Razer deathstalker ultimate gaming keyboard review

As of this writing the Razer Synapse driver software is easy to download and frustrating to use. In practice, Synapse runs slowly and sports an unintuitive interface. Most frustrating of all, during testing Synapse had a hard time reliably detecting Razer peripherals; while testing the DeathStalker Ultimate I had to install Razer Synapse three times across three different PCs, and each time I had problems convincing the software that I had in fact connected our review keyboard.

I was able to solve the problem on all of our test machines by either rebooting the PC or reinstalling the software, but it was always a headache. Once you do register the DeathStalker Ultimate with Synapse the ten dynamic keys transform into the afore-mentioned pre-programmed array of common apps; tapping one will open the linked program on the touchscreen, so if you tap the YouTube key the touchscreen displays a list of popular videos while the ten LED keys morph into shortcuts for common YouTube commands Search, Watch Later, Account, etc.

The Switchblade apps were a little buggy during testing; you can s croll through websites on the trackpanel just like you were viewing them on a tablet, dragging your fingers to move and tapping on the LCD screen to make selections, but often the trackpanel would become unresponsive when launching apps.

More than once I had an app crash completely, leaving the trackpanel blank though still functional as an input device until I unplugged and reconnected the keyboard.

If you play a lot of games on your PC you may appreciate the custom layouts and game-specific functions that can be downloaded from Razer Synapse. These profiles typically assign a bunch of game-specific commands to the dynamic keys along with gorgeous custom icons and employ the trackpanel screen as a secondary display for various in-game functions like changing classes, displaying health and energy bars, tracking match statistics, etc.

To the contrary, I had a slightly harder time gaming with the DeathStalker Ultimate because my fingers were accustomed to the satisfying tactile feedback of a mechanical keyboard and my eyes were accustomed to looking at my screen, not my keyboard. You can save yourself those precious seconds and a significant chunk of change by skipping the DeathStalker Ultimate in favor of a mechanical keyboard designed for gaming.

Bravo Razer! I did run into a couple issues. One is mentioned above—the wallpaper problem. You can pull up a virtual Numpad which looks very similar to what you see on your touch screen smartphone when looking at the dial pad. But sometimes, when I hit a series of numbers only the first digit appears and removes the cursor from whatever field or file I was working in.

I have to manually move the mouse cursor back to the file and then punch in the numbers using the garden variety keys fund at the top of the keyboard. The other touch screen applications, of which the Deathstalker Ultimate holds no shortage, seem to function just fine.

The touch screen has apps for Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, a timer, clock, YouTube, trackpad and the Numpad mentioned above. There is also a very handy screenshot application that captures and organizes your screenshots. You can choose between a gallery panel style listing or a general list with all your screenshots. You can even view the images right on the touch screen. For me, this is the single most useful app among the fluff offered currently.

Again, this is a full capacitive touch screen. It supports gestures such as two finger scrolling up, down or sideways. You can also use 3-fingers to single swipe left and access the game profiles 3-finger swipe right to return , the screenshot app and a title-specific set of timers.

The timers are more fluff. But the game profiles…? Choose one of these profiles and a nice corresponding game title image will appear on the touch screen. For instance if you select BF3, then you must choose which class you plan to play Recon, Assault etc… right from the touch screen.

The 10 display keys then show an image that corresponds to one of the in-game actions. Go prone, or switch to your pistol, or specialty item are but a few of the baked in options. You can even customize and edit this further. Or go and create a completely different profile. You can also have the display keys show your custom created button images.

I wish there was something here more compelling, regarding the apps. Both the S. The best each offers is the screenshot dealy on the Deathstalker Ultimate and the Team Speak integration on the S. Razer, like Mad Catz, is aware that gamers want more from their screens. So hopefully we will see more apps in the future. The S.

The Deathstalker Ultimate screen is best used as a secondary input device and on-keyboard web browser. But I found no way to set favorites or change the homepage from razerzone. The Deathstalker Ultimate is not a mechanical keyboard by any means.

Yet I really like typing on it—a lot!! I thought I preferred the mock-mechanical feel of the S. But I can type so much faster on these lowered chiclet style keys. There is no lag and everything seems very responsive. The flat keys have a bit more surface area and are easy to reach all around. I have no issues in typing or gaming. There you have it—a big complicated review for an equally sophisticated product. The Razer Deathstalker Ultimate is an impressive board that needs a bit more time to realize its full potential.

Only a couple apps are majorly useful to gamers. I am confident more sought LCD functions will trickle down eventually. Until then you get an obscenely stylish all black keyboard, a large cache of fun but not particularly useful applications and general-use performance that is as handsome as the aesthetics.

The full capacitive keyboard will turn many heads. Plus general keyboard performance is excellent. I can easily recommend this one as I know Razer is committed to enhancing the longevity of that touch screen with more gamer-targeted applications.