🚀 February Update – Right-Hand Final Assembly Date Confirmed!
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Feb 12, 2025 at 12:14:24 AM
Hello Backers,
I've been holding off on this update until I had a confirmed build date from the factory—and now I do! We’re making great progress, so let’s dive in.
🏗 Right-Hand Build Status
📅 Final Assembly Starts: March 5th
🔧 Estimated Assembly Duration: ~1 week
The factory is set to begin the final assembly of the right-hand units on March 5th, and I’ll be there in person to monitor the process. This is a huge milestone, and I can’t wait to see these units come together!
📦 Shipping & Address Verification
✅ Addresses have been migrated from Backerkit to our shipper
📩 Right-Hand Unit (only/split shipment) emails from Easyship in early to mid-March
To ensure your shipping details are correct, our fulfillment partner, Easyship (a Kickstarter partner), will send out an address verification email. This system ensures that we have the most up-to-date address just 1-2 weeks before shipping begins.
💡 Who needs to check their email?
- Backers receiving right-hand units only
- Backers who opted for split shipments
✋ Left-Hand Units – Waiting on Mold Updates
Unfortunately, I haven’t received an update on the left-hand molds despite my continued efforts. The factory is fully focused on right-hand production at the moment, but I’ll keep pushing for information.
🛠 Next steps:
- I’ll continue pressing for updates on the mold progress
- If needed, I’ll follow up directly while I’m overseas monitoring the right-hand build
I’m hopeful the left-hand molds are close to completion, but I’ll keep you posted as soon as I get solid info.
🔄 Updated Plastics – A Much-Needed Improvement!
Back in December, we made some critical upgrades to the mouse components:
✔ Thumb buttons – Vastly improved! The feedback has been excellent.
✔ Scroll wheel – Previous issues seem to be resolved.
✔ Other refinements – Various small parts have been upgraded.
I've been testing an updated unit myself, and the changes were 100% worth the delay. While I wish we could have shipped sooner, I’m glad we prioritized quality over speed.
🎉 Final Thoughts – We’re Almost There!
Thank you all for your continued support and patience! I know this has taken longer than I initially projected back in December, but we now have a build date, which is a massive step forward.
Stay tuned for the next update, and as always—thank you for believing in this project!
Best,
Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.
🛠️ Parts Updates and More
3 months ago
– Fri, Dec 27, 2024 at 10:12:17 PM
🛠️ Parts Updates and More
It’s been a productive month here at Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.! The new parts mentioned in last month’s update arrived at the start of this week, and I’ve been busy evaluating them. The new thumb buttons, along with other updates, are performing significantly better than the previous versions. I’m thrilled with the improvements!
We’ve already kicked off parts fabrication and are targeting final assembly for the right-hand unit pre-orders before the Chinese New Year begins on January 25th. However, the factory hasn’t committed to this date yet, so it’s more likely assembly will happen just after February 5th, once operations resume after the holiday.
📦 Parts Updated This Month:
🖱️ Thumb Board Circuit Board: We adjusted switch placement and added new LED locations. These updates enhance lighting and improve button press consistency.
🔘 Button Cap Updates: Significant improvements have been made to the button caps, and I’m very pleased with their feel. I hope you will be, too!
⚙️ Button Cap Retention Plate: Modified for better manufacturability, enhanced light dispersion, and compatibility with the new button caps. This update went very smoothly.
✋ Pinky Plate Texture: The improved grip makes lifting the mouse easier. While a more aggressive texture might offer slight benefits, it could also feel intrusive, so we’re sticking with this refined texture for now.
🔄 Pinky Middle Buttons Update: Material was removed from the bottom of the pinky button to resolve clicking issues observed during factory testing. This fix works perfectly.
⏳ Previous Update (Oct-Nov):
🔄 Scroll Wheel Improvements: We added a softer material ring to the mouse wheel and refined the wheel shaft. Early units lacked these updates, and some backers reported scrolling issues. These improvements have effectively resolved those problems.
💻 Software Note:
Some users have encountered communication issues between the mouse and our software. The solution? Run the software in Admin Mode if you're experiencing this issue.
🫲 Left-Hand Units Update:
I requested an update on the left-hand molds this week, but with many on Christmas vacation, I’m still awaiting a detailed response. I anticipate the molds will be completed in January.
Thank you all for your continued support and patience. We're making great progress, and I can't wait to share more updates soon!
If you have any questions for me or just want to see what is being said, join our Discord: https://discord.gg/t82P8tYfC7
Stay tuned, and happy holidays! 🎉
Branden, Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.
🖐️ Right-Hand Units Update
4 months ago
– Wed, Nov 13, 2024 at 07:48:20 AM
Hello Backers,
🚀 Production Update
We’re still moving forward with production! However, after receiving feedback from the first batch, we’ve decided to make a slight pivot in how we’ll deliver the right-hand units. Here’s a quick look at what led to this decision and how we’re addressing it.
🔍 Background
Months ago, we identified areas for improvement based on pilot feedback:
-
Thumb Buttons: While initially okay, they needed better surfaces for the thumb buttons and consistency in click feel.
-
Liftability: Enhancing the ease of lifting was also important.
🛠️ Our Fixes
To tackle these issues, we updated:
- The thumb area with a new circuit board for better lighting, new button surface designs, and an improved internal plastics design.
- Added texture to the pinky side for enhanced grip, aiding liftability.
🎯 Community Input
After discussing with our Discord community, we initially planned to offer update kits for early units so both left- and right-hand versions would match. However, recent feedback showed that we need to implement these changes sooner.
📊 What Happened?
This month, we shipped over 100 units. Feedback highlighted usability concerns with thumb buttons and liftability, which led us to re-evaluate. When polled, 50% of our community wanted to wait for the updates, while the other half wanted the units as soon as possible.
📬 The Solution: Your Choice
To meet everyone’s needs, we’re giving you the choice:
- Receive your right-hand unit as soon as possible (All components are ready, but due to our recent pivot, the factory has rescheduled our assembly to early December.).
- Wait for the updated mold (estimated to start assembly just after the Chinese New Year which goes from Jan 25th to Feb 5th for our factory).
We’ll send an email survey this week so you can select your preference. If you don’t respond, you’ll be defaulted to receive the updated units.
📦 Update Kits
Update kits will include:
- A new thumb circuit board.
- New thumb section plastics.
- Grip tape for the pinky area.
- New PTFE feet (as they may get damaged during the update).
Video instructions will guide you through installation, which involves removing the PTFE feet, eight screws, and replacing parts with the kit parts.
🛠️ Our Commitment
Quality is important to us. If any part (like the scroll wheel or thumb buttons) shows signs of wear in the future, we plan to offer replacements to keep your mouse in top shape. We’re committed to creating a sustainable product, and we want to try to prevent you from having to discard these over minor issues.
Your feedback is always welcome—Discord and email are our preferred feedback media, and we are open for your thoughts, which help us improve. Sometimes feedback can be tough to hear, but it’s essential to making Hedgehog Gaming products as robust as possible.
I think this discord link should work: https://discord.gg/t82P8tYfC7
Thank you so much for your continued support,
-Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.
🚀 Another Great Month of Amazing Progress!
4 months ago
– Sat, Nov 02, 2024 at 12:56:24 PM
This month has been full of exciting progress! We’ve wrapped up key right-hand mold modifications, including successful button adjustments and alignment improvements, that set us up for this smooth production run. We are starting to ship some right-hand units next week but, the majority of the right-hand units will finish production by November 23rd and will ship from Hong Kong soon after, ensuring speedy delivery. We've been in touch via BackerKit to confirm addresses, and you’ll also receive an email from Easyship by November 18th for final address verification and shipping payment. For those who ordered both left- and right-hand units, we will need to find out if you want to combine shipments or separate shipments which may incur additional fees. Left-hand unit mold adjustments are underway—thank you all for your patience and support!
🛠️ Plastics Mold Modifications:
The mold modifications went exceptionally well!
Button Adjustment: There were actually several button adjustments needed, but they turned out perfectly. The small delay was worth it for this improvement!
Alignment Pin Issue: With the shortened alignment pin, the factory is no longer experiencing the issues they had before.
📆 Production Timeline:
We had some right-hand units come off the line that will begin shipping out starting next week! The majority are scheduled to complete production by November 23rd, and those units will then go to the Easyship distribution warehouse in Hong Kong. Right-hand units should arrive in Hong Kong on or before November 25th.
📦 Shipping:
Once at Easyship, the process will move quickly. They will securely pack the product boxes in larger containers with ample padding and ship them promptly from there.
📨 Easyship, Manual Mailing, and BackerKit:
This week, I sent an email through BackerKit to allow everyone to double-check their address. I want to ensure every address is current, and I don't have visibility on the last update dates for addresses on that platform.
Most of you will verify your address via an email from Easyship (on behalf of Hedgehog Gaming) from [email protected] estimated before November 18th—this will also be the time to pay for shipping.
Anyone who ordered both left- and right-hand devices will receive an email from either [email protected] or an @hedgehoggaming.com e-mail with a Google form link. This survey will confirm your shipping address and offer the choice between combined shipping (shipping both devices once the left-hand units are ready) or split shipping (shipping each device separately, with an additional shipping charge for each package).
Additionally, some backers may receive a Google survey for address verification, which will also come from [email protected] or an @hedgehoggaming.com e-mail with a Google form link.
Note1: It is IMPORTANT that you fill in these surveys so we know we are shipping to the most updated address and we know when and how you'd like your shipments.
Note2: If you haven't received any emails from BackerKit, please contact me so we can get you set up.
👈 Left-Hand Units:
With the right-hand mold adjustments completed, we’ve applied these improvements to the left-hand mold engineering files. The toolmaker is set to begin work on those molds next week, pending final reviews and verifications.
Thank you so much for your continued support and patience. We’re so close, and I’m incredibly excited to get these units into your hands!
With gratitude,
Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.
🚀 Moving Right Along! 🚀
5 months ago
– Wed, Oct 02, 2024 at 10:54:00 AM
Great news, backers! 🎉 Our latest Pilot+ run helped us fine-tune a few details, like adjusting a button fit and tweaking an alignment pin, ensuring everything is just right for you. These small fixes shifted our production timeline slightly to October 21st. We are also upgraded our packaging after a shipping lesson, so your units will be even better protected. Lastly, we're making sure the left-hand units are flawless, even if it means a small delay. We’re closer than ever to delivering the goods! 🙌
🛠️ The Pilot Run Evaluation 🛠️
We received the units from the latest Pilot+ run and, while they looked great overall, we ran into a couple of minor hiccups. Here’s what happened:
-
Button Adjustment: One button was tighter than we wanted, so we removed a bit of material from the design (by adding some material to the mold) to fix that.
-
Alignment Pin Issue: A molded alignment pin was breaking off during production, causing problems. We shortened the pin to solve the issue.
These adjustments were necessary, and though they caused some delays, they were crucial to ensuring we ship your top-notch devices. We initially aimed for a couple of earlier build start dates, pushing for late September despite the factory setting October 14th as the target. However, with the recent fixes in place, our official start date is now set for the week of October 21st. While pushing these dates out again is annoying, we feel it’s worth it to get this right. 🙌
📦 Shipping & Packaging Improvements 📦
We also learned something valuable about packaging during shipping. One of the six boxes of pilot units got separated and ended up in a different state for a while. It arrived a week later looking a little beat up. Fortunately, the units themselves were unharmed! 🎉 However, some of the blister packs protecting them weren’t so lucky. We’ve increased the thickness of the blister packaging to ensure better protection during future shipments.
🏗️ Production Timeline 🏗️
Our factory will now start building the units the week of October 21st. We’re confident that we'll be shipping right-hand units during the first week of November, with all orders sent out by the end of November.
Expect to see e-mails in the middle of this month so we can get all updated shipping information from you.
✋ Left-Hand Units ✋
Originally, the left-hand mold was set to be completed by mid-October. However, the changes made to the right-hand molds also apply to the left-hand units, which pushed their timeline back by about a month. Rest assured, we’re working hard to ensure that the left-hand units are perfect on the first try!
Thank you again for your continued support! We’re excited to deliver a top-tier product, and we couldn’t do it without you. 💙
With gratitude,
Branden
Hedgehog Gaming, Inc.
