Question About The Razer Orbweaver Chroma

[Jeff Kaos]

So the people over on Amazon seem to be clueless when it comes to answering some basic questions about this peripheral. I've used the older Belkin Nostromo pad for years and then switched to the Logitech G13 but the LED screen stopped working; which is fine because it's nearly 10 years old. I use these devices because I have extreme difficulty using WASD on a normal keyboards thanks to a hand injury. Now that my G13 is in need of replacement I decided to check out the Orbweaver now that it's on sale but I have some questions about the software and if anyone who uses one can answer them I'd appreciate it.

My biggest question is: does it need constant access to its software in order to function? The old Nostromo and the G13 have on board memory so that once you load a profile onto it it's saved to the device and you can plug the device into another computer and use it with the currently stored profile. The Nostromo only let you save 1 profile while the G13 allows you to save a lot more. The online documentation and Amazon store page says it saves profiles "on the cloud" but that doesn't answer my question; my toaster saves setting on the cloud. What I want to know is whether or not I need to be always online for the device to function? And if not does the device's software need to be running in order for it to function? If the software suffers an interruption of some kind will it cause the device to stop working mid-task? That's the main thing I like about the G13: I only need to launch the software in order to set up a new profile or change the lighting color. Once I do that I could uninstall the software completely, if I felt like it, and it would continue to function. I want to know if it's the same thing with the Orbweaver because even though it's on sale it's still $100 and that's a lot to pay for something I don't know will work if I don't run some sort of program in the background.

 

[ssddx]

i do not have the orbweaver, but i do have the razer version of the nostromo (tartarus) and to be recognized by the pc and function correctly it needs the software installed. i can not answer your question on if the program needs to be currently running or not when you use it but it at least needs to have been installed once (mine always runs). the older versions had drivers you could use instead of synapse but i believe all new devices require synapse.

synapse does not require internet connectivity to function although for some reason it likes to save to the cloud. i'm not too keen on synapse but it has not given me any more issues than using drivers alone so i suppose i cannot voice complaints too much. i did prefer using the old driver only option though.

as a test for you i plugged the tartarus into the laptop which was never used before with the device and it recognizes a usb input device but it does not work (i can tell since i have it programmed to have letters as the buttons). the tartarus is set up completely for the tower and is known to be working fine. perhaps that can answer your question. no synapse on laptop, synapse on tower.

overall i do not use it much (i mostly arrow key game on the keyboard) but for $30-40 it was worthwhile as there are some games i play which work better using the gamepad.

i wouldnt expect amazon to know intricacies about certain products they sell. they are only a storefront not the manufacturer. the only company that could likely answer your question would be razer themselves or if someone here has one and uses it in a similar way.

 

[Jeff Kaos]

i do not have the orbweaver, but i do have the razer version of the nostromo (tartarus) and to be recognized by the pc and function correctly it needs the software installed. i can not answer your question on if the program needs to be currently running or not when you use it but it at least needs to have been installed once (mine always runs). the older versions had drivers you could use instead of synapse but i believe all new devices require synapse.

synapse does not require internet connectivity to function although for some reason it likes to save to the cloud. i'm not too keen on synapse but it has not given me any more issues than using drivers alone so i suppose i cannot voice complaints too much. i did prefer using the old driver only option though.

as a test for you i plugged the tartarus into the laptop which was never used before with the device and it recognizes a usb input device but it does not work (i can tell since i have it programmed to have letters as the buttons). the tartarus is set up completely for the tower and is known to be working fine. perhaps that can answer your question. no synapse on laptop, synapse on tower.

overall i do not use it much (i mostly arrow key game on the keyboard) but for $30-40 it was worthwhile as there are some games i play which work better using the gamepad.

i wouldnt expect amazon to know intricacies about certain products they sell. they are only a storefront not the manufacturer. the only company that could likely answer your question would be razer themselves or if someone here has one and uses it in a similar way.

Thanks, this pretty much answers my questions. I used the Customer Q&A on Amazon and all I got were conflicting answers. I'd be willing to pick one of these up just to see if they'd work for me but at their price range it's too costly to take a gamble; $50 or so and I'd risk it it but right now they're between $75-$130. I know I have a Nostromo N52te somewhere in my attic so I'll try to dig it out and see if it still works. If not I guess I'll order a replacement for my G13. I'm not keen on the idea of needing the software to be running constantly because my experience with Razer tells me that it's gonna' crash. And I hate when their software crashes mid-game and the device stops working. It's not a big deal when I'm playing by myself but it's a disaster when I'm online.

 

[ssddx]

i've been running synapse for 2 years now and it has not crashed. as i said before though i did prefer it before they had an application and used just drivers though.

the high end model is overpriced which is why i went with the tartarus. there is no reason to have mechanical keys.

your call