[falcolas]

Extra controllers (and PCBs), cabling to connect the two halves, extra plastic for the housing... there are definite real costs involved. However, once you're above a hundred dollars you're in a niche market anyways, so why not charge more boutique prices? I imagine this is the real explanation for the price.

As for patent expiration - yeah, it can be a beautiful thing for prices, but I'm still quite leery of picking up a cheap keyboard; quality parts that last (and more importantly behave consistently through their lifespan) still cost money.