Razer has refreshed its popular mechanical gaming keyboard, the BlackWidow Chroma, adding support for a new type of switch which will be a major boon for FPS players.
The new switch option with the BlackWidow Chroma V2 is Razer’s own yellow switch, which sits alongside the existing green and orange switches that were previously offered.
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The yellow variant is linear (non-clicky) and silent, being designed with fast key-presses in mind, so it’s obviously a good choice for first-person shooters and other quick-reaction games.
These are durable mechanical switches with a 50g actuation force, and all three types are rated for 80 million keystrokes, so you’ll get plenty of longevity out of the keyboard.
Comfort and ergonomics are also a prime concern for Razer, so the new BlackWidow comes with a magnetic wrist rest that can be attached to the bottom of the keyboard (or not if you prefer).
Chroma capers
This is a Chroma keyboard, so you can expect fancy customizable lighting, with individually backlit keys and a choice of plenty of different lighting effects across a palette of 16.8 million colors.
Chroma isn’t just about looking flash and grabbing your attention, though, as it can have practical applications such as lighting profiles which are built into big-name game titles like Overwatch and Call of Duty – and these can help when it comes to things like showing keys to press in tutorials.
(Incidentally, the future of Razer Chroma is Project Ariana – IllumiRoom-style lighting effects that take the game beyond the monitor and onto the walls of the room).
Like its predecessor, this keyboard also offers 10-key anti-ghosting rollover to be sure your mashed key-presses register, and programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording.
Select models of the BlackWidow Chroma V2 are shipping right now, with the price pitched at $170 in the US or €200 (around £170, AU$285).
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