It really feels like we will be seeing a lot of keyboards with similar features coming out soon, if not already. To be fair, enthusiast keyboards have been mostly a solved problem for decades now. Everyone has been mostly optimizing switches and looks to get your money since, with the average pre-built in 2024 being vastly superior to those from even a couple of years ago. So many features are just taken for granted now, so keyboard manufacturers had to do something to keep this consumerism cycle churning. Optical switches never really caught on given the complexity in getting them working consistently for millions of switches as well as the larger number of potential failure points, and people saw the likes of Wooting having a success with magnetic switches for analog control. It's funny too that the switches used in the Varmilo Muse65 are marketed by Gateron for use in the Wooting HE keyboards, although obviously it is in Gateron's best interests to sell the switches to anyone interested, especially since it has a lead in the magnetic switch market at this time. Right now we are still only seeing linear magnetic switches, but that is due to change imminently too. I'd say the magnetic switch market is quickly getting to the point where it will soon be mainstream, but we are not there yet.

This is why we are still only seeing smaller brands try the magnetic switch route. Larger, more mainstream brands have inertia and years of set motion to overcome first. Prices are higher as a result too, and no one has managed to make a user-friendly configurator which will work for everyone. I'd say the Varmilo version is probably the worst in this regard, but does have more options than I've seen from others. There is certainly scope here to be a leader, at least within the more niche market it operates in. But Varmilo has to do better, with a few more drawbacks on the hardware and software side than I would like to see at this price point. You can get magnetic switch keyboards for half the price, and really the selling point here is Varmilo's brand reputation paired with its higher build quality and standards for putting out multiple themes and a full metal case. I do like that you have several options to choose from here though, and it's not just limited to a custom keycap set either. Even with the acrylic panel on the back, where no one is really going to see it with the keyboard on the desk, Varmilo has gone a few steps beyond most others in this new world of magnetic keyboards. I will also point out that this review could have been a lot more negative had the newer software version not come out days before I started writing this review, so I do see a future where more optimized software and the presence of the promised browser configurator can sway things to where the Muse65 HE can well be a mainstay for not only gaming, but also for those who like extremely smooth typing keyboards or like to try newer implementations of different technologies.