Tarantula Keyboard Review

Razer Tarantula Keyboard
by Graeme Clark

The distinguished 'gaming' keyboard is becoming quite common now - with offerings including alternate key layouts optimised for particular games and backlit key tops which allow the keyboard to be visible in low light. We first saw 'Macro' support with the Saitek Gamers Keyboard which included a set of programmable keys, but the new Tarantula from Razer aims to take this feature into a whole new ball park.

Design and Functionality

The first thing that you notice on the keyboard is that the casing has abandoned the traditional 'matt' finish plastic in favour of a gloss black. This does look great, although quickly attracts finger prints. After plugging the keyboard in, the Macro keys, num / caps lock lights and the razer logo at the front of the keyboard glow with blue lighting - this does look great at night, especially with the razer logo slowly pulsing giving the keyboard additional presence over other keyboards with backlighting features.

Media keys for skipping music tracks, adjusting volume are on the right side of the keyboard, and zoom, rotate and sleep buttons are on the left side. The rear of the keyboard features a 2 port USB hub along with audio extensions for plugging in a stereo headset.

'What are Macros?'

Simply put, a macro is a set of commands set to run from one function - intended to make repetitive tasks easier. Straight off, the Tarantula has 10 programmable keys, with 5 placed on each side of the keyboard.



Shown here is the Razer software - to make a macro simply select the appropriate macro key and you can type in the key presses as required, with the option of inserting delays of between 50 and 200ms if required. A useful example for this would be in Counterstrike, pressing the 'Buy' key and then choosing a weapon category and weapon for the start of a game. Macros allow up to 8 keypresses to be included in the sequence.

Swapping Keys

Included in the box is a small removal tool which allows the key tops to be removed and swapped. This applies to the programmable keys and the regular 'QWERTY' and number keys, but not function keys such as Shift and Enter.

Also provided are a set of alternate 10 key tops representing game functions and weapons which can be installed in place of the traditional keys - while it would have been nice to see a wider variety of these included, Razer do hint at additional keysets for specifc games being made available in the future.

As well as being able to program macros, the Razer software also allows keys to be remapped - literally any key in the alphanumeric set can be reconfigured and the key tops swapped to match if you wish.

Profiles and Keymaps

This is where it gets a little more advanced. In any instance, the keyboard has two keymaps ready to go. The keymap can be swapped through the control panel, but is easier (quicker) to select by pressing the 'Profile' key on the keyboard. The technique mentioned above for swapping keys could be applied to one keymap and the regular QWERTY configuration could be applied to the other keymap - meaning you have your preferred layout set up for gaming and typing and can swap between these with the push of one button.

Further, up to 100 separate profiles can be saved (with each profile supporting two keymaps) on your PC, meaning you're never short of room for creating enough layouts to suit your entire gaming collection.

The keyboard has 32kb of onboard RAM (referred to as 'Synapse') which can be used to store up to 5 profiles so that they are easily transferred to another PC. Ideal for tournament gaming where competitions are often played on sponsor provided PCs - just bring your keyboard along to be able to compete with the functionality that you're used to.

Key feel and Anti-Ghosting Feature

The keys on the Razer Tarantula feel taught and precise - I would say the travel on them is longer than a laptop keyboard or similar flat style of keyboard, but shorter than a regular desktop keyboard. It's a good balance and means that the keyboard feels responsive and there's no chance of missing a keypress. A common concern from gamers is the number of simultaneous keypresses allowed - many keyboards will not register more than 3 at once. I found that the keyboard would register up to 8 simultaneous keypresses, but would stall slightly if 7 or 8 keys were pushed at the same time. Up to 6 keys was no problem for the keyboard, and I expect this is enough for anyone's needs.

Battledock

Underneath a flap at the rear of the keyboard lies a USB 'B' mini socket, which will house optional accessories made available from Razer shortly. So far a lighting kit and webcamera have been announced.

The light kit definitely is a good idea, although I wonder if the position of the webcam being so close to the player would result in needing to be angled up so your opponents will be treated to a view of looking up your nose. If Razer are listening, I would love to see an adapation of our latest 'Optimus Three' product to be made available to fit on the top of the keyboard - this would surely be a wonderful combination with potential game plug-ins added to give further status display information. Only time will tell though !

Conclusions

I like the Razer keyboard - it looks impressive, is comfortable to use and there's no denying that the macro functions and keymapping facilities are well executed. It would be great if Macro functionaility was added to the standard keyset as well as this would open up a lot more options for both game and application use, but maybe I'm just being greedy. The keyboard is released in the UK in January and if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on one, make sure to get in a pre-order ASAP !

Incidentally, I made a macro for 'ASAP'. It's something I type a lot and I felt it was a fitting and satisfying ending to this overview. Can't just use it for games all the time. :)

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