Optical switch or planned obsolescence?
My favorite mechanical switch has always been the Omron D2F-01F (Japan). They’re extremely light and have a really nice click feel. Since I work in electronics, I’ve always replaced the stock switches in every mouse I owned with these.
What makes me curious is that most modern mice now use proprietary optical switches, and every brand seems to have its own unique design. I understand the difference in the actuation method itself, but what about the actual tactile feel? Most of them still seem to rely on a very similar metal leaf spring internally anyway.
Another thing that concerns me is long-term replacement availability. Since many of these optical switches are proprietary, if one fails later on, aren’t we basically stuck without replacement options?
***Razer was the only one I found available on Aliexpress.
So I’d like to ask: are optical switches really better than traditional mechanical ones in practice? I’ve noticed that many Chinese mouse brands, like Rapoo, often sell the exact same mouse model with either mechanical or optical switches depending on the version. Is the optical version genuinely superior, or is it mostly marketing?