SteelSeries' new mechanical switches offer adjustable actuation points via magnetic fields

[Shawn Knight]

Facepalm: Danish gaming peripheral and accessory maker SteelSeries has announced a new mechanical keyboard switch that promises to change the game. It’s a neat idea, but unless I’m missing something obvious, it offers no benefit in terms of speed. In fact, it may even slow you down.

The company’s new OmniPoint switches use magnetic fields to measure the exact distance that a key is pressed at all times. This means that each key can be adjusted to the exact point you want it to register, from a depth as shallow as 0.4mm up to 3.6mm for those that prefer a longer press.

SteelSeries said its new switches offer 5x faster actuation and 8x faster response time compared to a traditional mechanical switch.

OmniPoint switches are said to have a smooth and linear feel, similar to a red switch. Curiously enough (and arguably, to its detriment), adjusting the actuation point only affects when the keyboard registers a keypress, not how the key physically feels under your finger. Each key travels the same distance when bottoming out at any actuation point, SteelSeries copy manager Megan Thaler said in a blog post.

This effectively negates any advantage that a shallow actuation may deliver. Set it at 0.4mm, for example, and anything past that actuation point is just wasted travel and wasted time. You’re still going to push the key all the way down until it bottoms out because there’s no tactile feedback to tell you otherwise.

The SteelSeries Apex Pro launches on June 11 priced at $200.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80264-steelseries-new-mechanical-switches-offer-adjustable-actuation-points.html

 

[Evernessince]

"Each key travels the same distance when bottoming out at any actuation point, SteelSeries copy manager Megan Thaler said in a blog post.

This effectively negates any advantage that a shallow actuation may deliver. Set it at 0.4mm, for example, and anything past that actuation point is just wasted travel and wasted time. You’re still going to push the key all the way down until it bottoms out because there’s no tactile feedback to tell you otherwise."

The benefit of a keyboard switch like this is that the key registers quicker. The faster a key is recognized by the keyboard the better. The distance traveled after the actuation doesn't matter and in fact you do want travel distance after the actuation. Shallow keys are uncomfortable and a pain to type on.

Although none of this matters if the mechanism itself has to compensate too much for debouncing (a problem existent in current mechanical keyboards), I've yet to see whether these new switches suffer from it. Not to mention, the electronics used in the board itself which greatly impact the input lag of a keyboard.

I don't see how this is going to beat optical switches though, which have a much quicker reaction time then even this new type of switch. I'm actually using optical switches right now on a custom made keyboard. The only reason I switched is because I noticed lower input lag. Compared it to an MX Brown Corsair K70 and an electrostatic capacitive Plum 84.

 

[Bannhammer]

Who says you have to bottom out to activate them? If its able to detect a .4mm pull it should activate at that point, regardless of bottoming out (which you shouldn't be doing anyway, you heavy hammer finger people you).