Our second gripe with the Eclipse II is that the keys feel mushy compared to the Tarantula's crisp response. The low profile keys on the Tarantula have the quickness of the best laptop keyboards, where the Eclipse II's have a swimmier feeling. This is not to say that it's a bad keyboard. Most people won't mind it, especially if you prefer to work in the dark (Saitek claims that the submarine community is especially fond of the red light option). But for gamers who demand performance first, the Tarantula is the board to beat.
To be fair, you have to pay extra for the Tarantula. At $99, it's even more of an indulgence than the Eclipse II. We should also note that only some of the Tarantula's keys light up, not all of them like the Eclipse II's. But Razer's gaming board outshines Saitek's board in other ways. It has 10 additional customizable function keys which, along with the media-control and image-zoom keys, line the side of the Tarantula, making them easy to reach. The Eclipse II has its own media-control keys, but they sit above the number pad and are crowded by the backlight dimmer knob. The Tarantula grabs your desk more firmly than the Eclipse II, and in a heated gaming session, it's conceivable that the Eclipse II could lose its grip more easily. We should also point out that the Tarantula has USB inputs on it, as well as headphone and microphone jacks. The Eclipse II has none of those amenities. Saitek's keyboard delivers on the backlighting, but that and the slightly lower price are its only advantages.
- See more CNET content tagged:
- Razer,
- key,
- keyboard,
- desk,
- microphone
Where to buy
Saitek Eclipse II Illumintated Keyboard:
$43.88 - $51.22
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$51.22 | Yes |
|
|
Amazon.com Marketplace
|
$43.88 | Yes |
|
