Razer creates first mechanical switch designed for gaming

Razer creates first mechanical switch designed for gaming
Gamers now have a mechanical switch they can call their own.

The Razer Mechanical Switch is the first mechanical switch that is designed for gaming. Built from scratch at Razer, the switch features an actuation distance that is within a fraction of a millimetre. Here’s the official announcement that details the changes:

After extensive research, Razer’s multi-award winning engineers identified the optimal actuation distance for a gaming switch to a fraction of a millimeter and reduced the distance between the actuation and reset point by almost half to allow for faster, more precise gaming commands when compared to standard mechanical switches. Furthermore, the all-new Razer Mechanical Switches are made using an ultra-precise manufacturing technique that, along with gold plated contact points, result in a lifespan of up to 60 million key strokes.

Razer won’t manufacture the switch itself, but will have a team of quality assurance engineers at manufacturing facilities that will ensure that its standards are adhered to. The gaming accessory maker claimed that while the current Cherry MX switches were widely used, they were suitable for gaming.

Razer’s co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan says that the goal was to fine-tune the mechanical switch for gaming. “Our engineers’ focus for the specification was on speed, accuracy and durability to bring the unfair advantage to gamers worldwide.”

There will be two variants of the Razer Mechanical Switch: A clicky version called Razer Green that requires an actuation force of 50 g and a silent switch that requires 45 g actuation, which will be called Razer Orange. It is hard to not see the similarities between Razer’s mechanical switch variants and the Cherry MX Blue and Cherry MX Brown. The MX Blue also requires the same amount of actuation and offers good tactile feedback, while the MX Brown is designed to be quiet. Razer does claim that its switches were good for 60 million keystrokes, but Cherry’s MX switches are also highly durable, with a claimed longevity of 50 million keystrokes.

We have to wait and see for the first batch of keyboards to launch to discern if there is any actual difference offered by the Razer Mechanical Switch at least as far as gaming is concerned, or if it is just another marketing gimmick.

Source: Razer