Razer DeathStalker Ultimate Pro Reviews

One of the most comprehensive gaming keyboards around, but it’s incredibly expensive

There's no way I can really talk about the DeathStalker Ultimate in terms of value for money, but it's a thing of beauty, and if you can spend this sort of cash on a very functional peripheral then this is the top-end keyboard of choice.

Building a beautiful LCD touchscreen and ten programmable LED keys into a gaming keyboard is a neat idea, but in practice the Switchblade interface feels more like a gimmick than a useful feature. Opening apps like Twitter or Facebook on your keyboard instead of your browser is pointless, and the Switchblade's custom game interfaces are frustrating because you have to look away from the action onscreen to use them. Early adopters and LAN partiers in need of a little extra braggadocio may embrace the Deathstalker Ultimate purely on the promise of being able to check Twitter on their keyboard between bouts of Counter-Strike, and MMORPG players will appreciate the extra screen space and programmable hotkeys afforded by the Switchblade UI; everyone else is better off saving some money and investing in a sturdy mechanical gaming keyboard instead.

Building a beautiful LCD touchscreen and ten programmable LED keys into a gaming keyboard is a neat idea, but in practice the Switchblade interface feels more like a gimmick than a useful feature. Opening apps like Twitter or Facebook on your keyboard instead of your browser is pointless, and the Switchblade's custom game interfaces are frustrating because you have to look away from the action onscreen to use them. Early adopters and LAN partiers in need of a little extra braggadocio may embrace the Deathstalker Ultimate purely on the promise of being able to check Twitter on their keyboard between bouts of Counter-Strike, and MMORPG players will appreciate the extra screen space and programmable hotkeys afforded by the Switchblade UI; everyone else is better off saving some money and investing in a sturdy mechanical gaming keyboard instead.

The Razer DeathStalker Ultimate is the only gaming keyboard to consider, if you want to use Razer's Switchblade UI without shelling out the price of a premium gaming laptop. For everyone else, however, there are better (and cheaper) options out there.