With so many people stuck at home, improving home wrestling has become a kind of hobby. Razer’s new Huntsman V2 Analog, the company’s latest flagship keyboard, has three new features that could be a pleasure.
The most important new upgrade for the Huntsman V2 Analog for $ 250 is the bracket for adjustable drive heights, which can be customized based on the key from 1.5 mm to 3.6 mm deep. To make this happen, Razer took the second-generation linear optical switches it launched last year and updated them with a new laser sensor that allows users to decide how deep a push should be. instead of being set in stone at the factory.
This is similar to what is available on Steelseries’ Apex Pro (which is why it’s one of ours top gaming keyboards) and offers a handy way to provide a more receptive feeling that people often prefer in faster-paced games, such as CS: GO and other shooters, while still allowing you to give up the sensitivity of pressing the key in a slower-paced game like Stellaris.
The second major upgrade is related to the analog part of the Huntsman V2 name. Razer has added the ability of the keyboard to record full analog input, so instead of pressing a key to simply turn it on or off, the Huntsman V2 analog can tell you how hard you press. It’s just like the analog shoulder buttons you get on all the major console controllers. It may take a few valves for it to work exactly the way you want it to, but this means that the Huntsman V2 Analog can more accurately simulate the gas and brake pedals in a racing game or distinguish between a ride. , a run or a run line based solely on how hard you press.
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The third new major feature is two-step operation, which allows you to split a keystroke into two different actions, such as equipping a grenade in a shooter by pressing down and then throwing the grenade when you release the key. Of course, this is a bit more of a niche feature, and while it might save time in some games, titles where this might be useful already offer their own approach to this setting, such as the Smart Cast setting in League of Legends.
In addition to the three major additions, the Huntsman V2 Analog also comes with a magnetic wrist support, built-in media controls and a 3 passthrough USB port. And of course, like many Razer gaming peripherals, the Huntsman V2 analog comes with customizable RGB key lighting, dual PBT keys, the ability to save settings directly to the keyboard, full Chroma support, and syncing with other RGB illuminated devices, such as would be the Nanoleaf lights.
While I’ve only been using the Huntsman V2 analog for a few days, there are a few things I already really like. The first is that the adjustable height support makes it much more forgiving to try a keyboard with sensitive operating points. For example, Corsair’s K100 keyboard comes with a 1mm high hair trigger, which is often seen as faster and more responsive from competitive players.
However, keys with actuation points that are shallow are also very overlapping, which means that simply placing your fingertips on a key can often be recorded as a full press of the keys. The big problem for a lot of people is that they just don’t know if they like short trigger points, deep trigger points or something in between. And on the Huntsman V2 Analog, you can now try a surface-operated keyboard without having to throw or flip the keyboard if you find it’s not your lock. In addition, if you notice that superficial keystrokes work well in some situations, but not in others, you can also set the trigger points individually on each game or even on the key. Think of the WASD keys and then deeper presses for spells or loading options.
Other than that, the Huntsman V2 Analog simply feels like a well-built device. Its base is solid and even comes with a light LED ship that surrounds the base of the keyboard. In addition, the Razer includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter, so you can more easily connect the Huntsman V2 to a new laptop that might not come with larger USB-A ports. And in terms of the switches themselves, while they are a little strong when lowered, Razer’s optomechanical linear switches have a very smooth and even stroke, which feels very balanced, even if you hit them from an accidental angle.
The only obvious downside is the price of the Huntsman V2, because at $ 250, it costs $ 50 more than an Steelseries Apex Pro, which is a significant jump up, but not very surprising, because the Apex Pro doesn’t come with full analog switches or Razer two-stage operation.
For a lot of people, an extravagant gaming keyboard, with all the bells and whistles, might make you feel exaggerated. But for the more demanding gamers or those who are starting to customize every aspect of their keyboard performance, the Razer’s Huntsman V2 Analog has just pushed that bar a little higher.