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Razer announces the $79 Tartarus, a more affordable gaming keypad
Most PC gamers are content to game on the standard QWERTY keyboard layout, but a select few prefer a special niche peripheral: the keypad. Razer's been building these single-hand keyboards since it helped Belkin create the n52te SpeedPad and it's still at it, today announcing the Razer Tartarus. Featuring 15 face keys and 25 programmable buttons (including an eight-way directional thumb pad), the Tartarus is billed as a successor to Razer's Nostromo -- although it actually has more in common with the $130 Orbweaver. Like the high-end keypad, the Tartarus has fully programmable keys with unlimited-length macro support, Razer Synapse 2.0 for profile syncing and key-binding and the company's modern design language, but it eschews the Orbweaver's articulating ergonomics and mechanical keys to hit a lower $79 price point. These efforts shaved 50 percent off of the product's sticker price, but also cost it an additional row of keys. We spent a few minutes with the device and were pleased at how well it worked right out of the box, handily emulating the standard WASD gaming setup it's built around. We did miss the Orbweaver's additional buttons, however, as the smaller keypad's three-row setup left us reaching for a row of numerical analogs that simply weren't there. It's not the game controller for everyone, but it's good to know that there are options for niche peripheral fans on a budget. Read on for the company's official press announcement.
Razer releases $130 Orbweaver for single-pawed, mechanical PC gaming (video)
Belkin made gamer's hearts flutter with the original N52te speedpad, which Razer took over a couple of years ago and developed into the Nostromo. Now, that peripheral-maker has taken the concept to a new level (and price) with the $130 gadget-tastic Orbweaver gaming keypad. Each of the 20 mechanical keys is programmable with unlimited-length macros, and produces a tactile click when actuated with 2mm travel / 50g of force -- all in the service of max speed to give gamers the drop on foes, according to Razer. Also provided is an eight-way directional thumbpad along with adjustable hand, thumb and palm-rest modules, plus Razer Synapse 2.0 software for re-binding buttons and assigning macros. It's available now for Windows or OS X, so if you're looking for a way to get that tricky drop, roll and fire combo into a single, satisfying click, check the source. [Thanks, Arjun]
Razer Nostromo gaming keypad supplants Belkin's n52te Speedpad, does it proud
Think you've been gaming on the PC for awhile? If you can't vividly remember gushing over this thing (and scrounging up pennies from under the couch in order to finance one), move along. If, however, you're still the proud owner of an attic-bound Belkin Nostromo n52, you can definitely prepare yourself for a healthy dose of nostalgia here. After co-developing Belkin's n52te Speedpad a few years ago, it looks as if Razer has now fully taken over the gamepad by today introducing the Nostromo. Yeah, just Nostromo. The design is certainly a familiar one, boasting a 16-button keypad, a soft-touch rubberized wrist pad, 16 fully-programmable Hyperesponse gaming buttons and an eight-way directional thumb pad. As for improvements, you'll get the ability to switch instantly between eight keymaps (up from three), and the flexibility of storing up to twenty gaming profiles (up from the previous limit of ten). It's available to order now for $69.99 / €69.99, with an estimated ship date of November 29th worldwide. You know, in plenty of time to stuff your own stocking. %Gallery-107868%
