There’s just 5 days until Christmas, so let’s talk about some things you could buy for your beloved gamer! So let’s talk about the Razer Deathstalker Chroma.
Releasing earlier this year, Razer’s put out the Chroma variant to their popular Deathstalker series. A series of membrane-based keyboards that boasts success and love from various sponsored companies. The original Deathstalker was released in 2012 and has seen many revisions to make it as competitive as possible. The new Chroma series that Razer has started to implement in their hardware has just been cosmetic touches to add to the enjoyment of buyers.
So let’s talk about some of the features of this keyboard. The keys as mentioned are membrane. Specifically, they are chiclet shaped.
As shown, the chiclet design makes the keyboard looks very attractive. The flattened keys also serve to make it faster for fingers to dance around the keys with ease. Something that in concept will definitely help give that ever so slight edge in competitive gaming. The spacing between keys and chiclet design also allow for a quick keyboard clean. Something that’s always been frustrating. The ease of cleaning is a plus due to one of the issues that come with having this chiclet design: Removing the keys to clean deep underneath the keys is a delicate process. It’s not easier than dome designed keyboards. You’ll have to be careful of damaging the sides of the keys if you decide to pull it out. Because of that, it’s feasible for the membrane to wear down after long use and being irreplaceable. When it comes to the noise, it’s not quite the quietest keys, but it does feel tangible and tactile without the louder (and satisfying sound) mechanical keyboards. I’ve had the sound picked up on the microphone. Albeit, ever so slightly.
When it comes to the feel of the keyboard, the entire piece of hardware feels very sturdy yet light. Furthermore, the keys have a very light and tactile feel when pressing them. Typing up this article right now with the keyboard, I’ve had some time to acclimatize to the feel and positioning of the keys. That said, there is most definitely an acclimatization period. Especially if you jumped to this one from a mechanical or domed keyboard. The 2mm chiclet size throws off the muscle memory provided taller keys, so be prepared for that if this applies to you.
The wrist rest is also designed to be fairly wide. It feels comfortable to be sure. The rest allow for prolonged hours of gaming without causing too much strain on your wrist. Something especially important to lower the chances of arthritis. The wrist rest is fixed and can not be changed. For a keyboard that boasts ‘customization’ it is a shame that the rest can’t be replaced. But that’s just pedantic complaints. The rest does its job and the material that lines the rest is firm enough to be comfortable for the palms of hands.
As for the Chroma, the keyboard’s revised feature allows you to link the Deathstalker to the Razer Synapse. The Synapse is control panel that you can tinker with in on the desktop. The Synapse allows you to customize your keyboard. This includes the lighting effects, macro setups and keyboard controls for different profiles. There’s also a ‘Gaming Mode’ that allows the user to deactivate key functions on a keyboard including the windows button, alt+F4 and alt+Tab. There’s a lot of little neat programs and features to use to make the experience customized. Each of which would surely entice more hardened competitive players. But for folks like me who use it to game and work off of, a lot of these features stay untouched. On top of that, while the rainbow lights using the Chroma system is gorgeous, the keyboard will only allow you to modify three zones on the keyboard. There’s no option to have the lighting effect be more localized to certain keys.
When it comes to bang for buck, the Deathstalker Chroma is running for roughly $99.99 USD. That’s fairly cheap for a sturdy keyboard with a lot of options. The Deathstalker Chroma has been great to use so far and feels great to play with. Both in high octane intensity play and work related usage. If you’re looking for a keyboard that functions well and want a tangible feeling without going for a mechanical, the Deathstalker series is definitely up your alley. If you’d like the lights which don’t exactly offer anything more than cute cosmetics, the Chroma is definitely fun to use. Just know that it’s not the most complex lighting cosmetic available on the market.