Meet Y70 Touch: An Interview with the Lead Roadmap Architect

Meet the Y70 Touch, the newest addition to the Y-series of HYTE PC cases! We loved seeing all the reactions to our newest case, and we're so excited to see the builds that users come up with. In the meantime, we set up an exclusive interview with our Lead Roadmap Architect, Rob Teller, for an insider look at the thought process behind HYTE's updated modern aesthetic case.

Q: What were some of your design philosophies going into the creation of the Y70 Touch?

A: We wanted to take all the feedback that the users had given us about the Y60 and incorporate that into a new model. Some parts of the Y60 felt a little disjointed, or less designed and more engineered. We were able to take a look at what we had built with the Y60 and apply a more concerted effort to make it feel like it was all one, interconnected, multi-dimensional solution.

With the Y70 Touch, we were able to take a lot more time (an inordinately large amount of time) to focus on making it feel like one cohesive solution, and I think we achieved that better than any other case manufacturer is doing today.

Q: Going off of that. Was there anything that you wanted to see on the case, but couldn't make happen?

A: We were very focused on keeping the cost about the same, so we didn’t indulge in high-priced luxuries -- other than the touch screen, of course. We really tried to focus on how we could take existing materials and optimize them to be more functional and more attractive.

I don’t know how much we want to get into this, but having completely removable filters would be something that would be really nice. However, it would add an enormous amount of cost.

We did get a lot done with the Y70 Touch so that’s really it. I think this case maximizes its dollar and I feel really, really happy with that.

Q: Why does the Y70 Touch have a touchscreen?

A: There were so many people installing the Y60 corner screens. In some territories, we were seeing that with 70-80% of Y60s sold, people were also installing the LCD screens. So we knew the demand was there.

When I had done it and spent a long amount of time with it, I realized the value of that screen to me as a user drastically fell off when it wasn't new and the cool factor wore off a little bit. Without being able to interact with it, it just wasn't very functional.

With the touch screen, pre-installing it, and launching it as the default solution, I think it allowed us to get a really aggressive cost on those screens and bring a better solution to end users than if we had made it optional.

Q: What was the biggest complication that you and your team ran into while designing the case?

A: Structural integrity. The Y60 is already missing 25% of its structural support by not having the vertical steel in the front left corner. The Y70 Touch is even bigger to scale, so you have an even longer run of material that is not supported. And so it was very difficult to retain the same structural rigidity of the chassis when you scaled up the volume. But for the most part, the material strength is the same.

Q: What should future builders look forward to once they get their hands on this case?

A: I think it's a modern way to interface with your computer. Your main monitor is really how you’ve been able to interface with your digital world, but this second screen is really how you can interface with the computer itself. You can manage, configure, and personalize it. If you need accessibility to manipulate your computer, I think that this new screen is going to completely revolutionize that for users. I think that computers have gotten more complicated and our desires have become more personal. So giving the end user a new and modern way to interface with those options, I really think, is going to be revolutionary.

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We hope this interview gave you better insight into why and how we made the Y70 Touch the way it is. Like the Y70 Touch, all HYTE cases are designed to be both easy to build in and beautiful to display. Whether you’re looking for an ATX or ITX PC case, we’ve got you covered. Check out our full PC case selection today!