The gaming world’s popularity has risen in recent years. Online and even offline gaming has even become some people’s livelihood. So, those who use gaming keyboards need to use good-quality keyboards.
Firstly, you have decided on your budget because there are a lot of good quality keyboards in different price ranges. Secondly, you must determine if you want a membrane or mechanical keyboard.
If you already have an excellent membrane keyboard and are thinking of using it for gaming, you might ask, are membrane keyboards good for gaming? The answer is yes! Even though mechanical keyboards are meant for gaming, you can use a membrane keyboard without any difficulty. Let us take a look at why.
Are Membrane Keyboards Good For Gaming?
Even though mechanical keyboards are best for gaming, you can still use a membrane keyboard.
So many gamers out there are using a membrane keyboard. Many professional players started with this kind of keyboard in the beginning. Some even play at internet cafes to practice after they rank high and shift to mechanical keyboards.
Even though a membrane keyboard is not entirely perfect, it does get the job done. So, no need to feel sad or bad about using these kinds of keyboards if you cannot afford a mechanical keyboard.
And, if you do end up buying a new membrane keyboard, invest in a more high-quality one for gaming. These gaming membrane keyboards have rollover and other features that are built-in and will make your gaming experience much better.
But, if you have a better budget, it is recommended that you get around to replacing your mechanical keyboard with a membrane keyboard. No matter what, a mechanical keyboard is far better than the membrane keyboards out there for gaming.
What Is A Membrane Keyboard?
There are two kinds of keyboards that we can use. These are membrane keyboards and mechanical keyboards. Also, membrane keyboards are used worldwide for almost everything. Moreover, it is the fancy name of the keyboard we see daily.
You must have seen membrane keyboards everywhere, from classrooms to offices. It is much easier to produce and has become the default keyboard for everyone’s wrist rest.
Even though these kinds of keyboards are made vary from model to model, all manufacturers use a rubber-like membrane, where the keys are embedded.
The different keys lie over another membrane that is three-layered and pressure-sensitive. A keystroke is registered by applying pressure in a specific area. So, the keys on a membrane keyboard are all interconnected throughout the three-layered membrane, which is why it is called a membrane keyboard.
On the contrary, mechanical keyboards’ keys are all separate moving parts. All these keys have their registration system and switch.
Merits Of Membrane Keyboards
Over the years, this simplified keyboard has had many improvements from what it used to be in the beginning. Now that you know more about membrane keyboards let us get to the advantages they give us. The main merits of this keyboard are that it is budget-friendly and has a quiet keypress.
Quiet Key Press
Usually, the build of the mechanical keyboard makes it so that it makes much-clicking noise. It is for many reasons, including keycap choice, key switch choice, case material, and plate choice.
On the other hand, the membrane keyboard is so much quieter comparably. But, depending on the model, a membrane keyboard can be loud or quiet even though it usually makes very little noise. The loud noise made by a membrane keyboard can be intentional for different reasons, like mimicking the feel and sound of a mechanical keyboard.
Membrane keyboards make minimal sound, which is why you can use them in a public place. Using this instead of a mechanical keyboard in a public gaming area, you will feel blessed to make the least amount of noise comparable.
Budget-Friendly
The most amazing part about using a membrane keyboard is its price point. As it is mass-produced and its primary goal is to be manufactured at the lowest cost, the price of this keyboard is going to be within your price range. So, yes, it is very budget-friendly.
So much so that you can buy another membrane keyboard if your one breaks without evening thinking about how much money you are spending. That is most important for gamers as they need to use their keyboard constantly for gaming. Plus, there are so many affordable options to choose from.
Drawbacks Of Using A Membrane Keyboard
Even though there are significant advantages to a membrane keyboard, there are also a few disadvantages. The disadvantages of a membrane keyboard are general feel, fatigue, durability, key rollover, and little to no customization.
Here are the disadvantages of a membrane keyboard explained down below.
General Feel
The general feel of a mechanical keyboard is far better than that of a membrane keyboard. I will explain to you why that is the case.
A lot of membrane keyboard has a mushy feel. Your typing can be slowed down because of this. Plus, your typing experience will be hurt too.
You might end up making more typos as you cannot tell if your keystrokes are being registered or not. So, it is not as reliable as a mechanical keyboard. There is no optimal height for the keys in most cases with membrane keyboards. As key travels are short, this height difference can make your typing experience that much more complicated.
However, you can always get used to typing your membrane keyboard provides. But, you will not be in any way able to feel as great a typing experience as with a mechanical keyboard.
Key Rollover
It is essential to press more than one key simultaneously when playing in a competitive game or a tournament of any kind. But, with a membrane keyboard, you cannot do such a thing due to its mechanism.
Most membrane keyboards are like this, and they do not let you press more keys together without a problem. This could make you lose your games and your rank.
Plus, most of these keyboards face a problem called ghosting. When the data of two or more keys somehow get combined and actuate, a button that was not pressed is known as ghosting.
Durability
Even though membrane keyboards are not costly, and you can easily buy one without thinking about the cost, it is not a good look on such keyboards that they are not as durable as you need them to be.
Most membrane keyboards’ overall lifespan is much shorter than mechanical keyboards because of the lack of individual key switches. In most cases, more than one key breaks if even one key break.
Moreover, these keyboards are not easy to repair at all. The whole keyboard needs to be replaced as you cannot just open it up and replace a few faulty keys.
Fatigue
One of the most irritating issues with a membrane keyboard is that every keystroke needs to be bottomed out by you. This may cause fatigue if you use your membrane keyboard for an extended time.
Little Customizability
You cannot customize your membrane keyboard to get a better feel. It is impossible to replace switches or do any other modification to get a better typing feel or sound. Plus, you cannot replace the keycaps either. You are stuck with what you bought.
What Is A Mechanical Keyboard?
The mechanical keyboard switches are the better kind of keyboard that provides you with a better gaming experience with the help of a lot of built-in features that a membrane keyboard does not offer.
A different switch underneath every keycap of a mechanical switch keyboard registers keystrokes, unlike a membrane keyboard. These switches work as mechanical device that activates when the switches reach a certain threshold.
There are three types of characteristics of key switches;
- The travel time that a keypress takes to register
- Noise from a key press
- Keystroke resistance
Merits Of A Mechanical Keyboard
A mechanical computer keyboard has a few good qualities, like the long lifespan, the ability to customize, the feedback, and the build quality of these kinds of keyboards. Below, these are explained thoroughly.
Long Lifespan
Mechanical keyboards are great for many reasons, one of which is that these kinds of keyboards have a very long lifespan, which is a great deal more than membrane switch keyboards.
About thirty to a hundred million keystrokes are available in most mechanical keyboards; only about five million keystrokes are available in most membrane macro keys.
Customization
No membrane keyboards have any customizability. If you break a key or more, you cannot remove or replace it. But, with a mechanical clicky switch keyboard of any kind, there are loads of scope for customization. You can easily change a few keycaps without a hassle instead of replacing the whole keyboard.
The Feel
You would get excellent feedback if you used a mechanical clicky-switch keyboard. It is much better than any other type of keyboard. The feel of using the mechanical keys switches is tons better than membrane media keys. User experience is improved with gaming and typing by using a mechanical Cherry MX Blue keyboard.
Quality Of Material
The quality of most, if not all, mechanical keyboards is excellent because they are made of high-quality materials. Even though the materials make these keyboards heavy, they easily stay in one place when using them. So, these keyboards do not physically move around much.
Drawbacks Of A Mechanical Keyboard
Most mechanical keyboards have disadvantages like their expense and the noise it creates. Let us discuss them a little more.
The Sound
Even though there are ways to make mechanical keyboards quieter, these are louder than membrane keyboards. So, you will not be able to comfortably use your mechanical keyboard for the linear switch in a public place.
Expense
Mechanical keyboards are very pricy. They are more expensive than membrane keyboards. And, the premium ones can cost up to a hundred dollars or even more. But, average customers will not be able to buy those expensive ones.
Membrane VS Mechanical Keyboards
Mechanical and membrane keyboards differ in terms of key responsiveness, durability, and sound.
Mechanical keyboards use individual mechanical switches for each key, providing a tactile feedback and a distinct clicking sound when a key is pressed. They are known for their high durability and fast response time, making them popular for gaming and typing.
Membrane keyboards use a flexible plastic membrane to register key presses. They are generally quieter, more affordable and have a softer feel when compared to mechanical keyboards. However, they are less durable and do not provide the same level of feedback as mechanical keyboards.
Both types of keyboards have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice between them largely comes down to personal preference and intended use.
Questions That Are Asked Frequently
Here are a few of the questions that are asked frequently by most.
Is it essential to use a keyboard for gaming?
Yes. It is essential to use a keyboard for gaming for most people.
Gaming keyboards are there for a reason. They are there so that you can use them for gaming. But, not all people use the best gaming keyboard. Some use consoles. Those who use keyboards for gaming either use a mechanical keyboard or a membrane gaming keyboard.
Is using a mechanical keyboard hard?
Not at all! Using a mechanical switches keyboard with linear switches does not have to be hard at all.
It all depends on practice. If you are used to using a membrane keyboard and have just switched to a mechanical MX brown keyboard, you need a little bit of practice. This practice will make it so that you will easily be able to use a mechanical keyboard after a while.
What kind of keyboard do gamers use?
Most gamers use mechanical keyboards instead of membrane key for gaming. This is because of the versatility of a mechanical keyboard. These Cherry MX switch keyboards are far better for gaming than any other keyboard for conductive trace. Quality-wise, these are the proper keyboards for gamers.
Why are mechanical keyboards better for gaming than membrane keyboards?
A mechanical keyboard is better for gaming than a membrane rubber dome keyboard for several reasons for the gamer. These keyboards are high quality and made out of high-quality materials.
Additionally, these keyboards are customizable. Moreover, these keyboards give users a better blue switch gaming experience because of how it feels to use these.
Do you have to use a mechanical keyboard for gaming?
No. you do not have to use the mechanical regular keyboard for actuation point gaming if you do not want to or do not have the budget. It is not a must. You can use a cheaper membrane tactile switches keyboard or a high-end one as well.
Final Words
For gaming, mechanical keyboards are the best kind of keyboards. But, they are expensive. So, the question is, are membrane keyboards good for gaming? And, the answer is yes!
Even though membrane keyboards are not as good as mechanical keyboards, you can still work well with them as membrane keyboards have their advantages that, in some cases, make them better than mechanical keyboards, like affordability and quietness.
So, what are you waiting for? Buy your budget-friendly membrane keyboard now!
