Razer’s two newest mechanical keyboards are getting even more mechanical than the rest. These devices feature new light-sensitive technology that will more accurately register a slew of frenzied button presses in rapid succession.
The new boards are dubbed the Huntsman and Huntsman Elite. According to the official page for the products, these two new designs stand out from the pack due to their new Opto-Mechanical switches. As shown in a cross-section of the key design, a thin beam of light is blocked from hitting a receiver by a piece of plastic underneath the key. When the key is pressed, that piece of plastic clears the laser light’s path, and the red beam connects with the receiver at the other end of the design, registering the button press. In theory, this allows your key presses to be registered by the board at the literal speed of light.
This also means the board now has the option to be more responsive than ever before. Since the switches are no longer based on the pressure of a key press, lighter and quicker taps can still trigger as a key press. In addition, not having to use pressure switches allows Razer to make the key mechanism more durable and able to withstand more keystrokes. The official website promises a durability of up to 100 million keystrokes – twice that of the industry-leading standard.
“Using optical technology, an infrared light beam inside each switch precisely detects actuation when a key is pressed. A 1.5mm actuation point allows the Razer Opto-Mechanical Switch to actuate 30 percent faster than traditional clicky mechanical switches.”
According to Razer, this 30 percent difference shines through most strongly when the user is pressing keys in a fast and frenzied motion. The light sensors can reset themselves a lot more rapidly and smoothly than traditional mechanical switches, which Razer says will help ensure that every button press counts even in the heat of battle.
But Razer has been sure to preserve the feel of traditional switches, even if they’re technically no longer necessary. Traditional mechanical components are still present to give the boards all the tactile feel of the mechanical keyboards that gamers have grown accustomed to.
The standard Huntsman costs $149.99, and is the cheaper of the two options. The Huntsman Elite costs $199.99, but includes several additional features such built-in wrist supports, a multi-function dial for adjusting volume and brightness settings on the fly, customizable RGB underglow effects, and the ability to save up to 5 button configurations using on-board hybrid memory storage.
Both keyboards are available now on the Razer webpage.
Featured Image via the official Razer Huntsman Elite Product page [IF the chat says I’m allowed to use that image, if not, use the one I’ve linked below.]
Featured Image via Flickr / Ma Bư Gầy
