Razer Tarantula

[Frederik S]

[page=Introduction & Package]
Introduction

Razer has always been known to produce some of the best gaming mice, but it wasn't until late last year that they decided to venture in to the keyboard market with their Tarantula keyboard. Razer's slogan has always been "For Gamers. By Gamers". It says it all in my opinion.

The Tarantula created quite a fuzz late last year because it featured a system that lets the user reassign every button on it and has 10 extra keys that can be assigned to macros and special functions. Besides that the Taratula featured some new extra function that you wouldn't normally find on a gaming keyboard, e.g. zoom and media control buttons.

Right from the beginning the Tarantula was aimed at the hardcore gamers because it has anti-ghosting features and the keys have a short traveling length. As with most Razer products the Tarantula has 32 KB of embedded memory that lets the user store up to 6 different profiles.

Let's see how this feature rich keyboard performs!

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Barracuda-HP1/images/razerlogo.jpg

The Package

The Tarantula keyboard comes in a big cardboard box, on the back you have the complete specification list of the keyboard. The special thing abut this keyboard besides from the 10 back-lighted keys is that it features 32 KB of embedded memory and the drivers lets you reassign any key. This can be useful i.e. BF2 doesn't let the user assign arrow keys as back and forward, with the Tarantula you can overcome this problem by assigning WASD to arrow up/down/left/right.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/package1small.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/package2small.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/package2.jpg)
The keyboard comes with a quick start manual that helps the user setup the keyboard. Besides that you get a big sticker and a certificate of authenticity. The drivers were easy to install, I just inserted the CD and ran through the setup wizard.

Another new feature introduced by Razer with this keyboard is the BattleDock, a small port on top of the keyboard where you can insert various gaming accessories such as the Razer BattleLight, which is a small cathode tube, mounted so that it can illuminate the keyboard and a new BattleEye webcam.

[page=Closer Examination]
Closer Examination

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/thekeyboardsmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/thekeyboard.jpg)
As you can see from the picture above the keyboard is relatively big and has a shiny surface, just like the new iPods. I looks quite stylish compared to my old Logitech G15.

One thing you notice right from the begining is the rather odd key layout. In order to keep the width of the keyboard to a minimum, the key section above the arrow keys are rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/feetsmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/feet.jpg)
The keyboard has some normal standoffs to raise the keyboard so that it's more comfortable to use. They are made of the same thick plastic as the rest of the keyboard.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton1small.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton2small.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton3small.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton4small.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/funcbutton4.jpg)
Even though the Tarantula primarily is a gaming keyboard it does have some nice multimedia features such as Zoom +/- and rotate. On the right side of the keyboard there are some media control buttons such as: play, skip +/-, stop, open media player. Besides that there is a volume control and shuffle function control on the right side of the keyboard.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/extrafuncsmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/extrafunc.jpg)Besides the common media functions and stuff like that the Tarantula features two USB 2.0 ports on the back along with two mini-jack ports. These USB ports are connected via two USB connectors to the motherboard's USB ports. This enables you to connect two power demanding USB 2.0 peripherals to the Tarantula keyboard instead of just one. The two mini-jack ports enable you to use a headset with a short wire.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/comparisonsmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/comparison.jpg)
To my surprise the Tarantula is actually a bit lower than the G15. The height of the Tarantula is a nice compromise. It is comfortable and doesn't look like a giant sitting on your desk in the same way as the G15 does.

When it comes to lighting the Tarantula is a bit disappointing because only the ten L and R keys are back lighted. I quite liked the keys on the G15 because the lighting was really bright and therefore easy to see when it's dark. To make up for this Razer has announced a BattleLight which can be mounted in the BattleDock of the Tarantula.

One of the most interesting things about the Tarantula is the changeable keys. The system allows you to remove any key on the keyboard and replace it with a blue special character key.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/rightsideextrabuttonssmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/rightsideextrabuttons.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/specialkeyssmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/specialkeys.jpg)

This is how it looks when you replaced the original L or R keys with some of the special keys that come bundled with the keyboard. Instead of having a character on them they have an icon. As you can see from the images above the special key set looks quite nice in the dark.

The reason why all this is possible without breaking the internal contacts of the keyboard is this.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/buttonreleasesmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/buttonrelease.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/buttonmechanicssmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/buttonmechanics.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/keychangersmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/keychanger.jpg)
There is a specially designed key remover that can grab the keys without applying unnecessary force. The buttons on the keyboard are situated on top of a hollow plastic box which means that the buttons are only held in place by it and the rubber contact on the bottom of the keyboard. A normal keyboard has a retaining mechanism made of metal holding the buttons in place, thats why you can't remove the buttons on a regular keyboard without the risk of ruining it. Razer has found a nice way to get around this particular problem and after replacing the same button ten times there was no noticeable damage to the socket.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/razerlogosmall.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/razerlogo.jpg)
This keyboard has the same glowing logo as the DeathAdder, only it's a bit bigger. It looks nice but isn't really useful in any way.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/connectors1small.JPG (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/connectors1.jpg)
The Tarantula cord splits up into 4 separate connectors, two 3.5mm mini-jack connectors for sound and two USB 2.0 connectors for internal power to the USB hub in the Tarantula. As you can see on the picture above the connectors are quite sturdy.

[page=Drivers & Performance]
Drivers
The drivers for the Tarantula can do a lot of tricky stuff. One of these unique features is the ability to swap every button on the keyboard. This particular function can come in handy if you play e.g. Battlefield 2 / 2142 where you can't use the arrow keys instead of WASD, with the Tarantula you can rebind WASD to the arrows keys to one of the 6 profiles you can store on the keyboard. By doing this you can get around the natural limitations of the game and thereby improving your game.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver1small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver1.jpg)

Here we have the basic layout of the driver for the Tarantula, it's quite simple. The way to use it is to press one of the buttons on the keyboard that you want to reassign, click it and then press the button you want it to replicate.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver2small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver2.jpg)

If you click the profile selection button this little menu pops up and lets you choose the profile you want to use. Because the keyboard has 32kb. of internal memory you can store up to 6 different profiles directly on the keyboard, these stored profiles can be used on any PC even one that doesn't have the Tarantula drivers installed.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver3small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver3.jpg)

If you press one of the macro keys you get this dialog. It basically lets you record any macro into the one of the L/R keys. The only thing I find a bit annoying about this is that you can't store more than 8 keystrokes which is hardly enough for any useful macro, at least for my use. The stuff I normally have as macro is some mIRC scripts and some greetings for CS:S and BF2. That is at the moment impossible because the driver only lets you create macros consisting of 8 keystrokes.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver4small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver5small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Razer/Tarantula/images/driver5.jpg)

If you want to reassign a key, all you have to do is point at the key in the basic driver window and press the left mouse button, once you have done this a little dialog pops up and lets you assign a new key.

Performance

Well this is really hard to test with a keyboard because what defines a "good" keyboard. For me a good keyboard should have some keys with minimal traveling length, this should make the keyboard feel faster because you don't have to press the keys a long way before the action is done on screen.

The Tarantula is quite special because it has some anti ghosting features this means that the key grid which sends information about a key being pressed is divided into several pieces each capable of registering a given amount of key presses. I tried stressing it in CS:S but I couldn't gain a benefit from this, I think you have to play some of the special special games where you utilizes many keys at one time like i.e. O2 Jam or some games in that particular genre.

One of the things I really liked about the Tarantula is the feel of the keys, they are a bit harder than the keys on by G15 and have a shorter traveling length. Another thing that makes the keys on the Tarantula a bit special is that their height is something in between that of notebook keyboard's and a regular keyboard. It seems like a nice compromise while gaming and is quite comfortable to work with.

I tried testing the macro functions in BF2 and they worked alright, I guess if you play a lot of WOW or WC3 it's a nice function because you can spare yourself some key strokes.

[page=Durability & Conclusion]
Durability

The keyboard seems very well built and has a really nice finish. All of the keys seem to be quite durable even though they can be swapped. One of the main areas of concern for any keyboard is the coating used on the keys, the Tarantula has standard keys with letters printed on top. This is good because if you take i.e. the G15, the black coating used on the transparent keys tends to wear off, of course the downside to having standard keys is that you can't get them back lighted.

The 10 keys with backlight are constructed similarly to that of the G15's main keys, and therefore suffer the same durability faults. When compared to the G15's back lighted keys the coating that Razer uses seems harder - whether the keys are more durable is hard for me to comment on because I haven't used the keyboard for such a long time.

The glossy finish of the Tarantula is sort of fragile and does get scratched rather easily, same goes for the mat coated wrist support. The problem with top coating is quite common and I think that the stuff Razer uses is a bit more durable than the matte coating that Logitech uses on their G15 keyboard.

Value & Conclusion
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<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Razer Tarantula costs $129.99 at the Razer Store, you can buy it directly from Razer here Razer (http://www.razerzone.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_21&products_id=40)
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Performance
Design
Extra special keys
Drivers
Build quality
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Expensive
Gloss finish easy to scratch
Macro length is limited
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.0</th>
<td>
I must say that I was really impressed with the Tarantula, the sleek design and a nice feature set. When it comes to performance this keyboard won't let you down, I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I have grown quite fond of the short traveling length keys that are medium high.<br />
The only thing that I dislike about this keyboard besides from the easily scratchable gloss surface is the price, coming in at $129.99 it's really expensive compared to other high end keyboards on the market today. Even when taking into account the many great features and performance of the keyboard you have to be a hardcore gamer in order for the keyboard to be worth that amount of money.<br />
The general build quality of the keyboard is really good and it feels quite sturdy. Even the key release system is quite durable, I tried changing the same key 10 times in a row and I couldn't find any damages to the internal connectors, this is largely because of the ingenious way Razer has build the key mechanism.<br />
Overall I'm impressed with the features and standard of the Tarantula, but it's really expensive compared to other similar high-end keyboards. In order to appreciate this keyboard's features you have to be a hardcore gamer.
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</table>

[WarEagleAU]

Its an awesome KB to be sure, but Id go with the cheaper and just as good G15. Sure, you cant macro keys, or remap them that is, but its still a damn good KB. Now, if they can make an ergonomic gaming keyboard, Id be set. Nice review, it gave me alot of info on this product.

[newtekie1]

It being expensive and the gloss finish durability problems don't affect the performance of the keyboard, so why did you include them in your cons?

[tigger]

i like this-

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/GB/EN,CRID=2166,CONTENTID=12339

dont know how good it would be for gaming,it has cross point contact switches tho' which imho are better than the rubber contact things

[newtekie1]

I wish the diNovo had a number pad though. I can't stand it because it doesn't have a number pad.

[Frederik S]

Thanks WarEagle for the input. I think the Tarantula is a bit better than the G15 but price/performance wise they are almost the same considering the different feature set of the two keyboards. I guess it really depends on what features you want as a user, and that's quite individual.

Newtekie, the reason why I included the gloss finish issue is because it's a real con, because it's very easy to scratch.
Tigger69, that keyboard looks really good and that TouchDisk looks awesome, I'm just curious do you use it with a media center PC because that looks ideal for sofa use:).

[tigger]

pity about the num pad newtekie1,it is a lovely kb that tho',i had a look at it.the touch things on it are ace.the keys have much better feel than most kb's i've tried,including the g15 which i love.

[newtekie1]

Newtekie, the reason why I included the gloss finish issue is because it's a real con, because it's very easy to scratch.

Odd how it is a con for the Tarantula, but the finish on the DeathAdder has pretty similar problems and it gets a nice "Cons: Nothing!". Nice consistancy. /sarcasm

[WarEagleAU]

Its a con to him and he reviewed it, whether we agree with it or not. I like a glossy finish, but if it only lasts for like 5 minutes before you mess it up, I too would call it a con. A simple elegant look would probably be better, but; to each his own as they say.


P.S. In no way am I trying to start an arguement or a fight, Im just stating

[newtekie1]

I agree that it should be a con, that isn't my problem.

My problem is that Frederik S is extremely inconsistant with reviews. His DeathAdder review should have been called an advertisement, not a review. He left out several cons when he reviewed the mouse and then defended leaving them out by saying "Well I didn't think they were important." Any reviewer that will leave out several cons just because they don't think they are important doesn't deserve to be reviewing products.

I am not trying to start a fight(though it probably seems like I am) I am just trying to point out that Frederik S needs to improve his reviewing skills and realize that it doesn't matter if he thinks it is important or not, a con is a con and needs to be pointed out to the readers.

[Frederik S]

What is it you don't get newtekie1 (don't want to understand), the DeathAdder's top coating is just as durable as any other coating on the market that's why it isn't a con, the gloss finish on the Tarantula is on the other hand sub par to that of other keyboard manufacturers and therefore a con. I can't judge whether or not an incredibly small issue can be made better in the future, I'm a reviewer not a psychic.

I can only bench a product against other products already on the market not guess about future products, and if you bench every single aspect of the DeathAdder against any other mouse on the market I still think it's the best, it has the best: sensor, ergonomics, design, build quality, top coating ect......

[newtekie1]

No it is not just as durable as any other coating on the market today. I owned the mouse, the coating is very poor compared to that on my G7s, IME 3.0, and MX700s. The coating on the razer mice is known for wearing off way too quickly and the DeathAdder is no different. You will be lucking to get a year out fo the DeathAdder before the anti-skid coating wears away to nothing. Hell I had the mouse for a month and it had alredy started to show wear. On top of that, even if it was just as good as the other mice on the market(which is isn't), it is still a con. I would expect a mouse, that I am paying 50% more for, to not look like complete crap after a year of use, and that is exactly what is going to happen with the DeathAdder. However, the mice with plastic buttons that don't really have a coating at all(like the G5/G7, IME 3.0, MX518, etc) will last for several years without showing any signs of wear.

However, you seemed to just completely ignore all the other cons presented to you in that thread. The coating issue was just one of the many cons that I and others pointed out to you about the mouse. Your opinions that it is the best is nice, but that isn't the issue here. A review is bound to have some personal opinions in it like ergonamics and design. However, I don't consider something that has a top coat that wears down much quicker than other mice on the market as "best build quality". The "best sensor" statement can be argued also, but if you think it is the best then by all means put it in the review, again that isn't where my issue lies. You completely ignored several cons about the mouse, even when they were presented to you, you still ignored them and decided to focus entirely on the coating issue.

It is your job to point out every con, weather you think it is important or not. The people making comments in the thread should not be able to start rattling off cons that you didn't include in the review.

If you want to keep trying to offend me with the "What is it you don't get" statement, like I am some idiot, I can go that route too. I tried to keep it civilized, but you seem to just want vaguely insult people and talk down to them. Fine by me, just don't get mad when I start to get hostile back at you.

[PVTCaboose1337]

That is not worth the price. man expensive!

[v7100]

Work under Vista?

Razer has yet to release a Copperhead driver for Vista.

[KennyT772]

Looks like another over-engineered sub-par produced razor product to me...

I would like to know if this is a wireless keyboard or what. The pics show no wire. Also how do the usb ports/mic headset ports connect to the computer. The cord and connections are just as important in terms of durability as the key lifetime.

[VulkanBros]

Looks like another over-engineered sub-par produced razor product to me...

I would like to know if this is a wireless keyboard or what. The pics show no wire. Also how do the usb ports/mic headset ports connect to the computer. The cord and connections are just as important in terms of durability as the key lifetime.

Have you ever heard of a wireless USB hub.......:nutkick:

[Frederik S]

I has a cord that splits up into two 3.5mm minijacks for audio and two USB2.0 connectors for the internal hub and the keyboard.

[petepete]

i can see you actually put negative comments on this review, razer fanboy :laugh: :laugh:


i agree with tekie completely, I think he should review these products instead

[Zero Cool]

I bougth this last month and it is a very good keyboard, it looks amazing, is very comfortable, practical and the glossy finish doesnt scratch, I have no scratches on my, but it is very easy to see dirt on it, fingerprints are not visible on it but such things as dust is really visible on this. :(

otherwise this is thre best keyboard I have ever head

[KennyT772]

I has a cord that splits up into two 3.5mm minijacks for audio and two USB2.0 connectors for the internal hub and the keyboard.

well wheres the pic?

[Frederik S]

I've just added a picture of the connectors to the Closer Examination part of the review.

[Ciuty]

THIS KEYBOARD LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE BUNDELED WITH THE LOGITECH S510 MEDIA DESKTOP .. EVEN THE RIGHT MEDIA BUTTONS ARE THE SAME .. IN THE SAME ORDER .. RAZER 5UCKS SO MUCH .. I HATE RAZER .. I REGISTERED JUST TO SAY THIS .. :banghead:

http://www.thinkcomputers.org/beta/home.php?x=reviews&id=253&page=2

[Zero Cool]

yea I heared about this.. well there are some changes on the RAZER that are not visible. eg razer is alot better quality, better materials, AND THE MAIN THING, THERE ARE NO GAMING BUTTONS ON THE LOGITECH ONE..

I could go on for ever

[-1nf1n1ty-]

I got my Razer Tarantula Keyboard for a 100 and it just recently came out to market, which isn't that bad seeing as how the Logitech G15 was once 100 when i got that one.The Glossy surface isn't that bad It doesn't bother me shouldn't really bother anyone as long as it works and beside you can clean that off with some sort of solution so I read I would of given the keyboard a 9.3-5 but thats just me.Not to mention this keyboard is really light weight unlike the G15.I don't care much about the Macros part if your a person who plays WoW or Vanguard Then its a good feature if not then it doesn't matter just set those keys to bring up a program or something, for those of you who have xfire and tired of pressing 2 buttons to bring up the message while in game can just set it all on one key. And who cares if this keyboard looks like the Logitech S510 or whatever theres lots of other keyboards that look exactly alike right? fact of the matter is this keyboard is pretty damn good and I just wanted to ,not encourage people to get this keyboard but to just shed some light on the keyboard. This keyboard is great and so are the logitech's besides its up to you to get whatever keyboard you want whatever feels good to you!

[MikeJeng]

Hey guess what... I saw a razer tarantula at best buy for $56.