HyperSpace TrackPad Pro is canceled, Hyper promises refunds to Kickstarter backers

Disclosure: Some links on this page are monetized by the Skimlinks, Amazon, Rakuten Advertising, and eBay, affiliate programs, and Liliputing may earn a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on those links. All prices are subject to change, and this article only reflects the prices available at time of publication.

The HyperSpace TrackPad Pro was designed to be the best external TrackPad available for Windows PCs. With a large touch surface, haptic feedback, force detection, wired and wireless support, and software that lets you assign configurable actions to the four “dynamic action zones” in the corners.

Unfortunately it’s not actually going to ship. Hyper has posted an update on the Kickstarter campaign page for the TrackPad Pro announcing that ” efforts to resolve supply chain and production challenges, we have determined that there is no viable path to deliver the product to the standard and timeframe expected.”

Hyper is offering refunds – backers can either opt for a full cash refund or Hyper Shop credit worth the price of their pledge + $50 to spend on any item the company sells through its website.

The announcement doesn’t come out of the blue. After launching the crowdfunding campaign last fall, Hyper let backers know in February that it had run into supply chain issues that meant a delay was the best case scenario. The company was already offering refunds at that time for folks who didn’t want to wait to find out if this thing would ever see the light of day.

I don’t personally back a lot of crowdfunding products, because there’s always risk that a product might not ship, or that if it does it won’t live up to its promise. There are also usually long delays – backing a Kickstarter campaign isn’t like walking into a store and walking out with a product. Even if everything does go according to plan, you might have to wait months or years to get the thing you wanted.

But I did back this project for a few reasons. One, because Hyper is an established brand and I figured the risks were relatively low. And two, because it’s really hard to find good TrackPads for Windows.

I do really like the Ploopy TrackPad I purchased last summer, but I was looking forward to trying the HyperSpace TrackPad Pro with its sturdier aluminum case, support for Bluetooth (as well as USB) connections, and pressure-sensitive surface with haptic feedback. I didn’t really care too much about the customizable action zones, but I suppose that’s something I might have gotten around to trying eventually.

So I didn’t request a refund in February. But now that the campaign has been scrapped, I put in my request.

While I’m a little disappointed, it turns out that I don’t use my Ploopy TrackPad as much as I used to… not because there’s any problem with it, but because it turns out that switching from a Logitech MX Vertical mouse to an MX Master 3S and teaching myself to stop resting my palm on my desk while holding a mouse has gone a long way toward helping alleviate the wrist and thumb pain that set me on the quest for the perfect (for me) input device.