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Last month, Razer dropped a new colorway of one of its most impressive gaming keyboards to date. The white Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini instantly caught my attention, plugging the brand's analog switches into a compact form factor and making the most of them with neat dual-step functions that actually made sense for a 60% deck.
I've spent the last two weeks tinkering with the not-Hall-effect-don't-ever-say-that deck, and it's quickly become one of the best gaming keyboards in my arsenal right now. And it's all thanks to one Synapse setting.
Hitting that single 'Bind' box allows the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro Mini to act more like a controller than I would have ever imagined a keyboard could. It uses the Razer Analog switches to mimic the more finely tuned control scheme of a thumbstick.
That means WASD stops being an on/off input and instead mimics the variable pressure that one may make on a stick at any moment in play. That's not a Hall effect feature, that's an Analog feature.
Hall effect gaming keyboards are coming up fast. Instead of just relying on the closing of a circuit to actuate their switches, like mechanical decks, they offer more variation in different actuation points by measuring the magnetic field as the key is pushed. That means you can set one input (say W for walk forwards) for a half press and another (Shift+W for run forwards) for a full press.
That still only leaves you with walk or run, Razer goes in between.
I've been using the Huntsman V3 Pro Mini for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle over the last few days, and it's kept my controller firmly on the shelf. I've got the freedom to creep around as slowly as I want while still having the speed of super sensitive surrounding keys should I need them. Throw a couple of racing games into the mix and this could be a silver bullet for the right Steam library.
Of course, this isn't the first time Razer's Analog switches have been in the limelight. Before the world of mainstream gaming keyboards fully accepted the Hall effect switch, the Razer Huntsman V2 Analog brought the adjustable clickers to the market.
Even if you're not a fan of the 60% form factor (I wasn't before I tried this deck, but the dual-step arrow keys certainly saved it), the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro offers a full-sized experience with the same clickers under the hood. Both of these full-sized keyboards give you more controls to work with if you're concerned about scaling all the way down.
There's one drawback to the V3 Pro Mini, but even as a typing feel snob I can get past it to have access to these extra features. There's pretty much no sound dampening in this deck, and these switches have a tendency to rattle.
It's a lot to begin with, especially if you're used to a quieter deck. However, if this is your first move away from mechanical keyboards you may prefer the additional feedback compared to some of the stiffer Hall effect models out there.
This isn't the first Razer gaming keyboard I've tried with these Analog switches up front, but since the world of Hall effect decks has opened up it's certainly the first one I've enjoyed this much.
Maybe I'm more primed to experiment with actuation settings now that I've had my hands on more magnetic models, or maybe it just landed with me at the perfect game, but I've got a few keyboards to test over the next few weeks and I'll be waiting for the day I can return to the Huntsman.
I'm also hunting down all the best wireless gaming keyboards on the market, as well as the best hot-swappable keyboards available now. Or, for the full setup, check out the best gaming mouse models I've tested so far.
