KBParadise has announced that they’re releasing a V80MTS TKL that will fit both Cherry and Matias switches.

The company already offers the V60 (Cherry MX 60%), the V60MTS (Matias ALPS 60%), and the V80 (Cherry MX TKL), so as a Matias ALPS TKL, the V80MTS will fill a gap in their product line.

KBParadises’ marketing images, shown in the gallery below, indicate that the V80MTS will be available with three switch types: Matias Click, Matias Quiet, and Matias Quiet Linear, a new switch from Matias.

Notably, the V80MTS-QL and upcoming V60MTS-QL will be the first keyboards to feature this new switch. You can expect it to feel similar to a Cherry MX Red, but with internal damping mechanisms to quiet both the downstroke and upstroke–no o-rings needed.

The new design will also afford modders plenty of opportunities for customization. Since the PCB is compatible with both Cherry and Matias ALPS switches (and Matias ALPS are pin-compatible with all genuine vintage ALPS switches), you’ll be able to solder in a huge selection of replacement switches if you get tired of the built-in Matias switches.

The existing V80 is a fairly standard TKL, whose only outstanding feature is dual-color backlighting with a few LED modes. I’m guessing the V80MTS will support backlighting for Cherry switches since the LEDs are housed in the switches themselves, but we’ll have to wait and see if and how backlighting is supported for Matias switches. Although Matias switches support backlighting by virtue of being transparent, they require illumination via an LED hardwired to the PCB. It could be challenging from an engineering standpoint to support backlighting for both switch types at once–we’ll see what happens. If they do manage to support backlighting for Matias switches, the V80MTS will be the first commercially available backlit board with Matias switches.

Given that the existing V60MTS does not support backlighting, I’m not holding my breath–but while they’re redesigning the PCB, we can hope 🙂

The V80MTS will also be the first mass-produced ALPS-compatible TKL since the now-discontinued Filco Zero.

KBParadise says an engineering sample will be ready in a “couple weeks.”