Razer has just announced a brand new keyboard, and it comes with a very, very interesting new switch. Enter the Razer Ornata, which features “Mecha-Membrane” switches. Basically, the Ornata combines the characteristics of membrane and mechanical keyboards, which results in a very interesting hybrid keyboard.
We first spotted the Razer Ornata just yesterday on display at IFA 2016 in Berlin. At the time, we were told that the Ornata was merely displayed there as a teaser before its launch today. Now that the keyboard has been officially announced, Razer has revealed a lot more information on the Ornata.
According to Razer, the Mecha-Membrane switch of the Ornata “combines the best of both worlds by providing a soft cushioned touch along with a crisp tactile click in a mid-height keycap architecture.” What you get is a membrane keyboard which feels a lot like a mechanical keyboard along with slightly less travel of 3.5mm – other Razer keyboards like the BlackWidow has 4.0mm of travel instead.
While the lower travel distance may seem like a disadvantage, it actually makes the Ornata more responsive: the keycaps are “made shorter to reduce the time it takes for your actions to register,” as Razer puts it. Truth be told, after trying out the Ornata for ourselves, we’re inclined to agree.
The Razer Ornata is currently up for pre-order on Razer’s Malaysia online store. Two variants of the Ornata are available: a Chroma model, and a standard model with green backlight; both variants come with a complimentary wrist rest as well. The standard Ornata goes for RM379.90, while the Ornata Chroma retails at RM469.90. These two models of the Ornata will ship to consumers from 23 September 2016.
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