Razer’s “BlackWidow” is First Mechanical Keyboard Designed for Gaming

To some, a keyboard is a keyboard. But for those who care a lot about precision and comfort, even two keyboards that look quite similar might feel entirely different after long-term use. There’s a reason that there still exist devout fans of old IBM keyboards that make loud clicking noises which each button press, and it seems that Razer has taken the same idea and tailored it to gamers.

The result is the BlackWidow, a mechanical keyboard that has been built from the ground up for gamers. That’s no joke, either… Razer states in its press release that the basic design for the keyboard had been a work-in-progress for the past three years. The result? A gaming keyboard that is ultra-responsive, comfortable, and avails gamers the precision they need.

As the press release says, most gaming keyboards today, especially those that are claimed to be mechanical, don’t offer the same level of precision, and though the keys might have some of the feedback that gamers are looking for, they can actually result in “key actuation fatigue”… that is, tired fingers from the constant pressure that the keys put on your fingers.

Remedying this, the company states that the BlackWidow features a crisp response and tactile feedback similar to a mouse click, and goes on to say that the accuracy of your button pushes will surpass all other mechanical keyboards.

It seems to be commonly accepted that mice can drastically affect the success of a gamer, but it’s not too often that keyboards are brought into the argument. It’s one that I’m willing to side on though, because a keyboard can make a huge difference, and the more natural the feedback, the better. Whether or not this keyboard will have the noise to go along with true mechanical keyboards remains to be seen.

Does Razer have a winner here? We’ll know soon enough, as the keyboard is available next month, with an SRP of $79.99. For $129.99, you can upgrade to the “Ultimate” version, which includes backlit keys with five levels of lighting, audio and microphone jacks and an additional USB port.

GamesCom, Cologne, Germany – August 18, 2010 – Razer™, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals, today announced the Razer BlackWidow™ mechanical gaming keyboard engineered for gamers who demand superior tactile feedback and comfort while playing.

Most mechanical keyboards in the market today are standard mechanical keyboards rebadged as gaming keyboards that feature stiff keys that cause key actuation fatigue. Such keyboards are inherently worse off for gamers as it actually decreases gameplay performance as opposed to enhancing it. As a result, most professional gamers eschew such marketing gimmicks for regular membrane keyboards.