Topre switch for gaming

[RequieM]

Hi,

I have done a bit of research on the topre switch and it appears theyre basically a really expensive rubber dome switch. That tickles my fancy because I actually really like the rubber dome switch type, the sort of no 'middle ground' to them, either bottomed out or not pressed at all. I saw that Coolermaster were advertising a sort of topre switch that apparently has a lower latency than Cherry MX, probably just talking about the time it takes to actuate as it had a high actuation point.

Does anyone own a Topre keyboard and how they relate to a specific Cherry MX type & rubber domes as well as their performance in gaming? I actually bought a switch tester for Cherry MX (blues browns reds blacks) and they all were pretty meh. Iv used cherry blacks for a few years and meh.

[esoomenona]

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[esoomenona]

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[munch]

Topre is fine for gaming. I used a HHKB Pro 2 and Realforce 45g/55g for a while. they feel slightly less responsive to me personally since it feels like I have to make a more clear "press" on them, to actuate them.
so... fine, but not as light and snappy feeling.

[clacktalk]

It's a preference thing, so you should just try out as many switches as you can. I've been looking for an MX Black board after I played on a friend's SteelSeries somekeyboard and it felt way more comfortable to me than 45g/55g topre or 62g clears did. And that's the opposite of what you like. But that's okay because we're different people.

[ConscienceDrop]

unless you are going to be top 5% in a competitive game it really does not matter what you use to game.

as long as it has 5-6~KRO you are fine.
yes there are some games where you need that high a RO.

[Polymer]

Yeah..I wouldn't say it'll make any difference in gaming...Because it'll actuate slightly quicker than a normal rubber dome, that will give you a slightly more responsive keyboard but I doubt that'll make any difference at all in gaming performance for most.  It'll also feel more stable and solid than regular rubber dome keyboards....but that said, I personally dislike Topre for gaming....It has nothing to do with performance...I actually prefer the hard spammable feel of Cherry for gaming. (But I love Topre for typing..). 

[Puddsy]

Blegh.

If you're playing anything other than RTS than it should be fine.

MX is way better IMO, though.

[saturnotaku]

Unless you're competitive on a professional level or play nothing but RTS games for 16 hours a day, Topre is fine. Expensive for sure, but fine. Just be sure to purchase a uniform weight model rather than a variable weight, as the lighter A and S keys are more prone to accidental presses. I know lots of folks here swear by the 55g Realforce, which is probably what you should go with if you're used to the weight of MX Blacks. If you don't end up liking it, you could resell it here and make back most of your investment.

I type and game on a 45g Realforce, and it suits my needs just fine. It's not that I didn't like typing and gaming on MX Red and Brown boards; I just prefer doing both on Topre.

[_PixelNinja]

I've been using the Novatouch to game for the past months now. At first I found the Topre switches to be tiring on my fingers but I have got used to them now. I still have a preference for MX Reds as I play FPS' (a lot of Quake Live) and I find it nicer to be able to float around the actuation point whereas the on Topre, the keys tend to get 'sucked' down as the rubber dome collapses. All in all it's preference though.

[PointyFox]

I own a Topre board and they're like rubber domes, if you could imagine a rubber dome without any friction, great stability, and no squishing at the bottom. 

They're very expensive very good rubber domes. 

I believe rubber dome is the best switch for gaming.  They stay down when you want them to stay down, are "all or nothing" type switches, you notice when they pop back up, and you can't accidentally depress them. 

In terms of different switch types:
Rubber dome:  Good, but friction/binding can occur with squishyness at the bottom.  Good for gaming.
Topre: Better rubber dome.  Very good for gaming.
MX Red: Lack of distraction in the press, however the force profile makes these prone to accidental keypresses.  Average/good for gaming.
MX Black: Force profile makes accidental keypresses very rare.  Good for gaming.
MX Blue: Distracting mechanics, reset point is above actuation point which may give false actuation feeling.  Poor for gaming.
MX Brown: Like MX Red but the force profile makes accidental keypresses rare.  Good for gaming.
MX Green: Like MX Blue but the force profile makes it easier to accidentally press if trying to "float" above the reset point. Poor for gaming.

[Fragil1ty]

I was going to write a full long post on this, but seeing as I've already done a review on the HHKB I thought it'd be a bit pointless.


imo, the HHKB is just not viable for gaming, too many opposing factors come into play for me.


Stick with reds/browns for gaming and topre for typing, tbh.

[Grim Fandango]

I would not worry too much about it. Gaming can be done , even at the highest level, on a variety of switches with virtually no real world difference to using one over another.

There are a few features that you want , like key rollover, but generally keyboards make more difference for typing then they do for gaming.

For example, if you look at competitive Starcraft, perhaps one of the most "keyboard dependent" competitive scenes, Korean players were playing on their cheap rubber domes (such as the Qsen dt-35) for a long time. Mostly because they were used in internet cafes and always available. Only when their sponsors started pushing for mechanical keyboards did they make the switch, and not all of them liked it (claiming that switching in keyboards will, at least initially, reduce their APM). People also use different kinds of switches based on personal preference.

Given that you can get away with using pretty much any switch you like in the most competitive keyboard dependent environment on the planet, I pretty much believe that you can get away with playing on just about anything without it being a big deal.

Also, I play on Topre (45g) and it is fine. I actually prefer it to any heavy switch and any switch where the actuation is not smooth.

[fuzzybaffy]

People say "unless you are a professional gamer, you don't need to worry about it", but even then... the original Starcraft: Brood War players back in the old days used to use crappy $25 rubber dome boards. Granted, nowadays a lot of pro-gamers use Cherry MX boards, and maybe they would have had a competitive edge over the pro-gamers of the previous generations that used the rubber domes, but we won't really know. And if I could perform as well as the "rubber-dome" generation did, that would be perfectly fine by me. =P

That said, yea, I personally had no problems while gaming on a Topre board. I like Topre boards for their "all-or-nothing" feel as well.

[shifted]

Most "Pros" get paid to sponsor the stuff they use and would probably use whatever pays the best.  I think clears or browns are best for gaming personally (if you want a mechanical keyboard.  Otherwise a qulity rubber dome with a higher force so the collapsing of the dome feels nice and responsive.  Cheap ones can feel mushy.) .  I like the small bump so I know when a switch is going to actuate.  I kept finding myself running diagonal with reds because I would accidentally press keys.  Blacks were too much work and I still didn't know for certain where the actuation point was.

[rowdy]

There are dozens of threads about this already

Yes, Topre is fine for gaming.  Buckling spring is fine for gaming too!

Almost anything is fine for gaming, although some people find that one keyboard in particular suits them better than others.

[HipsterPunks]

just game on what switch/layout feels right for you. For me i like to use my Fc660c, it has all the keys i need available without the Fn layer and feels amazing. Come to think about it i use topre for pretty much everything.