Wooting plans to bring analog keys to the masses with Lekker switches

Wooting is best known for their Wooting One and Wooting Two series of keyboards, both of which were resounding Kickstarter successes which showcased the fact that keyboards required an extra layer of complexity, with key switches that could do more than merely be on or off. 

Why do we need these versatile key switches? The simple answer is this; it provides users with more options. Imagine walking in a game with WASD, and if how far you pushed your keys influenced your character’s movement speed and directionality, providing an experience which could rival an analog stick, rather than give a mere eight direction options at a fixed movement rate. How about having hotkeys that did different things depending on how hard you pressed your keys switches?

Analog key switches are about providing PC users with more options, and while Wooting started the analog key movement, they also believe that the industry’s progress towards this target has been too slow and has moved in directions which made the company “feel uncomfortable”, prompting them to take a more hands-on approach to things. 

Wooting is not a manufacturer of key switches, but they are the most experienced company in the world when it comes to manufacturing and producing analog keyboards, both on the hardware side and the software side. The development of the Wooting One and Wooting Two is evidence of this. Even so, Wooting has decided to develop what they call Lekker key switches, an in-development key switch which will enable 3rd parties and hobbyists to create analog keyboards. 

To do this, Wooting has partnered with Huannuo (Huano) and Major-Power (mPower), both of which are well-known switch makers for keyboards, mice and other devices. Wooting plans to make Lekker viable for mass production while offering full-range analog input, lowering the barrier to entry when it comes to creating analog input devices.