Keychron, the gaming peripheral creator, has developed a name for itself as a defender of open-source software over the last few years. It has an entire ‘Open Source Design Project’, where it posts access to files to customise its keyboards, and it even uses ZMK and QMK, which are open-source software for keyboards. Open-source mouse firmware has gone unloved by the company, until now.
Keychron announced on X that it’s currently developing ZGM, an open-source gaming mouse software for use with its mice. The company plans to launch ZGM at the start of 2027. Keychron says in the announcement, “Every gaming mouse on the market runs firmware you can’t read, can’t audit, can’t change. So we built it ourselves.”
Alongside this, the company has published a new website, explaining the benefits of open-source gaming mouse firmware and how it came about. The new software is built on Zephyr ROTS and designed to be scalable and modular, meaning it can support multiple hardware variants and can work with unique sensors, buttons, and scroll wheels without rewriting.
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It’s also designed with low-latency input in mind, and will support both wired and wireless mice. The benefit of it being open-source is that other users can contribute to it or fork it to make their own build.
Keychron points out that the software will work with the newly unveiled G6 HE, which is its 46 g wireless gaming mouse with a swappable battery, hybrid optical/magnetic switches, and a pretty neat charging puck too. Naturally, though open-source software is good to have, it won’t work with just anything out of the digital box. It often needs fine-tuning for specific hardware, which is why Keychron clarifies it will work with the G6 HE. But because it’s open-source, one could technically refine it for non-compatible hardware.
Keyboards have QMK. They have ZMK. Mice have… nothing. 🔒Every gaming mouse on the market runs firmware you can’t read, can’t audit, can’t change.So we built it ourselves.ZGM — Zephyr Gaming Mouse. Open-source firmware for gaming mice, coming Q1 2027. The G6 HE will run… pic.twitter.com/naSdDXeMBhJuly 29, 2026
If you want to keep an eye on the project, it currently has a public GitHub repository, but Keychron notes it is “currently in its early setup phase.” The project mostly contains “project scaffolding, policy files, and the initial project direction” as of right now.
Still, with the likes of GMK already out there, open-source mouse firmware should bridge a gap between hardware and should give you unified language for both your Keychron mouse and keyboard. And an added benefit is that the more open-source projects that are out there, the more likely other companies are to follow suit.
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