Pushing all the right buttons, magnetically

Representation pic

Epomaker's new keyboard, Magforce 68, may look like a regular mechanical keyboard, but its core tech runs deep. It has Hall Effect keys, which sound fancier than they are. The Hall effect happens when electricity flows through a material, and a nearby magnet pushes the moving charges to one side, creating a small voltage across the material. This voltage is used to detect the motion of the key.

Devices using this phenomenon have become popular for video gaming because it is very robust and take regular abuse without failing or succumbing to joystick drift. As far as keyboards, there aren't too many that use the tech specifically because having multiple magnets in the same area can cause havoc with the working of this type of trigger. Plus, what would be the benefit over a mechanical switch, which is meant to be the creme-dela-creme of keyboard tech?

That said, the manufacturer Epomaker has done a good job here, and the Hall Effect keys work well without messing up the keys around it. While it doesn't feel like a traditional mechanical keyboard, it still offers a bit of that analogue feel thanks to the springs within the switches.

The entire keyboard can also be customised online through the Epomakers website. You can change the lighting effects, the polling rate and the actuation. The polling rate is how many times the computer checks the keyboard for keys pressed. Increasing the polling rate is helpful in gaming because you may need quick reactions. The actuation determines at what height the key gets triggered; this means you can customise if a key gets triggered by a light touch or only when the key is fully depressed. This is great for typing because sometimes keys can get accidentally triggered while you are just resting your palms near the keyboard.

The keyboard is also built well. It has a solid metal body and some heft that makes typing feel really good. Also, the 65 per cent layout would have made this an excellent travel keyboard if the weight wasn't over a kilo.

This is also not a wireless keyboard, and unfortunately, due to the features and the high polling rate, I am not sure a wireless keyboard would have worked this well; also, imagine the weight if we had to add a battery into the mix.

The Epomaker Magforce 68 is possibly one of the nicest keyboards I have ever used, and while it is a bit expensive at R12,000 I would still recommend it to keyboard enthusiasts who want to invest in something that will
last forever.