Tag: Computer Technology News

We hauled this little beauty home for some intensive testing.

The results were rather impressive. While the keyboard appears a little flimsy at first, it is far tougher than it looks, allowing for a little pounding of keys in frustration without the nagging feeling that a fingertip will punch through to the desktop below. With the online gaming skills of yours truly residing somewhere in the region of the nearest toilet bowl, this is an everyday occurrence.

There are options, if one bothers with the optional software beyond the drivers, to create macros and different profiles for the keyboard. The software is a little annoying to be totally honest and since many of the functions and features of this hardware work without needing too much by way of setup, there isn’t a whole load of incentive to go through that. The Lycosa keyboard seems to have been designed with the male species in mind, with no referring to directions prior to hooking it up. There may be something in the manual about altering the backlight profiles that we missed though, since we never read it. There are however a few that can be chosen for all occasions.

The low profile of the board is great for those who are comfortable with some rapid key movement; it can be raised somewhat for the difficult. The backlit sections of the board are geared for the right-handed with no apparent options for the southpaws out there. A great selling point is the non-slip properties of the Lycosa, eliminating that annoying travelling sensation under the heel of the palm while hunting for the reload key in a heavy game of COD4.

There are built-in audio ports on the keyboard as well as a USB port. This accounts for the fearsome looking connector with the keyboard itself, with two USB connectors and the audio jacks which will take up much space on the back – or frontside ports on a user’s rig. What does make a little impact is that plugging in the board takes up two USBs, while the board only contains one. A small price to pay for the illusive full speed USB minus the slipped disc.

As a whole, the Razer is a very good-looking bit of hardware, though a tad small for folks who are used to a more hefty gaming setup. This is not a negative point but it does take a little getting used to before one can merrily blast NCPs away with confidence again. While there are fuller-featured gaming keyboards out there, the Razor Lycosa is something to write home about, despite the hairy price.

Subscribe to Sandra Prior’s Online Newsletter and get up to date Computer Technology News delivered right to your email box for free. See website for details http://usacomputers.rr.nu and http://sacomputers.rr.nu.

Marmite, as most know is a love it or hate it product, and the manufacturers of Marmite know this. Did Steelseries use this as a concept when they designed their gaming glove, because, to be quite honest, it is a love or hate product.

The gaming glove is loved by only a few people in the office. Others think it pointless, are skeptical, and a few say that it is a seriously nerdy product (and not in a good way). But does t his make it a bad product?

Since we have nothing to compare it to we’ve come up with our own tests and ratings. So where does this glove come in handy? Well, if you don’t have a decent palm rest on your keyboard then you will find that the glove makes moving over any surface that you have beneath your wrist a lot easier, especially when it’s hot and sweat becomes a factor. It works well for typing but does it work for gaming?

The answer: yes and no. While professional gamers usually have matches scheduled, amateur gamers play games on the spur of the moment, and putting on a glove just to play games can be a hassle. Getting used to the glove took (those who did like it) about two days, which might not seem like a long time but we are talking over 16 hours of gaming and computer use. 16 hours is actually a long time to get used to something that is supposed to help your gaming and wrists in particular. Let’s for example say you bought one, and you liked it, and you got used to it, would it make using a mouse easier and more comfortable?

There is only one answer, a resounding yes. Any gamer will tell you that sweat and mice do not go together, this glove therefore helps to stop your sweaty palm and your gaming mouse from ever meeting. This helps for grip and you no longer need to dry your sweaty hand during an intense gaming session. On a side note, it was so comfortable that when the team went to get pizzas, a certain hardware writer forgot it on after he left the office.

Subscribe to Sandra Prior’s Online Newsletter and get up to date Computer Technology News delivered right to your email box for free. See website for details http://usacomputers.rr.nu and http://sacomputers.rr.nu.