Hi ! Any FDM Printer has either a direct drive or a bowden extruder.
There is a third way: the remote direct drive extruder.

Quick Recall

A direct drive extruder has its name implies pushes the filament with a gear hob driven by a stepper motor in the heat throat of the hotend.

A bowden extruder has a so called bowden tube that is directing the filament pushed from the gear hob driven by the stepper motor.

Direct drive

Pros:

• Very short and More constrained filament path: sharper reaction, improving print quality
• Print flexible filaments
• Short retractions
• Less oozing improving print quality

Cons:

• Weight, Inertia: Difficult to accelerate fast
• Vibrations affecting print quality

Bowden

Pros:

• Weight, Inertia: Easier to accelerate fast
• Less vibrations improving print quality

Cons:

• Long and less constrained filament path: lazy reaction, reducing print quality
• Cannot print flexible filaments or very slowly
• Long retractions
• More oozing reducing print quality
• Difficult to really implement it correctly (any source of play is introducing hysteresis and longer reaction)

The Remote Direct Drive Extruder

The Remote Direct Drive Extruder is using a constrained cable that connects the stepper motor to a driven gear reductor (worn gear) that is pushing the filament directly in the heat throat of the hot end.
The stepper motor is outside of the gantry just like a bowden extruder, the gear/assembly and the hob driving the filament is on top of the heat throat.
Yes, it looks like a remote Dremel or something like that.

It seems to be as good as the Bowden for the weight, inertia but also allowing a very short and constrained filament path that is needed for sharp reaction and to enable to print fast enough flexible filament.
Is it so good ? I think it is interesting on the paper, but as usual the implementation makes the final decision.

There are two options:

• Flex3Drive: https://flex3drive.com/flex3drive/
  
• Zesty Nimble: https://zesty.tech/collections/the-nimble
  

Both products are very similar: compact, lightweight and using a worn/gear.
The Flex3Drive has a 40:1 reduction and the Nimble has a 30:1 reduction.
They have both good reviews.
The weight is around 30 to 60 grams.

Pros:

• Weight, Inertia: Easier to accelerate fast
• Very short and More constrained filament path: sharper reaction, improving print quality
• Less vibrations: improving print quality
• Print flexible filaments
• Short retractions
• Less oozing improving print quality

Cons:

• Input torque limited for the driven cable (reliability and hysteresis issues)
• Max speed limited by the stepper motor (high gearing): low inductance/low inertia stepper motor, high voltage (cheap stepup voltage circuit is an option), probably moderate microsteps or even none.

Others:

• Backslash is not an issue, lot of people are using geared steppers for Bowden.
• Limited Acceleration of the retraction due to the high gearing: it is not a good idea to have a huge acceleration on the extrusion part if you want to go fast.

Personally, I think I will give a try to one of those