The concept of “Hall Effect” is very popular in the field of physics, but it’s only gained attention in reference to keyboards in recent months.
Hall Effect keyboards, also known as HE keyboards, utilize magnetic technology, in contrast to the technology used by the more familiar mechanical keyboards. The particularities of the system used in HE keyboards is especially appealing to gamers.
Mechanical keyboards register keystrokes through physical contact between the switch and the board, requiring a certain keystroke distance known as the “actuation point.”
Additionally, in mechanical keyboards, the actuation point is fixed and can’t be customized, necessitating the use of different switches to achieve a different actuation point.
Fully Configurable Actuation Points
In this respect, the first major advantage of HE keyboards is that there’s no fixed actuation point. Instead, users can configure it as desired. In these magnetic switches, a sensor measures the distance to the key, allowing the users to customize the actuation point.
For instance, you can set an actuation point of 0.1 mm, which means the key needs only a light press. You can also set a key to 4 mm if you prefer the keystroke to register only when the key travels that distance (a “stronger” press).
This customization helps adjust the latency perfectly for each user and scenario. It also prevents unintended keystrokes, such as in lateral movements, where latency makes a character in video games move slightly more than intended.
The reason why this happens is that there’s a slight delay between when you stop pressing a key and when the keystroke actually stops registering the pressure. On HE keyboards, you can adjust the actuation points to prevent it from happening, which is really important for competitive players.
That said, HE keyboards offer two additional options.
The first option is the Rapid Trigger, which automatically resets the switch as soon as the user stops pressing it. The second option is the Snap Tap, which allows users to press a key without having to stop pressing another key.
These options are particularly useful for gamers because they provide minimal latency and exceptional precision of keystrokes. The benefits of these features are so significant that Valve has decided to penalize their use in Counter-Strike 2.
Extreme Customization
The software that comes with HE keyboards allows for an extraordinary level of customization for each key. In fact, each key can have different actuation points depending on the scenario. For example, a key can have a very short actuation point for gaming, but a somewhat longer actuation point for typing.
It’s even possible to assign four different types of actions to the same key depending on how much the key is pressed, providing almost unlimited possibilities for macro enthusiasts.
This level of customization also extends to the keyboard layout. HE keyboard manufacturers often offer powerful configuration tools, like Wooting’s Wootility, that allow users to assign any input to any key. This means that you can assign Xbox buttons to specific keys in certain games, or change any key’s location. For instance, you can make the cursors use the traditional WASD keys or have the space bar put the computer to sleep when you apply a certain amount of pressure.
Moreover, the durability of magnetic technology is theoretically superior to that of mechanical keyboards, which are impacted by physical contact with the keyboard’s printed circuit board (the platform that interconnects all its components). While a mechanical switch can withstand up to 50 million keystrokes, magnetic switches promise to withstand 100 million keystrokes.
HE keyboards used to be significantly more expensive on average than mechanical keyboards, but over time, the price has dropped, and above all, more models have become available on the market. Wooting, one of the clear leaders and pioneers in this sector, now has competitors of all kinds.
These competitors include well-known manufacturers such as Razer, Corsair, or Keychron, as well as lesser-known brands with promising products (Womier, DrunkDeer, ATK, or Akko, among many others). The advantages HE keyboards offer are certainly promising. It remains to be seen whether they’ll become the new preferred peripheral for gamers.
Image | Islam Wazery (via Unsplash)
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