Razer was founded in San Diego, California back in 2005 and have been a go-to company since for many PC gamers. Their motto is ‘For Gamers By Gamers’ and at the moment they have a huge range of products on the market, ranging from top-of-the-range gaming laptops, to peripherals such as mice and keyboards. That is what I will be talking about today as I review the new Razer Ornata Chroma Keyboard.
Razer’s motto is immediately evident as you open the box for the Razer Ornata Chroma. I have had many gaming accessories sent via the post over the years and, I won’t be mentioning any company names but, sometimes how they are shipped is just downright bad, Razer is not one of those companies. There is always going to be some slight damage to the outside of the box but that is not the fault of any company, but it’s the packaging inside that counts and Razer make sure there can be no damage caused to their products when shipped. Opening the box, I found the Razer Ornata Chroma snugged nicely against sturdy padding and with a plastic cover over the top. I could have had the most careless courier delivering the Razer Ornata Chroma and the keyboard would not have been damaged in any way thanks to Razer’s careful consideration when they ship their products.
The Razer Ornata Chroma’s slogan is ‘When Membrane meets Mechanical’ and this is due to Razers brand-new keyboard technology which combines the cushioned touch of a membrane rubber dome keyboard with the familiar crisp clicking of a mechanical keyboard. Combining two different types of any technology is always a risky move as the end result will either be a complete failure or a triumph and the Razer Ornata Chroma is definitely the latter. This keyboard is an absolute joy to type with (its what I am using to write this review) and is probably the best keyboard I have ever typed on. I have always favoured laptop keyboards over desktop keyboards but the Razer Ornata Chroma has completely changed my mindset. The ‘Mecha-Membrane’ technology developed by Razer is a game-changer (pun intended) and really does bring the best of both worlds together. Together with the ‘Mecha-Membrane’ keys, the Razer Ornata Chroma also has mid-height keys which just add to the sheer joy of typing. As the name suggests they are in between a full height key you will find on most desktop keyboards and the chiclet keys you will find on a laptop. They keys have been made shorter to reduce the time it takes for your actions to register, but this has been done while still keeping with the similar feel to the keys.
Now the Razer Ornata Chroma, being a keyboard for gamers essentially, needs to be able to perform while playing a game right? well, fear not as it does not disappoint. I tested the Razer Ornata Chroma with two different genres of games, Star Wars The Old Republic and Ori and the Blind Forest. I chose those two games because they would require different ways to use the keyboard. Ori being a platformer required faster movement between a few different keys and The Old Republic required a more methodical pace between lots of different keys. I can say that both game tests passed without any issues. Playing Ori and moving quickly between a few select keys was a joy, and with the mid-height keys, there was not one missed jump. The Old Republic playthrough was made easier by another feature on the Razer Ornata Chroma, and that is Chroma Customizable Lighting.
When you have the Razer Ornata Chroma plugged in, head on over to Razer Website and download the Razer Synapse software, which is the programme used to customise the lighting on the keyboard. Boasting a huge 16.5 million colour combinations, you can really customise the Razer Ornata Chroma how you want. The effects range from static lighting to blinking or flowing effects. You can have various profiles which you can assign to different programmes which are a great feature. Using my web browser the keyboard is just a solid green, however when I load The Old Republic I have all the different hot keys and commands assigned to various colours, which helps me quickly choose the right command to press. Creating a profile couldn’t be simpler with the fantastic Synapse programme although there are various threads in the Razer forums if you do get a bit stuck. You can also visit the Razer Work Shop and download the various user-made profiles if you are finding it difficult to design exactly what you want. These profiles work much in the same way as mods do, just download one you like the look of and then install it via the Synapse app. I never thought having a multi-light keyboard would be needed while playing games but after using the Razer Ornata Chroma, I’m not sure I could go back to a standard backlit one. Games which have numerous different key commands are made so much easier with the Chroma lighting.
Playing for numerous hours using a keyboard, there has always been one nagging problem; wrist strain. Well ‘For Gamers By Gamers’, Razer again really live up to their motto and ship the Razer Ornata Chroma with a very comfortable leather wrist support. Connected by a magnet at the bottom, the wrist support provides the support needed for those Friday all-nighters. The only negative point I need to make about the whole keyboard itself though is the magnet which connects the wrist support, it is a bit on the weak side. This really isn’t an issue for a vast majority of the time but there have been a couple of occasions when I have knocked the wrist support and its moved.
Developer: Razer
Platforms: PC (USB)
Release Date: October 2016