OpenAI launches glowing Codex keyboard to manage AI coding agents

OpenAI's first hardware device is here, and it is a keypad designed for Codex, its coding platform. Called the Codex Micro, the keypad is designed in partnership with accessories maker Work Louder, and here is how much it costs.

In Short

• OpenAI launches Codex Micro keypad to manage AI agents
• Light-up Agent Keys show whether tasks are idle, running, complete or stuck
• Users can remap controls in Codex and swap 32 icon keycaps

After months of speculation, OpenAI has finally entered the hardware business with the launch of its first hardware product – a keypad designed for its coding platform Codex. The keypad, called Codex Micro, is designed in partnership with accessories company Work Louder.

The launch of Codex Micro comes at a time when OpenAI is facing a lawsuit from Apple for allegedly misusing trade secrets and confidential information for its hardware business. Though OpenAI says that there is no evidence to show that OpenAI’s lawsuit has any merit.

But what is Codex Micro? And what does it do? Here is all you need to know.

OpenAI Codex Micro features and price

As the name suggests, the Codex Micro is designed for Codex users. OpenAI describes the device as a “command centre for agentic work,” allowing you to handle AI agents without relying only on a phone or desktop interface. It was first shown at the AI Engineer World Fair in San Francisco last month.

The keypad comes with 13 mechanical switches, a touch sensor, a rotary encoder, and a planar joystick. It also gets RGB lighting, something that is liked by many techies. The square-shaped pad features light-up Agent Keys that show task status, Command Keys for common Codex actions, a joystick for launching workflows, and a dial to adjust an agent’s reasoning level, or how much time and computing power it uses on a task.

The Codex Micro comes in two versions, "clicky" and "silent." After the launch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on X, "amazing to me that some people want the silent version."

OpenAI states that you can remap any key directly in Codex and swap them with 32 included icon keycaps. For more customisation, Work Louder Input can be used to assign shortcuts to any key, the dial, or joystick movement, with six programmable layers.

In a video about the device, Work Louder co-founder Mike Di Genova said the Micro has six frosted keys that provide a “live view of your Codex threads,” with different colours showing whether a task is idle, thinking, complete, needs input, or has hit an error. Do note that the Codex Micro is likely a rebrand of Work Louder’s pre-existing Creator Micro 2 keypad.

Codex Micro supports Bluetooth and USB-C, and works with Mac and Windows. The box includes the Codex Micro, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a Codex icon keyset.

The OpenAI keypad is priced at $230 (roughly Rs 22,000), and will be available for a limited period only. Though OpenAI has not said how many units are part of the limited-run collaboration. Pre-orders are now open.

The Codex Micro is separate from OpenAI’s larger in-house hardware plans, led by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive. Reports indicate that the company is also developing a portable, screenless smart speaker with close ChatGPT integration and moving mechanical parts, though that product is still in development and may change.

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