Earlier this year, Epic Gear debuted modular MMS switches on its Defiant keyboard. Users can pluck out a switch and replace it with a different type with little trouble. The company has ported the same concept to a new gaming mouse called the “Morph” that it’s going to show off at Computex 2016.
Really, the Morph takes things a step further. You can not only swap out both the left and right switches, you can even change the sensor. (Mimicking a trend we saw at CES earlier this year, modularity is the name of the game.)
To access the switches (to which Epic Gear is lending the MMS [Modular Switch Structure] name), pop off both the palm rest (which is secured in place by magnets) and a cover underneath that hides the switch assemblies. They’re actually small modules with a little button sticking up at the top. Omron makes the switch modules, and Epic Gear is working with the company to make three types of switches for the Morph. The switches all require different amounts of pressure for actuation, and they match the MMS switches in color. That is, they’re gray, orange or purple.
On the Morph, Gray is “mild,” Orange is “medium” and Purple is “pro” and requires the greatest amount of pressure to actuate. (On the Defiant keyboard, the Gray switches are linear like Reds, the Orange ones are tactile like Browns, and the Purple ones are clicky like Blues.)
To remove a switch module, Epic Gear gives you the same key puller that it ships with the Defiant keyboard.
You can also swap out the mouse sensor, which is housed in a removable rectangular module called a Modular Switch Cartridge (MSC). The Morph will ship with two modules--the Avago 3362 optical sensor and the Avago 9800 laser sensor. Exchanging one module for the other is quick and trivial.
Unsurprisingly, this eminently customizable mouse has a series of removable weights. There are four 5g weights total, each a half-moon that slots in succession into the space under the palm rest. That may not sound like much weight, but considering that many mice weigh as little as 90g, that 20g is significant.
Wait, there’s more: Although Epic Gear wouldn’t tell me who it was partnering with on it, you’ll have the option to add a customized logo on the palm rest. And if that wasn’t enough, the Morph has RGB lighting.
The Morph is still a prototype, but I inferred that Epic Gear is planning to roll it out soon, and because the team wanted to show it off at Computex, they brought a “prototype” that’s close to final version. Because it is a prototype, in any case, there is no pricing information yet.
Seth Colaner is the News Director for Tom's Hardware. Follow him on Twitter @SethColaner. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
