Xbox One Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Review: Razer Turret

With Microsoft / Xbox pushing their Play Anywhere titles out slowly but surely, it would not surprise anyone that PC gamers would opt to play those games on PC more than on the Xbox, given the chance. An awesome example of this is how Gears of War 4 was executed. I am no stranger to the Gears of War franchise, having heavily played PVP in every Gears of War release that was not Gears of War: Judgement. So, once Gears of War 4 was opened to cross-platform play between PC and console, I found myself never picking up the controller again whenever I played online with my friends. However, what if that keyboard and mouse experience could be brought directly to the Xbox One? That is where the Razer Turret for the Xbox One comes in.

The Razer Turret for the Xbox One is the product of a partnership between Razer and Microsoft, becoming the first official gaming keyboard and mouse combo for the Xbox One. The Razer Turret’s keyboard features a dedicated Xbox Home key for finagling with the Xbox One’s main menus, just as you would with the Xbox Home button on the Xbox One controller. The Razer Turret for the Xbox One connects wirelessly and features Razer Chroma and Xbox Dynamic Lighting which gives visual feedback during gameplay in compatible games. A single USB port is all you need on either the Xbox One or the PC, as the keyboard and mouse combo transmits to your gaming platform via a single USB receiver. Also, each of the Razer Turret for the Xbox One’s components sport the kind of quality builds that you expect to see in mid to high end Razer PC peripherals.

The  Razer Turret keyboard of the Razer Turret for the Xbox One resembles a build that is close to that of the Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition, a 10-keyless keyboard. It utilizes the Razer Mechanical Green Switches which are geared for a tactile and clicky feel.  These switches sport an 80-million keystroke lifespan, actuation force of 50 G, a travel distance of 4.0 mm, and an actuation point of 1.9 mm, where the actuation vs reset Point is at 0.4 mm. The keyboard also features a built-in wrist rest and houses a retractable mouse mat with a magnetized zone. This keyboard’s battery can last up to 11 hours from a full charge or up to 43 hours with Razer Chroma lighting disabled.

The Razer Turret mouse, on the other hand, resembles a build close to Razer’s Deathadder Elite, sporting a right-handed design. Highlights for the Razer Turret for the Xbox One’s mouse include Razer’s 5G Advanced Optical Sensor with true 16,000 DPI as well as Razer Mechanical Mouse Switches with a 50-million click life cycle. This mouse features seven independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons, a tactile scroll wheel, and tracking at 450 inches per second thanks to Razer’s optical sensor. The mouse’s battery can last up to 30 hours from a full charge or up to 50 hours with Razer Chroma lighting disabled.

The Razer Turret for the Xbox One definitely does not skimp on the quality as both the keyboard and mouse are individually impressive as PC gaming peripherals. Both the Razer Mechanical Green Switches as well as the Razer Mechanical Mouse Switches felt satisfying to click, with each of the switches being satisfyingly responsive. The keyboard is quite solid, feeling comfortable to use on a desktop or, most importantly, on your lap. Weighing in at 4.1 lbs and sporting a fully rubberized base, the Razer Turret for the Xbox One will not be slipping off of your lap anytime soon. The right-handed mouse was easy to handle in both palm and claw grips, allowing for precise aiming on both the Xbox One and PC.

While the wireless mouse sticks to the slide-out mouse pad via magnets, the magnetic pull is not so strong as to prevent you from lifting it off of the surface when readjusting. The magnetic pull is just strong enough to keep the mouse from sliding off of the mouse surface whenever the unit as a whole is tilted. This is welcomed, seeing how we do not have perfectly flat laps and the Razer Turret for the Xbox One is bound to naturally tilt. The mouse will slide off however if you try to tilt the unit somewhere over 20 to 30 degrees. However, that is fine since it is an unnatural keyboard and mouse resting angle that nobody that I know would employ.

Being a user of weighted mice, where I like my mice as heavy as possible, I felt right at home with the Razer Turret for the Xbox One. Surprisingly, that magnetic force gave me the level of resistance that I’m used to with my gaming mice. However, when using the Razer Turret for the Xbox One from my couch, I did find myself sliding a couch pillow under my right elbow as an armrest. If I did not, I could easily see my arm getting tired the longer I played with the keyboard and mouse combo. Either way, it was a simple fix to ensure that long term play with the Razer Turret for the Xbox One remained devoid of fatigue.

To get the straight-forward use case out of the way, the Razer Turret for the Xbox One is a solid keyboard and mouse pair to use on the PC. Should you decide to play PC games on your living room TV from your couch, the Razer Turret for the Xbox One knocks PC gaming out of the park. I ran an HDMI cable from my PC to the living room TV, connected the USB receiver to my PC,  and enjoyed several hours of Far Cry 5 from the comfort of my couch. If there was any input to on-screen response delay, it was negligible to non-existent. Last but not least, the keyboard and mouse are both fully customizable via the Razer Synaspe PC customization engine.

As for the Xbox One, in order to enjoy the Razer Turret for the Xbox One, you will have to play one of the following supported games…

(Source: https://www.Razer.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/Razer-turret-for-Xbox-one/supported-games)

While I dabbled with Fortnite for the sake of the review, I spent the bulk of my time with Warframe for the Xbox One. I spent a respectable chunk of time playing Warframe on the PC. So, I thought it made for the best PC vs console experience comparison. Playing Warframe on the Xbox One using the Razer Turret for the Xbox One was a seamless and effective experience. The game was 100% ready to respond to the Razer Turret‘s inputs as well as accept keyboard and mouse bindings in the setup screens. After mirroring my bindings as I had them in my Warframe (for PC) setup, I achieved the level of control and precision that I was used to on the PC version.

Frankly, I cannot imagine playing Warframe on a controller without a decent helping of aim-assist. The gameplay is quite fast-paced, with the screen filling with enemies from time to time. Constant movement coupled with proper aim keeps the game from punishing you on harder difficulty levels. Luckily, the Razer Turret for the Xbox One, just as it was on the PC, was devoid of any noticeable input lag on the Xbox One. Despite the fact that I would play Apex Legends well before I would play Fortnite, even my trials with Fortnite felt more than solid with the Razer Turret for the Xbox One. Hell, I would even say it felt like the “correct” way to play it.

On the Xbox One, you can make some minor customizations to the Razer Turret for the Xbox One by using the free Razer Turret for Xbox app. You are able to change the colors on both the keyboard’s and mouse’s LEDs to any of the 16.8 million color options that are usually available with Razer Chroma. However, it is not at the per-key level of lighting that you would get when customizing such devices on the PC via Razer Synapse. Nevertheless, it is there and is better than nothing if peripheral colors are important to you.

What I liked more about this Xbox app was the ability to customize up to five mouse tracking DPI levels, where you can toggle through them on the fly, regardless of the game you are playing. It is more than simply a “nice-to-have”, especially if you plan to play several different Xbox One games using the Razer Turret for the Xbox One.

If you game heavily on both the PC and Xbox One, the Razer Turret for the Xbox One is a luxury item that is worth saving for, even with its $249 price point. However, it is much easier sell if you are a heavy player of any of the supported games above, specifically on the Xbox One. The keyboard/mouse vs controller argument has an obvious winner where it is difficult for controller to match the level of aiming precision of a mouse. If you are getting the Razer Turret for the Xbox One only for the Xbox One, but have little to no experience with gaming on with a keyboard and mouse, or if you merely dabble in the above titles, I’d suggest that you try some light PC gaming first before taking this plunge. You would have to really like the supported games as well as be versed in keyboard and mouse play to truly appreciate this product.

With Gears of War 5 having planned support for the Razer Turret for the Xbox One, this product is a home run for me personally, as I love the Gears franchise, specifically for PVP play. Now I do not have to boot up m PC whenever I want to play with my friends, and I still get to maintain that keyboard and mouse gunplay precision.

However, until the list of keyboard and mouse supported games grows for the Xbox One, my suggestion for purchasing the Razer Turret for the Xbox One remains subjective. Even though I truly expect that list to grow, I can easily suggest that you purchase this now if:

• You dabbled with keyboard/mouse gameplay, and plan to live your life playing any of the titles above on the Xbox One (as I absolutely will with Gears of War 5)
• You are looking for a high quality and high performance wireless keyboard and mouse pair for your PC to replace whatever you’re looking for now.
• You play on the PC and Xbox One somewhat evenly, where it is not as painful to have this product now as you wait for the Xbox One keyboard/mouse titles to grow.

Make no mistake, the Razer Turret for the Xbox One is a solid, no-nonsense product that performs at a high level. Yet at $249, it will have to make sense for you to pull the trigger on it. Take a look at the Razer Turret for the Xbox One for yourself here, it will not disappoint. If you still need more titles to be supported before you dive in, you can easily keep track of the list on Razer’s supported games page here: https://www.Razer.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/Razer-turret-for-Xbox-one/supported-games

Come on, Apex Legends!

† Razer Turret for the Xbox One review unit provided by Razer PR.