# Codex Micro

13 Hacker News commenters recommended Codex Micro and 47 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended mainly for its looks, colors and status lights, and as a collectible or novelty; critics call it overpriced at $230 and a gimmick without a microphone or speaker.

## Why people recommend it

- Attractive design and colors (4 comments): "Looks cool. I’m looking for a macro pad with a little LCD that’s Mac and Linux compatible." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48923545)) "This is really pretty, but I'm surprised it doesn't have a microphone." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48927014)) "I like it because it looks sleak, and the colors are neat." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48923703))
- Fun as a collectible or artifact (3 comments): "It would be a nice collectable trinket, but OpenAI is quite down on the list of companies I'd gift money to" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48927981)) "Maybe it's worth getting one just to cherish this crazy moment 10 years later." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48927871)) "It's an amusing marketing gimmick, and historical artifact, if nothing else." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48926809))
- Status lights look fun (2 comments): "Its completely pointless yet I still want it. IDK, its the status lights that look fun." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48925365)) "This design looks great though, status lights are a nice touch." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48923662))
- Novel new input method to try (2 comments): "I love experimenting with new modalities and this is a cool idea pre-packaged." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48929256)) "For a newbie / newcomer it looks like someone finally thought of them." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48926396))

## What people warn about

- Too expensive for what it offers (4 comments): "looks nice, want. lol, why is this $230" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48924712)) "over expensive hardware, sometimes not even shipping with friendly layers for rookies" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48925502)) "an overpriced product that would be 10 times better if you configured it yourself" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48950498))
- No microphone or speaker (3 comments): "This is really pretty, but I'm surprised it doesn't have a microphone." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48927014)) "No microphone input, no speakers, and no included months of Codex membership." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48929975)) "I was a little surprised to see it doesn't even have a microphone or speaker" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48926761))
- Novelty with little lasting use (4 comments): "It's not clear why this physical object is a better solution to the problem than, say, a window on your screen." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48923522)) "its simply a novel, oddly satisfying input mechanism, at least for the first day" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48924456)) "Nothing about it is interesting or unique or really leverages the power of LLMs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48923912))
- Distrust of OpenAI as maker (3 comments): "It would be a nice collectable trinket, but OpenAI is quite down on the list of companies I'd gift money to" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48927981)) "If this is a sign of what’s to come from OAI, it’s going to be worse than Meta devices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48925720)) "you donate $230 to OpenAI to support their mission of rear ending the singularity" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48925987))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Elgato Stream Deck](https://hackerapproved.com/p/elgato-stream-deck.md): 14 recommend
- [Griffin PowerMate](https://hackerapproved.com/p/griffin-powermate.md): 6 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Codex+Micro+keyboard&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Codex Micro", https://hackerapproved.com/p/codex-micro/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).