My search for a more ergonomic gaming setup eventually landed me the Razor Orbweaver. Unfortunately, this device is no longer supported by Razor, and each day becomes an increased gamble of whether or not it will continue to work. That said, I love this keypad to bits and will continue to use it till it officially dies. I won’t be linking to this product because all I could find were listings with inflated prices that are not justifiable for this keypad. The most ideal price for this would be $50-$60 new, and that is pushing it.
The Orbweaver is a 30-button keypad that you can reprogram to fit your gaming style. The keypad can be easily remapped through the official Synapse app. You can save multiple different profiles that are game or program-specific. You can program the device to automatically switch profiles when certain programs or games are running. One issue I have with the software is that you do need to have an account with Razor to access your keybinds. The software will occasionally log you out, and if you lose your password, you have to start over. I wish they would have had onboard memory so that I didn’t have to sign into synapse every single time. Otherwise, the program is pretty straightforward, but I have heard people having issues with the buggy software.
Please note that Razor is no longer supporting the Orbweaver. There will no longer be any updates to the firmware or the software; it will eventually become unusable. I am sure there are third-party open-sourced solutions for remapping this device, but I haven’t looked into any because the current configuration works for me.
Build quality is another issue that you should consider when buying this keypad. It looks cool out of the box, but it feels cheap. I purchased mine as an Amazon renewed, and while I did get lucky, one of the directions on the thumbstick stopped working when the window for exchange closed. Since then, the bottom thumb key has stopped registering presses consistently, and I fear it will eventually stop registering presses completely. Aside from these two issues, the Orbweaver works perfectly, and I still plan on daily driving it till it dies.
What I love about the Orbweaver is how customizable the experience is. You can readjust the wrist, palm, and thumb rests to fit your hand size. People with larger hands might have an issue, but I was able to find a perfect configuration that has allowed for a much more comfortable gaming experience. I used to get bad wrist and hand pain that limited how much meaningful gaming I could get from a session. I used to only be able to manage 30 minutes of gaming before I had to give up because the pain was too much. I can now play for a lot longer without issue, although I still recommend taking regular breaks and stretching. This isn’t a perfect solution, and the pain comes back if I use the computer for longer than I should. This is currently the best solution I have found for me and my hands.
For gaming, the Orbweaver has been a fantastic upgrade. The pain in my hands and wrists used to make it difficult to hit all the number keys. This greatly affected my reflexes, and it made competitive gaming impossible. I love being able to remap the key to fit both my hands and my play style. I no longer have issues with overextension to reach the keys. If you are looking for something more comfortable, or even something that is more convenient, this keypad is a great option.
I love the Orbweaver, and under normal circumstances, I would be recommending it, but it’s just too expensive for what you are getting. Anyone over $50 new is asking too much. Buying it used is a gamble because the build quality isn’t reliable enough to be worth the risk. It won’t be falling apart, but it is something to keep in mind before paying. This device is also reaching the end of its life, and when Razor stops supporting its software, you will have to deal with third-party solutions. It is probably a better idea to look for alternatives or the Orbweaver’s successors if you thinking of buying a keypad unless you find it for cheap and don’t mind working a little harder.
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