Emily Martin 
Jan 12, 2024
Encountering PC peripherals at a tech exhibition — of a calibre like that of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 —is often a rare sight to catch a glimpse of, but this year’s CES did away with the tradition as Hyte is there with its magnificent-looking keyboard.
Being called Crystal Bubble, what the (makers) call, the odd-looking keyboard’s vibrance is backed by tiny LED bulbs lighting not only the keycaps but also the bottom of it.
Although Hyte doesn’t specialise in designing peripherals, however, with the eye-catchy disclosure of Crystal Bubble at its CES booth, it looks as though the company is keen to compete with big names — like Lenovo, ASUS and HyperX — by expanding its horizon out of the PC cases, what it’s best known for.
Read more: Keydous NJ98: An honest review of the mechanical keyboard
This keyboard has a bunch of RGB LEDs that encircle your keyboard, and you can customise them with Hyte Nexus. It has a transparent polycarbonate shell that you can see through when the LEDs are switched off.
The embellishments don't stop there, Hyte adds a bit of style to the keyboard, making it look like it's attached to a gasket, like the ones on HyperX's Alloy Rise and Asus' ROG Azoth keyboard. You can also customise the keyboard with the screws on the bottom, so you can easily take it apart.
Hyte also supports hot-swap for your key switches outside the gasket mount. However, the preinstalled switches are solid and are Hyte's Fluffy Lavender linear switches.
The board has four layers of acoustic dampening that run on the PCB, top plate, and bottom of the shell. This helps to maintain a deep and satisfying sound, and the spacebar key does not wobble.
The dedicated media keys have a tactile switch and are on a hinge. This means that when you press a media key, you are pressing a different key than the other keys. The dedicated media keys are also connected to a large media roller that can be used for volume control and LED brightness.
