Behold, The Rise Of The Optical Mechanical Keyboard Switch

[scolaner]

Although they are currently on few shipping products, some keyboard makers are planning to release optical switches on devices in the near future, and many more are exploring the idea.


Behold, The Rise Of The Optical Mechanical Keyboard Switch : Read more

 

[emccalment]

But how do they feel? How loud are they? I would love a mechanical keyboard for work purposes, but I can't imagine everyone in the office wouldn't try to behead me shortly after it's arrival.

 

[captaincharisma]

But how do they feel? How loud are they? I would love a mechanical keyboard for work purposes, but I can't imagine everyone in the office wouldn't try to behead me shortly after it's arrival.

mechanical keyboard are meant for gaming segment so why would you bring a gaming keybord to work?

 

[emccalment]

mechanical keyboard are meant for gaming segment so why would you bring a gaming keybord to work?

They have an excellent feel to them and allow me to type considerably faster. Compared to mechanical keyboards, the keyboards that usually float around an office feel like mush. Truthfully, while gaming I don't notice the improvement from a mechanical keyboard nearly as much as I do when just typing quickly.

 

[g1abhi]

UHmMMMM A big NO . Mechanical keyboards are meant for typing. The are just marketed for gaming , since they can be sold for 5 times the price of its manufacturing cost. Mechanical keyboards were dropped due to its heavy nature , too much noise and no water resistance . How it ended up as gaming gear is pure marketing genius.

 

[serendipiti]

Probably with optical switches, noise, travel distance and feel can be customized to customer's needs without affecting the behaviour of the switch.
If they can find more uses for the key's pressure detection, not only in gaming (scroll keys that go faster depending on key's pressure...) that are really useful for office work the situation might change.
Anyway, office work is usually done using the OEM keyboard that came with the computer, the most keyboards that are sold today as a separate part, aren't keyboards meant for office work.

 

[Sloblo]

Analog switches seem like they may reside entirely within the gaming segment ~ Although there are probably a slew of specific work related uses, I personally cannot see myself using pressure sensitive buttons in any capacity other than playing games.

That being said, to the person above me who claims that all mechanical keyboards are meant for the gaming segment is flat out wrong. I would even argue that the Non-gaming keyboards are superior to the gaming branded ones 99% of the time.

(this can be seen in some of the brands made for programming, POK3R and DAS keyboards are all focused on workflow and still make fantastic gaming boards)

I personally use a Ducky YOTH, a TT eSports fullsize, and a TKL Coolermaster Rapid

 

[anbello262]

I totally agree with the first comment.
I'm really looking forward to silent keyboards that offer the advantages of m3chanical ones. And of course, analog input would be a great plus.

 

[KaiserPhantasma]

Then we can safely say in 2-3 years time we have optical switches then? and RGB ones at that? god I'm glad I didn't bite this RGB craze for the last 2 years and am actually buying new technology.

 

[alidan]

UHmMMMM A big NO . Mechanical keyboards are meant for typing. The are just marketed for gaming , since they can be sold for 5 times the price of its manufacturing cost. Mechanical keyboards were dropped due to its heavy nature , too much noise and no water resistance . How it ended up as gaming gear is pure marketing genius.

No, playing games I got so sick of 'did i mess up or did the game' that when i got my keyboard, i found out, my god, i wasn't as crappy a typer as i thought i was, and yea, it was the keyboard screwing me in games. barring switch failure itself, a mechanical keyboard itself will never not register a key, where as a rubber dome, or at least the ones i used, would not register a key around 20% of the time unless i used extreme force, my hands went to crap a bit before i got the mech keyboard, but i'm able to use the keyboard with a lighter touch then the rubber dome so it has to count for something.

Analog switches seem like they may reside entirely within the gaming segment ~ Although there are probably a slew of specific work related uses, I personally cannot see myself using pressure sensitive buttons in any capacity other than playing games.

That being said, to the person above me who claims that all mechanical keyboards are meant for the gaming segment is flat out wrong. I would even argue that the Non-gaming keyboards are superior to the gaming branded ones 99% of the time.

(this can be seen in some of the brands made for programming, POK3R and DAS keyboards are all focused on workflow and still make fantastic gaming boards)

I personally use a Ducky YOTH, a TT eSports fullsize, and a TKL Coolermaster Rapid

from what i remember when i sourced some cherry keys a while ago, it was something between 50-75 cents a key which on a full keyboard is 106-110 keys so there is around 50-78$ right there, then you also have the backplate, the circuit board, and the fact these keyboards ARE that much better then rubber dome, along with some keyboards being made of full metal.

there are some off brand chinese mechanical keyboards that hit 40-50$, but normal cherry keyboards start at around 70 and can go up to 120$, funny thing is, the gaming keyboards can come in cheaper then the non gaming counterparts.

 

[koga73]

Optical switches are interesting.. but how do they feel? I'm a programmer and the reason I use mechanical switches is because the feel good. What I really want is the Cherry Blue typing experience with zero noise. Brown doesn't cut it. I want a "break" on the switch almost like a gun trigger. Where you get some tension and then it breaks like glass

 

[house70]

"But what if users suddenly begin clamoring for optical switches?"

I have looked for such a keyboard with no success. IF they are available, they're extremely rare and hard to find. If so, how can consumers be clamoring for them, when they're not being exposed to them? They need to become relatively easy to find and try, then the clamoring can begin.

 

[scolaner]

Friends, to answer something several of you have brought up: These switches will *feel* roughly the same as regular mechanical switches. They'll come in linear, tactile and clicky versions.

There are ways to quiet your key clicks, BTW. You can use o-ring dampeners, for instance. And Topre and Logitech Romer-G keyboards tend to be relatively quiet.

 

[scolaner]

"But what if users suddenly begin clamoring for optical switches?"

I have looked for such a keyboard with no success. IF they are available, they're extremely rare and hard to find. If so, how can consumers be clamoring for them, when they're not being exposed to them? They need to become relatively easy to find and try, then the clamoring can begin.

This is why I'm writing about them. One of our roles as tech journalists is educating people about what's coming. You can buy Bloody keyboards already, BTW: http://www.bloody.com/en/productsKEY.php?pid=11

 

[KaiserPhantasma]

"But what if users suddenly begin clamoring for optical switches?"

I have looked for such a keyboard with no success. IF they are available, they're extremely rare and hard to find. If so, how can consumers be clamoring for them, when they're not being exposed to them? They need to become relatively easy to find and try, then the clamoring can begin.

This is why I'm writing about them. One of our roles as tech journalists is educating people about what's coming. You can buy Bloody keyboards already, BTW: http://www.bloody.com/en/productsKEY.php?pid=11

damn didn't know those optical switches are already on some keyboard, good for them I guess but I really thought you were gonna call someone out when you said "You can buy Bloody keyboards already" then you provided a link :lol:

 

[scolaner]

"But what if users suddenly begin clamoring for optical switches?"

I have looked for such a keyboard with no success. IF they are available, they're extremely rare and hard to find. If so, how can consumers be clamoring for them, when they're not being exposed to them? They need to become relatively easy to find and try, then the clamoring can begin.

This is why I'm writing about them. One of our roles as tech journalists is educating people about what's coming. You can buy Bloody keyboards already, BTW: http://www.bloody.com/en/productsKEY.php?pid=11

damn didn't know those optical switches are already on some keyboard, good for them I guess but I really thought you were gonna call someone out when you said "You can buy Bloody keyboards already" then you provided a link :lol:

LOL! A bloody Bloody keyboard. If there was actually blood on it, it would be a bloody bloody Bloody keyboard.