It is nonetheless bizarre to assume that Razer, a model identified for PC gaming peripherals, solely launched its first wi-fi gaming keyboard in 2020 (opens in new tab). We have not seen tonnes of wi-fi keyboards from Razer since, although there was the wonderful 65% Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini Hyperspeed (opens in new tab), and the very good productiveness suite board (opens in new tab). However not lots for full-sized gaming keyboard followers—till now.
Razer has simply introduced its latest wi-fi gaming keyboard with the BlackWidow V4 Professional (opens in new tab). From the seems of it, this board is ready to hold ahead many options we have beloved in earlier Razer keyboards (opens in new tab), but additionally one we have by no means been too keen on: the value. Retailing at $US230 or $AU400, this beast is not low-cost.
To be honest, it does look to be a really feature-complete piece of equipment, particularly for followers of that Razer aesthetic. It will include the total complement of particular person key-based RGB lighting results in addition to underglows beneath the chassis and wrist rests. It could be a shiny centrepiece of any desktop, although you may must take care of Razer’s Synapse software program for full customisation.
The BlackWidow V4 seems good on the keys and switches entrance too. You possibly can select between Razer’s mechanical clicky inexperienced switches or the quiet yellow ones relying in your model. To customize additional you have bought 5 devoted macros with three on the facet, and a brand new knob which has been dubbed the Razer Command Dial.
I am simply going to say it. I really like knobs. On keyboards. A tactile, twisty dial is a fairly large promoting level for me, and never sufficient boards characteristic them. This one boasts eight default modes for doing on a regular basis duties like zooming or switching tabs, and as much as 100 you may customise your self. This might imply scrolling via paperwork, media changes, or for folk who like to make use of artwork applications it may be used to regulate brush sizes and the likes.
Talking of media changes, there’s additionally a devoted media curler above the quantity pad with 4 buttons put aside for further controls. I fairly like having a setup only for media on a keyboard. It is good to alter these settings with out having to enter the person app. Plus, the curler seems prefer it’d be enjoyable to make use of which is de facto all I care about right here.
The final characteristic I actually just like the look of is the USB 2.0 passthrough. Certain, it is solely 2.0, however any USB passthrough on keyboards is all the time a blessing. It is a lot extra handy with the ability to plug momentary issues in by way of the keyboard than discovering a port on the pc itself. I am hoping we’ll see extra USB passthrough on keyboards sooner or later.
There’s tonnes of options packed into this board, but it surely all comes all the way down to the value. There are in any case some glorious finances gaming keyboards (opens in new tab) on the market. The Razer BlackWidow V4 Professional seems prefer it’ll be a way more fancy wi-fi board to your PC gaming setups, with an equally fancy worth to match.
