Razer Orbweaver & Tartarus Chroma Gaming Controllers Review

Introduction

Not all gaming keyboards are created equally. Some are full-size, some are TKL and then some are so compact, they’re to be used with just one hand, such as the Razer Orbweaver Chroma and Razer Tartarus Chroma we have in the eTeknix office today. For many games these days, you actually don’t need the full keyboard. Short of playing full-blown simulations games you can get away with a smaller key set, but don’t think that because it’s shorter on keys, that these two controllers don’t offer a huge amount of features, because they’ve got a lot to offer to you and your desktop gaming setup.

We’ve got both models in today to take a look at what they have to offer, the Orbweaver features twenty main keys and Razer’s own design mechanical green switches. The Tartarus features a membrane switch and fifteen main keys, offering a slightly more affordable solution, but still packing the bulk of the features of the more expensive model, such as Razer’s Chroma 16.8 million colour RGB lighting engine, an 8-way thumbpad, a pair of thumb switches, multiple profiles, macros, adjustable ergonomics and more!

Both devices are quite similar, with great specifications, so let’s jump right in and take a closer look at what they have to offer.

The packaging for both controllers is nicely designed, with a clear image on the front as well as a few of the main specifications. Of course, the Orbweaver also has the details about the Razer Mechanical switches, clearly highlighting it as the premium model of the two.

Around the back, a more detailed run down of the spec in multiple languages, but we’ll get them out the box and take a closer look ourselves.

In the box for the Orbweaver, you’ll find the hard-wired controller, as well as a small collection of documentation.

The same again for the Tartarus.