Razer has unveiled the “BlackWidow X” line of keyboards, which is cheaper and more robust that its original counterpart.
The new BlackWidow X keyboard line is basically the BlackWidow line with its plastic cover plates stripped off, and its standard Cherry switches replaced with keys that were made in-house, reports Engadget. Because of this, Razer made beautiful and sleek-looking gaming keyboards available to the public for a bargain.
With the plastic cover plates stripped off, the BWX line partially exposes some of the keyboard's parts, and allows the Chroma lighting system to have more robust effects. With the cover stripped off, Razer is also able to strip $10 off the price of the BW models. For example, while the BlackWidow Chroma costs $170, the BlackWidow X counterpart sells for only $160, and so on.
But buyers need not worry about the BWX line's durability without the cover, notes TechRadar. After all, the BWX features military-grade metal top plate construction.
Razer is offering multiple versions of the BWX. There's the BlackWidow X Tournament Edition, a tenkeyless (one without the number pad) keyboard that's perfect for LAN parties, available for $69.99.
Jack the price up to $129.99 and you'll get the BlackWidow X Tournament Edition Chroma, which is basically the same keyboard but boasting of RBG backlighting that can be customized through Razer's Synapse Software.
Then there's the BlackWidow X Ultimate, which is basically the BlackWidow X Tournament Edition with an added number pad on it. It's available for for $99. Just add $60 to make it into a Chroma version, with excellent backlighting effects.
Razer installed its in-house switch design for these keyboards. Called the “Razer Mechanical Switch,” these keys have an expected lifespan of 80 million key strokes, reports TechCrunch. This translates to 4-5 years of normal use, or 2-3 years of gaming.
Razer still offers Cherry MX switches for some of its BlackWidow and BlackWidow X keyboards, but will cost $10 more than Razer's Mechanical Switch.
