As far as I am concerned, the era of the membrane keyboard ended when my fingers first touched the mechanical deck. Nevertheless, Cherry, arguably the biggest player in mechanical switches, is about to put another nail in the coffin of rubber dome planks by introducing the new Viola mechanical switch for the value segment.

Cherry is a major player in the keyswitch market, with many of its MX variants (Blue, Red, Brown, Black, Speed, etc.) have been adopted. Technically, a keyboard with Viola switches would not compete with these and other MX models, but it is too early to tell.

The Viola is an entirely new switch, with a different construction than any of the MX switches. It uses a coil spring and V-shaped bronze contact system, housed in a plastic polymer reinforced with eight posts to prevent wobble. Cherry also uses an industry-standard cross-stem design, which makes the switch compatible with a wide range of keycaps and features POM sockets (no soldering required, hot-swappable). In addition, keyboard manufacturers have the option of using RGB LEDs.

In short, this is a fairly simple design with a new contact system. It is also unique in that it uses a "CrossLinear" system, with actuation force of 45cN for the first 2mm of key travel (Cherry calls this "pre-travel"), rising to 75cN with 4mm at the bottom. This detail can be compared to other switches in the Mechanical Key Switch Guide.

"As a result, the Cherry Viola offers ergonomic overtravel and fast reset. Cherry also specifically designed the shift characteristics to meet the requirements of the target consumer," Cherry explains. ("Ergonomic overtravel" is a technical term meaning that the keys are recognized as pressed before they completely bottom out and feel good to the fingers.)

What I am curious about is what kind of cost savings Viola will actually enable for Cherry and for PC gamers who purchase mechanical keyboards. Low-cost models often use Cherry-like switches from lesser-known brands like Kailh; mechanical keyboards from well-known brands that use Cherry MX switches are expensive, but there are cheaper alternatives. For example, the Redragon K551 with Cherry MX Blue switches is $38.99 on Amazon; G.Skill's Ripjaws KM570 with Cherry MX Red switches is also $59.99 (also on Amazon).

If you include non-Cherry mechanical switches, the price drops even further. This means that for these Viola switches, you need to find a board that feels good when typing and is affordable.

Keyboards with Viola switches will be available this year.