Well where to start.

I did a lot of research on gaming keyboards before buying the arctosa. There was a lot of negative press out there not to mention user reviews. All said that it was cheaply constructed and felt the same. Also a lack of programmable keys. Hard to see and use the keys ie. hard to use unless you are a touch typer. Not to mention noisy keys.

I just have one thing to say about all of this information about this product. BULLSH^%T.

If i had listened to any of this I would not have bought this keyboard. I am very glad that I listened to myself and got it.

Trust me I am a serious gamer and this thing is MAD. Outstanding Razer.

The only thing I could say is that the only difference between this and the lycosa is the back lighted keys. For half the money go the Arctosa.

Amazing keyboard, glad I bought it etc.

However, I really want to put across something which is a health concern here. The white LED lights for the Caps Lock, Num Lock, etc. ARE EXTREMELY BLINDING. I had to put tape over them because it has seriously damaged my eyes. It is directly shining into my retinas for long periods of time and damaging them to a point where for hours I can't read anything. PLEASE for the sake of not blinding people, please lower the brightness of these LED's! My doctor is not happy about this and has prescribed for me to get reading glasses. It's is about as worse as looking at the sun and lights up my room as though I have a nightlight.

One more thing I would like to add, it would be nice to have rubber grips so the keyboard doesn't slide around on the desk. I have to go out of my way to purchase a rubber mat or customize the bottom of the keyboard to prevent this.

Other than that, I wouldn't buy any other keyboard.

I bought this after going to Pax this year and getting my hands on the Lycosa keyboard. Razer seems to supply most of the keyboards for the Pax Lan rooms as I saw them everywhere. I really like this keyboard since it has the feel of my previous keyboard (fatal1ty keyboard) I used to have but this one has macro functions.

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles like backlighting but I don't feel that is a necessary thing for me. I know the location of the WASD keys in the dark. The keyboard has a very nice feel to it and the slim profile makes it easy to run your fingers across quickly if need be. Being an FPS gamer I am really enjoying this keyboard and playing around with the macro abilities.

If you aren't accustomed to slim keycaps on a keyboard the Arctosa might feel odd in the beginning but after you get used to it I am sure you will be pleased. And you can't beat the price. A good price with good features is rare nowadays. The Arctosa gives you both!

I had to replace a monstrous Microsoft keyboard (which actually was ok) because it decided it no longer wanted to respond when I pressed the letter 'M'. I have no idea why it didn't like the 'M', I just figured it was time to upgrade.

Being a cheap bastard, I set my price limit and began perusing the web for my new keyboard, which had to game well and type well. Because I type a lot. for stuff. and
things.

Anyway, since I had a Razer Copperhead and Boomslang AND exactmat, I figured I might as well drink the koolaid and check out the keyboards. Really, what else is left? I even have that Belkin N52 thingie that is powered by Razer. Why resist?

So I picked up the Arctosa (Black, like my coffee), which I was pleased to find came with
stealth key labels, so my son and his dumb friends couldn't use it when they stole my Steam account to play their stupid zombie Source games.

I like it - it's thin, but not overly so, and it types great - kind of in-between a desktop and a laptop feel. But very responsive. I appreciate the ability to kill the Windows key, and the keyboard-based Mute button for my questionable videos.

Good job, Razer. I think the only thing left is some headphones, but I'm holding out for now. Tasty koolaid, though.

It was amazing and far more positive than my imagination. My doubts on the goodness of Arctosa eventually cleared as I slowly unboxed the razerly designed package. My first impression on the keyboard was "Simple but lovely". Then I thought it was comfortable and the feeling of just tapping keys is simply awesome. The LED lights are just so bright and cool, although the media keys below it are quite tough to press. I didn't have time yet to mess with the macros, which is another great feature of Arctosa.

Just to ensure I am not razer's advertiser, I have to say that the surfaces are too vulnerable to finger prints and dusts. Despite that, Arctosa is still a marvelous gaming keyboard which would give you an edge in all types of games. Well, atleast I am getting the benefits. :)