The Razer DeathStalker Chroma Gaming Keyboard Review
by E. Fylladitakis on December 7, 2015 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Keyboard
- Razer
- RGB Backlighting
- chiclet
The DeathStalker Chroma Gaming Keyboard
At first sight, the DeathStalker Chroma looks like a typical keyboard with chiclet keys. It is a flat keyboard, entirely made of plastic, with a fairly sized wrist rest permanently attached to it. The design is minimalistic and elegant, with straight lines and chamfered edges. A honeycomb pattern is visually formed on the wrist rest, beneath a clear, smooth surface layer, with the company logo printed at the middle. The clear layer of the wrist rest is partially reflective, while the rest of the keyboard is matte.
The chiclet keys are the primary attraction of the DeathStalker Chroma. Low-profile chiclet keys are very popular, especially ever since Apple adopted them in 2006, and are the primary alternative of users that do not enjoy the height or the long travel of mechanical keys. They are just 2 mm tall, with large semi-transparent characters printed on them. It supports 10-key rollover, which does not sound as grand as the n-key rollover of more advanced offerings, though in 99.99% of cases no-one needs to be able to press more than 10 keys at once, or have a feline sit on the keyboard in the name of progress.
There are no macro keys or other extra keys on the DeathStalker Chroma. The right Windows key has been replaced with a Fn key that, combined with the top row function keys, provides additional functions. For example, the Fn+F1 key combination mutes the sound, while the Fn+F11/F12 keys control the backlighting brightness, similar to a laptop keyboard.
Razer did an excellent job applying the RGB lighting. There is almost no gap between the keys and the chassis, so the lighting is only focused on the keycap character, without light "spilling" from the sides of the keys. The colors are rich and, even though it is limited to the characters, the backlighting is rather powerful. What should be clearly noted however is that the RGB lighting is not programmable per-key. There are three zones, the main zone, the arrows/functions zone and the numpad zone. Each of the zones can be programmed to any RGB color or to perform a visual effect, but it is not possible to change the color of each key individually.
Besides the keys and their backlighting, a few things are of interest on the DeathStalker Chroma. The minimalistic design goes beyond just the appearance of the keyboard. There is no pass-through USB port, no additional media keys, not even a braided or otherwise noteworthy cable. It is a rather simple keyboard that is basing its functionality on its software.
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edzieba - Tuesday, December 8, 2015 - link
"Whats the big deal with registering?"As an option? It;s not an issue. As a REQUIREMENT to change settings in the drivers (as is currently the case)? Total bullshit. The vast majority of people who purchase one of these keyboards will be using it on a single computer at a time, making the 'cloud profile' entirely pointless.
hpglow - Monday, December 7, 2015 - link
I like a numb pad. Nothing better when I need to put in strings of numbers. Do I use it often? No but it is damn nice when I need it. I'm guessing you never learned to 10 key?kaidenshi - Monday, December 7, 2015 - link
"And what gamer needs the number pad I ask you all?"RTS gamers, MMORPG gamers, any gamer who likes to custom-map their keys...
"Certainly not me."
Yes, because the world revolves around you and your preferences. >_>
MamiyaOtaru - Tuesday, December 8, 2015 - link
since I use the arrow keys (old school, lame, whatever) melee, grenade and special are usually bound to 3 of the keys on the numpad haha. But like others have mentioned I don't game 24/7. It's useful other timesMurloc - Tuesday, December 8, 2015 - link
game trainers use the number pad exactly because it's not used by the games themselves.wolfemane - Wednesday, December 9, 2015 - link
I'd be in a world of trouble if trainers went full F keys... I detest thoughs.Laststop311 - Tuesday, December 8, 2015 - link
I agree with you. I would rather have the space freed up on my desk can fit a drink in the space the numpad takes up plus with less keys = cheaper price. I never ever ever need a number pad.piiman - Saturday, December 12, 2015 - link
"And what gamer needs the number pad I ask you all? Certainly not me. Useful in work during stock entry, but not at home for gaming."Speak for yourself. I use the keypad for all my gaming because I use the mouse in my left hand.
Kakti - Monday, December 7, 2015 - link
"What should be clearly noted however is that the RGB lighting is not programmable per-key."Stopped right there. IMO the entire point of RGB keyboards is to allow one to set individual keys to different colors so you can hit it without looking down while gaming. For example WASD all red, I is blue, H is green, M is yellow, etc. If you can't set it per key it's just a stupid fake rave lightshow...
DanNeely - Monday, December 7, 2015 - link
If you need lightup guides to find keys while gaming, learning to touch type might be a better plan. Any decent layout is going to put the stuff you need regularly all within reach of one hand if they expect the other to be on a mouse; so you should be able to use muscle memory to hit the keys without taking your eyes off the game..