Gaming keyboards often include more features than standard keyboards. Many are hot swappable mechanical boards with a limited number of programmable keys. However, even top-of-the-line gaming boards such as Razer's BlackWidow are limited compared to high-end ergonomic boards. Founded by professional gamer Luis "Deilor" Sevilla, Dygma aims to bridge that gap with the Raise 2 (Figure 1), a board that introduces some but not all the features of fully ergonomic boards. The goal is an ambitious one, as reflected in the company name, which is derived from the Spanish word for "paradigm." The result is a keyboard suitable for both gamers and a general audience, although the design decisions are a mixed success. While some are efficient, others seem to be made with conflicting intents and without consideration of the user experience.

Figure 1: The Raise 2 ready for use, with tenting installed.

The Raise 2 has several of the features of the newest generation of ergonomic keyboards. These include:

• hot-swappable keyswitches that can change the pressure needed to press the key and the distance keys travel
• a split keyboard that allows typing in a less stressful position
• software to customize every key
• a reduced keyboard size that minimizes finger movement between keys
• wrist pads for non-touch typists

However, several ergonomic features are absent from the Raise 2. First, key sculpting for easy movement between keys is limited to a few low-rise keyswitches in the bottom row of keys and some larger modifier keys. More importantly, tenting (the sloping of the keyboard from the middle) and tilting (the sloping of the keyboard away from the typist) is only available in an $80 option that must be added during assembly, and cannot be added after. Unlike the Keyboardio Model 100, the Raise 2 has neither an inexpensive tenting method, nor, like the ZSA Moonlander, a variety of differently priced tenting features. In fact, no tenting is included at all in the basic price. And perhaps the most significant missing feature is the vertical key columns that minimize finger movement. Instead, the Raise 2 has the staggered key columns found on average keyboards. This choice is a deliberate one, based on Dygma's first attempt at a keyboard. Based on user feedback, Dygma concluded that vertical key columns were the ergonomic feature to which newcomers found hardest to adjust, typically taking anywhere from a few days to a few months to become accustomed to it. The company's solution was its intermediary Raise product line. Those who want the full ergonomic experience must turn to the company's Defy product line. Both product lines are configurable with Dygma's Bazecor, released under GPLv3 and forked from Keyboardio's Kaleidoscope firmware configurator.

Engineering Decisions

When the Raise 2 was announced in November 2023, Dygma emphasized that it would have wireless connectivity. At the time, few (if any) ergonomic keyboards were wireless, but by the time the Raise 2 shipped in December 2024, wireless connectivity had become more common. Instead, besides the ergonomic features, Dygma emphasizes the Raise 2's sturdy physical construction, mentioning in videos the aluminum base and double shot PBT keycaps, and its braided cables. The final product is a keyboard much heavier than rival products such as the ZSA Moonlander, and less portable. Combined with the Raise 2's hot swappable keyswitches, which, unusually, can be three or five pins, the result promises to be a board with years of use.

However, not all the engineering decisions are so successful. With gamers as a main market, development of the Raise 2 seems to have been side tracked at times by minor features, if Dygma's video blog is any indication. For example, the company put considerable effort into the underglow, dozens of LEDs along the bottom edge of the casing. Going one better than Razer's mouses, Dygma used RGBW lights rather than RGB ones, in order to get brighter white lights. It also added more LEDs during development – and all for a feature that has no function except to indicate the current layer, a function already available in the firmware. Development also focused on palm pads, experiments about how to attach them to the casing with magnets, and how much silicon gel with which to fill them, despite the fact palm pads are the least important ergonomic feature, and are unnecessary if users adjust their chair heights and hang their fingers above the keyboard like a touch typist.

Other features can only be described as overengineered at the expense of the user experience. They lack the elegance of simplicity, and some take time to set up without the online manual. To join the keyboard halves into a single traditional keyboard, the Raise 2 uses a series of rods that are inserted into corresponding holes on the opposite half (Figure 2). Because of the staggered key columns, the two halves are different sizes and meet in ragged sides, a choice that looks makeshift when contrasted with Keyboardio's hardwood bases or ZSA's science-fictional aesthetic. Moreover, it is so elaborate that it seems a likely breaking point. By contrast, Keyboardio joins the halves of its Model 100 with a five-inch-long piece of plastic that is easily replaced and cannot effect the keyboard's functionality.

Another overengineered feature is the tenting mechanism, which is especially hard to set up without wobble when reverse tenting is attempted. But the least user-friendly design choice is the two inch neuron that controls the rest of the board. When wired, it is external to the keyboard halves, making it one more thing that can be lost, and the three cables attached it have a tendency to wriggle out of position at the least movement. Nor is the correct port for each cable immediately clear. When used with Bluetooth, the neuron must be unconnected and inserted into the bottom of the left half. Considerable nuisance to the user could be avoided if the neuron had a permanent position in the casing.

Figure 2: A closeup of the Raise 2's method of connecting its two keyboard halves.

Yet another example of the lack of focus on users' needs is Bazecor, the software for customizing and flashing the Raise 2's firmware (Figure 3). Bazecor is organized so that readers are guided through the creation of features such as macros and superkeys, followed by their application to a key. Dygma even moved away from the brightly colored, 3D, photo-realistic layouts used in development videos, which created a false impression of complication. However, Bazecor prints key labels in a small font that is unreadable with longer labels. Nor does it provide the ability to print out layouts, or any other way for users to keep track of their customizations. The best users can do is keep Bazecor open while working, which is much less convenient than having the customized layout always visible. Moreover, Bazecor ships with superkeys in beta, and it corrupted twice in testing, requiring restoration from backup. As in so many things with the Raise 2, the planned features are there, but the implementation can be incomplete or imperfect.

Figure 3: Bazecor is Dygma's configurator.

Customer Relations

Alone among top-end ergonomic keyboard manufacturers, Dygma attempts to educate customers with regular videos. These videos can have a cringe-worthy TikTok sensibility and always have Dygmas products coming out on top in comparisons, but are nevertheless full of information about keyboards and ergonomics. Additionally, during the work week, Dygma's support responds within the promised 24 hours, and the company offers extras such as an enhancement kit with a sampling of switches and discounted complete keyswitch sets. During the Raise 2's development, pre-orders were also offered at a 20-percent discount with a free extra and free shipping. In short, the company's customer relations are second to none.

Still, the over-engineered priorities remain a reason for second thought. In the video Why the Dygma Raise 2 Costs So Much, Dygma explains that its pricing is directly due to its lengthy development efforts – much of which seems misplaced. At the basic price of $369, the Raise 2's price is comparable to ergonomic keyboards from other manufacturers. However, the basic price does not include wireless connectivity, tenting, or the underglow, which together add another $250, making it one of the most expensive ergonomic keyboards on the market. Add the overengineering at the expense of usability, and the full price might make anybody pause, even with the outstanding customer service.

Despite the odd priorities, typing on the Raise 2 is a comfortable, more customizable experience than a traditional keyboard. In fact, the heavy construction has the unexpected advantage of making the lighter keyswitches that I prefer wobble less than they do on other ergonomic boards. Otherwise, though, while its features may be new to the gamers' market, the Raise 2 offers little that other ergonomics boards do not implement in a more practical way. In the end, the main reason to consider the Raise 2 is its solid construction, and even then, buyers might prefer to wait until Bazecor is fully functional. There is a quality product inside the Raise 2 that struggles to get out, but it is going to take a while to actually emerge.