News Razer launches Huntsman optical-switch gaming keyboards

Something about your article @Gareth Halfacree makes me think you're a little sceptical of this particular product... I can't quite put my finger on what though...

 

I posted this earlier on Hexus: I've been using a Qpad MK-85 (MX browns) for nearly four years now but, I can't say I have ever felt the keyswitches were too slow to respond. How much faster can Razer's switches realistically be with 0.5 mm less movement? Seems like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, at least not for most people.

 

How to add more RGB to your RGBs when RGB just isn't enough, add some IR.

 

The real question is what do Razer do when they run out of cool sounding spider names? The Razer Daddy Long Legs? Razer Common House??

 

I don't think there's a risk of that happening any time soon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spider_common_names
Though I do look forward to seeing the Razer Pinktoe VR foot controller.

 

Hardware Canucks review of this was quite entertaining, but they shared my opinion that an ultra premium keyboard that requires account driven DRM laden software to access the settings and lacks USB pass through is unacceptable.

 

Introducing the Razer Hobo!

Yes there is such thing as a Hobo Spider.
They could always start using the Latin names, Razer Steatoda sounds better than Razer Cupboard. Or they could use both, having the base model the Razer Cardinal and the RGB one as the Razer Tegenaria. I don't think they'll run out of names to soon though, what with spiders being so horrifically varied.

 

But but they are soooo innovative, no other keyboard manufacturer has as much DRM in their software as Razer

 

It's not so much the quicker response time with 'gaming' keyboards but the deresponse time, arguably mechanical 'gaming' keyboards are a misnomer as their not ideal for gaming, it's to do with what happens in games (mainly FPS) when two direction keys are pressed at the same time and the null-movement that results from having a key you've let go of still registering a key press until it reaches its deactivation point while you're pressing a new key, (this YouTube Video is Milton talking about the issue, if Video isn't you thing someone also wrote about the issue here).

 

No idea who "Milton" is but, his problem is more likely one of personal preference than anything wrong with a particular type of keyswitch. He won't influence my buying decision when I need a new keyboad, probably still some years away. I do play some games that require use of the WASD keys but, the keyboard is much faster to respond/ derespond, whatever, than my fingers are.

 

It's nothing 'wrong' with the type of keyswitch, it's just the different way they work, membrane based switches activate/deactivate when the key bottoms out and the moment it's no longer bottomed out, mechanical switches activate/deactivate at something like 2mm and while you could learn not to press another key until that 2mm cutoff point is reached I'd suggest that knowing when one key has rebounded 2.1mm and another depressed 2mm would be difficult the learn.

Not that it matters much as i guess most people play games for fun instead of competitively, it just irks me when companies market something as 'gaming' when it either doesn't effect your gaming experience or actually makes it worse.

 

Looking forward to the Razer Big Bend Recluse.

 

I found it pretty easy to learn, the noise will teach you not to bottom out (so you end up stopping close to the activation point due to that).

But yeah, more could be done with switches other than membrane / mech, I don't really care if it ends up with optical, scissor or topre becoming the go to for gaming products, the shortage of meaningful alternatives is disturbing.

 

Mx speed/silver with some O-rings make my keyboard fast enough for my newb skills.

 

I had to check the calendar to confirm the month when I saw the price.

 

I'm waiting for Hall Effect switches to become the 'in thing' for gaming keyboards. Or maybe someone will go "hey, the switch needs a spring anyway, let's sprinkle in a pile of inductance sensors!".