For decades, keyboard enthusiasts have waged a holy war between the squishy silence of analog switches and the clicky clatter of mechanical ones. Logitech, ever the diplomat, has decided to let both sides win with its new wired G512 X model, which lets you mix-and-match switches as you please. The company claims that 39 of this model’s switches are compatible with “almost all” popular analog and 3-pin and 5-pin mechanical switches - a feat that sounds like a tech support nightmare but also quite practical.
The G512 X is launching in the compact 75- and bigger 98-key configurations in black (with purple accents) or white (with turquoise accents). All options will launch on May 2nd for $179.99 and $199.99, respectively, and they’re available for preorder now - because nothing says "impulse buy" like a $200 keyboard.
The marquee feature of its TMR sensors is that they enable up to two actuation points per key that trigger at various points during your key press. This depth in customization is useful in games where you need to be delicate and sometimes swift with your inputs. Logitech says its second actuation point provides a tactile response you can feel as you press - presumably the feeling of your wallet getting lighter.
These TMR switches also support rapid trigger, which quickly primes them for another input without needing the keys to fully spring back up (useful for spamming attacks or making small movements faster than your opponents). Those features go away when you swap analog switches to mechanical switches, but it’s nice to have the flexibility to go back if you want to - like a choose-your-own-adventure book for your fingertips.
The hybrid switch bed set the G512 X apart from the competition, and it has the potential to become a popular feature in gaming keyboards moving forward. And, it’s great that Logitech’s model offers the best of both worlds at a somewhat reasonable price point - assuming you consider “somewhat reasonable” to mean “still more than a month’s worth of ramen.”