Razer has been my personal go-to when it comes to gaming peripherals for many years. The company recently brought its optical technology to the Viper mouse, providing “triple your [normal] actuation speed”. Today, Razer announced the Huntsman Tournament Edition compact gaming keyboard. This new keyboard also sports ultra-fast light-activated Optical Switches. This brings the best feature of the Huntsman Elite to a more compact, tournament-style keyboard, with one slight improvement. The Huntsman Tournament Edition features an all-new type of switch that’s even faster than before, dubbed the Razer Linear Optical Switch.
Razer’s Huntsman Tournament Edition offers “instant actuation”
The star of the show here is the all-new Razer Linear Optical Switch. This is an improved version of the acclaimed Razer Optical Switches that we took a look at in our Huntsman Elite review. These switches work by firing an infra-red beam that is detected when the key is pressed, which functions at the speed of light. Generally, keyboards work on a contact system that can have quite a bit of delay or even multiple actuations at once due to loose connections. That’s all gone with this new style of switch.
The new Razer Linear optical Switch offers a “smooth actuation without a tactile bump”, providing an “instantaneous response”. The switch actually actuates at 1mm, which is “twice as fast as traditional linear switches”.
The perfect travel gaming keyboard, thanks to USB-C
One of my favorite features of the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition is that it has USB-C. That’s right, this keyboard uses USB-C to connect to your computer. Not only that, but the Huntsman Tournament Edition offers a tenkeyless form factor for ultimate portability. The small design and USB-C connectivity means that you can easily travel with this keyboard.
The USB-C cable is detachable, so there’s no risk of breaking your cord while packing your keyboard. The keycaps are even designed differently too, as Razer manufacturers their own proprietary tooling devices to build sturdy doubleshot PBT keycaps. These keycaps offer the “thinnest, sleekest font available” on any PBT keycap, according to Razer, and are built to withstand whatever you throw at it. The bottom row of keys has also been standardized by Razer, offering you the ability to swap your own keycaps onto the Huntsman Tournament Edition should you choose to do so.
Chroma all the things
The Huntsman Tournament Edition is also compatible with Razer Chroma, which is my favorite RGB software. After owning several different RGB keyboards and components from different manufacturers, Razer’s Chroma software is among the best I’ve ever used. It even syncs with Philips Hue to give you a more in-depth experience, and is available on products like headsets, speakers, and even eGPUs, too.
Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition pricing and availability
The Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition is priced at $129.99 shipped and is available from Razer’s website starting today.
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