The Best Optical Gaming Keyboards 2023

ign.com:

The best optical gaming keyboards are quickly becoming a popular choice among gamers, thanks to fewer moving parts to go wrong, and a shorter actuation distance (a fancy way of saying you can type on a scale hitherto undreamt of). While optical switches do feature mechanical components, they use light for actuation rather than a physical mechanical connection.

Not only is it seriously cool to tell people you type with frickin laser beams, but in most cases the best optical keyboards can register keypresses much quicker than most conventional mechanical keyboards, making them an especially good choice for competitive gamers, and those with a strange fetish for lasers. Similarly, they don’t degrade nearly as fast, making them better for long-term use.

It used to be that optical keyboards made almost no sound, but thanks to the new hybrid optical-mechanical switches, you can now get the speed of optical switches, with the feel and sound of a mechanical keyboard.

The Best Optical Gaming Keyboard

Connectivity: Wired | Number of Keys: 110 | Backlighting: Yes | Switches: OPX Optical

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The Corsair K100 RGB might be one of the more expensive optical keyboards, but you’re paying a premium price for a premium keyboard with luxury features, and a built-to-last design.

Built to withstand up to 150 million keystrokes, the Corsair K100 RGB’s OPX optical-mechanical key switches offer speed and durability in one stylish package.

With 6 programmable buttons, 20-layer lighting, and the iCUE control wheel, you have full control over how your keyboard looks and performs as well as a world of possibilities with mappable shortcuts.

The Fastest Optical Keyboard

Connectivity: Wired | Number of Keys: 104 | Backlighting: Yes | Switches: Linear