Gateway AnyKey

Lore & Background

The AnyKey is distinguished by its wide footprint, necessitated by an extra double column of function keys on the left side, a unique eight-directional arrow key cluster, and four programming keys above the numeric pad. All versions are white or light gray with darker gray programming keys, extra function keys, and arrows. The keyboard uses rubber dome switches, imparting a smooth, 'mushy' feel versus mechanical offerings like IBM's Model M.

Its hardware programmability is a key feature: an internal controller and EEPROM chip store user-defined macros and remappings without requiring driver software. Any key except the four programming keys can be remapped or assigned a macro of arbitrary length. The keyboard retains its settings even when unplugged indefinitely. A DOS utility, ANYKEY.EXE, was offered for saving and uploading configurations.

The AnyKey was originally available only with an AT connector; Gateway provided a PS/2 adapter. No USB version was produced, but a PS/2-to-USB converter allows use with modern systems. The keyboard has a plastic chassis with a wedge shape, two flip-out feet at the upper corners, and on some versions a central foot for a less severe tilt.

Reader's Guide

The Gateway AnyKey's significance lies in its hardware-level programmability, which allowed users to remap keys and store macros without software drivers—a rare feature at the time. This made it especially popular among power users and programmers who valued customization and portability of settings across computers. The keyboard's cult following persisted even after its discontinuation by 1998, and its distinctive layout—with extra function keys, eight arrow keys, and dedicated programming controls—set it apart from generic keyboards. The article notes that the AnyKey is no longer manufactured, but its legacy endures through its unique design and the ability to adapt it to modern systems via adapters.

Did You Know?

• The AnyKey has a fourth indicator light labeled 'Program' to the right of the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock lights.
• The blank key in the center of the eight-way arrow area normally acts as a second space bar but can be reprogrammed.
• The keyboard's EEPROM memory retains data even if the keyboard is unplugged indefinitely.
• The AnyKey was also sold by Maxi Switch as the ProKey II (later ProKey 124).

A Keyboard Built for the Power User

The Gateway AnyKey immediately sets itself apart from the sea of generic keyboards of its era through sheer physical presence. At twenty inches wide, its footprint is noticeably larger than most contemporary offerings, a consequence of the two additional columns of function keys stacked along the left-hand side. The arrow cluster breaks from the familiar inverted-T arrangement, offering eight directional keys that include diagonal movement, with a blank key at the center that defaults to a second space bar but can be reassigned. Above the numeric pad, four dedicated keys—Program Macro, Suspend Macro, Repeat Rate, and Remap—govern the keyboard's programmable features. The entire unit sits in a white or very light gray plastic shell, with the special keys rendered in a darker gray for quick visual identification. The casing carries a wedge profile reminiscent of Dell keyboards from the same period, and rubber dome switches give the keys a smooth, slightly soft actuation that contrasts with the mechanical snap of an IBM Model M. Two flip-down feet at the upper corners, and on some revisions a central foot, let the typist adjust the tilt angle to taste.

Programming Without a Driver

What made the AnyKey genuinely novel for its time was that all of its programmability lived inside the keyboard itself. An internal controller paired with an EEPROM chip handled macro storage and key remapping at the hardware level, meaning the attached computer never needed a dedicated driver to benefit from the features. A user could assign a macro of virtually any length to any key, or simply make one key behave as another, and the controller would translate the physical press into the appropriate key-code sequence before it ever reached the operating system. The EEPROM retained its contents indefinitely, so a carefully configured layout survived power cycles, disconnections, and even being plugged into an entirely different machine. A small MS-DOS utility existed for batch-remapping or saving configurations to a file, but it was strictly optional. The only keys immune to reprogramming were the four that controlled the programming process itself. A fourth indicator light, labeled Program, sat to the right of the standard Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock LEDs to signal when the keyboard was awaiting configuration input.

The Remap Dance

Remapping on the AnyKey follows a deliberate, light-guided ritual. Pressing the Remap key once puts the keyboard into copy mode, and the Program indicator begins a steady flash to signal that it is listening. The user then taps the source key—the one whose function they want to duplicate—and follows it with the destination key. The Program light pauses briefly on each registered press, confirming the input. Crucially, the original key does not lose its function; remapping creates a second copy of the command at the new location, leaving the source free to be reassigned or given a macro of its own. Multiple remappings can be chained together in a single session without re-pressing Remap, and the light continues blinking throughout. Pressing Remap again before a pair is completed cancels the in-progress operation, while pressing it after at least one successful remap saves all completed changes. To revert a key to its factory behavior, the user simply presses Remap and then taps that same key twice, effectively remapping it to itself.

A Gateway Exclusive, A Cult Favorite

The AnyKey was never a mass-market product. Introduced in the spring of 1991, it was sold exclusively through Gateway 2000 as an optional add-on for select desktop systems, manufactured by Maxi Switch, a Tucson, Arizona subsidiary of Lite-On Technology. At least five distinct revisions appeared over the product's life, and Maxi Switch also marketed the design independently under the names ProKey II and later ProKey 124. Despite its limited retail channel, the keyboard carved out a devoted following among programmers and power users who valued its hardware-level macro and remapping capabilities. Early revisions predate the Windows and Menu keys that arrived in 1995, carrying an asterisk, backslash, or number sign in those positions depending on the intended locale. The original cable terminated in an AT-style connector, with Gateway supplying a simple adapter for the PS/2 port that began appearing on their machines around the same time. No USB version was ever produced, as the design predated that standard entirely. By 1998 at the latest, Gateway had discontinued the AnyKey, and it has not been manufactured since.