Gimmickry, nothing more. Switches are a commodity so making something new and special sounding gives a price boost and some popularity for a while. Activation b

Gimmickry, nothing more. Switches are a commodity so making something new and special sounding gives a price boost and some popularity for a while. Activation by breaking a light beam vs. activation by completing a circuit, the difference is not going to be noticeable to a human.