, Thermaltake's Knucker will only cope with about 15 million.

The company should start selling the Tt eSPORTS Knucker soon, for the price of $39.99.

Exchange rates translate that sum into 31 Euro but it is more likely that the European price tag will be closer to the 40 Euro mark, when and if Thermaltake sends the device to those shores.

Go here for more information on Thermaltake's CES lineup.