STACK #150 Apr 2017

GAMES FEATURE

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H e a d t o p a g e 4 4 a n d f i n d o u t h o w t o a R a z e r M a n O ’ W a r g a m i n g h e a d s e t .

Razer has just revealed its new and improved keyboard – the Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2. Words Alesha Kolbe

R azer has had a foothold in the gaming peripheral market for a number of years

now, offering quality, streamlined products (with the trademark Razer

Green glow) that appeal to casual gamers and esports pros alike. The first thing you need to know about Razer’s mechanical keyboards is that they are available with a number of different mechanical key switches: the Green, ‘clicky’ switches with tactile feedback; the Orange switches, that are more quiet with the same tactile feedback minus the click; and the new Yellow switches, which are silent and linear – each designed specifically for MOBA and FPS gaming. Where the original Blackwidow Chroma (now three years old) was an impressive mechanical keyboard, the V2 makes a number of improvements. Razer has added new mechanical key switch types, a wrist rest that attaches snugly to the bottom of the keyboard, and a new keycap font. We went hands-on with a Blackwidow Chroma V2 featuring the Green switches that offer a more responsive interaction and feedback than the linear ones. To the untrained finger, the feedback variation may not be noticeable, but to the experienced PC gamer it can mean the difference between (video game) life and death. The trade off with this handy response feedback is the noise of the keys. You don’t

notice it after a while,

trademark Razer Chroma lighting. This puts 16.8 million customisable colour combinations at your fingertips, and the ability to sync your keyboard with the rest of your

but it’s something that could bother co-workers or people you live with, so you need to keep that in mind. Ultimately, it comes

down to personal preference as far as key choices are concerned, with the change in responsive feedback really noticeable if you’ve used your fair share of both. The Blackwidow V2’s clicky Green keys are more beneficial (in our experience) to fast-paced multiplayer games like MOBAs, with lower impact titles like RPGs (which don’t necessarily require lightning fast reflexes) showing little deviation either way. The new-look keys themselves are set comfortably into the body of the keyboard, and are built to withstand up to 80 million key presses, so you won’t have to replace your keyboard any time soon. Of course, the upgraded Blackwidow also features the

setup. It’s a fun way to spend half an hour. Razer’s updated Blackwidow V2 improves not only on the keys of the original, but also the comfort factor. Included with the keyboard is a plush wrist rest, making it noticeably more comfortable during extended use. This small addition makes a remarkable change and could alone justify the upgrade. Moreover, the rest attaches magnetically to the bottom of the keyboard and is easy to dispense with should you need to move the keyboard, or decide it’s simply not required. Razer’s Blackwidow Chroma V2 is full of noticeable, impactful improvements upon the already quality original, and is certainly worth the upgrade.

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APRIL 2017

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