You’re also the last one standing for your team as you play Heroes of the Storm, and you need to make it count. One slight misclick, one second of wasted damage, one wrong or even unintentional tap of a key would mean game over. This is why the keyboard you use can mark the difference between victory and defeat
Retailing at $209 CAD, the Razer Huntsman keyboard looks and feels like a step forward from a design perspective. It is slimmed down to conserve the user’s desks space and has light-up and customizable keys to offer for gaming in dim lighting conditions. With two-step extendable legs, the keyboard also offers comfort. The most unique part of this keyboard, however, is that it combines mechanical keys with optical sensors.
The Razer Huntsman keyboard becomes gaming-chaining with this design, as it has these optical sensors in every one of its switches. This allows for key signals to be sent to the computer at the speed of light.
Compared to traditional keyboards, how this one works is that it has moving parts under each key. Once the user presses the key, a beam of light passes through the switch stem and actuation occurs. This sends a signal to the user’s computer and executes their command.
There is no actuation delay when it comes to the Razer Huntsman, as its digital optical actuation works along with the mechanical click, giving users the tactile feedback and familiar clicking sound. In the past, this was thought to be too difficult to accomplish due to the physical implementation of the switches.
Looking closer at these switches, it also has stabilizers to prevent keys from wobbling while in the middle of a game. Made out of metal, these stabilizers are on both sides of each switch, and when combined with optical actuation, the switches themselves have fewer moving parts.
The switches not being made out of metal only adds to the longevity of the keyboard. They are durable because of the optical actuation which decreases the amount of physical contact. Compared to the standard of 50 million keystrokes, the keyboard can provide users with the durability of up to 100 million keystrokes.
Every keypress is light as well, and along with the smooth texture of the key caps, helps maximize impact in fast-paced games. In fact, users need exactly 45 g of force for actuation to happen. Compared to traditional keyboards, this gets rid of misfires that can occur if keys are either wobbly or users mistakenly hit the edge of a key. The Razer Huntsman’s balanced keypress is created with the keyboard’s new stem shape, as well as its key stabilizer bar.
Adding to the durability of the keyboard is its braided fiber cable. If users are attending a tournament, for example, and want to use their own keyboard, the Razer Huntsman would be a go-to in terms of its durability. Users can simply plug the keyboard in and play. Along with the aluminum matte top plate, users can also be assured the sturdiness of the keyboard that is smooth to the touch and aesthetically pleasing.
The keyboard does have that ‘clicky’ feedback, however, which can sometimes affect gameplay if you’re listening for a specific move or if an enemy is sneaking behind you, but it depends on what games are being played and how sensitive your roommates are, for example. They might be a little bit annoyed after getting an earful of non-stop keypressing.
Of course, the advanced options powered by Razer Chroma allows for a lot of customization. There are 16.8 million options when it comes to customizing the colours of the keyboard. In addition, the Razer Synapse 3 has easy set-up instructions that lets you rebind buttons, personalize the lighting style and colours, as well as assign macros.
After testing the Razer Huntsman in Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, and World of Warcraft, the conclusion is that this keyboard is great for players who want to optimize their gaming with a tap of a key. It certainly helps with DPS and APM, as there is a little delay after pressing a key and having your command be executed right away.
If you have the budget, Razer Huntsman is a fantastic addition to your gaming arsenal. The new switches are game-changing for the competitive scene, and as with most Razer products, it’s build quality is second to none. With all the features on display and some of the best switches on the market, it is hard to not recommend the Razer Huntsman for anyone looking to buy a new mechanical keyboard.
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