What happened to WASD keyboards?

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Here’s what ChatGPT said for history, and it’s mostly correct but out of date as far as WASD being completely gone now –

WASD keyboards prominence has diminished in recent years due to a few factors:

  1. Increased competition: The custom mechanical keyboard market exploded with new entrants like Keychron, Drop (formerly Massdrop), Glorious, and hundreds of boutique makers offering hot-swappable boards, gasket mounting, wireless connectivity, etc. WASD didn’t evolve as quickly with trends like those.
  2. Limited innovation: While WASD was early to the game with custom keycap printing and layout configurators (even Dvorak and Colemak options), their core products remained fairly basic—OEM profile, plastic cases, and Cherry switches only—while competitors pushed the envelope on materials, design, and acoustics.
  3. No hot-swappable or wireless options: These features became standard expectations in the enthusiast and even casual market, and WASD hasn’t kept pace.
  4. Brand visibility: They were an early darling among programmers and gamers, but the brand hasn’t maintained a strong presence in YouTube reviews or enthusiast communities like r/MechanicalKeyboards.

They’re still fulfilling orders (as of 2025), and some users love their boards for typing, especially in corporate or minimalist setups. But in the hobbyist scene, they’ve become more of a legacy player.

Also

https://support.wasdkeyboards.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/27398762768791-Is-WASD-Keyboard-done

and

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