Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard
by Razer Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $70.00 You Save: $29.99 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard
Customer Review: Amazing and well crafted
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had quite a lot of keyboards on the market. Needless to say i have a fetish for keyboards. So my review is based on that i've owned the G11, G15, G15/rev2, diNovo, Razer Lycosa and other non important brands. Looking back at those - non of them get even close to this one.. This is my review:
First of all the packaging itself screams quality. It's very flashy and the name tarantula fits the product well. It looks big, it says big and also states something very important about the product. Like a tarantula - you're able to ghost quite a lot of keys at once - not forgetting the important move that makes you the winner and not the looser.
The keys feel very different from your -say G15, lycosa or other standard keyboard. It takes a little getting used to - but when you first get the feeling of it -you're gonna love it. Also you have the extra multimedia keys, the ZOOM (picture viewer) keys and a few others like sound control. They're tougher to press, but none the less very pleasant. Keep in mind that this keyboard is intended for extreme gaming - so pushing a multimedia button could place a monkey in your gaming program - and bang you loose.
The build quality is excellent. The keyboard is heavy and stays where you've put it. Hands down this keyboard is unmatched in build quality. Even the Razer Lycosa or Logi G15/19 doesn't even get close to this sucker.
I have had no issues with the keyboard except the fact that you can't use it from a machine with no operating system on it. This is because it initially is being detected as a USB HUB! This is the only design glitch this keyboard has. However despite this i'm still giving it 5/5 based on the quality alone this keyboard has to offer.
For general purpose like writing letters, doing office work or write kung-fu code is actually a very pleasant experience. The Tarantula wins again with it's keys requiring less pressure and this gives (me) a more calm wrist. Doing long coding sessions is no problem.
The software is very well done - and let's you customize all you want. I don't wanna go into detail, but just conclude that it's typical Razer software. Upgrading the firmware has not been an issue on my Windows 7 x64 box.
So who should buy this then? Well depends. I like to look at Logitech products as a line of hardware tailored against the more casual gamer. The G series has a nice display and hands down it works well. My personal experience is though that i never ever use it anyway. Looking at Razer products I see a line of products tailored against hardcore gamers or gamers who want the best gaming equipment money can buy. With Razer it's not cheap, but you also get a product in it's own class.
So to sum it all up... it doesn't get any better. It's extremely solid, it works excellent and screams quality. I would recommend this to anyone.
Customer Review: A professional gamer's keyboard.
Summary: 5 Stars
The first thing you should do when you buy this keyboard:
*Download and update the drivers (for Vista, especially).
*Download and update the firmware after updating the drivers.
If you don't do this you'll run into compatibility issues with Vista and the keyboard won't work until Windows loads (i.e. can't press keys for BIOS or Windows boot menu). The firmware fixes this issue and the drivers that come with the unit are not Vista compatible, so they fail to install properly. A serious gamer is going to download the latest updates anyway, but I wanted to make it clear that the keyboard was originally released for Windows XP and not Vista, so drivers had to be written for Vista.
The functionality of the keyboard consists of 10 customizable keys (5 left, 5 right) that you can set macros on. The keys are backlit and can be changed out for a set of included keys that have various pictures on them (for gaming). On the right are play options for Windows Media Player (and others), shuffle and volume. On the left there is a home key that brings up your default browser. Rotate, zoom and 100% keys can be set to work with the Windows picture viewer, Photoshop and a few others.
The Home, End, Delete, Page Up and Page Down keys take some getting used to as the Delete key is huge and the End key is higher than it normally is. Another thing I noticed is the offset at which I had to place the keyboard in order to type with the home keys. As with any keyboard, it takes time to get used to a key layout and this isn't an issue in my opinion.
The keyboard takes a minimalist approach to gaming, but caters to the professional gamer with nice programmable features. Some gamers like fancy key layouts and loads of oddball looking gadgets. The Tarantula bypasses the fluff and goes right to the source--giving you what you need as a gamer and not stuffing the keyboard with items that you won't use anyway.
I changed from a Zboard (which still functions just fine) to this keyboard for a change in pace. If you're a serious gamer looking for a sleek approach to a gaming keyboard then this is probably going to satisfy your needs.
Razer makes quality products. This is no exception.
Customer Review: Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered this keyboard for my son's new desktop PC that we put together for his 15th Birthday. After spending a few hours researching for good keyboard with affordable price we had a few keyboards to choose from. After comparing them all - this one was a win over design, price and functionality. This keyboard allows to define, save/ load profiles for different games and PC systems (software included), assign 10 custom keys 5 from each side of keyboard (very cool and helpful for gaming PC) and change the custom buttons (included into package.) Additional shortcut buttons for media player, volume control, 2 USB connectors, Mic and headset connectors, and etc.
One thing is important to keep in mind. Keyboard connects to PC via USB connector. I ran into a problem of switching between options during the boot process. Simply, I was given a few options to choose from and I was not able to navigate using this keyboard. Luckily, we had our old keyboard that worked just fine. After Windows started new keyboard worked. Seems like PC didn't recognize keyboard (USB connector) until PC fully started. I think it could be an issue if you need to access BIOS for any reasons.
Overall, we are satisfied and pleased with this product.
Customer Review: Innovative; beats the Eclipse
Summary: 5 Stars
I was real excited when Saitek came out with the black Eclipse. It matches my blue copperhead pretty well, but the Tarantula is perfect. and it is built for gaming. it is like they looked at the standard keyboard and said, let's make it look cool - so they made it black, gave it a nice design, and added the backlight. OK, that is where Saitek ended. Razer goes on to make removable keys, 10 extra gaming keys to swap out (fps), macro functionality built in, hypersensitive buttons to give faster response time, and far better multimedia button set than Saitek. Additionally, having completely backlit keys like Saitek contributed to the glowable keys stripping their paint. The Razer is longer lasting in that regard. Tarantula Cons, the price. buy it if it's a must have to fit your beautiful computer. it's tough, innovative, and well designed. gj razer.Customer Review: What a great keyboard
Summary: 5 Stars
I had to buy a second one of these since my local retailer isn't stocking this anymore. The best thing about this keyboard is how it feels on your palms. Its just awesome. One of the best I've ever owned. And looks great, too. I love this piano finish. Its great for gaming and just about everything else. The keys are always easy to use. Another great plus is the two usb ports in the keyboard. Can hook up your mouse from it and whatever else. The layout and construction of this is unbeatable. I saw a smaller version of this at razer but it had no built-in usb ports. I'm glad amazon stocks this. There is more features on this that other people probably covered. Been using it for over 1 1/2 no problems.