They met at the National University of Singapore as members of its entrepreneurship society and two years later, the trio is on the verge of a tech breakthrough.
Friends, Ryan Siah (24), Chik Cheng Jie (26) and Chen Pinzhang (26) bonded through their love of gaming and are the co-founders of homegrown start-up WRAEK.
Today, WRAEK unveiled its first two products – the WRAEK Tactonic Keyboard (USD$149) and the WRAEK Tactonic Pad (USD$119).
The products work individually and can be combined via magnets to function as one. The WRAEK Tactonic Pro bundle – consisting of the keyboard and the force-pad controller – costs USD$259 on Kickstarter with a 35 percent discount.
The technology breakthrough is in the WRAEK Tactonic Pad which works like a joystick for the palm. Instead of having fingers resting on the W, A, S and D movement keys, the force-pad maps directional force of the palm for users to execute character movements. Akin to the simplified movements of a joystick, the force-pad is maneuvered through the gentle pushes of the palm.
WRAEK built the force-pad controller from ground up at its own office and has a patent pending for its innovation. It is the first palm-controller of its kind in the world.
The Tactonic Pad offers a competitive advantage for gamers, especially in three genres – MOBA, MMORPG and shooter. The advantage in MMORPGs like World Of Warcraft and in shooters such as Valorant and Overwatch is obvious – the force-pad frees the fingers from the movement keys on the keyboard, eliminating the constant need to switch between keys.
In MOBAS such as League of Legends and DOTA, the force-pad can be used for camera panning instead of moving the mouse to the edges of the screen. This allows efficient mouse movement and higher cursor control.
The start-up has already raised $300,000 since its humble beginnings – with the funds coming from an angel investor, government funding, friends, and family.
The WRAEK Tactonic Keyboard and the WRAEK Tactonic Pad will be available for pre-orders from 27 January 2022 on Kickstarter.
Tactonic Keyboard
| Switches used | Offering Gateron Blues, Browns, Reds. Custom switches on demand. |
| Stabilizers | Lubed Cherry-style Stabilizers. Sturdy spacebar. |
| Keycaps | Extra-thick double-shot PBT keycaps |
| Lighting | 16.8 million colours for RGB backlighting |
| Custom Build | 5-pin hot swappable. Case and plate foam. 3 adjustable angles 4°/7°/9° |
| Connector | USB-C Connector |
| Size | Tenkeyless layout |
| Materials | ABS |
| Dimensions | 362 L x 137 W x 37.5 H (mm) |
| Weight | 1.09kg |
| Compatible Operating Systems | Windows, Android, Mac, IOS |
Tactonic Pad
| Build | Nylon core with a silicon resistance block |
| Motion Sensor | Ultra-sensitive, pressure adjustable |
| Surface | Mirror polish with attachable surfaces |
| Lighting | 16.8 million colours for RGB backlighting and force indicative lighting |
| Modes | 5 operating default modes |
| Force pressure | Detects 10g to 500g of force |
| Connector | USB-C Connector |
| Size | Tenkeyless layout |
| Materials | ABS |
| Dimensions | 360 L x 90 W x 20 H (mm) |
| Weight | 0.65kg |
| CompatibleOperating Systems | Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android |
