Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2022 — One Color, Many Advantages

Our Verdict

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 is an impressive, reasonably priced keyboard with a comfortable configuration and helpful software.

For

Smart design
Comfortable keys
Reasonable price
Expert software

Confronting

Naught new or innovative
Razer switches could exist better

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 is an impressive, reasonably priced keyboard with a comfy configuration and helpful software.

Pros

+
Smart blueprint
+
Comfortable keys
+
Reasonable price
+
Skillful software

Cons

-
Naught new or innovative
-
Razer switches could exist better

Keyboards have gone full RGB, and there'south no going back, or so it seems. Everywhere you look, a veritable rainbow of keyboards showcases a full spectrum, and each charges an extra $30 or $40 for the privilege. What's a gamer who puts functionality before aesthetics to practise? Well, for starters, he or she could take a look at the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 ($110). Although information technology lacks the Chroma options of its more than colorful cousin, the BlackWidow Ultimate is a highly competent, no-nonsense keyboard with a comfortable configuration, helpful software and a reasonable price.

Design

The BlackWidow Ultimate is extremely like to both its 2015 predecessor and its Blush variant: It's a full-size keyboard with backlit green keys. However, at 17.6 x 7.v inches, it'south a bit smaller than its 2 counterparts (xviii.7 x 6.vii inches), just a bit larger than competing models similar the Corsair Strafe (17.6 x half dozen.7 inches). The reason for its reduced size is that it lacks an actress row of macro keys.

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Personally, I did not miss this extra column of five keys, and found that the BlackWidow Ultimate occupied a very respectable amount of desk infinite. The design is not conservative, exactly, but information technology'southward non excessive, either. There'due south very little blank space between you and the keys you demand. Provided that your co-workers don't listen the noisy keys, you could probably turn off the backlighting and have a perfectly respectable function keyboard.

Keys

The BlackWidow Ultimate makes use of Razer Greenish switches: noisy, resistant mechanical keys that emulate the industry-leading Reddish MX Dejection. While the Razer Greens don't experience or audio quite as good as the more expensive and elusive Cherrys, they're a reasonable facsimile, and are worlds more comfortable and satisfying than standard membrane keys.

In my experience, Razer Greens are also quite good for everyday typing. Using Typing-Test.com, I scored 112 words per minute with 1 fault (adjusted: 110 WPM) on the BlackWidow Ultimate, compared with my adjusted 104 WPM on my standard Dell office keyboard. The more resistant keys forced me to slow down a bit and be more than careful about typing. Yous may become different results, depending on your personal typing manner, but it's not likely to deadening you downwardly.

Features

The BlackWidow Ultimate runs on the intuitive Razer Synapse 2.0 software, although you'll probably exist just fine if yous never install it. Yous can create different profiles and link them to games, too every bit record macros. However, with no extra macro keys, there's not much reason to practise that; if y'all need macro keys, yous're ameliorate off springing for the Chroma model.

One useful feature of the software is the ability to customize the Game Mode, although you lot can only do and then much with information technology. You can actuate a Game Mode on the keyboard, which disables the Windows key past default, ensuring you don't accidentally close downward your game in the middle of a heated match. Yous tin can as well disable Alt Tab and Alt F4, although yous can't add your own keys, as you can in the Logitech Gaming Software.

Although the lights are light-green, and just light-green, yous accept a few options. You can adjust the brightness or choose to keep individual keys lit or nighttime. You tin also play around with a few patterns, such as ripples, waves and responsive illuminations. If you really desire to play with fancy lighting effects, yous're better off with a BlackWidow Chroma, but the few actress features are a nice touch.

Performance

I ran the BlackWidow Ultimate through a standard array of games to test its performance: commencement-person shooter Titanfall, real-time-strategy game StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, action/adventure title Batman: Arkham Knight, and massively multiplayer online adventure Star Wars: The One-time Republic.

The keyboard performed admirably beyond the board. The responsive keys helped me go the leap (literally) on my mech pilot opponents in Titanfall; gathering and commanding my futuristic ground forces in Legacy of the Void was equally simple. Batman: Arkham Knight tends to work better with a controller than with a keyboard, but if you lot don't want to dish out for an extra peripheral, this device is as good a choice as whatsoever gaming keyboard.

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I also plant the keyboard a fine choice for The Onetime Republic, just as usual, I encourage hardcore MMO players to cheque out keyboards with extra macro keys. If you play at a very loftier level, in which precise and convoluted skill rotations are the social club of the day, a few extra keys are probably worth the extra money.

Lesser Line

The BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 is non terribly dissimilar from the models that preceded it, for improve or for worse. The mechanical keys are however pretty expert, the design is however fairly attractive and it offers a significant price suspension over similar RGB models. At the same time, it doesn't do anything new, heady or amend than whatsoever competing models.

If keyboards like the BlackWidow Chroma and the Corsair Gaming K70 RGB (both $170) are as practiced as gaming keyboards get, the BlackWidow Ultimate occupies a respectable 2nd place. It's cheaper than its large brothers, and what it does, information technology does very well.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom'south Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a scientific discipline writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. Subsequently hours, y'all can observe him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.