The humble keyboard hasn’t changed a whole lot in the past 40 years. Early hobbyist computers from the 1970’s actually used retrofitted typewriter keyboards as their main input source, and the design really hasn’t changed since.

The typical staggered-row QWERTY layout designed for mechanical typewriters still exists today, and that’s a problem. That layout wasn’t designed to be comfortable, and millions of cramped wrists and sore fingers confirm that every day.

Traditional QWERTY forces the user to contort their fingers into straining positions due to it’s staggered-row design.

Enter the RIFT. We’ve fundamentally redesigned the keyboard with an emphasis on ergonomics, simplicity, and durability.

Ice & Fire - The RIFT's split design allows for duality in your keyboard.

The RIFT is a split, ergonomic, RGB backlit, programmable, multi-layered, and extremely durable mechanical keyboard. It promises to improve the way you interact with your computer.

The RIFT promises to transform your desk. One sleek halve at a time.

Up close - The RIFT's keycaps are designed to form around your fingers.

The RIFT is a split keyboard. This allows for a multitude of benefits.

You can place things like books, laptops, microphones, drinks and more in the center. This allows you to make your workflow even more efficient.

If you’re streaming a game, you can now place the microphone front and center. Need to take notes? The RIFT makes it a breeze.

No traditional or ergonomic keyboard gives you the freedom you can experience with the RIFT.

The RIFT is also an excellent keyboard for gaming. Adjust the spacing and angle of the RIFT for your unique play style. Since each half works independently of the other, you can also take just one half with you to tournaments and LAN parties for an extremely compact gaming setup.

The RIFT uses a staggered-columnar keyboard layout. This means that each column is staggered vertically to conform to your hand’s geometry. This is a huge improvement over traditional staggered-row or even ortholinear keyboards because it makes each key much more intuitive to reach for.

This layout helps relieve typing fatigue typically seen when using a traditional keyboard. Since the layout of the RIFT is designed around your hand profile, it’s even easier to master than typical touch-typing.

The RIFT allows you to position the halves at an angle that’s natural to your body. It also allows you to set the spacing between the halves to your preference.

The RIFT uses far fewer keys than a traditional keyboard, yet maintains all the functionality of a full-size keyboard. How is this accomplished? The RIFT uses five different layers per half to maximize the number of layouts you can have on one device.

These layers, or Planes, can be switched between on-the-fly using our Planeshift buttons. You can either completely switch into a new Plane, or shift in temporarily. With N-Key Roll Over (NKRO), you'll never need to guess if your keypresses were registered.

Planes on the RIFT allow you to accomplish all the same key commands you’re used to, on a keyboard less than half the size. Eliminating the need for reaching around a large keyboard that takes up unnecessary desk space.

The RIFT is fully backlit using individually addressable RGB LEDs. This allows you to set the color profiles for each layer on each half. You can choose from millions of colors using a color picker.

The RIFT also supports special lighting modes like static rainbow, animated rainbow, and more. We are adding modes all the time, and expect a good lineup before launch.

The RIFT’s RGB backlighting is for much more than just coolness, although that’s definitely part of it. You can use the RIFT’s programmable lighting to help identify which of the five Planes you’re on with ease and style. Set lighting profiles to match your favorite games and programs!

You can also use the RIFT's unique lighting setup to view your fingers more easily in dark rooms, making sure you never accidentally place your hand in the wrong place or miss a key.

The RIFT is a completely programmable keyboard. This means that each key on the RIFT (aside from the Planeshift keys) can be reprogrammed to be any of the keys on a standard keyboard.

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Our keybinding editor allows you to easily change the keybindings, backlight color, and animations of every Plane. It communicates with each half independently, allowing you to reprogram them separately if necessary. (BETA)

All programmed colors and keybindings are stored in the RIFT’s onboard memory. This means that the keyboard retains all your profiles between computers.

The RIFT uses absolutely no adhesives or glue. Everything is bolted together and designed to be assembled, disassembled, and repaired easily. We’ve tried very hard to make your keyboard last as long as possible.

For most keyboards, the main source of failure over time is the control circuitry. The RIFT uses a socketed microcontroller that is easily replaceable for much less than the cost of a new keyboard. New modules can be purchased from us directly in the future.

RIFT beta control modules

The switches on the RIFT are rated for tens of millions of keystrokes, allowing you to type for years with no degradation and superb feel.

We’ve also designed the RIFT to be as open as possible to make removing foreign contaminants (spills, crumbs) easy. Taking the keyboard apart is as easy as removing the microcontroller and undoing four bolts.

All of our keycaps are made of maximum-durability double-shot plastic. This ensures your keycaps never fade or degrade over time.

Another large point of failure on most keyboards is the cable, so the RIFT uses two detachable, braided USB cables. This allows your to replace your cables extremely easily should they ever get damaged.

The RIFT uses quality Gateron Blue mechanical switches. Each switch is rated for 50 million keystrokes, giving you excellent longevity.

The inner workings of a mechanical switch

Mechanical keyswitches offer exceptional feel compared to traditional scissor, membrane, and rubber dome keyboards. Mechanical switches also don’t wear-out or change feel over time like membrane keyboards do.

A Gateron Blue switch, like the one found in the RIFT

All our switches use the standard Cherry MX stems, this means they fit most custom keycap sets, making customization a breeze.

Each member of our team is a Kickstarter veteran that has delivered at least two previous products. Our skills range from electrical engineering to graphic/industrial design and product packaging. We are all quite excited to begin a new journey with you, and change the computing world!