Earlier in the year, we reported on Corsair's exclusivity over Cherry MX RGB-based mechanical keyboards. The thing is, Razer develops their own switches and is not reliant on ZF Electronics (Cherry Corporation). The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Chroma mechanical keyboard uses their own switches, not Cherry's, and is not subject to Corsair's exclusivity. The keyboard can be ordered now for $179.99 USD and will be available in September.
I contacted Razer and asked them about their technology. They could not provide any direct comparison between their design and the Cherry MX RGB, but they were able to add a few details to their offering. The BlackWidow Ultimate Chroma was designed with its LEDs positioned away from moving parts and lined up with the keycap imprint. The LEDs are pointed upward for brightness.
Razer will be providing developers with Chroma SDK, allowing games and applications to control the Chroma-enabled device lighting to assist or immerse their users. I say "Chroma-enabled device" rather than "Chroma keyboards", because they already have plans for mice and headsets with the same technology. At the very least, they expect that users will appreciate coordinated colors across their gaming peripherals.
The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Chroma is available to order, for $179.99 USD ($199.99 CDN), and ships in September. A Chroma-enabled mouse, based on the DeathAdder design, and a Chroma-enabled headset, based on the Kraken model, are announced but do not yet have pricing or availability information.
*initiates drooling*
*initiates drooling*
Bought Razer once and never
Bought Razer once and never again. Their build quality sucks…
get off the bandwagon nothing
get off the bandwagon nothing wrong with razer
My first Razer mouse started
My first Razer mouse started double right clicking after about 2 years. I have read that that is a normal problem with Razer mice but i loved the thing so much i bought a new one the next day. They might not be rock solid but they are really nice.
Yeah, I’ve heard this is an
Yeah, I've heard this is an issue with Razer mice. Luckily, my OG Mamba is still going strong (fingers crossed) :).
You got 2 years out of your
You got 2 years out of your Razer mouse? I’d call that lucky. I got 8 months out of an Imperator before it started double clicking. No amount or type of cleaning or fixing it would work. Fact is they have used, and seems as though they continue to still use, sub-par switches in the mouse buttons. Such a shame too becuase other than the double click issue, their mice are very nice. My repacement was a CM spawn, very happy with it. As much as I like Razer mice, I just can’t see spending that much money for potentially replacing it very often.
Heh, I just looked on Amazon,
Heh, I just looked on Amazon, and I bought mine in May 2011 for $114 0.o
Bought a Mamba for 105€
Bought a Mamba for 105€ because it was the only mouse which could be use wired and wireless. It’s battery died within a couple month, so i bought a new one and this pice of s*** won’t even last a day. Now its wired… could have got a wired Logitech for 50€ instead!
My Logitech MX 800 lasted 8 years and I only exchanged it because after such a long time using it, its paint got almost completely rubed off.