Razer Lycosa Programmable Backlit Gaming Keyboard
by Razorbill
List Price:
Our Price: $69.99
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: RazorbillAudio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Release Date: 2009-08-01
Platform: Windows XP
Model: RZ03-00180100-R3U1
Color: Black
Product features:
- Keytop with non-slip rubber finish - optimum tactile comfort and makes slipping up in the heat of action a thing of the past
- Backlight Illumination with WASD cluster lighting option - Make darkness your ally. While your enemies fiddle in the shadows, command precision.
- Fully programmable keys with macro capability - enables instantaneous command executions.
- Keytop with non-slip rubber finish
- Backlight illumination with WASD cluster lighting option
- Roller Typing [Old Version]
- Mavis Beacon Typing 17 [OLD VERSION]
- Microsoft Word Home and Student 2007 [Old Version]
- TypeRightNow for Windows Includes Patented, Peek-Proof PC/Desktop* Keyboard Cover
- Typing Instructor Deluxe 17
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Razer Lycosa Programmable Backlit Gaming Keyboard
Customer Review: An unreliable keyboard that isn't worth the money.
Summary: 2 Stars
Let me start of this review by saying that my keyboard prior to this was a Razer Tarantula, which I have reverted back to using after giving up on the Lycosa. I have nothing against Razer or brand names, but for a keyboard that has an MSRP of $89.99 USD it really lacks in what you'd expect from a top quality keyboard.
The keyboard looks pretty (for the first couple days, after that it's covered with fingerprints and dust thanks to the glossy surfaces), and it's fairly comfortable to use as someone who's come from using another Razer keyboard (Razer's tend to have smaller and tighter keystrokes, and a flatter layout instead of raised tiers to help create shorter faster key strokes). The problem though is that for a 90 dollar keyboard it really doesn't have any redeeming qualities, and I'd only recommend it if the price tag was half what it is now.
For those of you who might be saying that this is a "high quality gaming keyboard," please don't buy into the sales hype. Razer boasts a 1000Hz Ultrapolling frequency to facilitate rapid response time, but the fact of the matter is that the keyboard is USB only, and the maximum frequency allowed by the USB 2.0 connectors is only 200Hz. You'd be better off going with a mechanical keyboard if you're that concerned with speed, as mechanical key switches will actuate at half the key press of a membrane keyboard). Interestingly enough, the Razer Blackwidow, a mechanical keyboard, has an MSRP of $79.99, cheaper than the lycosa.
They advertise anti-ghosting technology, which one would assume is NKRO, but USB only allows for 6 simultaneous keypresses anyway, meaning that if you really are that concerned about ghosting you should stick to a keyboard that uses PS/2 connection, though I will say that I've never had a problem with ghosting on this board (though that remains true for every other "gaming" keyboard I've used, none of which were as expensive).
Razer also likes to point out that this keyboard has a rubberized finish on the keys for a "nonslip" surface. In all my years of gaming (professional and casual) and all my years of typing, I have never had my fingers "slip" from the intended key. Perhaps if you sweat profusely from your fingertips this may be a selling point for you, but even then be warned that the finish will fade and wear over time and use.
The keyboard features a backlight system, which basically means that there are a series of LED lights and reflectors that produce a glow effect underneath the keys (and the keys have transparent lettering). The advantage of this is that no matter how old the keys are the etching will never fade, and will be visible in all lighting conditions. Note though that laser etching, a technique that is commonly used on high quality keyboards today, will never fade either and is a lot cheaper. The lighting on the keyboard has three levels, WASD cluster, full keyboard backlighting, and off. The keyboard is black, and the lighting is dark blue. For me I found this to be annoying, as blue and black don't exactly make the ideal colors for fast reading. It didn't bother me too much since I've used keyboards enough that I don't have to see it at all, but note that this feature is for aesthetics, not practicality, and I personally found it annoying. There is no option to change the color, or intensity.
Razer loves to point out the benefits of their driver software, which will allow you to quickly and easily setup sophisticated macros and key bindings to any key on your keyboard. This feature would be great if it weren't for the fact that the Lycosa's drivers were so terrible that I had to uninstall them. The most prominent and common issue I've experienced and read about is that the drivers will call up Windows Media Player to the front, or in some cases repeatedly open WMP. I found this to happen every time I used the media keys while a game was running, which in layman's terms means every time you hit stop/pause/play/forward/back on your media controls to listen to music, your game minimizes. So if you're someone who likes to occasionally listen to music while playing, you'd be advised to forgo the drivers. There are other ways to make macros that don't involve screwing up other programs on your computer.
The keyboard features Audio-in/Mic-out jacks as well as a single USB 2.0 port. The keyboard itself uses two USB ports, and to use the jacks you have to plug in the keyboard's jacks to the back of your computer as well. This means that you're not gaining any run-through with this device, and while I don't mind losing a USB slot, I'm a little peeved at the fact that my Tarantula that is much older than the Lycosa features two USB slots, not one, and it wasn't as expensive either. What gives Razer? Cutting corners?
Now if you didn't care about anything I wrote above this that's fine. Because all the crap I wrote about I could have dealt with, even with the outrageous price, had it not been for one thing that sent me over the edge. THE TOUCH PANEL DOES NOT WORK. In case you can't tell from the pictures, the Lycosa features a sleek and glossy touch panel in the upper right corner that has the Razer function key, the backlight toggle switch, and all the dedicated media controls. Firstly, it's just a flat surface--no buttons, so you have no idea if the keyboard detected the input or not (KNOBS GOOD, BUTTONS GOOD, FLAT SURFACE = BAD). The real issue however is that for inexplicable reasons my keyboard would act as if there had been input on the touch panel when there had not been any, and if that wasn't bad enough about 75% of the time it would not detect my input. You know how annoying it is when your keyboard suddenly starts switching between glowing like the sun to being black as night? Or how frustrating it is when your music will start/stop/change track on its own? I can't count the number of time's I'd for some reason get a double input, meaning I'd hit the play button and it would play, then pause. Hit forward and you go forward two tracks instead of one. It's ridiculous, and the fact that I've had out-of-box Compaq keyboards better quality than this piece of garbage is inexcusable. Unfortunately I can't even really say that it's just a defect, because I've heard of way too many people having similar problems with their touch panels to risk swapping in for another Lycosa.
If the keyboard was maybe a $40.00 gaming keyboard for people who want some of the frills without paying too much, it would be fine, but considering that you can get mechanical keyboards that are cheaper, it's absurd. If you really want to spend $89 on a keyboard there are better Steel Series ones. Hell not even the USB connectors are gold plated, and for the price tag I'd expect that at least the most important part of the keyboard which is most susceptible to corrosion would have been made of quality material, but it's not.
Steer clear of this keyboard. I'm not saying steer clear of Razer, as they have a few decent products, but if you're going to spend this kind of money on a keyboard don't buy this one.
Description of Razer Lycosa Programmable Backlit Gaming Keyboard
Annihilate your enemies and reign supreme in the gaming world with the Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard. With an awesome host of features, the Razer Lycosa is on an unstoppable mission to destroy and dominate. Execute complex combat maneuvers with swift dexterity. Launch your assaults timed to perfection. You now have the tactical advantage on every terrain, and your enemies' fates are in your hands. Gaming cluster with anti-ghosting capability Slim keycap structure with Hyperesponse technology TouchPanel easy access media keys Gaming mode option for deactivation of the Windows key 10 customizable software profiles with on-the-fly switching 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time Earphone-out and microphone-in jacks Detachable wrist rest One integrated USB extension port Approximate size without wrist rest (L x W x H) - 18.5 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches (469 x 168 x 15 mm) Approximate size with wrist rest (L x W x H) - 18.5 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches (469mm x 221mm x 15mm)Minimum System Requirements Windows XP / x64 / Vista / Vista64 PC with built-in USB ports CD-ROM Drive (for drivers) At least 35MB of hard disk space (for drivers)Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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