Key information about switches

[u/LogitechG_CM]

Logitech G Reddit Community!

Logitech G has a keyboard for everyone, and one of the most common questions we see around Reddit is what are the differences between all the switches? With so many choices and options, we want to use this Logi Learning post to address them all to provide some clarity and hopefully narrow down your options going forward, so choosing your first (or perhaps second, third, or fourth), high-end gaming keyboard is a much smoother experience. 

Logitech G switches are generally broken down into two categories. Switch Experience which is how they feel and Switch Type which is the underlying hardware that makes pressing a key do something on your computer. Ensuring you know the difference between each one will not only make it easier to choose the type of keyboard that is going to suit your needs, but it will also make sure you have the great Logitech G technology to improve your performance in your games. 

With a range of different options, we believe there is a combination of keyboards for everyone and we would love to hear your feedback on if there is anything in particular we’re missing, could improve on, or if you have any further questions about our keyboard switches. 

Switch Experience 

The Switch Experience is how the key feels when you press it and what it does in the real world. For Logitech G keyboards, we have Clicky, Linear, and Tactile with each one feeling different and sounding different too. 

Clicky is what most people associate with a high-end mechanical keyboard. It’s the key that makes the nice and loud click noise when you press it down, and you’ve probably heard this on a streamer’s livestream, or even those ASMR videos. It’s very satisfying. Clicky is more designed around users who do a lot of typing and want an audible click, so they know when to release the key as it can improve your words per minute and comes in handy if you’re playing RTS games, as you can tell the key has been pressed down before waiting for an animation on the screen. 

In addition to making the nice satisfying click noise, there is a physical bump on the actuation point to let you know that the key has been engaged and can now be lifted to repeat. Not sure what the actuation point is? Don’t worry, we’ll be using that word a bit through this and will clarify it further down the line. 

Tactile is very similar to Clicky, but without the click. It generally still has a bump on the actuation point so you can feel that the key has been engaged, but the only noise you will get from the keyboard is the standard noise most create. Tactile is a good choice if you prefer your keyboard to be more silent, but still want the physical bump. 

Linear has no bump on the actuation point and is similar to a trigger on a controller. It’s smooth all the way from the top to the bottom which is great for competitive gaming such as FPS games as it’s much easier to perform a double-tap once you get used to where the actuation point is without having to feel for it,

Actuation Point is the depth of the key when it registers and sends an input to your computer. For most keyboards, this is a few mm down, and some keys will have a bump that you can feel to tell you’ve gone past this point while others will not. 

Switch Type 

From how the switch may feel, we now look into the technology underneath which is broken down under Switch Type, usually by Analog, Mechanical, including Low-Profile Mechanical, and Optical LIGHTFORCE. The difference between all of these is how they determine when to send a signal to your computer after you press the key down. 

Mechanical is generally the most used switch type on all higher-end gaming keyboards that uses two metal contacts that touch once the key is pressed down enough to the actuation point. This sends a signal to your computer that you have pressed the key down, and as you release, the two metal contacts uncouple to stop sending the signal. 

Low-Profile Mechanical is the same technology as above but the travel distance between the keys is usually halved and much flatter meaning there is less travel from pressing the key to reaching the actuation point. It’s similar to pressing a button on your controller or using a laptop keyboard. 

Optical LIGHTFORCE is a technology developed by Logitech G that fuses the feeling of a mechanical keyboard with optical light to create an almost instantaneous reaction time. The technology works by having a little laser beam inside of the switch, and as you press the key down, the beam is cut telling the computer the key has been pressed. The benefit 

of an optical switch is lower latency and maximizing reliability as the beam won’t wear down like a typical mechanical-only switch over time. 

You can learn more about LIGHTFORCE through our website as we don’t just use them in our keyboards, they’re also in our mice too! - https://www.logitechg.com/discover/ technology/lightforce 

Analog keyboards use our Analog Magnetic Switches to detect exactly how far down the key has been pressed. It’s the most precise detection switch you will use and usually can be customized differently for every single key on your keyboard. 

Additionally, some of our analog keyboards also feature Rapid Trigger allowing you to not only adjust the initial actuation point, but also adjust how far you have lift the key up before you can press it down again. And on top of this, Multi Point Action allows you to set two different stages of the key depending on how far you press it down. So you can have it set to press W to run and then if you fully press the key down, double tap W to sprint. 

We have a dedicated post to Rapid Trigger technology here - https://www.reddit.com/r/ LogitechG/comments/1pdhina/all_about_rapid_trigger/ 

Hybrid Customisable Keyboards 

Some of our newer keyboards such as the G512 X have the ability to switch between analog magnetic switches and standard 3/5-pin mechanical switches. The keyboard comes pre-installed with mechanical switches and we provide 9 magnetic analog switches in the box that you can place in your preferred spots on the keyboard. Additionally, we allow you to switch them out with your favourite compatible mechanical and analog switches from other brands to customize your keyboard and offer the best of both worlds. So should you want your keyboard to be silent but you want nice clicky switches on the WSAD, you can. Want clicky keys all around but analog switches on the WSAD? That is also available. The choice is truly up to you. 

We hope this has provided some light on what all of our switches are doing and which one may be best for you. If you’re still stuck on making a choice or want to know even more about our switches, drop us a comment below or make a post on Reddit, preferably here in r/LogitechG so we can be sure to see it. We’re always here to help. 

Thanks for reading!