Razer announces DeathStalker gaming keyboard with Switchblade UI

Shawn Knight

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Not to be outdone by yesterday’s Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 gaming keyboard announcement, Razer has stepped up to the podium to introduce their latest board known as the DeathStalker Ultimate. This input device features Razer’s award-winning Switchblade User Interface which includes a large 4.05-inch LCD touch screen and 10 fully customizable tactile keys with dynamic displays.

More specifically, the LCD panel is capable of two different modes. In the first mode, the screen acts as a display that delivers various information and allows you to run a media player or web browser while inside a game. In the alternate mode, the display functions as a secondary mouse input device with intuitive gesture controls.

In addition to the Switchblade UI, the DeathStalker ships with a wealth of other features including chiclet style keys, three-way LED backlighting, 1000Hz ultrapolling and a braided cable. The board is also able to accept and process 10 simultaneous key actuations, a common problem that affects many non-gaming keyboards. This is known as anti-ghosting.

Razer has set an MSRP of $250 on the DeathStalker, a hefty price for a gaming keyboard but keep in mind that it’s still $50 cheaper than the Mad Catz offering we profiled yesterday. Of course, it’s worth pointing out that Razer’s offering lacks one key feature found in many gaming boards – mechanical keys. This will no doubt be a deal-breaker for some but we suspect the DeathStalker will still do well thanks to the intuitive Switchblade UI.

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So, the trend in gaming keyboards now appears to be horribly expensive units with fancy screens to offset the lack of mechanical keyswitches? Sorry, but I purchase my keyboards for comfort first, performance second, with frivolous bells and whistles are a distant third.
 
HA, $250 for a keyboard with a LCD and some fancy lighting. Seriously, people need to stop wasting money on crap like this and start helping out in their community more, or sponsor a starving child in Africa. But the same can be said about most computer related peripherals that exceed the $50 mark. The biggest insult is the chiclet keys, they just feel bad in every way. And since when does a gaming keyboard need to be ultra slim? It sits on your desk and you type on it, I actually prefer the idea of having a solid feeling keyboard at the expense of being slim. Performance then comfort, and lastly aesthetics.
 
AS I said in the other keyboard comparison topic; my $56 Steel Series Merc Stealth is still better then these 'oooh shiny' - gotta have's coming out now..
 
@Adhmuz "Seriously, people need to stop wasting money on crap like this and start helping out in their community more, or sponsor a starving child in Africa."

Do you really need to interject your self-righteous beliefs? If you sponsor a starving child until he grows to adult hood, you still haven't addressed the lack of food and as such have only contributed to the continent's problems. If you really cared making specific examples would have shown such.
 
HA, $250 for a keyboard with a LCD and some fancy lighting. Seriously, people need to stop wasting money on crap like this and start helping out in their community more, or sponsor a starving child in Africa. But the same can be said about most computer related peripherals that exceed the $50 mark. quote]
this can be said about 90% of the stuff anyone buys now days. do you really need V8 car, do you really need the brand name clothes, do you really need to spend all that money on alcohol every year.
 
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