'Our most uncompromising keyboard ever built': Razer has unveiled a new signature edition version of its Huntsman keyboard, but I can't get over the price

Have you ever looked at Razer's Huntsman lineup of gaming keyboards and thought, "Nah, I need to pay more for this?" Well, if so, the newly-announced Signature Edition and its stronger materials may just sway you. That'll be $500, please.

The Huntsman Signature Edition officially arrives on February 22, with preorders open for the keyboard now. Razer says it "stands as a statement of precision engineering and master craftsmanship—our most uncompromising keyboard ever built."

If you pick up the Huntsman Signature Edition, you get 8,000 Hz HyperPolling, alongside rapid trigger-capable optical analog switches. It has customizable actuation, alongside N-key rollover and anti-ghosting. This model is TKL (i.e. no numpad) with swappable doubleshot PBT keycaps.

On paper, the specs of the Huntsman Signature Edition are very similar to the Huntsman V3 Pro 8KHz but with a doubled price tag. In exchange for that extra cash, the Signature Edition offers luxury. A 6063 aluminium alloy top chassis and PVD Mirror-polished 6063 aluminium alloy bottom chassis contribute to what Razer calls "level of refinement and precision unlike any keyboard we’ve built before."

Outside of the added sturdiness of the Signature Edition, you're also getting swappable keycaps in the box, and a vegan leather box to hold the keyboard in.

You are getting rapid trigger technology with the keyboard, but, surprisingly, no Hall effect or any of the other things we've come to expect from premium keyboards. This is particularly strange when we've seen Hall effect switches in the $40 Gamakay X Naughshark NS68. We've even seen ridiculously sturdy builds and aluminium plates in the likes of the $100 Ducky Zero 6108.

$500 is a very tough price point for any keyboard. We tested out the similarly priced Asus ROG Azoth Extreme in 2024, and it comes with up to 8,000 Hz polling, a wrist rest, and it's even equipped with a cute OLED touchscreen. Regardless of features, that amount of money is hard to justify for anyone but the most boujee gamer, and it would be a struggle to recommend the Azoth Extreme, even with a discount. Still, if I had to pick between the two, I think Asus would likely be getting my cash.

Of course, part of the reason why Razer might want to show off expensive gear is the same reason why it brings out whacky tech at CES every year: it's good marketing. At the end of last year, Razer announced it would be bringing back the classic Boomslang gaming mouse (and charging $1,377 for it), but it's not a typical piece of gaming gear that most will buy. With only 1,337 models available, it's as much a feat of marketing as it is engineering.

Still, we won't fully know if the Huntsman Signature Edition is worth the cash until it's in our hands, but my gut says 'probably not'.