INTRODUCTION
It really seems that no matter how many PC gaming peripherals we get to test in these pages there are always more around and with Christmas just around the corner we don't have that much left time to publish each and every single one of those reviews, at least not prior to entering 2013. The good thing however when testing gaming peripherals is that you can actually test more than just one at a time (for example a keyboard, a mouse, a mouse pad and a headset) and so with the recent release of several game titles such as Far Cry 3, Assassins Creed 3, Planetside 2 and Hitman absolution we had just the right material/tools with which to perform all our tests. So today we will be taking a rather thorough look on the BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard by Razer.
Razer is more than just the world's leading brand in gaming. We were founded in 1998 in San Diego, California by our CEO Min-Liang Tan and our President Robert "Razerguy" Krakoff in a tiny shared office with a couple other gamers. We have grown today to hundreds of employees worldwide with offices in nine cities, including San Francisco, Hamburg, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore. Our vision from the very beginning was to be the world's greatest gaming brand and we've set out to achieve that by designing the best gaming products that any gamer has ever seen.
As I’m pretty certain many of you are aware Razer just released the 2013 version of the BlackWidow Ultimate (And Ultimate Stealth) Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with a matte exterior and green backlit keys. However due to a small mistake on our part we received the previous version of the BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard that features a glossy exterior and blue backlit keys. Now the reason behind the introduction of the new BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 line is most likely because some people like matte surfaces more since they don't get fingerprints and dust all over them, at least not with the same ease like glossy surfaces do. However i tend to like glossy surfaces more because they are shiny and look more like polished metal rather than plastic so in a way the previous version of the BlackWidow looks a lot better for my taste (although the new has green LEDs matching the Razer color theme). Design differences aside the original BlackWidow Ultimate featured a 6KRO (Key Roll Over) while the new 2013 version features a 10KRO. Key Roll Over is quite important but i really doubt that anyone can push more than 6 keys at the same time (although having more is never a bad thing especially at the same price). Differences aside however both keyboards feature Cherry MX Blue switches which are the same as the ones used by Das Keyboard in their Professional Model S and that means that you will get the same tactile feeling and faster typing potential compared to normal membrane keyboards.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
Since Razer launched the 2013 models they took down the previous version features and specs but the sheet is almost identical with that of the previous version.
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
The entire front of the box is covered by a product picture and also has the Razer logo, the main product features and a small opening on the box from which you can see the keyboards arrow keys.
The product features are also placed at the bottom of the box.
Over at the left side you can see which out of the 3 available Razer product lines (Elite/Expert/Essential) the BlackWidow Ultimate belongs to.
The product features are showcased at the rear with the help of several pictures right above the specifications list which is written in 16 languages.
The BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is packed between cardboard spacers and right beneath a clear plastic shell.
Along with the BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Razer also packs 2 stickers, product catalog, master guide, quickstart guide and a few words from Razerguy.
THE BLACKWIDOW ULTIMATE
The BlackWidow Ultimate is a medium sized keyboard that measures 475mm in length, 171mm width and 30mm in height while weighing a total of 1550g.
As you can see compared to the Professional Model S mechanical keyboard by DAS Keyboard the BlackWidow Ultimate is slightly larger (from this angle however they look the same) and comes with smaller keys.
An illuminated Razer logo is placed at the front center of the keyboard.
All keys are backlit and as mentioned earlier they are slightly smaller than the ones we saw with the Das Keyboard offering.
The smaller size of the keys is because unlike the Das Keyboard Professional Model S the BlackWidow also comes with a separate line of Macro keys.
Razer has used keys from F1 through F8 for media navigation and although these are very close to each other i had no problem using them (you need to hold the Fn keep to use them as media keys).
F11, F12 and Pause Break can be used to turn on game mode, adjust the backlit and switch to sleep mode (always while holding the Fn key).
As usual we decided to dig a bit and so we removed 3 of the keys to see the Cherry MX Blue switches and the backlit LEDs.
The BlackWidow Ultimate also features a USB connector and the typical headphone and microphone ports at the right side.
On its base the BlackWidow Ultimate has 4 small rubber feet and two stands.
The stands keep the BlackWidow Ultimate around 14mm from the ground.
As expected the cable of the BlackWidow Ultimate is braided.
On the end we see two USB ports (one for the keyboard and one for extra power for the USB port) and the headphone and microphone mini-jacks all of which are gold plated.
The blue LED backlit really looks great especially in complete darkness (the green crosshair is on once you enable gaming mode).
THE SOFTWARE
Since the product doesn't come with a driver CD you need to head over to the official Razer support page to download the latest drivers and configuration software.
The software automatically performs a firmware update to the keyboard which takes less than 1 minute to complete.
The configuration software automatically detects all available Razer peripherals connected to your system and allows you to customize the M keys, create macros (you can also record on the fly macros by using the Fn+M key combo), adjust the lighting density/pulsation and configure the gaming mode settings.
CONCLUSION
The first thing i wanted to check with the BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard was the 6KRO feature which worked as advertised although i admit it was a bit hard to use 6 keys at the same exact time. However it is more than possible with some games (especially 2 player ones) so the 10KRO featured with the new BlackWidow Ultimate 2013 is a welcome addition (although we will need to check that one as well). Now as many of you know some manufacturers use a full n-key roll over feature (NKRO) by using the older PS2 keyboard connector (only a few do so with USB), however we don't see that a lot lately. Also since the BlackWidow Ultimate comes with Cherry MX Blue switches we pretty much got the same tactile feedback as with the Das Keyboard Professional Model S which also means you can improve your typing in due time. Now i would like to see larger keys than the ones used but that's only because I’ve also used the Das Keyboard offering right before the BlackWidow Ultimate so normally i (or anyone else for that matter) shouldn't have a problem with that.
Since Razer introduced the 2013 line recently most stores carry that instead of the old one so if you prefer the glossy/blue backlit over the latest matte/green backlit one you may have to dig around a bit. Regardless however the previous version of the BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard retails currently at USD123.15 inside the USA (TigerDirect and at around 110Euros inside the EU while the 2013 version retails for USD137.99 inside the USA (Newegg) and for 139.90Euros inside the EU (Caseking). So basically the BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboards cost less than the Das Keyboard Professional S Model and offer more for the bang since they come with backlit keys and extra macro keys. On the other hand i have to be fair so the Das Keyboard offering does feel sturdier so we can't really have it all. However since the BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is amongst the 7 best Keyboards we've ever used it walks away with our Golden Award, it's as simple as that.
PROS
- Build Quality
- Design
- Cherry MX Blue Switches
- Macro Keys
- On-The-Fly Macro Recording
- Gaming Mode
- Blue Backlit Keys
- Dual USB Connector (Extra Power)
- Braided Cable/ Gold Plated USB Ports & Mini-Jacks
CONS
- Price (For Some)