
Say 'so long' to iCue.
Rejoice! Our collective grumbling has been heard and peripheral makers are finally moving away from packing in one more bit of software to harangue your rig at start up. Corsair already announced its firmware updater website last month, but it’s now taking things one step further by announcing Corsair Web Hub—a ‘web-based utility engine’ that allows you to customise your peripherals without dedicating precious SSD space to iCue.
Speaking of peripherals, Corsair also announced a fresh keyboard to go along with its Web Hub announcement. The new MAKR 75 Barebones Keyboard Kit is pitched as being both delectably DIY while also offering a ‘performance-focused’ board for gaming.
I’ve not been trusted with a DIY keyboard project since the great key cap disappearance of 2024, but for everyone else without my oddly specific problem, the MAKR 75 may offer a keeb fiend’s dream. Alongside a ludicrously high 8K polling rate, this keyboard also offers Corsair’s FlashTap SOCD. It’s a feature set that will likely please the players with esports aspirations, but there’s still plenty on offer for folks like me who bruised their index finger missing parries in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
The vice president and general manager of gaming peripherals at Corsair explained, “We truly believe that assembling an ultra-personalized DIY keyboard does not need to be a difficult task that can only be completed by the most hardcore keyboard enthusiasts. MAKR 75 was developed around the concept of an intuitive, layer-by-layer building process that makes the satisfying task of designing and assembling your perfect keyboard as simple as possible.”
As Corsair tells it, the MAKR 75 offers robust construction with screw-in stabilizers, and sturdy gasket mounting in an either silver or black aluminium frame. Importantly for me—a recent enjoyer of the Be Quiet Light Mount—all of that is combined with not one, not two, not even three but eight layers of sound dampening. It’s not yet clear whether this is silicone, foam, or both, but I’m expecting a quiet, cushioned typing experience from this board.
Interestingly, Corsair also mentions “support for additional enhancements through add-on modules.” Whether this is along the lines of customising the MAKR 75’s innards by, hypothetically speaking, adding even more sound dampening or actually modular attachments like Be Quiet’s Dark Mount is not yet completely clear to me.
What we do know is the full kit will allow you to include a wireless module to make your MAKR board cable-free, as well as the option to drop in a rotary dial module (because who doesn’t love a good tactile twiddle) or even a wee LCD screen. Naturally, you also have your pick of keycap designs and Corsair switches too. I’m partial to the Celestial keycap designs myself, but cherry blossoms, a purple-y ‘sci-fi’ colourway, and more also feature.
Apparently the MAKR 75 has already won Corsair an iF Design Award so this keeb fiend has high expectations. Add to that a web-based means of noodling with RGB lighting profiles alongside my macros, and I may have reason to welcome another Corsair keyboard onto my crowded desk.