Software

The USB microcontroller used in the NuPhy Air96 V2 has open-source firmware support, which is one of the differentiating aspects compared to the older NuPhy Air96. It also has QMK firmware support, as listed here. Note that NuPhy is still working on getting VIA to automatically detect the keyboard configuration, but in the meantime you can find the JSON file here along with a guide outlining the simple steps to get VIA working. You can go to the online VIA configurator or download the latest release off GitHub if you want to have something installed on your PC. I've tested both approaches and they work the same, although the installed program can be slightly faster with more complex firmware loadouts and saves. Load the JSON file and VIA will request access to the keyboard via a pop-up, as seen above, following which the configuration will load immediately.

Anyone who has used VIA before already knows what to do, although I will point to this video which will work as a decent tutorial/starting point for those new to the experience. The video above also quickly walks through using the keyboard with VIA, including with the various layers on offer as well as the extensive key mapping options. Notice how providing access to the keyboard automatically pulls up the default key map for all the 100 keys on board as well as the volume control wheel. We also see the pre-programmed layers, with the first two being used for macOS and layers 2+3 for Windows. This can be confusing for people if they expect the layers to automatically shift or allow re-mapping irrespective of which OS you are on though, so please be aware of it. There are also plenty of spare layers with lots of empty slots for you to fill out as needed with a variety of key assignment options, macro recording/editing, as well as control over the LEDs on the PCB. The keyboard, with VIA, also has a lot of lighting effects—many more than the last time we saw a VIA-compatible keyboard—to where I imagine these will satisfy most users.