The X40 keyboard features an ANSI standard 104 key layout,
red LED lighting and 5 macro keys along with media control keys. Emulating Apple a bit, there is a single
cable from the keyboard to the back of the computer that comes with USB2 port, headphone
and microphone jacks pass through.
(Think pass through as an extension cable that connects to the keyboard
back panel so that the user can connect peripherals to it rather having to
reach to the back of a PC.) It has a
fancy interchangeable front/top plate if one wants a different design. So far, it’s been pretty standard.
Now, borrowing some of Razer’s ideas, Metadot has also
announced its own line of mechanical switches with specifications rather like
the Cherry MX ones called Alpha-Zulu. There’s one with
linear (olive color) force profile and another with soft tactile feedback (mustard color).
They even sound like the original they are based on. However, unlike the standard Cherry MX
devices, these has a shorter actuation distance around 1.7mm. Romer-G is around 1.5mm, whereas other Cherry
MX clones tend to be around 2mm, including Razer’s custom one. The theory is that a shorter distance allows
quicker activation. In the gaming world,
that’s probably important, but not for someone like me who tends to bottom
out. Anyway, like Das Keyboard’s OEM mystery,
Metadot has declined to identify the switch maker. Some online commentators
speculated that Kailh is the most likely candidate since they are also the OEM
for Razer’s custom switches.
In any case, if one has any doubt that mechanical keyboards market
has evolved to largely cater to the gaming crowd, here is another piece of
evidence. Metadot started out making keyboards for programmers. It has now changed direction and branched out to
gaming. It’s not a bad thing per
se. Let’s see where this wave takes us.
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