Razer develops new mechanical keyboard switch just for gaming
Razer thinks it has created the perfect mechanical keyboard switch for gaming, will launch it in the Blackwidow Ultimate keyboard
Razer has announced a new mechanical keyboard switch, which it says is purpose built for gaming in ways that give it an advantage over the current crop of keyboard switches.
We’re no strangers to mechanical keyboards here at Expert Reviews, with at least four writers using a combination of Cherry Red, Blue, Black and Brown keys, but according to Razer these switches were only ever designed for typing. Its new switch was designed from the ground up to provide the best possible response for gaming, reducing the actuation distance needed to activate the switch down to “a fraction of a millimetre” and reducing the distance between the actuation and resting points by almost half to provide faster, more precise inputs. That means that each key only needs to be pressed down 2mm to register a keypress. Gold plated contact points should mean each switch has a lifespan of up to 60 million key strokes.
“Instead of focusing solely on typing comfort, as traditional mechanical switches have done, we had to completely rethink the conventional approach behind the actuation and reset points of mechanical switches in order to fine-tune them for gaming,” Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said of the announcement. “Our engineers’ focus for the specification was on speed, accuracy and durability to bring the unfair advantage to gamers worldwide. The new switch makes the most popular gaming keyboard in the world even better.”
The switches will be launching in two varieties: green, which according to Razer is “tactile and clicky”, requiring 50g of force to actuate; and the “tactile yet silent” orange which requires 45g of force. Both will be available on the BlackWidow keyboard family, but will be available to other peripheral makers should they wish to use them. The BlackWidow Ultimate is already available to buy through Razer’s Online store, for £125.