Maybe don't buy this wacky keyboard with pen and card holders for Black Friday

A keyboard with pen holders.
(Image credit: Haooyun)

Two thoughts went through my mind when I first saw this keyboard, and they were "lol" swiftly followed by "lmao." This offering is from manufacturer Haooyun and is a wireless keyboard and mouse combo that raises more questions than it gives answers.

Take this from the description: "It can be waterproof." Well, can it or can't it? And where exactly are you planning to use this: the bath?

The keyboard is backlit for "an excellent visual experience in night operation," so Tom Clancy's Sam Fisher may be interested. Then we come to the jaw-dropper: You can only see it in the images because the description doesn't (or won't) mention it, but this is the first keyboard I've ever seen that includes a slot for your credit card, three pen holders, and a groove to stick your cell phone in.

This just seems bizarre, a Frankenstein's monster of a creation, put on Earth to make us wail in terror and run. And the worst part? "Mechanical feel," in other words, not mechanical at all.

Wireless Gaming keyboard and mouse  Wrist rest  "Special offer" $99

Wireless Gaming keyboard and mouse | Wrist rest | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fp%2F32N-00W9-00011" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">"Special offer" $99

Fly, you fools!

Look, if you really must have a Black Friday gaming keyboard deal with rainbow backlights, there are far better options out there. I quite like Razer's latest keyboards, but I've also happily used Corsair's offerings in the past, and the current discount on the K60 is one of the best bang-for-your-buck deals I've seen on keyboards so far this year.

Corsair K60 RGB Pro | Full-size | Cherry MX Low Profile mechanical switch (linear) | Per-key RGB lighting | $109.99 $44.99 at Newegg (save $65 with coupon code BFDBY2A2344)

Corsair K60 RGB Pro | Full-size | Cherry MX Low Profile mechanical switch (linear) | Per-key RGB lighting | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fcorsair-k60-rgb-pro-low-profile-cherry-mx-low-profile-speed-black%2Fp%2FN82E16823816140%3FDescription%3Dgaming%2520keyboard%26cm_re%3Dgaming_keyboard-_-23-816-140-_-Product" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"">$109.99 $44.99 at Newegg (save $65 with coupon code BFDBY2A2344) This is a low profile mechnical keyboard with a whopping $75 off but, sadly, no pen holders. There isn't even anywhere to put your credit card. However, it does come with everything you'd expect from a high-end mechanical keyboard, and unlike other products we could name it probably won't crap out after two months.

Rich Stanton

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."