Limited-edition Severance keyboard features a built-in trackball, but aptly, there’s no Escape

Hit sci-fi thriller Severance, on Apple TV+, has inspired a remake of one of the signature keyboards featured in the show. The input peripheral enthusiasts at Atomic Keyboard are now accepting sign-ups for a limited edition Macrodata Refinement (MDR) Dasher Keyboard.

The pictures show various angles of the gorgeous new MDR Dasher Keyboard from Atomic Keyboards. Your eyes are probably immediately drawn to the spacious deck, which actually features a compact layout. Also, the purposeful design, with a trackball and cluster of directional keys nearby, makes this keyboard stand out from the crowd.

In the words of Atomic Keyboards, this largely blue-shaded device “boasts a unique 73-key, 70% layout with no Escape, no Control, and no Options keys (Praise Kier).” That is a reference to the stifling situation in the show and Kier Egan - the revered founder of Lumon Industries, where Severance is set.

Those with an ear to the ground in either sci-fi or keyboard circles, might already be aware that the new Atomic Keyboard effort is set to be a tribute to a tribute. The famed TV show MDR device is thought to be a rework of the Data General 6053 ‘Dasher’ Terminal, an archaic design from back in 1977.

Thankfully, the Atomic Keyboard product will bring some aspects of its influences back up to date. The upcoming limited run will come with a USB Type-C interface and is said to be compatible with Windows, Linux, and MacOS systems.

We aren't sure about the price of the upcoming MDR Dasher Keyboard, or how limited the quantities may be. However, Atomic Keyboards shows a $399 price crossed out, hinting at a price not too far below this figure.

(Image credit: Atomic Keyboards)

(Image credit: Atomic Keyboards)

A device purposed for claustrophobic retro office grind

Alternative retro-inspired tech features heavily in Severance, which revolves around the lives of a few workmates in the Macrodata Refinement dept at Lumon Industries. A central quartet of office workers sit across from each other in front of bulbous screened monitors focused on a character-based UI. Terminal users interact with a large matrix of numerals using the keyboard and trackball to narrow down and select data.

We don’t really understand this data refinement role, and we probably aren’t supposed to. It is probably just a visual metaphor for meaningless daily office grind. Meanwhile, the office atmosphere is claustrophobic and authoritarian, with the office workers we get to know not allowed to leave the building with their workaday memories intact.

Apple TV+’s Severance, which is now on season 2, is more fun than we might have made it sound. It brims with key dramatic ingredients like character building, multiple layers of tension, and a general unease at the situation these ‘severed’ minds find themselves in.

Soon, you will be able to own the (unofficial) keyboard hardware. But this niche product probably won't make the ranks of the best keyboards here on Tom's Hardware.

Interestingly, there have also existed signs of the full Terminal on Apple's site. If you search the web for 'Apple Lumon Terminal Pro,' you'll see links for now-deleted product pages on Apple.com.