The keyboard pumps gaming adrenaline under the black hood

Nov 30, 2007 12:00 GMT  ·  By

Razer has a killing reputation when it comes to gaming gear: their successful story include chapters such as Diamondback, Copperhead or Lachesis. Lycosa is more than a gaming keyboard: it is the successor of the great Tarantula. The keyboard's external aspect would rather trick you into believing it's a stylish office device, camouflaged into a sexy and stylish black case well finished and polished. The keys are backlit by a complete set of blue LED backpanels.

It is the included software that makes the Lycosa keyboard special, as it allows the user to remap or record macros for each and every key. It is up to the gamers whether they use the functional keys on the upper row, or they use the numeric pad keys for their macros, but the keyboard would prove efficient, no matter what the choice would be.

Lycosa does not take up too much of your desktop space - it is a normally sized keyboard, and this was mostly possible because, unlike Logitech G15 or Tarantula, the Lycosa doesn't feature extra macro keys. Its design has been kept neat and simple, yet very efficient.

The keyboard's multimedia controls appear only when the backlighting option is turned on. Even the Razer logo has been turned into a function key, and, when pressed, it would toggle on and off the Windows keys - they may prove a real pain when unintentionally pressed during the game.

As for the keys, they are covered in a special type of rubber that provides an excellent non-slip grip, and at the same time, provides the user the tactile feedback that is essential during gameplay. The keys are similar to the notebook keyboards' and feature shorter keypress to enhance rapid responses in game.

Razer has proved innovation even in terms of backlighting. The illumination can be switched off if it proves disturbing for the gamer, but the producers included a reduced lighting mode that would only illuminate the four WASD keys.