Razer Tarantula & Piranha announced, Keyboard and Headset for Gamers

[Civrock]

Razer, the most successful and popular manufacturer of gaming-gear, announced two new products a few days ago - Razer Tarantula, a multifunctional keyboard especially for gamers, and the Razer Piranha, a headset optimized for gamers.


Razer Tarantula:

The official presentation is avaliable here, as PDF file, and the official press release can be found here. One of the pictures:



Preliminary specifications:

- 1 OLED high resolution screen
- 116 keys, 95 programable
- zero acoustic enhanced stroke keys
- USB 2.0 HUB
- Mic and phone jacks
- Dual jog dial
- Leader wrist rest
- Est shipping date: December 2005
- blue ambient illumination
- Razer Synapse: onboard memory with up to five storable profiles
- Open source/developement kit
- Price ~ 20$ over competitions products

Planned release: December 2005

Comment by me: Great product, although the design seems a bit overkill. Because of the Razer Synapse Technology, the profiles of the keyboard are stored in the mouse and therefore don't need external system drivers, as the Razer Copperhead (mouse). This means that the keyboard pretty much works Plug & Play via the USB port, even on Macs. Also, the features with the USB 2.0 Hub and especially the analog mic audio-in/out (for people with analog headsets) are genius, practically like a built-in "iMic". Everything else is very tempting, too. I'll buy this keyboard for sure and try it out. If something doesn't work or I don't like it, which I doubt, I'll simply return it or there's always eBay.


Razer Piranha:

The presentation for this product can be found here. Pictures here and the official press release here. Obviously, the pictures are all 3D images because the headset is still in development. One of them:



Preliminary specifications:

Headphones
- Frequency response: 16 ? 24,000 Hz
- Impedance: 32 Ohm
- SPL: 118dB
- Cable Length: 3m (optional extension up to 5m)

Microphone
- requency Response: 80Hz ? 15,000Hz
- Sensitivity: -40dB
- Impedance: -2 Ohm

Planned release: January 2006

Comment by me: Hmm, nice idea. I don't really like the design, but of course these are not "real" pictures of it yet. The specifications, though, are very good. I own a Sennheiser PC165 at the moment and its details are in fact lower than the ones of the Razer Piranha, quite impressive. They're trying to develop the perfect headset (well, pretty much all other gear, too) for gamers, true to Razer's slogan: For Gamers, By Gamers. High-Quality Sound, optimized for positional audio in games and a detachable microphone, so you can interchange it from left ear to right ear or just use it as a headphone. Razer highlighted that design was crucial for the developement of the Piranha, especiallly as gamers use their headsets for hours and hours. Razer spent a lot of time and energy on making it as light and comfortable as possible.
Hmmk, we'll see I guess... I won't get it for the present since I have the high-end Sennheiser headset already, but it's definitely something I could recommend for gamers who need one. Only disadvantage: It seems like it's an analog headset which would require an iMic (or similar) to be able to use it on a Mac... but it's not mentioned in the specifications at all. So it might be digital respectively using USB. We'll see.


A few other little news from Razer:

- The Razer Pro v1.6 mouse, especially for Mac users, is available and shipping since about a week. Fitting to it they also offer a special mousepad, a white version of the Razer eXactMat.
- The drivers on RazerPro.com, which were meant for the Razer Pro, are also compatible with the Razer Diamondback, according to Razer.
- There'll be another firmware update for the Razer Copperhead soon which makes it possible to turn off the lights on the mouse. Easily installable with Virtual PC, or any other Windows emulators, especially since the drivers are built into the mouse already.
- Razer is going to release a special hardmat mousepad for laser mice very soon, particularly optimized for their Razer Copperhead. Its name will be "eXactMat Laser". They're also planning to offer special "LANpaks" for their products, so gamers can travel with their gear securely, to LANs for example.


I'm sure this kind of stuff doesn't interest that many people, but it interests me a lot. I hope this post is helpful for all interested gamers. I posted a short review about the Razer Copperhead in its own thread a few weeks ago already. Heh, I'm obviously a total gaming gear junkie, and a big fan of Razer, and can't have enough stuff to improve and optimize the performance and cushiness during gaming. I'm quite a perfectionist.

[:MoD:Shade]

Comment on the keyboard:  Odd that they didn't change the style of the keyboard at all to benefit gamers even more? - looks like a normal keyboard to me.

I give a "meh" towards the headset because I'm quite hooked to my Sennheisers.

[BTs_Mysterio]

From a company like Razer, I kind of expected something... better. I mean if they were going to make some ultimate gaming keyboard surely they should have had the sense to talk to the Optimus creators and try to get some rights on products of such a keyboard branded to gamers. I am not much of a Razer fan, but they are at least helping the industry by offering a product comparable to Logitech's gaming keyboard with more features.

I understood Razers original wired only stand on mice, but maybe someone should show them the Logitech G7 beating their latest Copperhead and such.

I look forward to all the true features of the gaming gear once Apple's x86 dual booters arrive. I mean what more can one say about computer gaming. Looks like the latest console has crashing problems.... but it comes with the brand and the monopoly. I'm still hoping MS Mac Team pulls off a feat for their low level competence and make a decent x86 version of VPC.

I got a bit side tracked there, so anyway; Razer doing different stuff is good... I just sort of expected a bit more from them.

[Civrock]

Au contraire, the Razer Copperhead beat both new Laser mice by Logitech + the MX1000, and won pretty much all existing awards for mice this year already, especially in the gaming area. The form and design are a matter of taste, the technology and firmware are far superior.

[:MoD:Shade]

***Somewhat Off Topic Question***

Strange thing about my Razer mouse and I'm not sure what the problem is.  In OS9 it won't recognize any movements of that mouse, it recognizes every other button but not when I move it across the mousepad.  I'm forced to use my MX1000 in classic until I enter a game, and I still can't get it to recognize the scroll wheel in classic.

*******************************

Any ideas on how soon Razer will be releasing their own software?  I checked out the Copperhead at Best Buy, yes it was very nice looking especially since I love blue but the design of the mouse was unchanged from previous versions except for the shape and feel of the side buttons, the far side buttons which must be controlled with the pinky are still uselss in my opinion but Razer is possibly making an ambidexic(is that a word?) style so both left and right handers will feel the same mice, unlike most of Logitechs mice.

The higher and higher DPI is getting rediculous since there is not a noticiable difference, unless maybe they make mice with faster transfer rates such as firewire - i'm not really sure how it works I guess but I read somewhere that there is a certain rate in which it will bottleneck because of the USB.

2¢

[BTs_GhostSniper]

ambidexic(is that a word?) style so both left and right handers will feel the same mice, unlike most of Logitechs mice.

It's ambidextrous, and there's no charge for the spelling-check service.[/size]

[Civrock]

The first problem is because of OS9... it doesn't have the general mouse drivers. It might detect the buttons, but it obviously doesn't work with the mouse itself. That's just a coincidence. Don't use Classic anymore!

Razer released own software already, but so far it's only compatible with the new Razer Pro v1.6, which has been developed especially for Mac and is avallable since about a week, and als the Razer Diamondback, according to Razer. The Copperhead doesn't really need any external system drivers because it has it built-in already, thanks to the Razer Synapse technology. Only thing you might want to update every now and then is the firmware (easy to do with VPC or so), which is possible by the user with Razer mice, Logitech's firmware is not user-upgradable.
The far side buttons are there on purpose, you're not really supposed to have easy access to them since they control the DPI, On-The-Fly Sensitivity, and you don't want to do that on accident. If you're left handed you can simply change the buttons are with the driver in VPC or another emulator.

And the higher DPI is being used, but as you said, USB is the bottleneck. This is why they support USB 2.0 now, which is even faster than Firewire, I think the Copperhead is the first one to take full use of USB 2.0, although it's still compatible with normal USB.

[:MoD:Shade]

ambidexic(is that a word?) style so both left and right handers will feel the same mice, unlike most of Logitechs mice.

It's ambidextrous, and there's no charge for the spelling-check service.[/size]

TY for I have no money to spare after buying my gf a christmas present .

@ Civic - Strange, must be different on the Diamondback because it seems to be linked to my "Scroll Up", "Scroll Down" buttons.

So what is this Razer Pro anyway? and will it enable me to update the firmware without the use of VPC since I don't have it.

[Civrock]

@ Civic - Strange, must be different on the Diamondback because it seems to be linked to my "Scroll Up", "Scroll Down" buttons.

So what is this Razer Pro anyway? and will it enable me to update the firmware without the use of VPC since I don't have it.

I meant the Copperhead, the Diamondback didn't have this feature yet.

The Razer Pro is basically an improved Diamondback with completely Mac-compatible firmware and own drivers. You won't even need to update the firmware because the optical technology is as good as it can get already, and the most recent firmware is installed.

http://www.razerpro.com
http://www.razerzone.com/store/

[BTs_Mysterio]

Actually Civic the Logitech G7 and Razer top end, use the same hardware in the mouse itself, and the drivers offer no real difference performance line on the true bottom line. But if you want to bring up the drivers of the copperhead, I've heard some complaints even on the PC side about driver problems likely caused by the onboard memory they're using. On the flip side the Logitech has some very amazing technology advantages. I will always prefer the weight and feel of wireless mice, so that rules out the copperhead. Also the Logitech mouse has DPI switching on the mouse itself so you can switch in game on the fly [useful if you play games including vehicles of many types].

As for the Razer Pro, it's just a white Diamondback... not an improved one aside from the whole Mac part. It does have higher DPI than the MX1000 [top Logitech mouse on mac], thus making it the likely king of Mac Mice.

I look forward to seeing if the copperhead comes to mac with proper support, or if Logitech starts showing the Mac base a bit more effort again. On the bright side, there will be yet more mice by the time cross platform driver...ness really starts to matter [I will continue to shove x86 macs into every post until the triumphantly arrive].

[:MoD:Shade]

As Myst says, hopefully they will be looking into making a Copperhead "Pro" as well so that the Mac users can have the full features that PC users already have.  It does look promising though.

[Civrock]

We have the full features already, it's all built-in and controllable by the buttons on or under the mouse because of the built-in driver. The external system drivers on the PC side have nothing relevant except the possibility to update the firmware.

[:MoD:Shade]

I don't have the changing the sensitivity on the fly feature. Maybe only the copperhead does?

[Civrock]

That's what I replied you two posts ago already.

[:MoD:Shade]

Aha, so you did.

[Ethion]

But Civic, don't you still use the Apple keyboard ?

[Civrock]

Yeah, because all existing gaming keyboards suck. The Razer one will replace my Apple keyboard finally, though.

[:MoD:Shade]

I'd buy the Wolfclaw before the new Razer one, we'll see how it looks though once it gets past the inital artist rendition.

[Civrock]

Bleh, no. The Wolfclaw doesn't offer nearly as many features, not even worth comparing. It's quite a few months old already also, therefore not state of the art (no USB 2.0 etc). One thing being the necessity of system drivers to configure it etc... while the Tarantula has Razer's patented Synapse technology which makes this obviate and actually compatible with Macs. And the design (in case of usability, positioning of buttons, etc) is a matter of taste.

[BFG]

This is just a normal keyboard with a couple of stupid gimicks, im sorry but talk about a waste of money - what exactly is going to make this keyboard so much better than the one i use now ... a little strip that lights up and glows in the dark? gimme a freaking break. A Couple of little joystick/jog wheel things and a few extra programmable buttons - ok sure...

These are just standard keyboards with a few cheap and useless gimmicks, they arn't going to make you a better gamer or anything close. When someone actually designs a keyboard that works ergonomically and has genuinely useful features then i might take a look, but to be quite honest i think this is crap.