Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard by Razer Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $70.00 You Save: $29.99 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard
Digital camera Review: A keyboard for cheaters!
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this keyboard on impulse, because I wanted a keyboard with a smaller footprint than my original Logitech G15. Disappointed. I'll be brief.
Good:
* Nice soft feel to the keys, good for touch typing
* Shiny laser cut logo that softly glows on and off
* programmable macro keys that can be used without installing any drivers
Bad:
* programmable macro keys share keyboard with regular keys
* poor reliability
* distracting flickering logo
As it turns out, it uses almost as much space as the G15. After a month or so of use, some of the keys do not always work on the first try. (corrosion?) The glowing logo on the keyboard sometimes flickers, which is distracting while I'm gaming. It can not be turned off. The keyboard shows up as one device in windows, so you can not use the macro keys while holding down other keys--for example, in an MMO you can't switch spells while running away using a macro, without letting go of W for a second.
The one advantage of this keyboard is that the macros are held in-memory in the keyboard, so you can plug it in to a PS3 or computer that does not have any drivers and use macros in games where they are forbidden. And it looks pretty cool, I guess, although blue LEDs and laser-cut logos are so y2k, you know what I'm saying?
In short, it's a cheaply built keyboard for MMO cheaters, that favors style over performance in every way.
Digital camera Review: A professional gamer's keyboard.
Summary: 5 Stars
The first thing you should do when you buy this keyboard:
*Download and update the drivers (for Vista, especially).
*Download and update the firmware after updating the drivers.
If you don't do this you'll run into compatibility issues with Vista and the keyboard won't work until Windows loads (i.e. can't press keys for BIOS or Windows boot menu). The firmware fixes this issue and the drivers that come with the unit are not Vista compatible, so they fail to install properly. A serious gamer is going to download the latest updates anyway, but I wanted to make it clear that the keyboard was originally released for Windows XP and not Vista, so drivers had to be written for Vista.
The functionality of the keyboard consists of 10 customizable keys (5 left, 5 right) that you can set macros on. The keys are backlit and can be changed out for a set of included keys that have various pictures on them (for gaming). On the right are play options for Windows Media Player (and others), shuffle and volume. On the left there is a home key that brings up your default browser. Rotate, zoom and 100% keys can be set to work with the Windows picture viewer, Photoshop and a few others.
The Home, End, Delete, Page Up and Page Down keys take some getting used to as the Delete key is huge and the End key is higher than it normally is. Another thing I noticed is the offset at which I had to place the keyboard in order to type with the home keys. As with any keyboard, it takes time to get used to a key layout and this isn't an issue in my opinion.
The keyboard takes a minimalist approach to gaming, but caters to the professional gamer with nice programmable features. Some gamers like fancy key layouts and loads of oddball looking gadgets. The Tarantula bypasses the fluff and goes right to the source--giving you what you need as a gamer and not stuffing the keyboard with items that you won't use anyway.
I changed from a Zboard (which still functions just fine) to this keyboard for a change in pace. If you're a serious gamer looking for a sleek approach to a gaming keyboard then this is probably going to satisfy your needs.
Razer makes quality products. This is no exception.
Digital camera Review: Amazing and well crafted
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had quite a lot of keyboards on the market. Needless to say i have a fetish for keyboards. So my review is based on that i've owned the G11, G15, G15/rev2, diNovo, Razer Lycosa and other non important brands. Looking back at those - non of them get even close to this one.. This is my review:
First of all the packaging itself screams quality. It's very flashy and the name tarantula fits the product well. It looks big, it says big and also states something very important about the product. Like a tarantula - you're able to ghost quite a lot of keys at once - not forgetting the important move that makes you the winner and not the looser.
The keys feel very different from your -say G15, lycosa or other standard keyboard. It takes a little getting used to - but when you first get the feeling of it -you're gonna love it. Also you have the extra multimedia keys, the ZOOM (picture viewer) keys and a few others like sound control. They're tougher to press, but none the less very pleasant. Keep in mind that this keyboard is intended for extreme gaming - so pushing a multimedia button could place a monkey in your gaming program - and bang you loose.
The build quality is excellent. The keyboard is heavy and stays where you've put it. Hands down this keyboard is unmatched in build quality. Even the Razer Lycosa or Logi G15/19 doesn't even get close to this sucker.
I have had no issues with the keyboard except the fact that you can't use it from a machine with no operating system on it. This is because it initially is being detected as a USB HUB! This is the only design glitch this keyboard has. However despite this i'm still giving it 5/5 based on the quality alone this keyboard has to offer.
For general purpose like writing letters, doing office work or write kung-fu code is actually a very pleasant experience. The Tarantula wins again with it's keys requiring less pressure and this gives (me) a more calm wrist. Doing long coding sessions is no problem.
The software is very well done - and let's you customize all you want. I don't wanna go into detail, but just conclude that it's typical Razer software. Upgrading the firmware has not been an issue on my Windows 7 x64 box.
So who should buy this then? Well depends. I like to look at Logitech products as a line of hardware tailored against the more casual gamer. The G series has a nice display and hands down it works well. My personal experience is though that i never ever use it anyway. Looking at Razer products I see a line of products tailored against hardcore gamers or gamers who want the best gaming equipment money can buy. With Razer it's not cheap, but you also get a product in it's own class.
So to sum it all up... it doesn't get any better. It's extremely solid, it works excellent and screams quality. I would recommend this to anyone.
Digital camera Review: BUY THIS KEYBOARD!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have somewhat of a keyboard Obsession, I own the Logitech diNovo & The diNovo Edge (both very expensive) and I'm always looking for a new keyboard to fit my fetish. I've actually owned the Tarantula for awhile, just never got around to writing a review for it. Razer markets themselves as a "gamers" company. And while this is an outstanding gaming keyboard, it's so much more. I use the zoom/rotate/100% keys in Photoshop all the time. And the macro abilities, while great for games, are very useful in applications like Photoshop. I press one button and BOOM my image size box pops up. Normally it's just C+A+I to do this, but with my L1 macro'ed to it, it's a second faster. I've set up a lot of macros in Photoshop to do common tasks, and it saves time definitely.
The keystrokes here are superb, I was very use to the keys on my diNovo Edge, not sure which of the 2 I like better. But the Trantuala is one of the best I've used as far as how the keys feel. They're soft, but still firm, and only require a slight press to register. Each key has it's own membrane so the quality is top notch.
The sucker is big, but I love the buttons, the media controls are pretty standard on keyboards nows, I kind of wish the buttons here were closer to the bottom, but that's just because I'm use to Logitech diNovo's placement. I open Winamp with 1 button, press shuffle + play and I got random music to last me all day.
The "sleep mode" button puts the PC into sleep mode, I don't use sleep mode but for those who do it will be useful. The "Home" button I guess is supposed to open your web browser and open your default page. I said I guess because mine does nothing.
with the latest drivers + firmware you can customize anything. I spoke on the macro feature, well it has a profile feature. You can configure 100 different profiles, with 10 macro keys and various driver settings you can pretty much have it do everything under the sun. Oh yeah, and you can set macro keys to launch a program too, or have a macro key launch another profile. Really you could get pretty complex with your configuration if you wanted.
The initial prototype board all the keys were back lit, now it's just the 10 macro keys + the profile button. You can buy a light that hooks up to the "Battle Dock" never used it so I can't comment, but I know the light wouldn't fit due to my keyboard tray not being deep enough.
It comes with 10 replaceable keys, the L1-L5/R1-R5 were boring, so I popped on the included new ones. Now I have a knife, pistol, rifle, grenade & others. Very cool to look at. And since I game they actually fit. This definitely gives the board a violent touch which I like :)
I like the drivers a lot, they are simple and give you plenty of configuration options. Also included are 2 USB ports and a headphone/mic jack. Now the USB ports are only 1.1 so it's slow, but would be more than good for anything that doesn't use 2.0, very convenient. My Motorola Q for example is only USB 1.1 so I can plug it right into my keyboard, very useful as the cable that came with it is only about 3 feet long.
This along with my diNovo Edge are the 2 best keyboards I've ever owned. The responsiveness of the keys on this bad boy is almost unreal. If you can spare the size (almost 20 inches wide) this is the board to get bar none! I had to give up my soda cup space on my keyboard tray to make this fit, but it was well worth it :)
Digital camera Review: CONS For Razer
Summary: 2 Stars
I don't see the cons of a Tarantula keyboard enough in print. If I did I would not have bought mine. I pluged my nice 2.1 speakers into the keyboard and moving my keyboard broke my cord. Nice speakers no more. I do not plug my expensive replaced logitech z-2300 into my keyboard any longer. The keyboard is illuminated but not the keys most used: w,a,s,d,z,x,c,f,g,r,1,2,3,4,5,6,shift,control. They have a place for a raised light to sit. Like I want a lamp for my keyboard. Next time I buy a gaming keyboard it will have the correct keys illuminated, not a place for a lamp. Consider the cons before buying.