OpenAI’s new hardware is a $230, 13-switch keyboard for Codex

OpenAI released its first hardware product, the Codex Micro, a $230 13-switch wireless keyboard designed to help developers monitor and control Codex AI agents. The device includes mechanical switches, a joystick, rotary encoder, and RGB lighting, and is manufactured by Work Louder.

OpenAI is selling its first hardware — without any help from Jony Ive https://www.computerworld.com/article/3992592/jony-ive-and-openai-plan-bicycles-for-21st-century-minds.html . It describes the Codex Micro as a “ command center for agentic work https://openai.com/supply/co-lab/work-louder/ ” but it’s really a 13-switch wireless keyboard customized to help developers keep tabs on what their Codex agents are doing. It costs $230. The keyboard has 13 mechanical switches one keycap covers two of them by default , a rotary encoder, joystick, and RGB backlighting around the whole keypad and individual keys. It comes with 32 customizable icon keycaps. OpenAI claims that the Codex Micro is a serious business tool: The command keys enable Codex users accept changes, reject outputs, push-to-talk, start new chats, and trigger custom actions. The rotary encoder can be used to dial up the “brainpower” allocated to tasks — or in more conventional terms, how many tokens to allocate to reasoning on a task. And the RGB lighting can provide feedback on how various tasks are progressing. And the RGB lighting under the “agent” keys can provide feedback on how various tasks are progressing. The Codex Micro’s manufacturer, Work Louder, already has a similar device on the market, the Creator Micro https://worklouder.cc/creator-micro-2 , which offers similar functionality, but without the colorful keys. It costs $56 less than the Codex Micro, however. The Codex Micro will fit in snugly with OpenAI’s other merchandise https://openai.com/supply/shop/ , where using Codex is as much about a fashion statement as a technological choice. This article first appeared on InfoWorld.