At first glance, the Huntsman V3 Analog does not seem revolutionary, since it exactly takes up the layout of the keys of the Huntsman Elite released in 2018, or the more recent Blackwidow V3 Pro. We therefore find the same keys in the same place, including the three multimedia keys at the top left, and the excellent wheel for adjusting the sound that we rented in our Blackwidow V3 tests. Nothing to criticize on this side, and as you can imagine, it is not here that we will find the novelties. However, the keyboard has evolved. Out of the keys, the chassis is overweight, and becomes even thicker, welcoming in passing a USB pass-through on the left side. The keyboard is particularly thick, and we quickly understand that it was not intended to be used without its special wrist rest. The latter attaches thanks to a powerful magnetic system (as on the Ornata), and allows undeniable comfort thanks to its shape memory gel padding.
Better, know that this wrist rest has an RGB border in order to be connected with the rest of the keyboard. The connection is made via a dedicated connector, placed in the middle of the keyboard, which fits automatically when the wrist rest is placed in front. As always, the construction is super qualitative, with a thick aluminum plate to support the switches, and a very thick plastic for the rest. The only disappointment with the exterior appearance is with the cable, or more specifically the cables. For some obscure reason, Razer engineers opted to separate the keyboard and pass-through cables along their entire length, rather than bundle them together in a sheath. We therefore have two cables coming out of the keyboard, which considerably clutters the desk. You will therefore have to make do with it, or put the wiring yourself in a sheath. Too bad, we would have really liked it to be done from the start.
It is also specified that if the pass-through ends in a USB-A socket, the keyboard is connected for its part via a USB-C socket, knowing that an adapter is provided. However, if you use the adapter, it will be imperative to connect the keyboard to a USB 3.0 port to be able to take advantage of it. The big novelty of this keyboard is of course the Razer opto-mechanical switches (called Analog Optical by the brand). As always, this technology couples an optical sensor with a mechanical switch to detect the keystroke. The advantage of this technology is that we will be able to fully customize the behavior of our keys, by adjusting the stroke, or even the actuation distance according to our goodwill. Fans of ultimate responsiveness can set the stroke to a minimum (less than 2mm) while nags can set it to the maximum. Better, we can even define several actions on the same key, by opting for two different levels of action.
For example, we set the Z key so that a light press makes our character walk, while a full press of the key makes him sprint. Similarly, we have set the g key so that a light press selects the weapon, while a full press launches the grenade. This system is super practical, compatible with all games (since in fact, each key is duplicated), and allows you to gain in responsiveness, especially in competitive games. If you are a fan of simulation, know that we can also make each key completely analog, in order to dose accelerator and braking on a car racing game. Of course, the analog sensitivity is fully customizable, and you can opt for any type of response curve.
Of course, the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog supports RGB Chroma, with all keys independently adjustable, as well as the piping that wraps around the keyboard (and wrist rest). As always, we can establish several profiles, knowing that the integrated memory of the keyboard can store five. Better, we can now switch from one profile to another via a key combination, which means that we can take advantage of all our settings, even when connecting the keyboard to a PC that does not have Razer Chroma software. . In the same way, we can also take advantage of 6 pre-recorded light effects, which can be chosen via a key combination. Obviously, this avalanche of features, and this super high quality construction are not given, which makes the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog one of the most expensive keyboards on the market with a hyper premium price of 269.99€. This keyboard will be available from February 4 on the Razer website, and from February 9 at partner retailers.
The pros:
Super comfortable RGB wrist rest
Customizable optical switches
Construction hyper qualitative
Pass-Through USB
The - :
Very salty price
Not really usable without the wrist rest
Two separate cables coming out of the keyboard
