Razer Huntsman V3 Pro review – raw gaming power comes at a cost

The Razer Huntsman V3 Professional isn’t constructed with customization and sizzling swapping in thoughts. As an alternative, it’s aimed toward offering uncooked gaming efficiency and being the perfect companion for any gamer who takes their Okay/D ratio maybe a bit of too severely. Constructing upon a legacy of keyboards striving to be one of the best esports peripherals, the Huntsman V3 Professional delivers an ultra-fast response time however does little or no past this to enchantment to a wider viewers.

Regardless of not breaking floor throughout all its options, the Razer Huntsman V3 Professional continues to be among the finest gaming keyboards you should buy proper now. If esports is on the core of your gaming pursuits, there are few keyboards that may compete for pace of response and customization of the best way a keyboard’s keys will be activated.

Razer Huntsman V3 Professional options

The headline characteristic of the Huntsman V3 Professional is its Razer Gen2 analog optical switches. Optical switches use mild to find out when a keypress has been activated, somewhat than {an electrical} circuit. 

There are a number of benefits to optical switches as in comparison with standard electrical switches. The primary is a faster response, as optical switches don’t require a debounce delay, which is the place a standard swap waits for the bodily contacts to cease bouncing off one another earlier than selecting a gentle sign. 

Optical additionally permits for analog operation, whereby the swap can’t solely inform {that a} swap has been pressed however how far it has been pressed.  Not solely does this imply you are able to do issues like have a key act like an accelerator or brake pedal, easily inputting roughly of a keypress, nevertheless it additionally means you possibly can set two actuation factors. Press the important thing a bit of bit and one motion is carried out however press firmer and a second motion is carried out.

An instance of that is setting the primary actuation level to prepared a grenade, whereas the second stage press throws it. This permits for full management within the warmth of battle, as a result of for those who change your thoughts, there’s no panic to faucet in a key mixture to cancel your motion, you possibly can simply raise off the important thing, and also you’re set. 

The actuation vary for the Huntsman V3 Professional begins somewhat remarkably at simply 0.1mm, extending by means of to a most of 4mm. Customizable actuation factors are nothing new, nor distinctive to optical switches, with magnetic/Corridor Impact switches additionally offering the operate.  however are nonetheless one thing of a rarity and a premium characteristic. We’ve seen them in keyboards just like the Akko MOD007B, SteelSeries Apex Professional Mini, and Corsair K70 Max.

Razer Huntsman V3 Professional design

Razer takes a no-thrills strategy with the design of its Huntsman gaming keyboards and the V3 Professional isn’t any totally different. We examined the TKL mannequin, which means the quantity pad usually situated on the far proper is eliminated, however the placement and format of the arrow keys and the six operate keys above them stay the identical. Above these operate keys is a big rotary dial, preset to regulate the audio in your PC however this may be modified in Razer Synapse. 

Subsequent to the massive dial are two round buttons, the left being preset to open the Xbox Sport Bar whereas the opposite is for audio management primarily based on what number of instances it’s pressed. Circling again to the six operate keys above the arrows (ins, house, pg up, del, finish, and pg dn), on the TKL mannequin these are how you’ll cycle by means of your saved profiles. 4 of the keys are for the 4 personalized profiles you create in Synapse, one is for the default settings, and the ultimate one is to revert to the newest settings you used, even when they’re not at present saved in a profile.

The optical analog switches sadly create quite a bit of noise when getting used to sort, and there’s a pitch distinction to every line of keys that will get larger the nearer you’re to the highest of the keyboard. I admit to being heavy-handed with keyboards, particularly when typing, however the Huntsman V3 Professional is simply loud, there’s no sugar-coating it. 

There’s additionally a scarcity of tactile suggestions throughout the keys, creating a really hole really feel to every keystroke. Some folks like this, however I’d argue within the fashionable age of keyboards, much more folks take pleasure in a extra haptic expertise when utilizing a keyboard, and that’s absent right here. 

Per key RGB is current, which is bordering a normal characteristic for any keyboard that claims to be focused at avid gamers, however nonetheless not an absolute assure. Provided that the Huntsman V3 Professional isn’t wi-fi, the affect of RGB on efficiency is inconsequential, however I’ll word that the lights are very vibrant when at their brightest, although after all the brightness will be adjusted to your style. 

The included wrist relaxation, nevertheless, is an goal disappointment. We’ve gone from the tender padded nature of the Huntsman V2 Professional to a faux leather-based, flat, and inflexible one right here with the V3. Whereas no keyboard has to incorporate a wrist relaxation, for those who’re going to do it, then ensure that it’s a greater product than what Razer has included right here, which affords no additional advantage or consolation to the consumer expertise. 

Razer Huntsman V3 Professional efficiency

Efficiency is the place the Huntsman V3 Professional shines, and it’s exhausting to fault something about it, in fact – assuming you don’t thoughts the sunshine really feel of the keyswitches. In case you’re going to drop your hard-earned money on an costly keyboard that sells itself on a degree of responsiveness that would realistically give you a bonus in-game, the least it may do is dwell as much as the hype. 

Enjoying round with the actuation factors is enjoyable, as you determine which exact setting is best for you. I typically discover that core gameplay keys like WASD are higher left on decrease sensitivity as your hand naturally rests over them, and also you’re far much less prone to by accident set off motion. Mapping out keys which might be as a substitute a stretch to succeed in, or you realize firsthand that you just wrestle with, make for apparent targets in the case of elevated sensitivity.

The Razer analog optical Gen 2 switches have a 40g actuation pressure, which means it takes little or no pressure to set off an activation. Pair this with the potential for 0.1mm actuation and it’s spectacular to suppose how a lot sooner your responses will be when utilizing the Huntsman V3 Professional proper. 

The place this turns into a little bit of a sizzling debate, is whether or not the benefit of optical switches (or magnetic switches) is even perceptible to us mere people, or whether or not it’s all simply smaller or larger numbers for the sake of it and also you’d be higher off simply going with a swap that you just like the texture of extra.

That mentioned, one benefit of the analog optical swap of the Huntsman V3 that may’t be matched by a standard mechanical keyboard is the flexibility to assign two bindings to the identical key, primarily based on actuation distance.

In observe, this may be difficult to get your head round, because it requires an extra degree of thought and it’s worthwhile to be much more cautious along with your actions in order to not simply plow by means of your first activation step. Setting it up is easy sufficient, nevertheless it’s nonetheless an extended course of that, for those who want to put in place for a number of in-game actions, is an unbelievable time sink when you may simply play the sport as a substitute.

Razer opted to not solely embody twin activation in its Gen 2 switches however Speedy Set off too, a characteristic that permits for a key to be reactivated once more the second its momentum strikes again in the direction of decompression. It permits for ultra-fast repressing of a key. This may be activated at any time with a operate key and it’s one other benefit to take into any aggressive recreation, I’d even say it’s extra helpful than the twin binding primarily based on how way more software there may be to Speedy Set off in nearly each recreation surroundings. 

That being mentioned, the Huntsman V3 Professional isn’t the one keyboard to have adjustable actuation or Speedy Set off. In actual fact, it’s not even the one one to go as little as 0.1mm, as a result of the Wooting 60HE and SteelSeries Apex Professional Mini each supply the identical. 

Conclusion

In case you’re after a gaming keyboard that takes the gaming facet very severely, nearly to a fault, the Razer Huntsman V3 Professional is a superb selection. I can’t assist however really feel that as a long-term typing resolution, the dearth of tactile suggestions and the overly loud and hole sound will turn into grating.

The TKL mannequin that we reviewed is $219.99 (£219.99), and there are extra well-rounded merchandise in the marketplace for much less, but when gaming is your calling, and you may genuinely profit from the fast response instances, twin binding, and extra of profile storage, then the Huntsman V3 Professional is tough to disregard.

Options

Corsair K70 Max

In order for you a gaming keyboard that provides a greater stability of gaming efficiency and typing really feel, the Corsair K70 Max is a superb possibility with its adjustable actuation MGX switches, nevertheless it delivers this stability for a better value, which can work in opposition to it.

SteelSeries Apex Professional Mini

For one thing simply as pushed on gaming efficiency, but additionally managing a quieter and extra tactile expertise, the SteelSeries Apex Professional Mini is a superb selection. Once more, adjustable actuation and twin bindings are current within the Onmipoint switches. Nonetheless, for a bit of bit further, you possibly can even go wi-fi ought to that be a choice.