Exclusive: Razer's New 'Mecha-Membrane' Switch And Ornata Chroma Keyboard, Hands On

[scolaner]

Razer created a new switch--a sort-of-mechanical "Mecha Membrane" affair--and baked some into a pair of new, squarish keyboards paired with the biggest, squishiest wrest rest I've ever seen.

Exclusive: Razer's New 'Mecha-Membrane' Switch And Ornata Chroma Keyboard, Hands On : Read more

 

[Nintendork]

For that price there's little advantage to get it.

G.Skill KM780 RGB $139 right now at newegg. Pretty much the best mechanical (software aside) keyboard on the market.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

For that price there's little advantage to get it.

G.Skill KM780 RGB $139 right now at newegg. Pretty much the best mechanical (software aside) keyboard on the market.

My $7 Logitech keyboard/mouse combo has better price/performance

But yeah, you pay for the Razer brand name pretty much.

 

[notlim981]

The Azio MGK-1 for 66 bucks makes it very appealing to get a real mechanical one as it's received some really good reviews.

 

[lightsol]

This is not aimed as a mech keyboard. This is a topre-clone with RGB (and non-Cherry compatible stems). Somewhat different buckets. Topre is not anything new, nor is it anything "cheap".

 

[cryoburner]

The price seems too high for a membrane keyboard with such a basic-looking feature set. It might use a fancy membrane technology, but I have doubts that the feel and performance will be on par with a mechanical, and there's always the question of long-term durability with a new design. It seems like the entire point of going with membranes would be to reduce cost, but that isn't really reflected by the price.

While the first poster pointed out the KM780 RGB for $139, a better comparison might be the non-RGB KM780 MX for $79, the same price as the non-RGB variant of this keyboard. And while this keyboard just offers the same basic layout as any cheap keyboard, the KM780 offers additional controls like a dedicated volume scroller and media keys, along with a row of programmable macro buttons that one might expect for a gaming-oriented keyboard.

Granted, for a fair comparison, the "original retail price" of those keyboards is notably higher, and it's probable that this keyboard will eventually go on sale for significantly less, but still, the launch pricing doesn't seem all that attractive in light of the falling prices for mechanicals.

 

[skylarmacrae]

I'd really liked to have seen a video including some sound comparison and demonstrating the actuation. Coming from a gamer's perspective with a mechanical keyboard already, I really just care about these two things mostly.

 

[Scrotus]

I am using a Razer Black Widow Ultimate and I'm happy with it except for the special characters, pound, dollar sign, etc., are not lit and it makes it difficult when entering a password that contains special characters.

 

[tacobravo]

For that price there's little advantage to get it.

G.Skill KM780 RGB $139 right now at newegg. Pretty much the best mechanical (software aside) keyboard on the market.

I got mine for $99.99 just last week

 

[MichaelW13]

What is the lifespan of the keyboard?

 

[scolaner]

What is the lifespan of the keyboard?

I don't believe Razer has published that information. I'm not sure they've determined it. Honestly, I can't recall at this point if Razer even told me anything on that front, even though I certainly would have asked.

But look, even if it's like 20 million presses or something, versus the 50m, 60m, 70m, etc. that most switch makers claim, you'll never hit 20m before you're ready to buy something else.

 

[notlim981]

Just as an off topic reference, I have been using a Genius semi-mechanical (or a real good non-mechanical one) keyboard since 2003 and to this very day it's still functioning perfect. So the millage may vary.