Does your macrodata need refining, and your desktop just isn’t cutting it? Are you finding it difficult to react to the emotions elicited by the seemingly random collection of numbers on your screen with a traditional mouse and keyboard? Well, you’re in luck. After Apple pump-faked everyone with a mock-up of a Lumon Terminal as seen on the Apple TV+ show Severance, a company called Atomic Keyboard is finally making the terminal a reality—assuming it meets its Kickstarter goal.
Atomic appears to be a startup that has entirely dedicated itself to making the tech from Severance real. Earlier this year, it announced plans in a blog post to make the keyboard from the Lumon terminals seen on the show a reality, promising a functional keyboard that would incorporate “modern features for today’s computing needs.” Now it appears it’s trying to make good on that promise, launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money needed to manufacture the final product.
The promised keyboard is called the “MDR Dasher Keyboard” in reference to the “macrodata refinement” that is done with the terminal in Severance and the real Data General Dasher system that clearly served as inspiration for the aesthetics of the show’s machines. The keyboard will come in multiple configurations: There’s the “Innie” layout that takes its cues from the terminals on the Severed Floor that strips away the Escape, Control, and Option keys, the “Outie” layout that looks like your standard keyboard, and the “Dasher” layout that replicates the original Data General Dasher terminal’s keyboard configuration.
All of the available layouts come with a trackball built right into the board (on the right side only, it appears, so sorry about that, lefties). Per the company’s website, the keyboard will connect via USB-C and will be compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux machines.
So just how much will it cost to fully commit to the bit and have a Severance authentic keyboard in your home and/or office? The early adopter price starts at $599, and the company plans to retail it at $899. The keyboard is a bit more than a quirky collectible, seeing as it actually functions as advertised. And macrodata refinement is certainly a niche field, so it makes sense that the equipment would be expensive. Still, that’s a pretty steep price tag for a novelty keyboard. But hey, it’s your money.
When Apple put the Lumon Terminal Pro on its Apple Store page, it never actually intended to sell it. That might have been a real missed opportunity if people end up shelling out hundreds of bucks for just the keyboard. Though maybe we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be pulled in by the allure of the retro-futurism of Lumon Industries. Seems just a few steps removed from building the Torment Nexus.
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