u/Awekeys

Trying to make shine-through metal keycaps for the game was not a normal process.

It was a lot of failed prototypes, a lot of “this looks worse than before,” and a lot of arguing with metal about whether RGB is allowed to exist. Somehow we got there.

Now I’m just asking the CS2 crowd if this is a real setup upgrade, or if I’ve built the most expensive excuse to queue comp again.

Interest check if you want to enable the madness:
https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

Most FPS players care about one thing first: does it help or hurt performance?

That was the whole challenge with these metal keycaps. Metal usually sounds like it should be too heavy, too flashy, or just bad for fast play. But we kept pushing because we wanted to see if shine-through RGB could work on something that still feels premium and responsive in an FPS setup.

The tricky part was getting the backlighting right. Shine-through on metal is a lot harder to achieve than on regular caps, but after a lot of testing, we finally got it working. We also kept the weight balanced so it feels solid without making the keyboard sluggish.

In practice, it doesn’t feel like it slows anything down. If anything, the build feels more controlled and planted, while still staying fast enough for FPS use.

That’s why I’m asking the FPS crowd: would you actually use something like this in a competitive setup, or is RGB just a distraction?

If you’re interested, drop your thoughts here and join the interest check:
https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

Would you run full set, or just accent keys for FPS?

I was aiming for a clean, premium look that still feels usable day to day.

The RGB is there, but only as a small accent so the space stays calm and uncluttered. The keyboard detail is part of that balance, with the backlit metal keycaps blending into the overall setup instead of taking it over.

Do you prefer a workstation with RGB accents, or do you think a minimal lighting setup works better? I’d love to hear what you think or join https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

Current home office setup: going for a simple, comfortable workspace that still feels a little premium.

I like having just enough lighting to make the space feel alive, but not so much that it becomes distracting. The keyboard detail is part of that balance, with the backlit metal keycaps fitting into the overall look rather than standing out too much.

Do you prefer RGB in a home office, or do you keep the lighting more natural and minimal? I’d love to hear what you think https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

Going for a minimal, clean, dark & comfortable home office that still has some personality when the RGB is on.

The desk setup is the main thing here, with just a small close-up showing the backlit metal keycaps as part of the overall lighting vibe. I wanted the setup to feel calm and polished, not flashy.

For your setup, do you prefer RGB accents, or do you stick with regular lighting and keep it simple? If that kind of style is your thing, I’d love to hear what you think, and you can also join the interest check here: https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

Going for a clean, dark gaming PC setup with a few premium details instead of a cluttered look.

I wanted it to feel minimal and coordinated, while still having some personality when the RGB is on. The keyboard follows the same idea.... subtle, clean, and meant to blend into the build, not dominate it. Those are full metal keycaps with shine-through RGB.

Still deciding whether RGB accents make the build better or if a cleaner no-RGB look is stronger. What do you think? https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

If you think RGB works here, would you go full set or just accent keys like WASD and arrows?

Going for a clean, dark battlestation look with a few premium details instead of a cluttered desk.

The setup is really about the overall room and desktop vibe, but there are a few small details that show up better when the RGB is on. I wanted everything to feel minimal and coordinated, while still having a bit of personality when you look closer.

The keyboard is part of that idea too, subtle, clean, and meant to blend into the setup rather than take it over. Those are full metal keycaps with shine-through RGB, kept understated to fit the look.

And well... as for these keycap samples, they took a lot more testing than it looks like. Different finishes, wall thicknesses, engraving depths, and light balance all mattered way more than expected. Most backlit keycaps either kill the RGB or make it look weird, so getting this right was the whole challenge.

I’m curious what people think for a setup like this: would you keep the RGB, or go fully minimal and skip it? I’m mainly trying to figure out whether the lighting adds to the premium vibe, or distracts from it. If this kind of vibe works for you, feel free to drop your thoughts here: https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

If you think the RGB works here, I’d also love to know whether you’d go full set or just accent keys like WASD and arrows.

Going for a clean, dark battlestation look with a few premium details instead of a cluttered desk.

The setup is really about the overall room and desktop vibe, but there are a few small details that show up better when the RGB is on. I wanted everything to feel minimal and coordinated, while still having a bit of personality when you look closer.

The keyboard is part of that idea too. Subtle, clean, and meant to blend into the setup rather than take it over. Those are full metal keycaps with shine-through RGB, kept understated to fit the look.

If that kind of style is your thing, I’d love to hear what you think, and you can also join the interest check here: https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

If people are interested, I can share the full parts list too.

Going for a clean, dark battlestation look with a few premium details instead of a cluttered desk.

The main focus is the overall room and desktop vibe, but there are a couple of small touches that show up more clearly once the RGB is on. I wanted the setup to feel minimal and coordinated, while still having enough character to make it interesting when you look closer.

If you notice the keyboard details, that’s basically the idea. Keep it subtle, keep it clean, and let the lighting do the rest. Yeah, it's full metal keycaps with shine-through RGB.

If people are interested, I can also share the full parts list.

Going for a clean, dark battlestation look with a few premium details instead of a cluttered desk.

The main focus is the overall room and desktop vibe, but there are a couple of small touches that show up more clearly once the RGB is on. I wanted the setup to feel minimal and coordinated, while still having enough character to make it interesting when you look closer.

If you notice the keyboard details, that’s basically the idea. Keep it subtle, keep it clean, and let the lighting do the rest. Yeah, it's full metal keycaps with shine-through RGB.

If people are interested, I can also share the full parts list.

SteelSeries gear has always been pretty straightforward, performance first, clean design, no unnecessary gimmicks...

So we tried something that sounds like it shouldn’t fit that philosophy:
Metal keycaps… with proper RGB shine-through.

Not for looks alone, but to see if it could actually work for gaming. But it turned out to be way harder than expected.

We went through multiple iterations and burned through ~6.8kg of metal with different fabrication methods, coatings & finishes, wall thicknesses, diffusion layers, engraving depths, RGB brightness balancing......  just trying to get legends let RGB shine through clearly (no dim or uneven lighting)

Most shine-thru keycaps either kill the lighting or feel off for fast-paced games, which makes them a hard no for most gamers. After a lot of trial and error, we finally got something that might actually make sense..

Now the question is whether this is actually something SteelSeries users would want, or if plastic still wins for pure performance. We’re considering taking this further, but want real feedback from people who actually game on this gear:

https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

Let us know your thoughts on this keysets! Thank you!

A lot of Corsair setups aren’t just about the keyboard, they’re full builds. Case, fans, RAM, GPU, all synced through iCUE.

So we started wondering:
Could metal keycaps actually fit into that ecosystem… without killing the lighting?

We tried making backlit metal keycaps that can still hold up visually next to a fully synced Corsair setup. And yeah, it was way harder than expected!!

We went through multiple iterations and burned through ~6.8kg of metal with different fabrication methods, coatings & finishes, wall thicknesses, diffusion layers, engraving depths, RGB brightness balancing...... just trying to get legends let RGB shine through cleanly (no dull or patchy lighting), stay consistent with iCUE-style lighting effects, and don’t overpower the rest of the setup visually

Most shine-through keycaps either block light or look uneven, which completely breaks the look of a synced build. After a lot of failed attempts, we finally got something that might work in a Corsair environment. Now the real question is whether this actually belongs in a Corsair setup, or if it throws off the balance.

We’re seriously considering making these, but want feedback from people who run full iCUE builds: https://forms.gle/8c9Y9udbsrp1g2qd6

Also, curious what you think would this enhance your setup or clash with it?

If you’re on a Razer setup, you already know RGB isn’t optional. Chroma is part of the whole experience.

So we tried something that honestly shouldn’t work:
Metal keycaps… with clean RGB shine-through.

Yeah. It got messy.

We went through multiple prototypes and burned through ~6.8kg of metal with different fabrication methods, coatings & finishes, wall thicknesses, diffusion layers, engraving depths, RGB brightness balancing......  just trying to get legends let Chroma lighting shine through properly, stay sharp and readable (no blur, no dim patches) and still feel good for fast gaming..

Most keycaps completely kill RGB or make it look dull, which defeats the whole point of a Razer setup. And after way too many failed attempts, we finally got something that hits bright, clean shine-through, and premium feel without ruining gameplay on metal.

So we’re seriously thinking about making this real, but we want feedback from Razer users first. If you’d run these on your setup (or wouldn’t), let us know:
https://forms.gle/k54GJ4dULMpqC1dY7

Also curious full metal set or just WASD / key highlights? Go all-in on Chroma effects or keep it clean? Is max brightness more important, or the metal feel? ...

If you’re running a Logitech G board, you already know the balance. Clean design, solid performance, and RGB that actually looks good without being overkill.

So we tried something that usually doesn’t work well:
Metal keycaps… with proper LIGHTSYNC shine-through.

Turns out, it’s way harder than it sounds.

We went through multiple iterations and burned through ~6.8kg of metal with different fabrication methods, coatings & finishes, wall thicknesses, diffusion layers, engraving depths, RGB brightness balancing...... just trying to get legends let light pass through clearly and evenly, stay crisp (no blur, no weird diffusion) and don’t mess with the overall typing/gaming feel..

Most metal keycaps either block RGB or make it look dim and uneven, which kind of defeats the point of LIGHTSYNC. And after a lot of trial and error, we finally landed on something that feels right, clean, readable and premium backlit legends on metal without going overboard.

So, we’re seriously considering bringing this to production, but want feedback from Logitech G users before locking things in.

If you’d consider using these, or have thoughts, drop them here:
https://forms.gle/k54GJ4dULMpqC1dY7

Truly appreciate it and have a great day ; )

If your setup already screams ROG, you know the deal. Performance is a given, but aesthetics have to hit just as hard.

So we went after something that shouldn’t work:
Metal keycaps… with proper RGB shine-through.

Sounds simple. It wasn’t.

We went through multiple design failures and burned through ~6.8kg of metal with different fabrication methods, coatings & finishes, wall thicknesses, diffusion layers, engraving depths, RGB brightness balancing...... just trying to get legends that actually let light pass through cleanly, stay sharp and readable, and don’t ruin the typing/gaming feel

Most metal keycaps either kill RGB or look dull and uneven. That just doesn’t cut it for a full ROG setup where lighting is part of the identity.

After a lot of trial and error, we finally have something that feels worthy. And, we’re seriously thinking about making this real, but we want input from ROG users before we lock anything in.

If this is something you’d add to your setup (or not), drop your thoughts:
https://forms.gle/k54GJ4dULMpqC1dY7

Curious what you’d prefer full metal set or just highlight keys (WASD, arrows, etc.)...

Thank you so much 🙏

Okay so…

For YEARS people kept asking us the same thing under almost every Awekeys release:

“Why no shine-through metal keycaps?”

Turns out making light pass cleanly through chunks of metal is way harder than we expected 😭

Over the past months we’ve burned through around 6.8kg worth of failed samples/tests trying different fabrication methods, coatings & finishes, wall thicknesses, diffusion layers, engraving depths, RGB brightness balancing......

But yeahh we finally got prototypes that actually feel promising and finally shine through now! Still very early, but we’d genuinely love community feedback before moving further.

A few things we’re experimenting with right now:

• North / south / side-facing legends?
• Subtle glow or full RGB insanity?

Honestly this project has been way more difficult than we expected, but seeing the legends finally glow through metal for the first time felt pretty surreal.

Would love to hear your thoughts/roast/ideas.

Interest Check Form: https://forms.gle/k54GJ4dULMpqC1dY7