The BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 edition makes some interesting advances that fans of the BlackWidow will really enjoy. The advanced programmable lighting is great, especially if you are someone that isn't hugely interested in buying into the RGB options. This means you get all the customisable lighting you could ever want while keeping to the Razer green lighting. Then you have the full programmability of each key, on the fly-macro recording, game mode (locks Windows key, Alt + Tab and Alt + F4 to prevent accidental bouncing to desktop). The Razer switches are rather enjoyable to use, and if you like clicky switches (I.E. MX Blue, blue) you will like the Razer green switches. Considering they are now rated for an incredible 80million keystrokes, that is a true sign of confidence in their reliability.
There are things that may be a little hit and miss with people, such as having no dedicated macro keys, though some may prefer the smaller footprint. The main considerations that hold the Ultimate 2016 back is the lacking bundled extra, no bonus FPS/MOBA key caps and more importantly no included 4 pole adaptor, something that is likely to be needed by anyone that plans on using this keyboard with a standard desktop system. Also, the use of metal bars for the large keys felt a little cheap and could be an annoyance to people as they are known (especially in the space bar) to sometimes collapse in use, requiring the user to remove the keycap and reset the bars.
Aside from these points, Razer could have made progress in regards to including full NKRO instead of sticking to 10 key roll over and it would too be a great joy to see on-board memory for internal profile storage. Though these things are oversights considering that people only have 10 fingers, and the Synapse software, despite its online requirements, works incredibly well. This makes the BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 a great keyboard to use and a viable alternative to competitors in its price range.
The BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 comes with various subtle improvements such as anti-smudge coating, helping it stay looking fresh and though it is limited to green backlighting, it can now fully implement advanced lighting effects and customisations that can be configured within the Synapse software.
Pros.
+ Anti-smudge surface
+ Programmable lighting
+ Fully programmable keys
+ Razer switches
+ USB/audio pass through
Cons.
- Non-existent bundled accessories
- Metal bar stabilisers
+ Anti-smudge surface
+ Programmable lighting
+ Fully programmable keys
+ Razer switches
+ USB/audio pass through
Cons.
- Non-existent bundled accessories
- Metal bar stabilisers
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