It’s such a pleasure to find keyboards that market themselves as ‘premium models’ that live up to their boasts, rather than requiring allowances be made in the face of cut corners or reduced expectations. The Huntsman V2 Analog might not be perfect, but it is an exceptional piece of technology.

To begin with the fundamentals are all there - there’s effectively no flex in the keyboard, each key has a consistent stroke feel, and all the core functionality that you expect is present and accounted for. It doesn’t have game-specific adaptations such as dedicated macro keys, but there are built-in compensations. At no point in our testing did we wish for something that it didn’t have, just perhaps slightly more convenience from what it did.

Speaking of what it does have, Razer’s analog optical switches are very good even if you aren’t intending to use those switches’ full capabilities in the moment. They’ve chosen a slightly heavier spring force than MX Reds that very much meets our preferences, but also subtly feeds into the effectiveness of the analog aspects. If presented with these switch dynamics and a just regular optical design we’d likely embrace it as a model for daily use, they're that good.

The Analog aspects of this switch however push the dial to 11. Simply configuring your own actuation point on a per-key basis really is a feature that’s almost revelatory, and absolutely should be the first aspect that any new owner experiments with.

Dual per-key actuation meanwhile is a little more complex, and harder to develop muscle-memory for. It’s powerful nonetheless, particularly when viewed through the lens of a game that gives you just enough leeway in reaction time to use effectively. It may sound like we’re not quite sold on it, but that's more because we haven’t quite found its ideal partner yet.



Full analog control will be a touchy subject. Compatibility limitations will frustrate those interested, but we instinctively feel like the technology will have more application and wider adoption over time. This may be an early-adopter problem, where you have to take the position that now it's been built, game developers will start to factor it into their plans. Either way, it's a great addition to the general mayhem of GTA V, and we’re eager to see if it can be leveraged in Far Cry 6 (another open-world experience) this October.

Once again acting as a force multiplier is Razer Hypershift. We mentioned the feature in our recent review of the Razer Basilisk Ultimate and it’s an exceptional inclusion to the peripheral toolkit when a Razer keyboard and mouse are working in tandem. Simply bind it to CapLock and double-up the keybinds available on your mouse, in addition to every other key on the keyboard itself. Once again its utility is perhaps application specific, but in this instance possibly not as much as you think. If you do a lot of repetitive text input in your 9-5 we'd suggest investigating its potential.

Perhaps our greatest criticism is reserved for the lighting. Not in terms of the customisation toolset - the Chroma Studio remains one of the more powerful on the market and Razer Chroma itself is probably the most widely adopted system amongst 3rd party manufacturers. No, in this instance the LEDs as they shine through the keyboard are just a little dim and lacking in vibrancy at 100%, and the keycap manufacturing process has left the lighting uneven as it shines through the etched out lettering on each key. The edge/underglow lighting matches the keys - same colour as specified, but just a little lacking in brightness. Lowercase Arial is also not our favourite font, but that is really nit-picking.

That being said, the final touch of quality is the wrist-rest. Very comfortable, trivial to attach, extends the keyboards lighting and locked in place by oversized rubber pads; it’s exactly the style we’d pick were there freedom to choose.

The Razer Huntsman V2 Analog pushes gaming’s boundaries thanks to analog optical switches and a software suite that can use them to their fullest; if anything, it may be ahead of its time. Excellent build quality, a great feel to the switches, synergy with Razer mice through HyperShift and a highly customisable lighting system combine for a premium design that rewards those who can stretch to its hefty price tag.



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