Razer refreshes the one-handed Tartarus Pro keyboard with improved switches

Razer just introduced the Tartarus V2 Pro, a refresh of its popular one-handed gaming keyboard thingamajig. This is one of those ergonomic designs that features an adjustable palm rest. It's also not quite a keyboard in the conventional sense. It includes over 30 keys and buttons, but they're all programmable. There's no traditional QWERTY layout here .

In any event, the V2 Pro features several upgrades over its predecessor. The optical switches have been upgraded, the keys have a wider actuation (depth) range and the thumbpad is now an analog TMR design.

The device also integrates with some new proprietary input controls. Each button can access something called Snap Flex, which lets users attach two keys to a single press. This should make it easier to pull off multi-key actions with consistency.

There's also Snap Tap, which is pretty much the opposite of Snap Flex. It ensures that two selected keys are never actuated at the same time. This is pretty useful for FPS players who like to strafe, as putting in a reverse directional input at the very moment they stop moving can often lead to both keys accidentally being pushed at once. This can cancel the strafe and leave the avatar standing there motionless like a doofus.

As with the previous version, the Tartarus V2 Pro includes an adjustable wrist-rest. Each key also boasts RGB lighting for custom aesthetics. Finally, each and every of the 31 keys and buttons are fully programmable via the company's Synapse software. It's available right now and costs $200.