So community consensus so far is that 1st Gen Complicated Alps, with no changes, is what the community would like to see.
Obviously, Alps SKCM Blue & Orange would be a given, but if a 3rd or 4th would be chosen - what would they be?
Alps Neon Green?
Alps Salmon?
I would go blue & brown for the first 2 to be made. I honestly think oranges are more popular than browns just because of the availability, Oranges are much much easier to come across than browns. For a 3rd & 4th option I'd say Neon Greens & Oranges. Also I'd love to see a new linear SKCL switch, but admittedly that would be the least popular variant for sure.
I haven't even tried neon greens, or oranges (ironically) yet. I did just recently get my first board with browns the other day though, and they're certainly wonderful as far as tactiles go.
If you can perfectly reproduce blue, brown, orange, you will please all the alps lovers in the community, including me.
Now, if you want to hit it big, reproduce the original plus MX stem and dimension... I personally won't buy switches from anyone else.
I think a stipulation for MX stem and dimension should at least come with a requirement that no compromise in sound and feel is made to accomplish it, otherwise I think a lot of people would rather just settle for using whatever random Tai Hao caps they can find instead.
I'm gonna go a bit against the grain and say, gimme tech. Replicas IMO are a losing battle, as people will always convince themselves that the new ones are "not quite like the real thing", even though what you have might be a great switch in its own right.
Outside the enthusiast bubble, the big thing that we've been seeing lately is companies adapting existing switches to alternative modes of sensing. Lots of the big "clone" makers now have optical designs that use a slider and click sleeve or click bar in common with their conventional switches, allowing them to keep the same key feeling but greatly increase reliability. Varmilo has experimented with integrating capacitive sensing into a conventional MX-style design, and I know of at least one conventionally-shaped switch with Hall effect sensing in the works.
What I think would be really cool would be to do something similar, but based on an ALPS design-- not a replica of anything, just making it the best you can make. Beat the MX-derived switches in feel while kissing goodbye to the typical ALPS reliability bugbears. And the issues with dirt/dust affecting the feel will be long gone once you have both easily hot-swapped upper switches (easy to do when your means of sensing is on the PCB) and a fully waterproof design (also easy) that you can just wash if it gets dirty.
Then you're kind of just competing with Matias though. They've already got wonderful Alps descendants. I have wondered whether or not they tend to eventually develop the same problems with scratchiness if they get really dirty. They do have that reputation for chatter, but outside of a brand new board having it a few times within the first hour (and then vanishing), I haven't encountered it yet on new or used boards. They're also pretty cheap, so there would have to be some major benefits in both feel and sound over Matias in that scenario, if you ask me.
New SKCM switch will always be a welcoming plus to the keyboard market, though I don't think an entirely new switch company is warranted, for one, nothing about material of the 1st gen SKCM is particularly exotic, being made out of PBT for housing and Nylon for slider according to the patent, current switch manufacturer is most likely more than capable of making exact replica of SKCM if they want to.
I disagree - I truly believe an Alps exclusive switch company that isn't dabbling in other products (ie Matias) would aid the market vastly. Look at Ebay & try to bid on an Alps Blue vintage board - try to come out less than 2 bills, no matter the condition!
Also, look at how many other MX only switch companies are out there - there can be at LEAST one that handles Alps only!
I think doing a repro of Alps Blues ALONE would justify its existence!
Here, here!
While I agree that sensing is something to possibly tackle in the future, I disagree that it's a losing battle to reproduce switches that are getting harder & harder to find daily. I just attempted at bidding on a Leading Edge DC 2014 & it ended at $240 
- and that is 100% to do with them having Alps Blues.
I love DC-2014s in general. There's something really cool about their convenient pen gutters, their weird flip-out feet, the cable that comes out of the side of the board, their hollow yet deep-sounding cases (which are also still relatively well-made by my estimation). Great keyboards.
I also feel Alps designs, if given a chance on a newer market, can finally start gaining acceptance outside of Vintage Enthusiasts.
If I can have anything to do with it - possibly, as this is all speculative momentarily - I feel its an absolutely noble cause to attempt.
And not just a *project* that does 1 batch here on GH and calls it a day - a company in it for the long haul.
We need more people who think like yourself, sir. If I were rich, or had any relevant skills whatsoever, I would certainly want to help kick-start such an endeavor.
The only ones I can see being reproduced are Alps SKCM Blue and SKCM Orange. Blues and Oranges are nearly identical, except the click anyways. Also, if you were to reproduce any other switch, it should probably be SKCL Green and SKCM Neon Green. If SKCM Brown and Amber weren't TOO tactile, I would say those as well.
SKCL greens are certainly very nice. I think I'm probably strange in that I haven't been able to tell much difference between green and yellow.
I haven't noticed brown being too tactile, and it hadn't occurred to me that anyone might. It sounds like it is time for me to pull some ancient Alps boards and switch testers back out tonight.
