Razer has announced the latest addition to its long-standing BlackWidow mechanical keyboard line-up which features a 10 key roll-over and wide array of visual effects. However, the BlackWindow Ultimate 2016 doesn’t offer any kind of RGB lighting and simply revolves around quirky transitions via the individually backlit green LEDs. On another note, the keyboard utilizes Razer’s propitiatory mechanical switches with a rating of 60 million key strokes. The switches come in two forms, a tactile, clicky green version requiring 50g of actuation force and a quiet brown switch with 45g of pressure. According to Razer’s CEO, Min-Liang Tan, the switches are entirely built for gaming purposes and creates a unrivaled value proposition:
“There isn’t a gaming keyboard out there that offers better value,”
“From the customizable backlit keys to the fact that our Razer mechanical switches are the only ones designed especially for gaming, the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 is the perfect keyboard for any gamer looking to upgrade to mechanical keyboards.”
So what price bracket does the keyboard fall into? Unsurprisingly, it’s extremely expensive for the feature set and comes in at $109.99 and £99.99 in the UK. As you can see, this is a terrible currency conversion rate resulting in a much higher cost for UK residents. Razer has also removed all the macro functionality on the left side, so you cannot map any custom-commands. The switches are Chinese and produced quite cheaply compared to Cherry MX alternatives and the body is still constructed from flimsy plastic which shows every inch of grease.
It might seem like I’m being unfair but honestly, there’s so many other alternatives around the £100 price bracket with Cherry MX switches, a better PCB. and aluminium faceplate. That’s not to say the BlackWindow Ultimate 2016 is a bad keyboard, but in today’s market, the specification leaves a lot to be desired. Although, as with any Razer product, it will probably sell extraordinarily well.
What do you think of the BlackWindow Ultimate 2016 and its price?
Thank you DigitalTrends for providing us with this information.
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