Razer Lycosa Mirror Special Edition Gaming Keyboard

PC gaming is just that. It’s not Mac gaming. Mac gaming may never see the true light of day due to the endless upgradable components found in high end PC gaming rigs. The Lycosa Mirror Special Edition Gaming KeyBoard by Razer is a fully programmable macros backlit gaming keyboard for the PC.

Looking like it belongs in the Matrix, the Lycosa is a sleek and sexy keyboard and is quite the looker. Even the packaging was positively sharp and draped in gamer sheen. A little big in size, the Lycosa will need some extra space around your set up. Here’s a brief rundown of the Lycosa’s features:

* High gloss mirror finish keytop
* Backlit illumination with WASD cluster lighting option
* Fully-programmable keys with macro capability
* Gaming cluster with selective anti-ghosting capability
* Slim keycap structure with Hyperesponse technology
* TouchPanel easy access media keys
* Gaming mode option for deactivation of the Windows key
* 10 customizable software profiles with on-the-fly switching
* 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time
* Earphone-out and microphone-in jacks
* Detachable wrist rest
* One integrated USB extension port

The keys reacted well but I thought they felt a little light and cheap. They were sticky smooth and the anti-ghosting feature was apparent during some heated FPS battles. Ghosting is a pitfall of traditional keyboards where signal failure occurs when multiple keys are pressed at the same time. They keys had very low latency but were sloppy. I found my self making more spelling errors than normal and I enjoyed my traditional keyboard better for everyday computing.

The neon blue back light was a real treat to look at but you could hardly see the keys when the light was turned off. The WASD lighting cluster mode is a nice idea but any game you are going to play you are going to need to hit more keys than just those four.

The touch panel is also a novel idea but it would work better if the panel had some indentations as I found myself pressing the wrong ones by accident. It’s kind of like playing a fretless guitar in that you’d have to master it to unlock its full functionality.

Profile switching and customization is a cool feature of the Lycosa, letting you bounce back and forth between programs and game setups on the fly. The software you need to set up all these options does not work at all on a Mac.

The USB port is a low powered one and my iPhone and iPod were not recognized though my trackball worked fine. The integrated USB , microphone, and audio cables performed as expected without any glaring ups or downs.

Probably the biggest flaw is the fact that the Lycosa is a huge smudge packer. It’s constantly making 900 number mating calls to all things dust and fingerprint related. Though Razer includes a buffing rag, it requires undivided attention in order to keep the Lycosa gleaming.

As a gaming keyboard, the Lycosa Mirror Special Edition Gaming Keyboard is a fine choice for dedicated PC gamers looking to play on through the night. A bevy of options and a beautiful yet smudgy finish, the Lycosa is the type of keyboard that you bring out for special gaming events to impress the teenagers. The price point may be a bit high for some but the Lycosa was truly designed with gamers in mind.

Pros:

* Sleek, eye popping visual design
* Neon blue back light is fatty
* Many options and set up modes for many scenarios

Cons:

* Not great for non gaming situations
* Not fully Mac compatible
* Requires time and attention to keep its mirrored finish alive

Buy it here for $79.99!