The Tartarus Chroma is the newest device to come out of Razer’s ample line-up. This keypad has completely changed my gaming experience for the better. This is one of those gadgets where I normally wouldn’t think twice before passing by this on display at a local electronic store, mainly because I wouldn’t understand what gadgets like this would be needed for. Especially being a console gamer over a PC gamer for the majority of my life. “Wouldn’t a keyboard be just fine?” After testing out the Tartarus Chroma for a few days on several of my favorite PC games, I can now say I do understand the overall convenience and comfort someone could get from this that is not applicable with a standard keyboard.
The Tartarus Chroma comes with a 25-key anti-ghost fully programmable keypad, an 8-way directional thumb-pad to the right of that, and an ultra-durable 6-foot braided USB cable. The thumb-pad reacts similarly to the button-click of a mouse. The Tartarus Chroma comes Synapse-enabled, which, if you aren’t familiar with it, allows you to configure your Razer product. Everything from the keys, to the performance and lighting. This will also allow you to create an unlimited amount of profiles so that you can save your custom configuration for each game you play. The set up is very user friendly. As soon as Synapse is installed, It will detect your Razer devices and then programming your keys simply takes a matter of a few minutes.
The Tartarus Chroma has a soft-touch wrist pad which helps provide maximum comfort, especially during long periods of gaming. The wrist pad is also adjustable for any hand size. This device, unlike a standard keyboard, is positioned parallel to your mouse, and can be spread out a distance, providing much more comfort for your arms as well.
The programmable keys are not limited to keyboard function, in fact, there are options to assign each key to a mouse function, a windows shortcut or even toggle through profiles.
The keys have a nice feel to them, much softer than the mechanical approach. The back-lighting is a gorgeous touch and one of the many things Razer has been popular for. There are several options to choose from; a Breathing effect; a spectrum cycling effect (which is what mine is currently set to), and some others. The cycling effect will continue to cycle through a variety of colors while on. There are nearly unlimited combinations of lighting effects and colors to choose from. Not only can you pick from a range of colors, but you can also customize the color to your exact liking.
Spectrum Cycling Color Effect
The ergonomic grip is what I appreciate the most out of Razer products such as this one. As a gamer who tends to play for hours at a time, my primary focus is comfort and responsiveness, and both requirements are met by the TC. This device is a perfect counterpart to my DeathAdder.
If you are curious how well the TC worked on a variety of games, I tried it with Marvel Heroes, Team Fortress, League of Legends and GTA 5 and it worked wonderfully, providing excellent and smooth control. After you configure the keys to your standards, of course. One of the things I found useful is keeping Synergy open during gameplay so I could make adjustments accordingly. The Tartarus Chroma is a great alternative to the Orbweaver, which has an additional row of buttons and an adjustable thumb module for an additional $50.
Overall, I’d say that the Tartarus Chroma is a useful device for any serious gamer out there. If an ergonomic alternative to the keyboard is something you are looking for, one that provides the same degree of responsiveness or better, I would highly suggest giving the Tartarus Chroma a shot. If you are a Razer fan, you definitely want to add this to your setup. You can pick up the Razer Tartarus Chroma for $79.99 on Razer’s official site or on Amazon.
Let us know what you think or what keypads you are currently using in the comments below.