Logitech and Razer both have some pretty awesome gaming peripherals.
Whether youre playing games orgetting real work done, theyre both great options.
The software they use have some small, but important differences.
Heres how they stack up against each other.
Instead, we want to know about the capability of the software as a whole.
In most ways, theyre pretty similar.
Well get to that in a bit.
Fortunately, the company spent more time on features than it did on naming its software.
Razer Synapse:Razers app, Synapse, looks pretty dang cool.
Handy if you dont want to keep setting it up on new machines.
Thewaythey go about each task can be very different, though.
Keep in mind as we review that neither way is necessarilywrong.
Both will automatically switch based on which utility is in focus at the time.
However, each piece of software handles this a bit differently.
When you create a Logitech profile for an utility, that profile is used across all your Logitech devices.
In practice, I found this could cause some problems.
Accidentally launching the calculator app is not ideal while Im fighting a dragon.
These were usually more harmless shortcuts like displaying my mouses battery level or pressing a number key.
More importantly, it was consistent.
Logitechs interface is slightly easier to use.
The app will show you an image of your equipment, with the buttons you could customize glowing.
Just press the buttons you want to change to edit the shortcuts.
Its only a mild annoyance, but its jarring nonetheless.
Logitech allows you to choose either software-based profiles, or to store profiles on the equipment itself.
While Razer used to allow storing profiles on devices, newer hardware uses an account-based syncing option.
The differences between Razer and Logitech on this front were largely cosmetic.
This is probably a result of me having used Logitechs app longer.
In both cases, theres a bit of a learning curve, so which one you choose doesntreallymatter.
The only exception is the profile switching issue.
Thats where recording macros comes in handy.
you’re free to then assign that action to a specific button later.
If youve ever played an MMO, you know how awesome this can be.
Its also handy for work.
In my experience, Logitechs interface for saving macros was a bit more straightforward.
On the screen where you assign commands to buttons, theres a small, searchable sub-window called Commands.
Here, you might create new macros before you even assign them to a button.
Then, drag them to the key you want to use to trigger that Command.
Everything is in one place and its super easy to use.
In contrast, Razer Synapse has a few more steps involved.
First, you oughta create macros in a separate tab of the program.
Its a lot more steps for something so simple.
Some keyboards have a dedicated Macro Recording button (or MR).
you’ve got the option to simply press this button, then press one of the programmable keys.
This will begin the recording.
Perform the action you want to save and, when youre done, tap the MR button again.
That action is now saved on your keyboard.
You dont even need to touch the system.
Razer instead uses a Fn-style button (like you find on most laptops) to trigger on-the-fly recording.
The keyboard I tested had an M symbol on the F9 key.
By pressing Fn+F9, you’re able to start recording a macro.
When youre finished, press Fn+F9 again, then press the button you want to save that action to.
Both platforms also handle macro repeating slightly different.
With Logitechs platform, youd have to create two separate macros for this.
However, Razer only makes you choose a repeat option when assigning a macro to a key.
So, you could create a macro to reload a gun.
This gives Razer a bit more flexibility.
Razer also has an option to repeat a macro a specified number of times, which Logitech does not.
This gives Razer another advantage in creating macros.
Lighting and Colors
Are light-up keyboards with customizable color schemes functionally pointless?
Are theybadass?Also, yes.
However, color options vary greatly from product to product.
Understandably, the hardware with the most customization options are also the most expensive.
Just click a color in the color picker, then tap the keys you want to change.
The keyboard updates in real time.
Some devices may come with more limited options.
Logitech also has a feature called lighting zones.
Razer uses a separate app called the Chroma Configurator to customize the lighting scheme of its peripherals.
This makes it a lot more powerful, but also a lot more complex.
If you really want to get fancy, though, you’re free to addlayeredeffects.
If you like colors, though, Razer has a bit more to offer.
On pure color customization power, Razer wins, but both platforms are pretty stellar.
Personally, I think theres a limit to how much color customization I really want to do.
I dont need a rainbow effect that ripples outward from every key I press.
However, for those who like to trick their hardware out, both are pretty awesome.
Fortunately, Logitech and Razer have pretty comparable feature sets.
Its the minor details that can be the determining factor in your preference.
For me, Logitech is the clear choice.
Ultimately, it all comes down to preference and both are awesome options.
