Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
Back in 2014, Razer created its very own proprietary switches instead of going with the Cherry MX switches that were then, and still are, found on most mechanical gaming keyboards. Here in 2018, it seems Razer isn’t done innovating on the keyboard switch front, as its all-new Huntsman Elite (See it on Newegg) is the first keyboard to use a new type of switch it calls “opto-mechanical.” These switches use frickin’ laser beams to register keypresses instead of metal contacts, theoretically offering better speed and durability. In addition to new switches, the keyboard also features new media controls (finally) and a cleverly-designed RGB perimeter lighting system that works with or without the wrist rest. At $200, the Huntsman Elite is Razer’s most expensive keyboard, though there is a non-Elite version for $150 as well that forgoes the side lights and wrist rest. I spent some time with the slick-looking Elite deck to see how the new switches compare to their mechanical rivals, and to see if the insane price tag was an early-adopter tax or justified.
Source: IGN.com Razer Huntsman Elite Gaming Keyboard Review