At first we would like to thank Razer for offering us samples of their Turret Living Room Gaming Mouse and Lapboard for testing and reviewing.

 

About Razer:

"Razer is more than just the world's leading brand in gaming.

We were founded in 1998 in San Diego, California by our CEO Min-Liang Tan and our President Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff in a tiny shared office with a couple other gamers. We have grown today to hundreds of employees worldwide with offices in seven cities, including San Francisco, Hamburg, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore.

Our vision from the very beginning was to be the world's greatest gaming brand and we've set out to achieve that by designing the best gaming products that any gamer has ever seen.

We believe that truly great products are based on technology, designed with extensive human factors and user ergonomic studies and then tested by the top professional gamers. In simpler terms, our own world class scientists and engineers develop cutting edge technology in-house or with partners, design phenomenal products around core technologies – and test the hell out of them in the field with our pro-gamers before we launch them.

We are the only gaming hardware company in the world with dedicated gaming user interface research and development labs, and our technology and designs are incubated in three dedicated design centers located in facilities in California, Singapore and Shenzhen. No other company boasts of technology like we do – because we're the only guys who have what it takes under the hood.

We tell it like it is: some can pretend to co-develop products with professional gamers, but gamers don't develop technology: scientists and engineers do (and ours just happen to be gamers as well).

We develop and design our products in our own labs and then put them to the test with top professional gamers who use them in pro-level tournaments and then provide us with feedback. Then we iterate on the product, refining it with the feedback – over and over and over again. That's how it's done, that's how a Razer product is built from ground up. No marketing BS and no hype.

We pioneered the eSports movement with the world's first $100K tournament back in 2000 and we have continued to give back to the community by sponsoring top eSports athletes who give back to Razer by beta-testing our products. We remain one of the largest sponsors of eSports community sponsoring top global eSports teams worldwide.

The people that work here at Razer are gamers just like you – some amateur, some ex-professional gamers, some just play for fun, just ask our CEO who will lay the smack down on you in Quake Live or our President, who has over ten level 80's on his local server. Hell, he will even take you on a raid in the middle of the work day.

We are the same gamers who are told by the suits that we need adult supervision and we need a professional CEO or management team – and we're the same gamers who tell the suits exactly where to shove it because we like doing what we do – and we do it on our own terms.

We hope our passion for gaming speaks to you like it does to us, through our products and we hope you enjoy the competitive edge we bring to your game."

Product Features:

 

PC gaming on the couch – with full mouse and lapboard setup

 

Designed with the single focus of bringing the PC gaming experience right to the couch, the Razer Turret consists of a fully-fledged PC gaming keyboard with full anti-ghosting and a highly precise gaming mouse with a 3500 DPI sensor. The integrated magnetic mouse mat ensures that you never have to worry about your mouse slipping off even during the most intense gaming sessions.

 

Gaming grade wireless connectivity - for lag free gameplay

 

The Razer Turret comes with dual wireless connectivity, so whether you’re connected to your console via Bluetooth LE or to your PC via the bundled wireless 2.4 GHz adaptor, you’ll always be able to play lag free without a hitch.

 

The wireless connectivity delivers the superior performance of desktop grade gaming hardware, so you’ll be able to enjoy the unfair advantage over your opponents from your lap, right in the living room.

 

Designed for the living room – ultra slim form factor and long battery life

 

The Razer Turret’s ergonomic and ultra-slim form factor has been made to perfectly fit on your lap. The foldable hinge ensures that the lapboard is unobtrusive and dockable to be part of the living room when not in use.

 

Made to withstand even the most action-packed gaming marathons, the Razer Turret has built in high capacity lithium polymer batteries, so your kill streaks will never be interrupted by unwanted battery warnings. By supporting up to four months of usage on the keyboard (40 hours of non-stop play on the mouse) you won’t have to charge the Razer Turret after every use.

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

Lapboard

• Anti-ghosting capability for up to 10 simultaneous key presses

• Chiclet styled keycaps

• Dedicated Android buttons

• Battery life of up to 4 months - The life expectancy of this battery depends upon its usage

• Battery type: Li-Po (1500 mAh)

 

Mouse

• 3500 DPI sensor

• 40 hours battery life for continuous use - The life expectancy of this battery depends upon its usage

• Battery type: Li-Po (1000 mAh)

 

Package Contents

• Razer Turret mouse and lapboard

• Wireless 2.4GHz adaptor

• Charging dock

• Wall adaptor

• Important product information guide

 

Nowadays there are plenty of hardware configurations we can order/build in order to create media center or gaming PCs in the living room, linked to a big Full HD/4K TV. While some configurations are shipped with Media Center IR remotes, the computer full functionality can be obtained only when using regular keyboard/mice; having wired keyboard/mice combo setups in the living room does not look too good while going for a full-Bluetooth setup we usually have issues with latencies, the usage range is usually not optimal in order to use both from the comfort of our couch and more….With the Turret, Razer aims to solve these issues, by including a lapboard along with a mouse and this setup includes both Bluetooth LE and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity options. Let’s take a look in more detail at these devices by starting up with the packaging! The product is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard box with a photo of the Turret fully-assembled on the top cover:

 

 

 

On one of the lateral sides we will be able to check out the list of package contents along with the system requirements and product dimensions:

 

 

 

The bottom area gives us a rundown of the main product highlights:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we will get to see a thin cardboard layer which includes the Quick Installation Guide:

 

 

 

Removing this one will allow us to check out a part of the lapboard along with the mouse:

 

 

 

Underneath the lapboard we have the rest of the product bundle available, including the documentation:

 

 

 

Along with the Installation Guide, we will receive a nice set of stickers and a leaflet which introduces us into the Cult of Razer:

 

 

 

 

The first bundle element is placed inside a separate, tiny cardboard enclosure:

 

 

 

 

This is basically the power adapter which is familiar to people that have read the Leviathan Mini article; the USB power adapter is very compact and will be used for charging the lapboard along with the mouse at the same time:

 

 

 

 

 

The next components we are going to take a look at are the Extension Dock along with the Power Connector Cable:

 

 

 

The Power Connector Cable is custom tailored for being used along with the charging dock:

 

 

 

The Extension Dock is very handy for plugging the 2.4GHz included wireless adapter, in order to move it further away from the computer, so it will be less affected by interferences (an aspect which also increases the usage range):

 

 

 

The charging dock is quite compact, being able to charge the lapboard along with the mouse in the same time; Razer is using golden pins in order to ensure maximum contact:

 

 

 

 

 

In the back of the dock we have the jack connector for the power cable:

 

 

 

On the bottom layer of the dock, we do have a central sticker with the product code name and power rating:

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at the supplied mouse from the kit:

 

 

 

The supplied mouse could be a bit small for some and has a familiar design (Orochi) with a black Razer logo on the top layer; between the left and right mouse buttons, where we can see the cut-out, a red LED resides for signalling the charging activity:

 

 

 

 

On the left side of the mouse we do have a clear plastic finish with two extra buttons:

 

 

 

The right side sports the same layout:

 

 

 

In the front, besides the left/right mouse buttons we do also have a scroll when made of green plastic; the middle rubber ring offers enough grip during intensive gaming sessions:

 

 

 

If we turn the mouse on its back we will observe the charging contacts really quick, the 3500DPI sensor lens but also a switch:

 

 

 

The supplied switch has three positions: 2.4GHz WiFi connectivity, Off or Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity:

 

 

 

The battery which comes with the mouse is rated 3.7V at 1000mAh:

 

 

 

In order to fit in the battery, we do have to remove its top cover carefully by following the manual instructions:

 

 

 

 

During this operation we can also remove the 2.4GHz dongle, which is fitted into the mouse chassis for easy transport:

 

 

 

 

 

The lapboard left side looks like a regular laptop keyboard which also features Android-specific keys; it comes with chiclet styled keycaps and underneath there is one Li-Po 1500mAh battery; the usage expectancy of it during a single charge is up to four months, depending on the usage pattern:

 

 

 

When folded, on the right side we will be able to clearly see the charging contacts:

 

 

 

On the bottom area, we have the magnetic mouse pad:

 

 

 

After folding the lapboard in its regular position, we can have a look at the product in its operating position:

 

 

 

 

 

The magnetic pad prevents the supplied mouse falling of it during games or office work, but at the same time it will not allow using it with other mice models (magnetic interference):

 

 

 

Both keyboard area and mouse pad area have a layer of rubber on their back so the lapboard will stay steady on the surface we will place it on:

 

 

 

 

On the left side of the lapboard we do have a Power On/Off button, but also a 2.4GHz/Bluetooth LE switch for choosing the interface we do prefer:

 

 

 

When placed on the charging dock, both mouse and lapboard take up very little space:

 

 

 

Razer Turret was thought as a compact peripheral which can act as a wireless gaming keyboard/mouse perfect to be utilized in living rooms were the use of wires becomes annoying and very unaesthetic. When the 2.4GHz interface is used with the supplied dongle we do not get to see delays during operation for both devices and since the keycaps of the lapboard keyboard are of the same size as on a regular laptop, people can also use it successfully for office tasks or browsing the Internet.

 

Attempts to reach the same segment were done with the Corsair Lapdog, but that one is noticeably bigger, heavier since it requires the use of a mechanical keyboard and you will always be linked with an USB wire to your Media Center/ Gaming PC. Roccat Sova is also quite big because of the integrated mechanical keyboard, wrist rest and the included battery takes quite some time to recharge, while offering only 6 to 8 hours of regular use.

 

Razer has eliminated the fancy LEDs on the Turret in order to offer a very good battery autonomy for both mouse and keyboard components, made it portable since we can easily fold the magnetic pad underneath the keyboard and the 3500DPI of the included mouse should be enough for most gamers out there.

 

With the use of the supplied 2.4GHz adapter, we could also enter the BIOS of our test system and make modifications, because we do not need a pair procedure as we would while working with a Bluetooth interface.

 

We have tested the Turret with Carmageddon Reincarnation, Battleborn and GTA V; we were really pleased with the response of the 2.4GHz interface, with no visible delays, while keeping the setup either on the table or on our lap.

 

Need an extra level of customization for both keyboard and mouse? Razer Synapse is there for us this time too for defining macros, adjusting the performance and also for re-defining the mouse/keyboard button functions and when needed, for disabling buttons.

 

 

Razer Turret was also thought with the Razer Forge TV in mind, so we can easily buy the whole thing as a bundle.

 

The Turret can be found online for about 181 Euros; this price does not make it affordable for everyone but considering the offered features and customization, we can say that it is a very good solution for couch gamers or people which use a lot their living room PCs and are sick of wires.

 Razer Turret Living Room Gaming Mouse and Lapboard is Recommended For:

 

We would like to thank again to Razer for making this review possible!