Roccat's Titan switches suggest new mechanical keyboards are on the way
Titans of industry
After years of championing the membrane keyboard, Roccat look as though they're finally preparing to jump headfirst into the world of proper, honest-to-goodness mechanical keyboards thanks to their newly-announced partnership with leading switch manufacturer TTC.
Officially know as the Titan Switch (or the Titan Switch Tactile to give its full mouthful of a name), these will be the first mechanical switches Roccat have designed in-house, and we'll see them inside a new mystery product very soon at next week's big Taiwanese tech fest, Computex. I wonder what it could possibly be?
As you can probably see from the image above, Roccat's mechanical switches are a bit different to the ubiquitous Cherry MX switches you tend to see in most other keyboards of this ilk. Each key cap, first and foremost, simply sits on top of the main key, whose transparent housing allows each switch's individual RGB LEDs to shine through loud and clear, making it the perfect partner for Roccat's overarching smart lighting system, Aimo.
It's also a huge improvement on Roccat's 'membranical' keyboard offering, the Horde Aimo, whose closed-in keys barely let out an sliver of light even on the brightest LED setting - which was fine for the LED-fearing among us, but less so for the converted RGB crowd.
Roccat's also reduced the actuation point (the bit where the keyboard actually recognises you've pressed down one of its eyes) on its Titan switches from 2.0mm to 1.8mm. That might not sound like much, but if you're looking for the fastest and most responsive keyboard out there, then you're going to want the shortest actuation point possible.
Roccat's new firmware also cuts each switch's 'bouncing time' by 20%, registering it that much faster than your typical mechanical switch. Together with Roccat's choice of top-notch components, they hope this will ensure overall switch stability for the lifetime of the product.
We'll no doubt find out more about Roccat's inevitable new mechanical keyboard at next week's Computex show. However, it sounds like the Titan switches could be part of a larger rebrand over at Roccat HQ, as Roccat's press bumf tantalizingly suggests we'll also see "a brand-new design story" as well. Stay tuned for more edge-of-your-seat details over the coming days.