February 5, 2024 - Mechanical switches activate through physical contact between metal parts, which, over time, can lead to wear. On the other hand, analog optical switches utilize an infrared beam that instantly transmits a signal when interrupted by a keystroke.

June 5, 2025 - Analog switches have become a staple for competitive gaming keyboards as it enables detection of when a switch is pressed or released at any point through the key travel. Analog Optical switches detect this by measuring the amount of infra-red light beamed to the phototransistor on the printed circuit board (PCB) and the switch’s stem acts as a gate to control the amount of light being passed through.

February 10, 2021 - The Razer Huntsman fits into this optical category with two variations, Clicky or Linear, and this falls into Razer’s premium switch and premium performance category, which is slightly more expensive. Nevertheless, the Huntsman TE TKL model is incredibly well-priced, and especially the 60% model with the incredible Gen2 switches. And that leads us to the analog direction with the Tartarus Pro, which is the only keypad on the market right now to feature analog controls.

January 20, 2020 - The difference between the Analog Optical and the linear optical switch is that the Analog Optical has an adjustable pre-travel distance and lets you use the keyboard like an analog joystick.

At full actuation height, the switches require deeper keystrokes which can feel more solid and satisfying, especially for typing. If you’ve ever used an analog thumbstick or joystick, you’ll know how intuitive and nuanced in-game movement feels with that type of control—the more the stick is pushed, the faster you go or steeper the turn, and vice versa. Razer™ Analog Optical Switches Gen-2 work in a similar way, so you are no longer restricted to the basic 8-way WASD movement found on traditional keyboards, and can instead enjoy smooth 360-degree motion that’s crucial for genres such as FPS, racing, and flight sims.

March 2, 2024 - Analog optical switches allow users to vary the extent of action by varying the depth of the keystroke. The analog optical switches work by varying the brightness of the IR light the sensor receives.

August 14, 2025 - I've been using a Hall effect keyboard for quite a while, and I'm keenly aware that this switch technology is the most popular for gamers right now. However, a while ago I spoke with Razer product manager Dexter Tan about optical keyboards, and he argued that optical is actually better. Both kinds of tech allow for analogue input, meaning keyboard switches don't just measure a binary 'off' or 'on', but instead can measure how far down each key has been pressed.

October 16, 2025 - Razer Analog Optical switches combine optical sensing with analog output. Instead of a simple on or off, each key can report a position value by sensing the amount of light throughput. This is the foundation for features like Rapid Trigger and Adjustable Actuation.

March 7, 2022 - For example, Razer’s software lets you assign two commands to one key (one for a half press, or another for a full press), and you can also change each switch’s actuation point (aka how much you have to push a key before it registers a press). The Huntsman Mini Analog with has analog optical switches.

June 8, 2024 - The technology behind optical switches allows for features like analog input, offering a level of control and customization not seen in traditional switches.

February 25, 2021 - Click to expand... I meant in the game chat window, to enable analog support you have to switch the keys to "joystick mode" which makes them behave like a joystick, not a keyboard, so keys aren't registered until you disable that mode which should have a workaround..

November 27, 2024 - Quite like the look of the Razer Huntsman V2, had a quick play with one with red optical switches in a high street store and really liked the feel of it, especially with the extra damping. I then noticed they had the Analog version for cheaper (£100) - last one in stock and it's no longer on there website, so I assume reduced for end-of-stock or something; I ended up grabbing that, figuring it would be quite similar - bit of an impulse buy due to the price to be honest!

March 8, 2021 - While being a little slower, mechanical switches do typically feel better and are much more fun to use. In addition, they are quieter, have a ton more options, and are easier to mod. So if you’re looking to eek out a slight competitive advantage in-game, optical switches are better, but if you want to have a better more-rounded typing experience, mechanical is the way to go.