Varmilo unveils $50 mechanical foot keyboard keypads for gaming

Varmilo has unveiled a new line of unusual mechanical Foot Keyboard keypads—compact floor-mounted button blocks designed to be operated with your feet. The series targets games where split-second precision matters: fighting titles, shooters, and racers. The lineup includes three versions: FHGO3 with three buttons; FFG04 with four buttons on a single platform; and FIG04, which spreads four buttons across a larger pedal-style frame.

All models use Cherry MX Silent Black switches with a firm feel: 60 g to actuate and 85 g to bottom out, with 3.5 mm of travel and a 1.5 mm actuation point. The setup is tuned to avoid accidental presses when a foot is resting on the pad. The housing is 3D-printed from PLA with a separate base plate, while large 25 mm ABS buttons provide a generous target. Depending on the model, the unit weighs around 1 kg, which helps keep it from sliding across the floor during play.

Connectivity covers three modes: wired USB, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 2.4 GHz wireless link via dongle, with a physical toggle to switch between them. Power comes from a 2,500 mAh battery. The company promises response times of 10 ms or less, and on PC the polling rate goes up to 1000 Hz. Configuration is handled through the Varmilo FK2 web driver, which allows key remapping, macro creation, and SOCD handling for simultaneous opposite directions—particularly relevant for competitive fighting games.

Pricing is a clear play: all three models are listed at $50 in Varmilo’s U.S. store, notably undercutting comparable gear like the MSI Liberator foot pedal, which once arrived via crowdfunding at $139–159. There’s a catch, though—the devices are already marked as sold out, so anyone interested will have to wait for the next batch.