Razer Lycosa Mirror keyboard

Do you like shiny reflections and grime? Razer seem to, and for that the company earns the dreaded EPIC FAIL.

We're going to once again make the spurious claim that there are two kinds of people on the world. In this instance, though, we are reducing the complexity of humanity in all its forms down to the duality of those who like Razer gaming products, and those who, well, don't.

Truth be told, it's normally a really hard claim to make, but in the case of the Lycosa Mirror keyboard, we feel pretty confident in believing that you'll either love it or - like us - believe that it's the spawn of the devil and proof that there is no God.

On paper everything sounds fine - it's your standard backlit full-size keyboard, with headphone and mic jacks and a solitary USB port. In the pictures it even looks pretty speccy, with the keys all lit up and the piano gloss finish reflecting every errant lightbeam like, a... a thing that reflects every light beam. But get it into your sweaty little hands and it quickly becomes apparent that no one at Razer really thought this one through.

This keyboard is so shiny and slick that even just looking at it leaves a grimy residue. Actually touch the thing and it starts to instantly feel as though the keyboard itself is exuding a fine film of filth. Which, annoyingly, is disgusting on two fronts - one, it's just icky, and two, it's your own ick that you're finding offensive.

Frankly, we feel like showering every time we use it. Every time.

Then again, perhaps that's the plan - make a keyboard that only clean people can use. Having had one or two bad experience at fuggy LAN parties, we applaud the endeavour if that were the case, but on top of the slime-aspect, there's also the fact that your fingers slide around on the super-slick keys.

At this point we feel it's worth reminding readers that with peripherals like this there's no real way to judge objectively. Perhaps there are folks who will like seeing every shed follicle, cell and smear of sweat shining up at them from their keyboard?

Actually, we hope there aren't. EPIC FAIL.