The Belkin N50 ‘Nostromo’ Speedpad was a solid piece of innovation and technical engineering. It featured 2 custom rows of gaming keys, a mouse wheel, a directional pad, and a black/silver/orange colour scheme which was striking, if incredibly garish even for the world of 2002. Refine the design and development of the N50 over 10 years and you have Razer’s Orbweaver, a serious piece of tech for gaming enthusiasts that still pays respect to a decade-long lineage. But does it live up to its past, or was it better left as a relic of times gone?

Razer might not have had anything to say in the design of the Nostromo N50, or even its successor the N52, but in 2007 Belkin brought Razer on board to help design a more professional version of the N52 speedpad, the N52te (Tournament Edition). This device — while initially shunned for minor technical differences between its predecessor — had a higher build quality, easier to use buttons, and the iconic ‘black and blue’ colour set still in use by Razer today. It was the N52te that helped solidify Razer as a high-end producer of all things professional gaming, and the repercussions of that dominance are still felt today.

While Razer eventually gained the rights to the Nostromo entirely and developed their own branded version it was launched to compete with the Logitech G13, a similar style of gamepad that suited larger hand sizes better than that released by Razer. It was important to note that since Razer didn’t significantly change the design of the Nostromo from the N52te, gamers in general believed it to lack solid macro support, a design oversight problematic to the N52te.

Not to be deterred, Razer eventually decided they needed a new gamepad to compete with offerings made by several of its competitors. Enter the Orbweaver, a gamepad produced with Razers newer design principles in mind. While not ambidextrous, it offers several improvements in the areas of customisation and comfort, having an alterable hand, thumb and palm rest. The handrest’s angle can be changed for different grips (or left loose to swivel), and the thumb and palm rests can be extended or retracted for different hand sizes and shapes.

The Orbweaver feature set includes 20 programmable keys, a significant improvement over the 14 originally offered by its predecessor. It also does away with the difficult to use scrollwheel, creating a more unified design that is easier to adapt to. Your thumb has access to a space button, a ‘hyperresponse’ thumb button, and a 8-way thumbpad which while easier and more intuitive to use than previous designs, is very easy to knock during frantic gameplay moments.

By far the easiest to notice improvement has to be the addition of mechanical keys. These feel like the same Cherry Blue switches found in Razer’s mechanical keyboards, which is hardly a surprise. They provide excellent response, and while many prefer Cherry Black’s or Brown’s for a keyboard switch preference, the Cherry Blue’s match the sensitivity of the other buttons and thumpad perfectly.

As far as comfort goes, testing the Orbweaver with a small group of friends showed that no matter the hand type people could adjust the device to a natural comfort level, although small fingered friends had difficulty reaching the top left and right keys. Most preferred to leave the handrest in a loose swivel state, allowing it to dynamically change depending on needs, although its general flexibility leads me to worry about long term wear and tear.

The device is designed for heavy duty use, with rubber used prominently for the various rests and keys. This of course means that blemishes from finger oil happens pretty much instantly, and makes the Orbweaver near impossible to clean. Despite the extremely high build quality, Razer chose to leave out the braided cable used by pretty much all of their high end devices, which seems like a step away from their design principles. Perhaps the inside of the cable is non-standard, but there is no obvious external difference.

Of course, the real test is how it feels in game. The mechanical keys make an almost imperceptible difference until you attempt to switch back to any other gamepad, at which point everything else seems sluggish by comparison. The unlimited macro functionality and 8 different keymaps allow for some great build order combinations in StarCraft II and easy skill swapping in Guild Wars 2. CS:GO purchases were quick and simple, and binding item and ability switching in Skyrim was a breeze. With professional gamers in particular, I can see this becoming a regular choice, especially when the cumulative addup of keystroke delays can mean the difference between a victory or defeat.

Razer have a real winner here, but in the world of console controllers being used on PC with unnerving frequency, is it still relevant? The answer is perhaps an unsurprising yes. With the ability to use a mouse alongside, the enhanced response time, and 22 separate keys (58 if you bind two mouse buttons to alt and shift, but keep dedicated movement keys), it is easy to see how such a device could be a hardcore gaming staple for years to come.

Good:

• Customisable for most hand shapes and sizes
• Mechanical keys with a satisfying click
• Solid improvement over past designs
• Versatile macro management

Bad:

• Price just shy of a full mechanical keyboard
• Cable and Handrest could pose long term problems
• Easy to accidentally hit thumb buttons

The Razer Orbweaver retails for around $120 at many stockists. Product for this review was supplied by Razer.

Although we recently gave five of them away, we’ve been spending the last two weeks working and gaming away on our own Razer BlackWidow 2013 mechanical keyboard. Does it hold up under the pressure? Is it worth upgrading, if you have a 2012 edition? All the answers within.

The Specs

• Full mechanical keys with 50g actuation force
• Individually backlit keys with 5 levels of lighting
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time
• Programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording
• Gaming mode option for deactivation of the Windows key
• 10 customizable software profiles with on-the-fly switching
• 5 additional macro keys
• Gaming optimized key matrix for minimized ghosting
• Multi-Media Controls
• Braided fibre cable
• Audio-Out / Mic-In Jacks
• USB-Passthrough
• Approximate Size : 475 mm / 18.70” (Width) x 171 mm / 6.73” (Height) x 30 mm / 1.18” (Depth)
• Approximate Weight: 1500 g / 3.31 lbs

Introduction and construction

As somebody who plays a lot of games, but also spends a lot of time typing, I’ve grown used to the gentle curves and RSI-preventing spacious stylings of the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard. Since ditching this keyboard for a two-week vacation with Razer’s latest mechanical offering however, I quickly noticed one thing upon my return: damn, but my ergonomic keyboard is a laggy piece of trash.

So here’s the deal: the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 Edition mechanical keyboard may have a long name, but the keyboard itself feels a little cramped. Like most mechanical keyboards, its solid construction costs so much that, presumably, to have any more of it would cause the price to go up to a point at which we humans would shriek and run away. As such it all feels a little compressed, with essentially no palm rest space and not much in the way of room on the sides for anybody who likes to rest there, either.

Keys and switches

Keys themselves are a smidge smaller than what you’d expect, and — although this a strictly personal taste only subject — are written in a bizarre techno-glyph font that means you’ll be looking down to see where you should be (until your muscle memory adjusts to the slightly cramped layout, anyway) and find yourself confused. Is that a T? Or an R? Would it kill you to be less extreme for once, Razer?

The switches themselves work beautifully: with only 50g of force required to actuation on a Cherry MX Blue switch, you can brush across it with ease and, by comparison to my regular fare, requires far less smashing of the fingers to achieve input perfection. The downside of course is that they are loud as hell, louder even than the Gigabyte Osmium we recently reviewed. If you’re the type to make regular phone or Skype calls while typing, get ready for every person you chat to to ask you to shut the hell up. The BlackWidow’s anti-ghosting allows you to press up to 10 keys simultaneously, which is also handy to have.

While the keys are coated in a fingerprint-resistant layer of smudge-repellant, the chassis around them is unfortunately not. If you’re like me and you like to take lunch at your desk, there’s a high chance you’ll end up with smudges across the chassis and be constantly buffing them out.

Backlighting and connections

James noted in his look at the 2012 BlackWidow that the blue backlight caused his eyes to bleed profusely, so it’s great to note that the 2013 Edition seems to have this problem solved. The blue backlight is now green, and the strength of the glow can be adjusted with great granularity in the Synapse profile. The maximum light strength is so strong that you can actually still see it in direct sunlight, and if you’re playing in the dark you’ll probably find your room glowing distinctly green. By default the lights are set to pulse as well, which I personally found intensely distracting and turned off as soon as possible.

The 2013 BlackWidow comes with a strong braided cable containing not only the USB connector, but a secondary USB passthrough, and microphone and keyboard jacks so you can operate the whole thing from your keyboard. Others have reported some poor shielding on these ports, but I didn’t notice any hissing or crackling during my use.

Macros and Synapse

Along the left side of the keyboard are five macro keys, which you can customise in the Synapse Software. It took me a long time to get used to their position, as I realised I’d been subconsciously using the bottom-left Control key as a reference point for knowing where I was on the keyboard — something that immediately activates a macro if you try it on the BlackWidow, here. Still, once you get your brain around this, having the macro keys in such an accessible position makes using them easy and pleasant.

Naturally, using the BlackWidow requires Razer’s Synapse 2.0 software, which has been the subject of some controversy in recent days as it was accused of being a form of hardware DRM. Creation of a Razer account is necessary to get your keyboard up and running which, yes, does mean that your keyboard effectively won’t work until it’s activated over the internet. If you don’t have reliable internet access, do not buy this keyboard. This won’t be a problem for 99.9% of users, especially since you’re using the internet to read this right now, but it needs to be mentioned. Once you’re set up with a Razer account, the BlackWidow will work offline just fine (I checked!) but it does need to be set up first.

Synapse does include some other features beyond light customisation, macro management and controversy generation. Gaming mode allows you to disable Alt + Tab, Alt + F4 and the Windows key individually, this preventing you from not only doing anything that might cause you to rage quit but even stopping you rage-quitting altogether. The other feature of Synapse 2.0 — and the one that people who attend a lot of LAN parties will probably enjoy — is that all of your macros are saved in the cloud. So as long as you have an internet connection, you can retrieve your favourite macros regardless of whose computer you’re on. My only beef with Synapse is that it requires you to restart your computer whenever it updates. What is this, iTunes?

Conclusion

Overall, the BlackWidow 2013 is a solid piece of kit. With no real weaknesses to speak of, the Razer’s only point of contention is that it’s not really different enough over the 2012 model to warrant a re-release (unless you’re allergic to blue backlighting). Greasy users with enormous sasquatch hands like myself may find it cramped and smudgy, but if you do most of your gaming in the dark and you need a durable mechanical keyboard with a reliable response time, it’s hard to fault the BlackWidow — especially since it comes in noticeably cheaper than Gigabyte’s Osmium offering with an almost identical feature set.

Good:

• Great feedback and solid construction
• Backlighting is now green instead of eye-watering blue
• USB passthroughs, ports and audio jacks
• On-the-fly macro recording
• Between the blazing lights and the clacking keys, this is basically a small rock concert of a keyboard

Bad:

• Font used on keys is some bizarre techno-glyph from 2097 A.D.
• Chassis picks up fingerprints like crazy
• Not really any substantial difference from the 2012 model

The Razer BlackWidow retails for around $120 at most stockists.

With 127 entries in our second great Razer giveaway, it was always going to be a tough call to pick only five of the best. Many themes pervaded our contest: audio spam, weapon switching, complex WoW macros, and even a few of you placing calls to the significant other (or significant mother) to help you out with refreshments.

But now, after hours of arduous elimination, we’re finally ready to reveal the winners.

RKazza

RKazza’s macro reminds us of the value of using the right audio spam at the right time.

Dream macro setup:

1. ‘Still Alive’ Portal song for those times where it turns into a thrilling game of hide-and-seek. It happens more than not.

2. Obligatory obnoxious voice commands including but not limited to jokes about the opposing team’s lack of intelligence and theoretical weight of their mothers.

3. Recordings of a high pitched whine sound that can be emulated by twelve year olds on xbox live, and includes common phrases and words such as ‘!$@#’, ‘^@%!’, and ‘!$@#@ !@# #@$^!%@ !@#’.

With the addition of a Razer Naga Mouse and BlackWidow keyboard, these essential commands shall be summarily binded onto the plethora of buttons it provides, for swift provocations and general trolling of campers, spawn campers, and people-who-kill-me-again-and-again (aka pros), alike.

B4RK

Common courtesy is all-too-lacking on multiplayer servers these days. B4RK’s gentle heart shows that sometimes technology should be used for the betterment of mankind.

I’d macro the “Thank You” communication for Battlefield 3. Everytime someone heals me, I end up wasting a precious half of a second thanking them. With this macro, I could show common courtesy without making myself an easy target!

Kishimojin

Sometimes, the right audio spam at the right time is what a game needs. Sometimes, what’s needed is the wrong audio spam, at the wrong time. Kishimojin understands.

Favourite macro ever was one I set up for WoW. Playing as a mage, during a first boss of Blackwing Descent, Raid Leader calls out TIME WARP. Hit the key and all raid members proceed to have their eardrums assaulted by rocky horror Time Warp chorus on 400x volume over vent. Hilarity ensues. Needless to say first attempt was a wipe. Good times.

Kingsdragon

Of course saying the wrong thing can have its consequences. Kingsdragon’s favourite macros are designed to punish you for speaking out, like a tiny police-state run from the comfort of a keyboard (only not really).

I have three macro’s set up, one I hit and it records sound (M1) and the other I hit and it plays said recorded sound (M2). So if someone is saying ‘F**king zombies!* I record that (M1), then hit my own macro (M3) which says “Your mum… (M2) f**king zombies!” Endless hilarity!

Pulviriza

Last but not last, Pulviriza reminds us that the simplest macros — and the simplest approach — are often the best.

When I play Pyro on TF2, if I’m holding down W, then the flamethrower’s on. It’s the only way to play.

Thanks to everybody who entered, and thanks to Razer for supplying the keyboards and mice to give away! Winners, look for a PM from us shortly to get your details. Thanks again everybody, and look out for our next competition very soon.

Our last Great Razer Giveaway was so successful that Razer would like to do it all over again! This time around, we’ve got five Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboards as well as five Razer Naga MMO Mice to give away.

Aww, yes. How do I win?

Astute question! All you need to do to enter is, in 150 words or less, describe your favourite macro setup that you use in games. It can be a quickcast for your favourite MMO, a call-for-uber and weapon-switch for Team Fortress 2, or maybe just spraying out obnoxious voice commands over and over across the server. You awful person, you.

If you don’t have any macros set up, never fear! You can also describe what your ideal macro setup would be for your game if you had one — and maybe you’ll get the chance to make it all come true when you win yourself some of these excellent pieces of gaming hardware.

The five top entries, as chosen by our judges, will each walk away with a prize pack containing a BlackWidow mechanical keyboard and Naga mouse.

How long do I have?

The competition closes at 11:59PM (Adelaide time) on Sunday November 11. Winners will be chosen and announced the next day.

What else do I need to know?

Entries are governed by the Terms and Conditions listed on this page. Best of luck!

Peripheral manufacturer Razer yesterday used an event in Sydney’s Cockle Bay Wharf to announce the launch of their latest Razer Blade gaming laptop.

Described a little cheekily as the ‘world’s first gaming laptop’, the mice, keyboard and headset maker unveiled its unique take on portable gaming, featuring some impressive hardware and the unique Switchblade UI touch pad. The laptop includes an impressive Intel i7 3632QM, a 2GB Geforce GTX 660M, a 1920×1080 (17.3″) screen, 500GB 7200rpm HDD, 64GB SSD and 8GB (1600mhz) of DDR3 RAM.

While the specs are certainly enough to handle the current crop of games, it doesn’t come cheap. The $2999 asking price is on par with Apple’s most expensive offerings, but the inclusion of the 660M should be attractive for any portable gaming enthusiast.

The included matte finish and its slimline design (0.8 inches to be exact) might even convince some gamers to pass on the MacBook. Whether other hardcore gamers will be convinced to pay the not-so-insignificant premium for mobility remains to be seen – but as far as Razer’s concerned, it won’t be from a lack of trying.

The Razer Blade launches November 1 and will be available from the Razer Online store and select JB Hi-Fi stores around Australia. Click here for more information.

Razer’s been around a long time. If my memory serves me correctly, they’ve been pitching products to hardcore gamers since the days of the first Cyberathlete Professional League, way back at the turn of the millenium.

Their pitch then was pretty much the same as it was now: we’re hardcore gamers and we understand what you need. And for the large part that’s worked out pretty well, except for one small thing.

If you’re one of those individuals with, well, massive hands, then Razer’s the company for you. Take the Razer Naga, for example. The MMO-themed offering, marketed as one of Razer’s “elite” products, weighs 134 grams and is just over an inch and a half tall by and four and a half inches long. The “elite” Mamba’s just as bulky at 136 grams and even bigger, standing 1.69” tall and just about as long. Even the stock standard Deathadder is massive at 5” long and 1.73” high – and that’s not factoring in that it’s a heavier mouse too.

Filling that niche

It might seem odd that I’m harping on the weight so much, but it makes more sense when you consider my history. I’m a bit of a mouse freak, unfortunately, and years spent obsessing over headshots in Counter-Strike 1.6 make you a little bit paranoid. After using literally every major release from Microsoft, Logitech, Razer, Steelseries and even a couple of the smaller manufacturers, I eventually picked up a small Razer Salmosa off eBay.

The idea was simple. I’m currently in a team that’s sponsored by Razer, and as such I needed a suitable product to take to competitions. Having used almost all of their products in the past, I opted for the Deathadder because I knew it’d be reliable when travelling to LANs. But the combination of typing tens of thousands of words a week for work made it too difficult to use on a regular basis, and so I needed something that was easier on the hand. So you can imagine my interest in the Taipan – something with more functionality than my ridiculously tiny Salmosa that wouldn’t force me to quit my job.

Where does it fit in?

Now while Razer isn’t exactly the Lowes of the peripheral manufacturing world, opening the box instantly confirms that Razer have plugged a hole in their lineup, or more specifically, developed a product to try and lure back gamers who have fallen in love with the Steelseries Sensei.

The Taipan’s largely the same dimensions – it’s a little bit slimmer and lighter, but largely the same ambidextrous, four-side button style that you’d expect. Retailers should be selling both for about the same price, although the Taipan has a slight edge with its 8200 dpi dual sensor, which reportedly uses not only a laser and optical sensor, but also a coven of witches to accurately determine that you definitely got that headshot (even if the server disagrees).

While it’s described as a “4G” dual sensor, a bit of research found that the main sensor is the Avago S9818 (confirmed here), a variant of the 9800 which is already the top-of-the-line sensor for laser mice. I didn’t discover any lift-off issues – which have been a bit of a bane for laser mice in the past – during my time with the Taipan.

Infrequent acceleration?

The same can’t be said for negative and positive acceleration. Using Counter-Strike: Source – a game that accepts raw input – I tested the Taipan at 1800 DPI and 500hz with a Razer Goliathus and a Steelseries Fnatic QCK+. (For those playing along at home, you can replicate the test yourself using the method outlined here.

The test works in Quake Live as well and any other game that accepts raw input.)

The existence of acceleration is a major factor in why a lot of old-schoolers still swear by optical mice and if this sounds awfully close to describing you, then you’re going to be bitterly disappointed.

For everyone else that’s now suddenly concerned: you shouldn’t be. The acceleration only appears when making very extremely slow or extremely fast movements, which most people rarely do – and that doesn’t include the occasional quick swipe that you’ll need in shooters. Even more importantly, the negative acceleration only occurred on my Razer Goliathus (Speed Edition), an all-black pad save for a small green Razer logo in one of the corners, but not my Steelseries QCK+ or my Razer Megasoma hybrid pad.

Extended testing within Starcraft 2 found no problems, except for an occasional moment where the mouse’s DPI would suddenly tank towards 400 for no reason whatsoever. This was an issue I’d had with previous laser mice and it seemed to be largely connected to my Razer Goliathus. Different surfaces like the QCK+ and the control version of the Razer Goliathus (which has a textured weave as opposed to the flat surface of the Speed), found that the problem was indeed my all-black pad, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Synaptic connections

But the fact that I had any issues with my Goliathus at all was interesting given that there’s a section in the Razer Synapse 2.0 drivers, a new cloud-based service that covers the majority of Razer mice (excluding basic models like the Salmosa). The Calibration lets you choose from a list of predetermined mouse pads or manually calibrate with any mouse pad to determine, well, whatever black magic is required to best work with your setup.

The feature brings Razer drivers more in line with the powerful customisation software provided by Steelseries, although it still has some catching up to do. While you can set your sensitivity to any range (in bands of 100) between 100 and 8200, there’s no onboard memory to actually save the settings. You need Synapse to lock it in for you – but unfortunately, if you don’t have an internet connection, Synapse won’t load.

Putting aside the picture of DRM on your mouse aside for a second, Razer Synapse is clearly software that will grow with time. It’s not bad right now – the macro editor is solid and rebinding all the buttons is a pleasure – but there are just far too many areas that need improvement. The DPI switcher, for example, doesn’t work unless Razer Synapse is loaded. When it does work, it brings up a little meter on your screen showing you the current setting – which you won’t see in-game, but you’ll know because it’ll freeze your game to a halt for about half a second.

Ergonomics

Thankfully, what the software lacks in punch is balanced out by just how comfortable the Taipan feels in the hand. The centre features with a rubberised coating that’s resistant to sweat, while a mesh-like texture envelops both sides. The ambidextrous design and the low profile of the Taipan makes it a dream for those who prefer the claw or fingertip grips, although it’s not unpleasant to hold in the hand either.

What users of all persuasions might find a little frustrating are the side buttons. They’re fairly small and they’re also angled downwards to fit in with the curvature. Sadly, this makes them more difficult to press unless your thumb (or ring/pinkie finger) approaches them from underneath. It doesn’t make going forward or back in a browser Mission: Impossible, but the design is nowhere near as user-friendly as a lot of other mice.

But provided that you have a nice, colorful (or hard) mousepad and you’re not doing anything silly like using 0.000001 sensitivity, the Taipan honestly is a joy to use. It’s one of the few mice that have made me want to play a game as soon as it was resting in my hand. It’s truly comfortable and it didn’t skip a beat after I changed mousepads.

The Synapse drivers will improve over time – see the mountain of updates for the Deathadder as proof – and the acceleration isn’t anything unusual for high-grade laser mice. What you’re left with beyond that is an extremely attractive, comfortable and powerful piece of hardware. See how it feels in your hand first – particularly the side buttons – but if you’re in the market for a light, low-profile mouse that doesn’t slack on features, the Taipan is hard to look past.

Good:

• Great sensor with no lift-off issues
• Solid customisation and macro editor
• Good ergonomics, ambidextrous design
• Light and low-profile

Bad:

• Some infrequent acceleration
• Side buttons are difficult to hit
• DPI-switching can cause games to freeze for half a second
• Synapse software requires an internet connection

The Razer Taipan retails for around $99 AUD.

NVIDIA launches GTX660Ti, gamers eagerly scramble

NVIDIA’s new card has dropped this week, the GeForce GTX660Ti. Reviews have been flooding the intertubes, including this one from Anandtech which describes it as “a more approachable point on the price-performance curve, offering about 88% of the GTX 670’s performance for 75% of the price”. Guru3D is offering a Gigabyte GTX660Ti Windforce review, calling it “downright perfect for those gaming at 1920×1080/1200″ but “a good chunk slower then the GTX 670″ unless overclocked. The aforementioned Guru3D piece also has some two- and three-way SLI tests, for those of you thinking about dropping dosh on multiple cards.

Prices at the moment for Australians are in the range of $350 – $400, but are expected to settle a little bit in the next week or so. Meanwhile, purchasing your GTX660 from overseas will get you a free Steam copy of Borderlands 2, apparently – as long as you purchase from participating “e-tailers”. That is a terrible pun NVIDIA, be ashamed.

AMD responds: price cut for 7950, relaunches with BOOST

Not a free chocolate bar, but an improved clockspeed for the re-released AMD Radeon 7950. The 7950 is set to receive the same performance enhancements that the 7970 received back in June, increasing the base clock speed (anywhere from 6% – 16%) as well as introducing GPU turbo boost functionality. The power consumption has increased as a result, but it could be the boost your card needs to last another few months. The BIOS with these BOOST features can already be found online but may void your warranty, so head to your card manufacturer’s website and see what they have to say. More info at AnandTech.

Razer releases ‘Deathstalker Ultimate’ keyboard and ‘Kraken’ headsets

‘DeathStalker Ultimate’? Calm down Razer, it’s okay! The new keyboard includes their ‘Switchblade’ interface which can be found on the SW:TOR keyboard, which we took at look at in our Epic Razer Rundown last month, with a “customizable control panel with 10 dynamic, adaptive tactile keys” for binding “commands, macros, skills and spells for an unparalleled in-game competitive advantage,” naturally. Meanwhile the new ‘Kraken’ headset is a bright green colour and “was field-tested by countless professional gamers and athletes to determine optimal weight for extended gaming sessions and snugness”. Get snuggly with a Kraken, today.

Intel confirms TRIM support for SSD’s on RAID-0 for 7-series motherboards

Previous SSD RAID setups on Intel were known to degrade over time because TRIM, or “garbage collection”, just wasn’t working. Intel have now confirmed that TRIM support is coming to RAID-0 setups with SSD’s in the near future, which should mean sustained ~1GB/s read performance on RAID-0 SSD’s. Great stuff from Intel, but you’ll need a 7-series motherboard (6-series chipsets are not supported), Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology (RST) for RAID driver version 11.0 or greater (11.2 is current), and Windows 7 (support is coming soon for Windows 8). Thanks to AnandTech!

Hypersonic $140m missile crashes unceremoniously into Pacific Ocean

The US Air Force’s much-touted X-51A “WaveRider” hypersonic missile, designed to be able to strike targets within minutes on the other side of the globe, has crashed into the Pacific Ocean during testing this week. This was the third test for the project, which has so far cost taxpayers an estimated $140 million USD, and delivered a series of very water-loving and crash-prone missiles instead of what one presumes are supposed to be dead commies. Ah well, it’s not rocket science – wait, no, it is rocket science. Yes. My bad. (Via DailyTech)

Bill Gates puts post-Microsoft years to good use by designing better toilets

Despite the headline, this is actually a pretty noble goal: the humble toilet is generally very inefficient when it comes to water, and this bothers Bill Gates because, well, he’s got a lot of money and time now that his creation is busy conquering the world of personal computing. This week in Seattle, Gates awarded prizes to three teams as part of a challenge to ‘reinvent the toilet’, in an attempt to conserve water that could actually be used for drinking or other actually useful things that aren’t getting rid of poop. Something to giggle about for your Friday then, or perhaps get really melancholy about the next time you take a bathroom break. (Via DailyTech)

Huge thanks to our tireless tech moderater steve_rogers42 for putting through some links this week.

Ten days ago, we offered five of our handsome audience members the chance to walk away with a brand-spanking new Razer Anansi keyboard and a Razer Naga 2012 MMO mouse each – and now, we’re here to make good on that offer. With 125 spankingly excellent entries, it was difficult to narrow it down to just five, but narrow it down we did. Here, then, they are:

The Razer Infinite (Entr0py)

Behold, the holy grail of gaming peripherals, introducing the Razer Infinite. Using breakthroughs in neuroscience and quantum mechanics the Razer Infinite wirelessly intercepts the electrical signals travelling between the sensory organs and nervous system throughout the body and the brain; thus allowing the seamless immersion of all five senses into virtual reality in a perfectly safe manner. Enter the matrix, play God. The future is now, the possibilities Razer Infinite.

Technical specifications:

Power Usage: 1.2 MW
Approximate Weight: 1600 kg / 3500lbs
RRP $90,000.00

Razer Warthog (deejayqf)

Wild gaming is here. Introducing the newest line of Razor mice with a back to nature and earthy colouring of rustic browns, greys and black combined with a matted texture for extra grip is as tough as a wild pig’s hide. The mouse buttons are an aged ivory in colour – ergonomically designed for precise gaming and solid as bone. Left and Right buttons are shaped like the tusks of our wild friends with Middle with scroll and Button 4 and 5 giving the mouse its muscle and completing the arsenal of primal weapons this beast has to offer. This mouse is robust, resilient, and will doggedly clock up hundreds of hours of serious gaming time.

Mice squeak and are for wimps…
Get some grunt and grab a pig…
Oink Oink…

Razer – for gamers. By gamers.

Razer Fang (Relaxed_Possum)

Ever felt that immersion into your favourite MMO had staled? Ever felt that you could climb so deep into a game that you could taste it? No? Well now you can now with ultra-realistic chewing and biting thanks to the revolutionary Razer Fang.

Razer is evolving to raise immersion to un-paralleled levels with simulation of 10,000 MMO food groups with the new Razer Fang. Engineered for a refreshing mouth feel while providing unparalleled chew and optimised tongue placement, interchangeable cheek grips, and powered by direct-integration of your synapse, with Razer Synapse 7.0.

Of course, the new Razer Fang still harnesses the power of the most important feature of its best-selling MMO line. A twelve button tongue grid capable of binding every cheer, taunt and gesture you may need to complete quests and seduce NPCs faster and more wittingly than ever before.

Razer KillerBee (Ninja Catfish)

Feel every bullet your character feels, with the Razer™ KillerBee. Using patented B-Z-Z™ technology, the Razer™ KillerBee can make you feel your character’s pain, no matter where it’s inflicted.

The Razer™ KillerBee uses a specially designed StingBlade capable of 8200 Stings Per Inch accuracy, and 1000Hz UltraStinging, to ensure even a rapid firing minigun is accurately felt by every inch of your flesh.

Endorsed by ProGamers worldwide, like Miles Chen, famous Counter-Strike: GO player. “It’s really improved my game since it forces me to play well otherwise I die from blood loss!”.

Razer™ KillerBee – Get Lacerated

Razer Morphias (Brad)

A mouse which can take the shape of your hand. Using a high-tech gel, the Morphias mouse can be moulded to suit your hand, in addition the user is able to set the standard mouse/scroll buttons how ever they feel. Supplied with an additional 20 programmable buttons that can be placed anywhere on the Morphias.

The Morphias is literally the most customisable mouse ever. Using a quick set spray, the mouse will set like stone in the position you create ensuring no mid game changes.

Need a change? Simply microwave the mouse for two minutes and the Morphias is ready to be reconfigured however you wish.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered! Winners should check their forum private messages shortly for instructions on how to claim their prize.

Thanks to Razer for providing the hardware for this giveaway!

GeForce GTX 660 to be launched at Gamescom?

nVidia is set to launch the GTX 660 at Computex on August 16 according to well-placed sources within SweClockers, and more details of the card have been revealed. The card will have the same clock speed as the GTX 670 and have the same number of CUDA cores enabled, but the key difference will be in the width of the memory bus which has been reduced by 25% from 256-bit to 192-bit. TechPowerUp is predicting that the upcoming Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany will be used for an official unveiling.

Google launches ‘Google Fiber’ service

Google overnight revealed their plans for a new ‘Google Fiber‘ service, which is a Google’s own fibre-optic connection service that they claim is 100 times faster than today’s average broadband. The service is initially only rolling out in Kansas City in the USA, the service comes with Google’s own modem that allows you to record up to eight TV shows simultaneously, as well as a bunch of frankly fantastic options that demonstrate the power of fibre connections. There’s even a free option, assuming you’re willing to pay the $300 construction fee to get the hardware to your home. Yes, free internet. Alright then. Thanks, Novocaine.

Apple patents game controller

Oh Apple, you just can’t stay out of the games business, can you? GamesIndustry International yesterday revealed that Apple have been discovered filing patents for a game controller peripheral, one that looks suspiciously – okay, almost exactly like – that of the PlayStation 3. An illustrative diagram for the controller shows it interacting directly with an iPhone, so there’s no doubt that Apple intend to lock down the ability of controller-like peripherals to integrate with their hardware. The same patent also explores the possibility of using the iPhone as a universal remote, with what looks suspiciously – okay, almost exactly like – an Xbox 360 seen in the background. Alrighty then.

Intel i7-3970X revealed

A new report is claiming that the Intel Core i7-3970X will arrive in Q4 2012, claims DonanimHaber. The LGA2011 six-core processor will ship with clock speeds of 3.50 GHz, or 4.00 GHz with maximum Turbo Boost frequency. It is based on the 32 nm “Sandy Bridge-E” silicon, and, much like the Core i7-3960X, will come with HyperThreading, 15 MB shared L3 cache, and unlocked base-clock multiplier. Plus it’s got an X on the end, so you know it’s badass. X.

Razer launches new hardware

You’re probably sick of hearing about Razer lately, but they’ve just gone and announced two new products to be released later in this year and next: a 2013 edition BlackWidow keyboard (now with green backlighting instead of blue, much to James Pinnell’s delight) and the new configurable Ouroboros mouse. The Ouroboros comes with multiple configurable and detachable panels allowing it to change shape to suit all shapes and sizes of hands (as well as lefties) and a dedicated DPI clutch trigger that you can temporarily squeeze to change your DPI. Technology!

Samsung phones outselling Apple 2:1 in Q2 2012

Apple’s iPhones, normally viewed as a license to print money, were outsold at a staggering rate by Samsung in Q2 2012. Apple is still making money hand over fist in other departments of course, but news from the second quarter shows a drastic slump in iPhone sales of only 26 million units compared to 50 million from their rival Samsung, who they are currently engaged with in about fifty separate lawsuits across ten different countries internationally. Madness. Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S III smartphone shipped 19 million units alone, leaving many to wonder what Apple’s next move with the iPhone will be to regain momentum.

Thanks to our relentless tech moderator steve_rogers42 for sending through a bunch of links this week!

Thanks to Razer, we’ve managed to score five Razer Anansi keyboards and five 2012 edition Razer Naga mice to give away to our handsome games.on.net audience members.

Five lucky readers will walk away with an Anansi keyboard and Naga mouse prize pack, all set to both kick ass and take names in their game of choice.

How do I enter?

It’s easy! Along with the prizes, Razer quietly confided in us that they were about to run out of poisonous snakes, spiders and other animals to name their products after, and asked if we could help out with some brainstorming.

So all you need to do to win is, in 150 words or less, leave a comment on this article that names and describes the next gaming product that Razer should release. Words only please, no pictures allowed – but feel free to be as descriptive and imaginative as possible! We’re pretty certain Razer aren’t going to rush any of your ideas into production tomorrow, so feel free to be unrealistic or suggest technology that may not (but perhaps should!) exist yet.

The five best entries, as chosen by our judges, will each walk away with a prize pack containing an Anansi keyboard and Naga mouse.

How long do I have?

The competition closes at 11:59PM (Adelaide time) on Sunday August 5. Winners will be chosen and announced the next day.

What’s this Razer stuff all about?

For more info on the Anansi and the Naga as well as the rest of the Razer range, why not check out our massive review of their hardware?

I’ve been a massive fan of Razer hardware since I bit the bullet and dumped my long standing Logitech laser mouse for something a little more gaming orientated. While the Logitech was certainly handy for both general use and gaming, its abysmal tracking speed and inability to handle both mouse buttons pressed “together” made it pretty damn rubbish for any sort of shooter. So I went out and purchased the most basic, no frills of the Razer range I could find (at the time, it was the Abyssus). I never looked back.

So when Razer asked me, your resident MMO masochist, if I wanted to see how their new hardware held up against my trusty old boys – the Abyssus and the ever popular Logitech G15, I was initially skeptical. How would, or even could, a mouse with more buttons or a keyboard with more weight and pretty lights change how I played my games? But I’m always up for a challenge, so I accepted the delivery and unboxed what can only be described as a plethora of toys many of you would probably sell your little sister for.

Each mouse and keyboard set have various specialities – the Naga 2012 (mouse) and Anansi (keyboard) are specifically designed for use with MMOs, while the Blackwidow is a heavy “traditional” mechanical keyboard that has brought back more memories of my early IBM days than anything else. The Naga Hex is tricked out for MOBA and Action RPG games while the SWTOR set is pretty much self explanatory. As a result, I’ve reviewed the equipment in groups; The Naga and Anansi have been put through their paces with The Secret World, GW2 and EVE Online, The Naga Hex enjoyed some League of Legends and Diablo 3, while the Black Widow took everything on, being the clicky beast that it is.

Please also be aware that this is the first time I have used any iteration of this equipment, so these reviews will be based on what’s in front of me, rather than comparisons to earlier editions.

The Naga 2012

You can tell almost immediately that there has been a lot of thought and careful design going into the Naga, as every single element of the mouse has careful curves drawn into it, the weight is evenly balanced on all sides and the button placement is mapped to the flexible muscle points in the hand. Taking it out of the box, straight away I noticed that the cable is wrapped in a tangle-free cloth enclosure and also includes a number of replacement finger rests. I tried them all and found the default with a wider, deeper nook to hold both your fourth finger and pinkie to be the most comfortable, but I assume this would be down to personal preference.

The palm area is covered in a hard, textured non slip plastic, while the remainder is a slick, glossy piano black finish. Like most Razer equipment, it’s exceptionally well built, very solid and clean with no hard edges. There is enough weight to keep it down on the mat when you need it to stay there, and slim Teflon squares keep a smooth flow over your desk or pad. Unlike other models, the Naga does not have DPI and HZ controls on the base of the mouse. All controls over these modes, along with macros, backlights and other options are handled by the (downloadable) Synapse drivers.

Two middle buttons sit just behind a free-moving scroll wheel placed midway down the bridge of your middle finger.  On the far left is the Naga’s claim to fame – a set of 12 small backlit buttons that can be utilised in three different ways; the first, as a replacement for the number set above qwerty, the second (via a switch underneath the mouse) as a replacement for the numpad, and the third, via the cloud-based Synapse system, for macros or any other keyboard command.

It feels good in your hand, the curves of the mouse fit perfectly around your fingers, allowing them to rest comfortably and eliminates a lot of the long-term fatigue from those gaming sessions (especially in MMOs) that go for hours. I find that things like DPI and HZ don’t tend to matter too much within an MMO, since quick movement isn’t as important, but tracking is great and accuracy is top notch. The mouse never snags, jumps or forgets its place on the screen – it’s almost impossible to move it by accident.

But it’s the thumb buttons on the side that I just adore, and honestly, will find it difficult to play without from now on. The placement is great, response time is instant; in newer MMOs like TSW and GW2 that require constant movement alongside skill casting, its a godsend to have fingers available for movement. Suddenly, making accurate attacks alongside timed dodges or strafing becomes a reality, rather than suffering the fumble between WASD and the number sets. The only complaint is that if you need to use more than 6 buttons, it can take a bit of muscle memory training before you’re playing without sneaking a peak.

The Naga Hex

The MOBA-based sibling of the 2012 flagship is the aptly named Naga Hex, a mouse with roughly the the same hardware profile, but with a few key differences. Firstly, the Hex has been designed primarily for MOBA (DOTA2, LoL, HoN), as has been modified from the base to extenuate the requirements for high frequency actions. Taking it out of the box, I notice that the textured palm rest has been moved from the centre of the mouse to the sides, providing grip for the thumb and “loose* fingers, rather than the crux of your hand. I actually prefer this design for any sort of gaming (including the MMO), since your hand seems to keep its shape when it’s planted on both sides.

In the space of the 12 buttons on the 2012 are 6, larger, buttons taking up the same amount of space in an oval format. It’s a good placement, as the larger sizes of the buttons provide a solid, easily located click, while the smaller number make it less likely you will cast the wrong ability. Testing it out during a few games of LoL and DOTA2, like the experiences with the 2012, allowed a free hand for other keyboard keyboard commands and it only took about 20 minutes to get used to using a mouse for all commands.

Razer claim that each button on the Hex can take up to 250 clicks per minute, which is a statement that I am hopelessly under-skilled to substantiate. But what I did find was that the buttons responded with nil lag, and very little resistance. In comparison, there was a more satisfying amount of feedback than with the vanilla 2012′s buttons, but that could also be due to the size and design of the others.

Both mice are truly brilliant efforts in design and attention to detail. Everything from the curved structure, weight and build quality,  to the number, placement and size of the thumb buttons do all the box and promotional material (that can be tested, of course) claim. I used both mice, on alternate days, for a week and half, putting them through the paces of almost every genre, from TF2 to Civ 5. In all situations they performed admirably, but their key strengths were obviously highlighted during traditional MMOs and MOBAs that utilise numbered keys in some situation or another.

Mind you, a bit of clever mapping made even a game of EVE Online a little easier to bear, but that was thanks to some creative mapping of keyboard hotkeys to some of the buttons on the 2012.

The BlackWidow Ultimate

Razer have a knack for creating abstract names to describe their products, naming the large majority of them after venomous snakes. In most cases, it’s just a little bit of fun hyperbole, but in the case of the aptly named BlackWidow, they took things to heart. This beast is just that, a big bulky hefty brute of a keyboard, a nostalgic hark back to the days of those fantastic IBM keyboards that never, ever, broke and provided some of the most reliable input to date.

As you may have guessed, it’s a mechanical model, which provides an independent analog switch on each key, rather than a rubber dome over a membrane that detects movement via electrical response. This automatically reduces much of the response time as opposed to a standard keyboard, that relies on a secondary response from the membrane.

Razer’s taken this (admittedly ancient) concept and essentially translated it across to gaming by adding the ability to create on the fly macros, a “gaming mode” (ie. disabling the Windows key) five macro keys and some of the standard colorful backlighting you generally expect from modern gaming hardware. Feature wise, there isn’t really anything super impressive about the BlackWidow that you can’t get from anywhere else; there’s no LCD screen, no adaptive tactile keys or any of the classy bells and whistles.

But what makes this keyboard special is in its ability to make you smile again. Typing on this thing is incredibly loud, as each tap of the key not only provides that heavily satisfying ”CLICK”, but it also jolts back this tiny little bit of tactile feedback, so you *know* the action has been well and truly received by your game of choice.  Razer touts a complicated proprietary system of  ”actuation point and Ultrapolling technology” that reduces each key’s input response time to an impressive single millisecond (from about 4) and only 2 millimeters before your keypress is actually registered.

I put the keyboard through some Battlefield 3, TF2 and MW3 to see if there was a difference, and sadly, the jury is still out. While I did notice that movement response was a little faster, I did find key depression a slightly harder to complete, since the keys are a tiny little bit heavier and smaller, and the space between them a little bit closer. Interestingly, the placement of the F1 keys has been moved marginally to the right, making it easier to hit F-keys if needed since they are now directly above WASD.

But after a little bit of training, things improved. Standard keyboards have very little feedback and sometimes can misfire, but mechanical keypresses are almost always guaranteed to register. While I’m usually of the opinion that a good mouse is obviously more beneficial to the outcome of a match than a keyboard, the fact remains that a *very* heavy keyboard with analog keys is probably your best bet to reliability if you are worried about this happening to you.

What I did find hideous, however, was the choice of blue as the LED of choice for the BlackWidow. Personally, blue LEDs are an affront to my eyes, and cause them to bleed profusely if I’m required to stare at them for hours on end. While I was able to reduce the strength and existence of them in Synapse, turning them off removed *all* backlights from the keyboard, which makes things difficult if you play in the dark or low light and occasionally like to see what you’re doing. Stick to green or red next time guys.

I love the BlackWidow, but I love it because of all of the things that probably don’t really make much of a difference to your game. It’s simply a gorgeous salute to some of the keyboard us old dogs used back in the early days of Doom and Quake, and since I plugged it in I’ve found it almost impossible to stop using. Whether it has made much of a difference to my performance, however, is yet to be seen.

The Anansi

Compared to the retina-destroying blue backlight of the BlackAdder, the almost soothing multi-colour light show that is the Anansi felt close to cleansing. I never knew that Razer found such enjoyment in creating interesting LED dynamics with their hardware, since the extent of the backlight on my original mouse was limited to a highlighted logo. So it’s interesting that the soft mood lighting, one that contrasted well to the “transition ceiling ambience” (not kidding, that’s how they described it) that I experienced on a Virgin Australia flight a few years ago, tends to be a metaphor for the device as a whole – light, airy and, well, just a little bit different.

Like the Naga, the Anansi has been designed with MMOs in mind, complete with the standard set of 5 macro buttons on the far left, on the fly recording and a completely customisable keyset. But what makes things extra special are the 7 “quick thumb” buttons that sit just below the space bar, in complete symmetry of the main keyboard’s width. The buttons are easy to access, and don’t require much pressure to hit, although they are roughly half the thickness of a normal key.

The placement is intriguing, as I originally figured I would hit them accidentally as I started mapping some actions for testing, but after some standard typing and WASD’ing I found that the sunken nature of the area in which the keys sit prevents that from occurring. It’s clever, and it (especially in collaboration with the Naga) allows for almost complete removal of the need for the awkward number key reach. Thumb movement while navigating with WASD is comfortable, although it might take some training and clever mapping to make full use of all 7 keys.

Outside of this feature, what you have sitting in front of you is a pretty standard gaming keyboard. Like the BlackAdder, there’s no LCD screens or other (largely irrelevant really) guff to distract you while you’re concentrating on the screen. The build is largely soft, comfortable, moulded plastic with a bit of gloss around the outside for good measure. It sits a little lower than the Adder too, with all of the keys sitting level and over a standard membrane mechanism. Everything is largely where you expect to be as well, with no funky right alignment or F-key changes to surprise you here.

Nothing on the Anansi is really offensive, nor is it particularily special. If I was going to recommend it as a purchase, it would only be to die-hard MMO players and as a companion to the Naga 2012. Together, they make up a very strong piece of kit that provides noticeable advantage to players who are keen to reduce fatigue in their hands, increase their skill casting speed and agility, or just play more comfortably. Sure, it’s a little bit lazy but it’s also a hell of a lot of fun being able to run circles around your opponents as they struggle to switch between movement and attack.

The SWTOR Keyboard and Mouse

Got some cash to burn? Not just a Star Wars obsessive, but a Star Wars: The Old Republic subscriber to boot? Well, you’re in luck my dear friend, because the last package Razer dropped on my doorstep contained probably the most visually impressive set of devices yet. The SWTOR keyboard and mouse aren’t sold together, nor are they necessarily designed to work exclusively together, but it’s essentially the gaming equivalent of matching your socks. The cement-grey shaded, sharp-edged duo can also be accompanied by a similarly shaped chunky mousepad and a headset, for the truly extraordinarily dedicated chap or chapette.

But once you’ve settled after the inevitable geek out occurs as a soft gold backlight creeps through the cleverly designed cracks and keys, you might notice that the keyboard doesn’t feel especially solid. Unlike the other Razer equipment I’ve reviewed in this feature, the plastic base, on the surface at least, feels quite thin and flimsy. Putting slight pressure on the edges and joins will noticeably flex and bend the base, which would have been difficult on the Anansi and next to impossible on the rugged BlackAdder. I’m unsure why Razer went with such soft plastic here, especially for the cost. Meanwhile, the LED back light options include over 16 million colours here, so you can go all red and feed your inner Sith.

The main array features Macbook-style perfectly squared and marginally raised keys, which sits comfortably under your fingers, although they can be a little slippery at times due to their sheer flatness. I personally prefer keys with slight indentations to cup your finger, but it didn’t take too long to get used to it. That said, it’s obvious that these feed more into the aesthetic than anything relating to performance, although Razer claim the “shorter distance” reduces latency in key response, but I feel that’s a bit of an ambitious claim. As usual, there are the standard five macro keys, live recording and a fully customisable profile system available within Synapse.

The big ticket item on the board is obviously the set of tactile adaptive keys, and the great big LCD touchscreen sitting pretty on the lower right hand side. It’s a pretty impressive display, high res, colourful, bright and multitouch. But disappointment sets in quickly when you realise that it’s really not as intuitive and clever as it originally seems. When one might be perusing the promotional materials for this device, assumptions would be made that this keyboard in fact interfaces directly with SWTOR, as Logitech’s G15 would, detecting its presence on boot and reworking it to suit the game. This is not the case – the game does not know the keyboard, nor does the keyboard know the game (or the mouse for that matter) from a bar of soap.

The touchscreen is in fact an auxiliary monitor, powered by the Synapse drivers that feed information to it from your PC. The apps shortcuts automatically appear on the adaptive keys all of the time, and include a basic web browser, a calculator, a clock, and access to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The keys can also be manually mapped to macros, other software shortcuts or keybinds for particular skills, which can then be manually mapped to particular icons which are included with Synapse. Unfortunately, the keyboard does not keep up with your in-game settings nor can it be configured in-game either. This is a huge disappointment, and while it doesn’t lock the keyboard to one game entirely, it does end up feeling quite redundant.

On the positive side, having access to these apps without leaving the game is great – you can easily keep up with social networks, check out YouTube (with some lag) if you encounter downtime, or simply convert the pad to numlock keys if you’re a lefty. But that brings me to my second glaring issue with this keyboard, and it’s a doozy – the LCD is on the wrong side. If you use the mouse right-handed like most people, you won’t be letting go of your mouse to use your skill bar, and even if you moved the keyboard across so it was within range of your left hand, you wouldn’t have access to WASD anyway.

This leads me to the mouse, which for all the slight design changes made to match its look to the rest of the SWTOR set, it’s basically a wireless version of the Naga 2012, right down to the 12 buttons on the side and the two in the middle. As a result, it feels good, solid and heavy, although the light plastic has also migrated across making it feel a bit slippery at times. The wireless works flawlessly with zero noticeable lag, to the point where it performs just as well as the wired Naga, making it a preferred option if you have issues with cable management on your desk. The charging dock is tiny, very cool and quite funky, right down to the power light that flickers as the device charges.

As an added bonus, you can even pop out the decal on the bottom right of the mouse to match your particular alliance, if you’re feeling especially geeky. I know I was. All in all, I can’t help but feel a little let down with the keyboard. For the price, it feels like Razer have oversold the collusion between this device and the game, especially since the manual setup is not made clear without looking inside the (PDF) setup guide, and the game’s lack of software interaction with either the keyboard or Synapse. Its build quality, while sound, doesn’t keep up with the other products reviewed, but it’s hard to deny the sheer coolness of the LCD panel, ultimate usefulness aside.

Synapse 2.0

Almost all of Razer’s “premium” kit, from keyboards, to mice, headsets and even their gaming laptop, utilise the Synapse driver software suite (the only device in this review that wasn’t supported at time of print was the Anansi). Similar to AMD’s Radeon or nVidia’s Geforce driver sets, the suite is a cloud-supported all-in-one driver, firmware and configuration package. Once installed, you create an account with Razer that then maps to all of your installed hardware, keeping everything updated and, most intelligently, saving your key mapping profiles to the cloud. So if you’re one to take your own gear around to different systems or loathe having to re-configure everything post Windows refresh, it’s quite handy.

There are options to change sensitivity across various axis, back light brightness and colour, detailed mapping and keypad configuration options, the ability to record new macros, options to change mouse button direction and actions (for lefties), or even the ability to disable particular buttons or keys. It’s simple, clean and effective – if you happen to be offline when you make a change, Synapse will simply hold everything in local memory until you get back online to sync. Even though it requires a login, being offline does not block access to that config (if you are at a LAN for example).

It’s a pleasant change from Logitech’s messy set of various services, apps and updaters that aren’t all that user friendly to use and configure. For just my G15, there are three different apps running, one for my LCD, another for my key mapping and another monitoring for updates. Comparatively, Synapse doesn’t even need to run if there’s nothing to change or update; one assumes it just uploads your settings to your device or the registry and conserves resources for things that matter, like gaming.

Conclusion

Razer have done well here, and I was especially impressed with the build quality, performance, features and aesthetics of every one of the products I used. Synapse provides deep customisation and key mapping facilities, and adding new devices is a snap, especially if you are transitioning to a new model.

Just be aware that each device has both limitations and strengths that may contrast with how you like to game, but I would be surprised if any purchase ended up in disappointment.

Even though Battlefield 3 has been out for nearly nine months, Razer are just releasing their new ‘Blackshark’ Battlefield 3 edition gaming headphones. With a rugged, “military-inspired” exposed-wire design and some sleek black-and-orange colouring, they’ve an impressive looking piece of kit. But do they stand up in the crowded gaming headset market? We took them for a spin to find out.

Specs:

• Price: $164.95
• Weight: 290g
• Drivers: 40mm neodymium magnet stereo with copper-clad aluminum voice coil
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 20KHz
• Impedance: 29 Ω
• Sensitivity @ 1KHz: 105dB ± 3 dB
• Input power: 50mW
• Cable: 1.3m rubber sheathed
• Connector: 3.5 mm audio + mic combined jack

Construction

The first thing you notice about the BF3 Blackshark is, naturally, the construction. With exposed orange wires running everywhere, it’s a far cry from the usual setup of most gaming headsets who try to tuck everything neatly away – with the unfortunate consequence of making it difficult (if not impossible) to tell when or where something is busted. This is not a problem you’ll experience with the BF3 Blackshark, as every wire is visible right from the get go.

Although you might not think so from the appearance, the BF3 Blackshark is a well-constructed kit, and feels solid in the hands and on the head. At nearly 300 grams it’s a little on the heavy side, probably due to the large amount of metal in the build, but it’s comfortable on the skull and certainly not a problem to wear for hours at a stretch.

The ear cups are supposedly “inspired by those found on headsets worn by real pilots”, but realistically they’re a little on the skinny side for my elphantine ears, and aren’t as fully enclosing as I would like if I were an actual pilot. I found it difficult to really filter outside noise while wearing them, and wouldn’t recommend them for use in a gaming environment with a lot of background noise – but your mileage (and ear size) may vary.

Sound quality

Inside the ear cups themselves are a pair of 40mm neodymium magnet stereo speakers, one in each cup. The BF3 Blackshark is limited to stereo sound only, which seems bizarre as the audio environment of Battlefield 3 is designed from the ground-up to reward the careful listener and work hand-in-hand with surround sound. Regardless, with bass enhancement on the speakers the BF3 Blackshark is certainly a pleasant listening experience, with good depth on most applications. If you want to listen to music, you can even detach the boom mic and take the BF3 Blackshark on the bus with you, if you’re into that sort of thing.

The BF3 Blackshark connects with a standard 3.5mm audio jack, coming with a single audio + mic combined jack as well as an enclosed splitter. The splitter effectively doubles the length of the cord, and seems like a natural attachment for most gamers. As the Blackshark is stereo sound only, there’s no requirement for any drivers or anything to install, which means setup is quick and easy.

The unfortunate downside of that quick and easy setup is because the headset lacks any real audio tweaking features, or even onboard volume or microphone control. Where other headsets – even other Razer brand options – might offer a volume control on the headset itself or a mic-mute switch on the cable somewhere, the BF3 Blackshark relies on you to adjust your computer’s volume instead. This is a frustrating decision from Razer and it is strange that the BF3 Blackshark is missing what is essentially an expected feature of nearly every gaming headset.

Conclusion

At an AU RRP of $164.95, the Battlefield 3 Blackshark may come with a code to get you an exclusive in-game ‘Hydra’ dog tag, but it’s a a good $60-70 more than you’ll pay for other headphones which actually have more functionality. With Turtle Beach, Plantronics, Astro, and even Razer themselves offering headphones in the $70 – $100 range, the only real quality that the BF3 Blackshark offers over the competition is the ruggedly excellent exposed-wire design.

If Razer could combine that build quality with the simple addition of volume and mic controls, or even the inclusion of emulated 7.1 surround sound, this would be a much more tempting purchase. As it is, the BF3 Blackshark seems to be a headset that only the fans will be willing to shell out for.

Good:

• Exposed wire construction is durable and customisable
• Good sound quality with excellent bass, comfortable earcups
• Detachable boom mic, because why not

Bad:

• Stereo sound only, not ideal for Battlefield 3
• No volume control on headset, or mic mute button
• Lacking in features that other gaming headsets provide