I have tried the keyboard that has been banned for technological doping: it has made me play better without any effort

The launch of Razer’s new keyboards with Snap Tap technology, including the new Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Tenkeyless por 249,99 euroshas caused a lot of discussion among players about what should be allowed in a competitive game. This is the biggest revolution that the gaming community has experienced in many years, and in recent weeks, I have had the opportunity to try it in my games.

By definition, players, or gamers, are very competitive people, who tend to take advantage of any advantage that allows them to win; from studying enemy patterns to taking advantage of ‘bugs’ that no one knows about. The ‘hardware’ also reflects this search for perfection; Whether it is with a higher frame rate per second, thanks to powerful graphics cards and fast monitors, or headphones with 3D sound that tell us where the enemy is coming from, everything is allowed.

All? The technology Snap Tap (Adjusted Pulse Direction), also known by its technical name, SOCD (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions) is at the limit of what is allowed for many people; and for many others, it overcomes it without shame. And it makes sense. This technology has so much potential, it can mean the difference between winning and losing the round; Although we are going to clarify from the beginning, that it will not turn you into a ‘pro gamer’, a professional player.

SOCD, or Snap Tap, eliminates one of the great limitations of human beings, and allows us to move in the game in ways that, until now, were not possible. To explain how it works, it is best to do an experiment with your keyboard.

Let’s imagine that we are in a game, and an enemy is changing position; We are moving to the left, and we want to change direction to the right to flank the enemy. Therefore, press the “A” key (to go left) and very quickly, press the “D” key (to go right). If you analyze your movements, you will understand that first you raised your finger of the A key, and then, you have pressed the D key; That’s because, if you press A and D at the same time, the game will interpret both commands at the same time and you won’t move from your spot. So you have to make sure you only press one key at a time.

That period of time, between when you stop pressing a key and press the next one, is imperceptible for a normal person, but for a gamer, can be the difference between winning or losing. During that instant, the enemy can react and avoid our flanking. Snap Tap completely eliminates this delay, and allows you to press one key and the next consecutively.

The ‘magic’ of Razer keyboards

When a Razer keyboard with Snap Tap enabled detects that you are lifting your finger from one key and pressing the next, it automatically disables the previous key pressand activates the pressing of the new key. In the previous example, the A key is deactivated and immediately, the D key is activated, although our finger continues pressing the A key; Snap Tap is configurable in the keys we want. For the opponent, it is as if we had moved earlier than normal, although it is easy not to notice or attribute it to the fact that we are simply better.

It’s a surprising effect, especially when we get used to it; At first, it’s hard to get the most out of it, but once you understand how it works, you won’t stop using it. Personally, I think it has made me a better player.but not for the reason that the reader perhaps thinks. I don’t think that the ‘cheats’ of this keyboard have allowed me to win more games, but I do think that it has taught me to control my movements better; I’ve been more conscious of the way I move and press the keys, and that’s what I mean when I say it’s made me a ‘better player’.

Of course, if we do not have a certain level, a tool like this is not of much use to us; It’s not going to make us win all the gamesespecially since it is only useful in very specific situations and not in all types of games. But as the level rises, the utility increases; In matches between leading players, this ‘small’ difference can be what determines the winner.

Are Razer keyboards illegal?

That’s the real reason why Snap Tap and SOCD They are already being banned in some communities and games; Nobody minds when friends use this feature in their games, but things are different when it comes to deciding who is the best in the world. One of the first games to confirm the ‘ban’ of Snap Tap was Osu!although that was not surprising; It is a rhythm game that already prohibits non-traditional methods to ensure equality.

More striking was the prohibition of Counter-Strike 2. Its developer, Valve, explained that technologies like Snap Tap “blur the line between manual input and automation,” and that it was forced to declare “what is acceptable and what is not.” If we try to use Snap Tap in Counter-Strike 2, the game will detect it and expel us from the gameand we even risk being ‘banned’ and not being able to continue playing.

Therefore, if we are going to use Snap Tap, it is important to first investigate whether the creators of the game have banned it, or if the gaming community accepts it as another tool. There is no doubt that this technology has been received with open arms by many, and I refer to the evidence: sales of Razer keyboards have improved since the launch of this technology, and that has forced rivals to react and copy this function.

Wooting was one of the first to announce the adoption of SOCD in its keyboards, ironically at the same time as it criticized it, and other brands are expected to make similar decisions. It is very possible that Snap Tap and SOCD end up being acceptedsimply because it is difficult to ‘ban’ all players.

One of the most advanced keyboards

Snap Tap is just one of the reasons to buy a Razer keyboard. As someone who has had the opportunity to use this brand for years, I can’t help but be surprised at the large number of functions and advances that they have received; Many of these functions would be the protagonists on any other keyboard, but on a Razer they are just one of the many things it has.

For example, one of the special features of this Huntsman V3 Pro is that it is a analog keyboard. Normally, any key on a keyboard is digital, you either press it or you don’t, there is no middle ground; in other words, ‘0’ or ‘1’. In this keyboard, however, there is an adjustable actuation range of between 0.1 to 4 mm; In other words, we can press the ‘a little’, ‘a little more’ or ‘a lot’ key.

It’s not as confusing as it seems. By default, the Huntsman V3 Pro comes with a configuration that makes it work like a typical keyboard; The pulsation is activated by pressing the key normally. The beauty of an analog keyboard is that we can change this, without having to change keys or switches; We can make the keystrokes activated only by ‘touching’ the key, or that it is necessary to press them all the way, and everything in between. We can find the perfect activation point for our tastes, just by trying it, and the best thing is that each key can be set separately; If you want only one key to be activated easily, because it is for a function that you use a lot, you can do it.

This analog technology allows for many possibilities, and Snap Tap is one of them. Another is the possibility of use the keyboard as a video game controller. For example, we can configure one key to be the accelerator and another to be the brake in a racing game, obtaining true analog control like the triggers of a current controller.

make it yours

This and other features can be activated and configured from Razer Synapse. This program has also evolved a lot in recent years, and is more complete than ever. In the Huntsman V3 Pro, it allows us configure all aspects of the keyboardfrom game mode (which disables the Windows key and some combinations), to RGB lighting, which can be synchronized with Razer Chroma.

Snap Tap appears with the name ‘Snap Tap’, and we can also activate quick activation for games that require pressing a key quickly in a very short time. All of this can be configured on each key separately. The only negative point about Synapse that I have discovered is that there are now more advertising integrated into the program, and it especially bothers me that accessories that I don’t have are shown, as if they were connected to the ones I do have, perhaps in an attempt to click on error and take us to the page to buy them.

While we’re on the subject of complaints, the truth is that I have few about this Huntsman V3 Pro. The manufacturing quality is at the level of the bestand the materials are suitable; The model that I have been able to test is white, although it is also available in Razer’s classic black, with no differences between the two beyond the colors. Included in the box is a wrist rest that connects magnetically and can help us find the best angle for long gaming sessions.

And I say ‘play sessions’, because personally, I would only recommend it for that. Although it is possible to use the Huntsman V3 Pro as a work keyboard, the analog keys give a somewhat strange feeling that I did not like; For me, who work and play on the same computer, it is a hassle to have to change keyboards, but that will depend on each person and each installation.

Should I buy it?

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro is one of the most controversial products I’ve had the opportunity to test, and it’s easy to see why. Snap Tap has the potential to completely change the way we playafter a short adaptation period. In my case, it has even helped me learn to play better, and to be more aware of my movements in the game; For an expert player, it can be a tremendous help.

Even if we ignore Snap Tap, this keyboard has a lot to boast about. Analog keys can open our eyes, allowing movements and activations that we thought were impossible until now. It’s one of those things you don’t think about until you realize what’s possible. And the customization possibilities with Razer Synapse are so numerous that it is impossible to count them; I haven’t even talked about the fact that we can use multiple profiles and change the behavior of the keys depending on the game, for example.

Razer has no shortage of rivals, of course. Corsair keyboards, for example, are also feature-rich and have a gaming design. And if we want something more serious and elegant, Logitech keyboards have many fans. If we want something similar to Snap Tap, there are also brands that are releasing updates to activate it, under the name COCD or their own, but the concept is the same.

The Razer Huntsman V3 Pro is available in several versions. The one I have tried is the Tenkeyless, without a numeric keypad, for 249.99 euros, but there is also a complete version for 289.99 euros, and a Mini version for 209.99 euros.