Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard reviewed

We're still not sure exactly how popular these "gamer keyboards" really are, but nevertheless, it appears that Razer wants in on some of the action. This keyboard, which has been talked about for nearly a year, is due to finally hit the streets next month for somewhere in the neighborhood of $100, but those crafty folks at XYZ Computing managed to get their typing paws all over one. The Tarantula apparently claims be one of the world's first extremely-low-latency keyboards on the market, with a response time of less than eight milliseconds. You can also set up to five keyboard profiles, plug in to the USB 2.0 port, or the audio in / out jack. XYZ found that under normal use (word processing, surfing the internet, etc.) that it "works well enough, but is nothing special." But what about under Red Bull-fueled late-night gaming conditions? XYZ dinged the Tarantula for its large footprint, and the fact that you can't shut the LEDs off, but said that it could be "a power tool in the hands of a dedicated gamer." That's not exactly a stunning endorsement, but we'll take it. We'd still like to see how this keyboard handles days-upon-days of hardcore blogging -- that'd be the real test.

[PK @ Jul 24th 2009 9:34AM]

This keyboard sucks. Never worked right. I had 2 razer copper heads die on me got a Logitech g9x now. this keyboard macro keys don't work the software doesn't work cant upgrade firmware and then geniues at the company tell me hey uninstall the keyboard software and reinstall it great sure, but I can't find the cd and they don't provide there software for downland on their site I mean why would you.

[michael @ Oct 31st 2006 3:28PM]

i refuse to accept any keyboard that lacks full-size "over the numbers" function keys, a 3x2 block of INS/HOME/PGUP//DEL/END/PGDOWN directly over an inverted T of arrow keys as being a keyboard at all, let alone a gaming keyboard.

At least they've *got* the inverted T (i've seen alleged gaming keyboards that don't even have that), but what kind of world do we live in that allows our F-keys to shrink like that?

[OMAC @ Oct 31st 2006 3:54PM]

Circuit City has these already. Saw it this past weekend.

[Adam @ Oct 31st 2006 3:31PM]

so if I were looking for a quality keyboard at the moment, what would be some suggestions?

[daaper @ Oct 31st 2006 4:32PM]

I keep hearing Logitech G15 is the keyboard to have at the moment

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 31st 2006 6:49PM]

You heard right.

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 31st 2006 6:53PM]

Design is a knock-off of the Logitech S510. Also, the camera and light cannot be connected simultaneously. Why not have backlit keys like the *AWESOME* Logitech G15?

[David Li @ Oct 31st 2006 3:49PM]

I want to know how many keys you can push down at the same time. I expect better keyboards to be able to handle more keys than normal ones.

To see what I mean, try typing out the alphabet while holding down both shift keys. Better keyboards tend to drop fewer letters.

[hoohoo @ Oct 31st 2006 4:09PM]

why no mention of the zune dock that this board seems to have up top center? looks just like this one:

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/utilities/galleryview.php/7210c653172b944f8a6ff4e43c71a202.jpg

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 31st 2006 6:52PM]

I have seen this keyboard in a retail store weeks ago and the "battle dock" is for a camera or light that is sold seperately. This is retarded as they can't both be used at the same time, and a light is not as good as having lit keys as the Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard has.

[CitrusC @ Oct 31st 2006 5:13PM]

If this is anything like their awful mice, it will break within a few weeks of getting it. I can't stand Razer products, especially when compared to the kind of equipment Logitech and Enermax have been outputting as of late.

The key configuration is disgusting as well, I can't stand any keyboard with one of those weird 'slimline' enter keys, I need a two-block one otherwise my little finger completely misses it.

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 31st 2006 6:49PM]

DIE NOW PLEASE (j/k). The fat [Enter] key is the bane of my existence! In my experience working on countless computers, keyboards with the fat [Enter] key have no standard position for the '\'. Get used to the single-row [Enter] key. It's here to stay.

[jonl @ Oct 31st 2006 5:14PM]

I just got the Saitek Eclipse II keyboard in the post today.

Excellent keyboard for gaming and for general typing.

And it's also backlit (can choose from of 3 colours whilst in use) and it is pretty cheap too @ �25 (~$45).

It's also not a huge keyboard so doesn't take up too much space on the desk and is also rather better looking than the Tarantula.

I recommend it.

[Eh @ Nov 1st 2006 3:06PM]

How many LED's does a gamer need?

Things that have LED's (Im sure Im missing some things):
Cases
IDE cables
Fans
Video Cards
PSU's
Mice
Mouse pads
Keyboards
Then the mandatory tube of light

What else is there to put an LED on? Maybe now we'll have LED's with an LED on it.

[Mosquito Control @ Oct 31st 2006 7:14PM]

Hotkeys for Photoshop and Winamp are great.
Output for headphones and a microphone are equally great.

But macro keys are useless to me.
And blue LEDs need to go - they're always blindingly bright. Some logitech speakers drive me insane due to this, and I actually had to open up my travel mouse and disconnect the blue accent LED because it was always piercing, shining right through into my brain.

I sleep in the same room as my PC and would be kept awake by this damn thing. Much like the Copperhead I have, but I only use that for gaming, not general mousing.

[KineticOnline @ Oct 31st 2006 9:13PM]

I'm still holding out for the optimus keyboard, i dont care much about latency or hoy mach keys i can press at once. and keyboard with programmable graphics for each key is worth more than most PC peripherals in my book. (although im tempted by the Upravlator hile im waiting)

If you dont know what im talking about go to http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/

[Corey @ Oct 31st 2006 11:54PM]

Yeah, I used to have a Razer optical mouse. Lets just say that the software didn't work like it was supposed to, and without it, the mouse wouldn't work right. I tried contacting them to no avail. I ended up smashing the thing to pieces and mailing it to them for the hell of it.

A word to the wise: Razer sucks, stray from using their products.

[Juaquin @ Nov 1st 2006 1:28AM]

I love Razer. You're software probably didn't work because if you change the port that the mouse is plugged into, the software doesn't recognize that. I have a diamondback and it's awesome - it's light, sensitive as hell, and did I mention it glows?

Also, the G15 keyboard is also awesome. The backlite keys turn off (thank goodness) and the interactive screen is incredibly useful. Highly recommended.

[mark @ Nov 1st 2006 2:37AM]

nothing beats the good old wang 724 keyboard. Smash any opponents heads in and it still works

http://sandy55.fc2web.com/keyboard/wang_724.html

[Paul @ Nov 10th 2006 2:03PM]

I will use my Zboard Merc keyboard over any other so called gaming keyboards. The Merc meets my needs perfectly and is still functional as a normal Keybard.

[Mike @ Apr 1st 2007 11:48PM]

So funny story....a buddy of mine is a die hard razer guy. He's got pretty much every PC peripheral you guys make. This includes your keyboard, mouse, sound card, and headphones. So the other day one of his sons misplaces the mic for the headphones. After searching high and low for the mic, literally tearing the house apart, no mic is to be found. No a big deal except that razer has chosen to prohibit any other mic to work with the headset and card combo. Mine friend decides that the best place to go for help is Razer directly. He sends an email to Razer tech support explaining the situation and asked them how he could BUY a new mic. He doesn't want one for free, he wants to PAY money to replace his mic. And how do you people reply to him. To put it bluntly....PFO - aka please f*ck off. To put it literally, and I quote:
Hi there,
Thank you for your support for Razer, however we do not provide any spare parts
for our products.
We hope you understand.
Thank you.

Best Regards,
Razer Customer Support
www.razersupport.com

Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: LAX-899816
Department: Technical Support - Other Countries
Priority: Low
Status: Closed

No I'm not a gambling man, but I would venture to say that he's probably not alone in this. On top of that, one would think that the odds for a part that is small and removeable being lost is fairly high. If I were a business guy, I'd have a bunch of these out back to sell just for such a situation. Company makes some money, customer stays happy.

I Don't know about the rest of you, but if this is how Razer treats their customers, consider them removed from my approved vendors list.

[spitwaD @ Aug 17th 2007 5:16PM]

AND HOW ABOUT THAT BATTLE DOCK FOR US .........waiting forever....you sure jumped out their for the mac guys......bigger market share huh.....how bout the market share you ve already sold ....wake the bleep up............