If you ever found yourself pressing the wrong button when trying to perform a copy and paste action on your computer — look no further; I have the solution for you. Stack Overflow has created a macropad that was programmed to perform just two actions: copy and paste.
Stack Overflow's The Key is as compact as keyboards can get, so you can feel confident knowing you never press the wrong button when you need to copy and/paste something. The keypad has a C and V key associated with copying and pasting when you prefer not to use a mouse or trackpad. There's also a third button, and while it most likely acts as a substitute for the Ctrl or Cmd key, Stack Overflow says all three buttons are programmable. Personally, I think re-programming the C and V key to doing something that isn't copying and pasting defeats the purpose of buying it entirely, but you do you.
Stack Overflow originally created this concept earlier this year as a gag for April Fool's Day. And while the gag itself is quite funny, the company's blog post notes that people began showing genuine interest and were upset this was not an actual product they could buy.
While it is always great to see company's turn April Fool's Day gags into real products, this idea is nothing novel. Programmable compact keyboards have been around for a little while – a quick search on stores including Amazon, AliExpress, and Drop show a number of different macropads.
But if you really like Stack Overflow's design, or you just want to buy this as a gag joke for someone, the company is partnering with Drop to release The Key. It retails for $29, and the next batch is slated to begin shipping on December 13, making this the perfect stocking stuffer for your loved one.
Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.