Razer switches switches to make a better keyboard

Gaming peripheral maker Razer introduces gaming-tuned mechanical keyboard switches, to be featured in the latest Razer BlackWidow mechanical gaming keyboards.

Cherry MX Brown, Black, Blue, and Red – meet Razer Orange and Razer Green. The Razer Green switch is tactile and clicky, requiring a force of 50g to actuate; and the Razer Orange switch that is tactile yet silent, requiring a force of 45g to actuate.

The new switches are fine tuned specifically for gaming and provide improved durability—60 million keypresses for Razer switches vs. 20 million for typical mechanical switches (per manufacturer specifications).

“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 also put the new switches to the test through their competitive gamers.

“The new switches on the Razer BlackWidow have a lighter and smoother feel, allowing me to play at a faster pace than before. It’s actually comfortable and solid – perfect for long practice sessions and tournaments.”
— Jens “Snute” Aasgaard, Team Liquid StarCraft player

(But of course they’re going to say that, because Razer basically pays them to to do so.)

I’ve long been a fan of the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate keyboard (read my gaming keyboard roundup at TheMasterSwitch.com) and its Cherry MX Blue switches. And while I’m skeptical that there could be that much of a perceptible improvement over standard Cherry MX Blue switches, I still look forward to finding out for myself. With a little luck I should get a chance to take the new “Razer Green” and/or “Razer Orange” switches for a spin in the near future.