Início
Introduction
Is this keyboard for you? Hell yes, if you're looking for a keyboard that provides you with endless macro's, more connectivity then ever and something that just looks beasty, then you are one of the many people that are in love with this Razer product.
In depth look
The first impressions plays a huge factor for most gaming products. It's safe to say that Razer have made this as their motto, the Lycosa keyboard is one of pure excellence. Not only does it look the part however it plays the part too.
Design
As you can see above, the keyboard has a rather large layout. The feel is fantastic, Razer designed this keyboard for extensive hours of gaming which allows the user to play in complete comfort. I personally have had no problems using it over long periods of gaming. There are 6 non-slip rubber grommets located at the bottom of the keyboard to prevent slippage, as well as two flip down feet for positioning preference. Razer also include a removable wrist wrest which is detachable from the back for people which require this design.
The hyper response keys have a non-slip rubber finish, this design helps reduce key latency and maximize the response time when pressed. The shallow keys are relatively quiet and have a firm spring to them.
Each key is backlit with a lower powered LED, Razer offer three backlighting settings which consist of:
* On (All keys are illuminated blue)
* WASD (Only the W,A,S and D keys are illuminated)
* Off
This is great for the any user, as you can interchange on the fly choosing which scheme you would like.
The touch pad is one of my favourite features of the Lycosa keyboard. The innovative control panel allows users to switch between light settings, deactivate the Windows key, stop, pause, play, skip and rewind music. As well as act as a volume switch. This has become the standard for most of today's modern, high-end keyboards however Razer are one of the first to offer this in the form of at touch pad.
Earlier I spoke about the Lycosa having 'more connectivity then ever'. At the rear of the keyboard Razer have included one USB port and a microphone and headphone jack. This allows the user to port their input devices through the keyboard as a form of cable management. However I must note when I ported my Razer Barracuda headset through the board I did find that I lost a considerable amount of sound quality due to the jacks being of a low standard.
Macros
This board is the first I have seen which allows the user to program ANY key they want into a macro. This means that a user can program 103 keys into any profile. And with there being 10 fully customizable profiles a user can theoretically program 1030 different macros.
Technical Specifications Shortlist
# 1000HZ ultra polling rate
# 1ms response time
# Fully-programmable keys
# Anti-ghosting capability
# 7 foot anti-tangle cable
# Gold plated USB connection (optimal connectivity)
# Approximate sizes:
469mm (length) x 168mm (width) x 15mm (height) - without wrist rest
469mm (length) x 221mm (width) x 15mm (height) - with wrist rest
Drivers
Like always, Razer provides the user with software which allows you to fully customize your product to how you want it. You can process 103 keys into various macros, select upon 10 profiles and change native keyboard settings.
Profiles
Razer offers 10 profiles which is more than enough for the common user. As always Razer pay fine attention to detail to iron out all the bugs within their software and this is no exception. I have found no problems running the latest drivers on my 64-Bit Operating System.
Macros
In the macro category this board is considered king when comparing it to any other product on the market. The software reflects this too, the commands able to run within the drivers are fantastic. You can select commands, launch programs, choose key assignments, add additional commands and change macro behavior all at the tip of a finger.
Overall I had no problems setting up my Lycosa keyboard, it was quick and simple. However it would of been nice for Razer to of offered a bit more customisation with changing the backlighting of individual keys.
Pricing
The Lycosa's quality doesn't come cheap, the keyboard's RRP is at a respectable $99.00 AUD ($125 NZD) which is evidently more than your average keyboard. However compared to its competitors the Lycosa is a contender for the bang for the buck award. It is generally cheaper then it's Logitech rivals and offers the same performance if not better.
Conclusion
If you have read the complete review it is easy to see that I am literally in love with this Razer product. It caters to all of the gamers' needs and offers that little something extra which is evident in all of Razers gaming gear. I will leave you with a shortlist of likes and dislikes but overall this keyboard is in a league of its own, it has a slick, clean design, fully customizable functionalities and it's accompanied with the sturdiest of drivers. The boards target audience isn't just for Razer fan boys, it is anyone that desired quality in their peripherals. If you are in the market for a high quallity board, my advice is go get one now!
Likes:
# Design layout
# Shallow keys
# Fully customizable
# Polling rate and response time
# Attention to detail
Dislikes:
# Media ports quality
# Large length
# Price
# Smudging which appears on the glossy finish
Score
Design: 8/10
Performance: 10/10
Customisation: 10/10
Drivers: 7/10
Overall: 8.8/10
