When we were invited to meet Cherry at CES 2020, we expected more news on the >100 million actuation rating for their popular MX switches. CORSAIR had broken the news, in a manner of speaking, when they used the new MX Brown and MX Speed (Silver) switches in their new K95 RGB Platinum XT keyboard, and Cherry confirmed to us that all currently produced MX Red, Brown, Black, and Speed (Silver) switches are now rated to this higher count (from 50 million before) with no loss in quality. This improvement comes in the form of an increased gliding surface area on the front side of the switch stem, in addition to having eight guide rails inside for added stability, which Cherry calls "Hyperglide". The company claims to also have optimized the contact force for the gold cross-point contacts, which has now resulted in a reduced debounce rate of under 1 ms. They are working on having similar improvements done to their remaining MX switches, including the MX Blue.

What was unexpected, however, was them announcing a whole new mechanical switch series under the VIOLA name. Cherry is targeting the value-oriented keyboard market here (think well under $100) which tend to use adapted membrane switches to provide a tactile and clicky feedback under various names including mem-chanical, mechanical-like, and so on. The new VIOLA switch, which currently has a single linear switch member, is fully mechanical and uses a novel contact method that allows Cherry to get away with a lower price point. Read past the break for more on this.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is releasing a new compact and durable KM360 tenkeyless mechanical keyboard for professionals and gaming enthusiasts with a MSRP of $49.99 USD, featuring long-lasting Cherry MX mechanical key-switches, wear-proof ABS double injection keycaps, and a solid brushed aluminium top-plate. Designed with a detachable USB Type-C cable, white LED backlighting, and available in a white or black version, the KM360 mechanical keyboard is the perfect daily workhorse keyboard for the office and for gaming.

The KM360 mechanical keyboard is outfitted with Cherry MX Red linear key-switches (and Cherry MX Black for the space key) for its reliability and consistency in professional and gaming use cases with quick 2 mm key actuation and 50 million keystroke rating. Taking durability a step further, the KM360 keyboard is equipped with ABS double injection keycaps, meaning that the lettering on each keycap will not fade or wear from long term use and will feel smoother than traditional printed or laser-etched keycaps. Furthermore, the KM360 is designed with a solid aluminium top-plate for extra stability and easy cleaning.

Cherry, best known for their mechanical switches that are still some of the most well regarded by typing enthusiasts everywhere, are looking to cater to the DIY crowd with their latest line of MX Mechanical Switch Kits. The philosophy behind this product is that there are some users that prefer to build and customize their own keyboards rather than buy them from a recognized brand; and now, Cherry has an official solution for those customers.

Cherry themselves have provided a Developer Page with guides and how-to tutorials, explaining what exactly goes on a Cherry switch and how to put them together. Whether individually or in a set, CHERRY is offering customers a choice between MX Red, Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Clear, Silent Black, Silent Red, and Speed switches. The developer kits contain a full set of 110 switches, which will let users create their own keyboards in the extended layout. For Cherry's developer kits, you'll have to exclusively go through Reichelt Elektronik, whereas switch kits can also be purchased from Arrow Electronics and Greendich Enterprise. The developer kits will be available for €40.

Adding to its mechanical keyboard line-up, Rosewill has just announced availability of the RK-9300 Mechanical Keyboard, which sports two choices of Cherry MX Blue or Brown switches to sate your particular tastes. The RK-9300 has a more subdued look than most other recent mechanical keyboards we've seen, and sheds full RGB lighting for a more professional look, as well as additional cost-savings for the customer. However, that isn't to say it doesn't sport some sort of lighting: it features blue LEDs, with three lighting modes available (full keyboard, with a breathing mode and four variable levels of brightness; numerical pad only; WASD and arrow keys only).

The keyboard features an all-black design, with an aluminum top panel that extends out and down at a slight angle. The upper right side of the keyboard features the usual notification lights, and the F keys double as media and volume controls, including brightness, Windows lock, and more. It also features n-key rollover, though there is no macro support (and no accompanying software). The two versions of the RK-9300 list for $99, but both are available for $85 on Amazon (Blue switches and Brown switches) and Newegg (Blue switches and Brown switches).