While I’ll opt for a mechanical keyboard over the alternatives, I can’t muster the enthusiasm to delve into the world of switches and baseplates.
I’ve long accepted that it’s a hobby I won’t ever be personally interested in, which is why I nearly walked straight past Keychron’s booth at CES 2026 without giving it a glance.
But amongst the bewildering array of keyboards and mice on offer, there was a single device that captured my attention.
I spent far longer than I needed to at Keychron’s booth thanks to the Nape Pro, the trackball mouse that looks like it fell straight out of the 1990s.
Developed in collaboration with Gizmodo Japan’s editor Koichiro Amito, this bizarre hunk of plastic had me hooked.
What is the Nape Pro?
A blend of modern and retro tech
When all accessory manufacturers seem to be obsessed with ergonomics, the Nape Pro stands out like a brick in a glass sculpture display.
I won’t pretend that this hunk of monochrome plastic is beautiful, but there’s a certain charm to its brutalist structure that appeals to me.
The Nape Pro debuted at the Tokyo Game Show and racked up ¥100 million in crowdfunding within 12 hours of the campaign’s launch.
The device I tried was still in the prototype stages and will initially be available only in Japan. However, I was told that there are plans to ship the device worldwide if interest holds.
While I’m disappointed that Western mouse enthusiasts won’t get to try the final product until 2027 (unless plans speed up), I understand the niche appeal.
It’s a hard sell, and I suspect it’ll struggle to take off.
On the surface, the Nape Pro looks to be a trackball mouse designed to be as awkward to use as possible.
On the rare occasion I encounter this furtive species, trackball mice tend to resemble bulbous alien growths, thanks to the aforementioned quest for perfect ergonomics.
When I tried to use the Nape Pro for the first time, I instinctively switched it around so that my palm sat on the trackball and my index and middle fingers rested on the mouse buttons.
However, one of the staff members on hand gently but firmly rotated it back and encouraged me to have another go.
Using the Nape Pro was a bizarre but refreshing experience
The learning curve is steep, but achievable
The intended way to use the Nape Pro is to rest your hand on a surface, and lightly rest your index and middle fingers on the trackball.
From here, you can access all six programmable keys, plus twiddle the rotating dial, which houses the trackball.
After much persuading, I finally managed to get the staff to connect the mouse to a laptop, where I was shown the web-based companion software.
This was my first real test with the Nape Pro. I don’t enjoy using trackball mice, but I was determined to let this wannabe TV remote prove itself.
After a few minutes of awkward tapping and misclicks, I began to see the appeal of the Nape Pro. Using the device is more like typing on a keyboard than using a mouse.
I had nowhere near enough time to fully grasp the mouse’s intricacies, but as I rapidly tapped, clicked, spun, and rotated parts of the Nape Pro, I felt a bizarre sense of mastery I usually only associate with baking a fresh loaf of bread or winning a game of table tennis.
However, quirky design and positive reinforcement can only go so far. Is the Nape Pro a device with a future, or is this an accessory destined for niche Reddit threads?
Is there a future for the Nape Pro?
It’s more than a niche device
After I got over the silliness of the device, I began to appreciate how useful this device could be, especially for a wandering journalist at CES.
The Nape Pro’s TV remote design fits neatly into bags; I managed to shove it into my pocket with room to spare.
It’s compact, but I don’t want to call it minimalist as it packs more features than most computer mice.
You can pull the Nape Pro out of your pocket, set it on a surface no bigger than your phone, and start using it immediately.
After I left Keychron’s booth and wandered off to find a place to sit to type this article, I couldn’t help but think what I had just left behind was exactly what I needed.
At first, I was keen to leave as CES waits for no man, but I soon realized that I was too hasty. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
The Nape Pro is far more than a niche device for enthusiasts
The Nape Pro won’t start a mouse revolution. It’s too different, weird, and challenging to capture the hearts of most folk.
But I hope the Nape Pro has a future beyond a successful crowdfunding campaign. It’s far too useful to be consigned to history.
