I came very conveniently in possession of the Razer Tartarus V2 gaming keypad and decided to share my experience with you. I have to be honest and say that I haven’t had the opportunity to use this peripheral before. However, I have long wanted to test it and assess whether I need something like that.
The Tartarus V2 came unused in its original packaging. The man I bought the keypad from was looking for a keyboard, it arrived by mistake, and here it’s now with me. Since I already own a Razer Huntsman Mini and am very happy gaming with this keyboard, let’s see how to enhance the gaming experience on the gaming keypad.
Table of Contents
Razer Tartarus V2
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Design & Build
Razer Tartarus V2 is wholly plastic-made with a matte finish. The whole construction doesn’t seem cheap to me; it looks pretty convincing at first sight, but also to the touch. Special attention is paid to ergonomics so you won’t get tired after hours of fierce gaming. Your hand rests finely on an anatomically shaped detachable wrist rest.
There are two positions for greater comfort, but you can wholly separate them if, for some reason, it doesn’t suit you. If you have a smaller hand, place the wrist rest closer to the keys. The material of the wrist rest is covered with a leather pad and is comfortable to use.
The Razer Tartarus V2 comes with an impressive number of 32 programmable keys. In addition, you have a programmable D-Pad that has eight positions and which you can easily control with your thumbs.
Thanks to the design that most resembles the palm of your hand, the D-Pad approach and work with the thumbs don’t require much effort, and you will not get tired quickly after long gaming sessions.
It’s quite an exciting concept to get used to, it took me a little longer to digest this design, but I feel that those coming from the world of consoles will get used to it sooner. A gaming keypad isn’t a replacement but a supplement for your usual keyboard at home.
Think of a keypad as an excellent thing for a gaming session with a friend or in a competitive tournament where it’s easy to bring this gaming peripheral.
Performance
The Razer Tartarus V2 comes with a keyboard with 32 programmable keys, a programmable 8-way directional D-pad, a detachable palm rest, a thumb pad, and a scroll wheel.
Pretty much an option for pro-gaming, too, I would say. Gaming keypads can come with membrane or mechanical switches and a mecha-membrane combination. Such hybrid switches are on the Tartarus V2.
The soft rubber dome and the mechanical switch give you an excellent tactile response. You have a perfect sense of precision under your fingers, and you don’t need a lot of effort to press.
So, we can understand Tartarus V2 as a gaming keyboard from which we have removed all unnecessary keys to dedicate ourselves to pure gaming as much as possible. The keypad allows us to have faster gaming input and less space than a classic keyboard.
Is Razer Tartarus V2 a better solution than a gaming keyboard?
Those who have been accustomed to using a gaming keyboard for years, as I am, will have to take some time to get to know and get used to the gaming keypad. It took me all day to program the keys and get used to the new concept in FPS games. I can say that my feelings were mixed at first.
As time went on, I got more and more used to it and realized the advantages of the new gaming controller. Of course, I tried it right away in my favorite shooter, Doom Eternal. So using the thumb is a novelty to me. When I tried the keypad in Call of Duty: Vanguard, I had to program frequently used commands again. It took me a little longer to get used to the programmed keys.
I have programmed all the keyboard shortcuts on the gaming keypad to be easily accessible. In this way, the more complex movements, functions, and movements of the main character (Slayer) became part of my hand. The keys feel great under my fingers, and the tactile feedback tells me I pressed them adequately.
I also tried without a wrist rest, but I’m still better with it because my hand doesn’t hang, and I get less tired, unlike a classic keyboard. After a few days of intensive use, the impressions are very positive but count on taking the time and patience to get used to it, program the keys and remember your settings. Then it gets more accessible, and you can enjoy playing your favorite games.
Equipment & Support
As for RGB lighting, Razer is up to the task. In addition to preset profiles, you can also fine-tune through the familiar Synapse 3 software. We use the Razer Synapse software for all additional settings. You can save the desired profiles via the software but in the cloud. Of course, you must have a Razer account open for this option. The advantage is that you can access your profiles wherever you are.
The downside is that you have to have Synapse 3 in the background to work. The keypad doesn’t have internal memory to store your favorite profiles. The Synapse 3 file weighs even over 400MB, so be patient if you have a slow internet connection. Unfortunately, this software only comes for Windows. Other operating systems are not supported.
In addition to gaming, you should note that you can program and use the Razer Tartarus V2 in more severe applications such as CAD programs, Adobe Photoshop, etc.
Conclusion
The Razer Tartarus V2 is an excellent addition for any true gamer. Still, it has found purpose in severe applications as far as I’ve read. After a few days of testing in FPS games, I didn’t find any objections to it except me as a user who needs time to get used to the new game input.
I haven’t tried it in other games, but I lent Tartarus to a friend who adores MMORPG and says he’s over satisfied. The only thing that bothers me is that you can’t save your profiles in the internal memory. Still, you have to do everything via Synapse 3 software.
Anyway, I will repeat that this isn’t a replacement for the keyboard but an excellent addition that will take your gaming experience to a higher level. If you have already used a gaming keypad, you will be delighted with the quality and ergonomics of the Tartarus V2.
I recommend getting the Tartarus V2 for everyone else who hasn’t had contact with the gaming keypad. You will not be disappointed, and good luck with gaming.
If you have questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.