Apple Review » Mice

Razer Imperator

Jack — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:14:55 +0000

The Imperator is a brand new type of mouse for Razer. It is a mouse that has its first priority as comfort. Not ultra speed, awesome lighting and huge DPI (well, it has that as well) but pure ergonomic comfort. Since its earliest mouses, Razer has been the number one choice for gamers, but they all had one problem with them, after hours and hours of use they could become uncomfortable to use, since there designs were not fully ergonomic. So what did Razer do? They put time and money into research of gaming ergonomics and put every single thing they learned into one brand new, exquisite package; the Imperator. And it works. It works phenomenally. This is clearly a mouse aimed at die hard gamers, with consumer centric features such as wireless MIA, but for the gamers, that matters little, as the high sensitivity, tracking speed and acceleration more than makes up for it.

Packaging: Like all Razer products, the Imperator comes well packaged, though not quite as impressive as the Mamba, it still shows the mouse off well and includes plenty of documentation and the like. Once again Razer excels in the packaging department.

Design: This is where the real hard yards were put in from Razer. Similar to its other mice, it features blue lighting and a mix of black sating and glossy finishes, but the real magic is in the feel and comfort of the device. It’s so comfortable to place your hand on and feels perfectly naturally that you will never want to stop gaming, let alone switch mice. It is the small touches that really make this device excel above the others. Things like the movable side buttons are a real testament to how much though and effort went into making this mouse as comfortable and beautiful as any other mouse out there.

Performance: Although I’m not a hardcore gamer, in the little gaming I do, the Imperator was exemplary and the specs really speak for themselves for the hardcore gamers; up to 5600 DPI sensitivity, 200 ips tracking speed and 50 g acceleratin, for those of you who don’t know what those specs mean, this is probably not the mouse for you, for those who do, look no further.

Final Thoughts: This is truly a great gaming mouse, for those after a new, great gaming mouse then this is probably a fantastic choice, but for the non-gamers, there isn’t really a huge amount of appeal other than comfort in this mouse. It is well priced at $80 US and you certainly get what you pay for in this device.

Price: $80 US

Compatibility: Basically, if you’ve got a USB port then it’ll work

Available From: Razerzone.com

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Final Score: 8/10 – A near perfect Gaming Mouse, but lack of appeal to the average-joe lets it down slightly.

Razer Mamba

Jack — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:28:58 +0000

Gaming mice have never really appealed to the mass market. From their harsh and in-your-face styling to their annoying wires, to those who don’t need their ultra fast response time and absurdly high DPI, they are simply unnecessary. Razer realise this, and with it they are pushing the boundaries of gaming mice. Their styling has passed other gamin mice, becoming clean, sharp and overall very attractive, and with one of their latest mice, the Mamba, they’ve got rid of the wires. But in doing this, they have also managed to not alienate their avid fan base of die hard gamers. How? By keeping the ultra fast response time and absurdly high DPI, and, for all those gamers who just can’t bring themselves to not have a wire coming out of their mouse, they have even made it dual function, it can be wired or wireless, your choice.

Packaging: Razer always have gorgeous packaging. But even with this knowledge I was not quite ready for the box that the Mamba arrived in. It’s simply stunning. Razer have truly gone above and beyond what they needed to, showing off their mouse in the most beautiful fashion. I would go as far as to say, this is the best packaging I think I have ever seen. Not just on a mouse, but on anything.

Design: Following the example set by the packaging, the design of both the mouse and it’s charging cradle is really, really impressive. It’s clean lines and clowing LED highlights make it attractive to both mainstream users and total hard core gamers. Once again, full marks to Razer on this one.

Comfort: The Mamba is a large mouse, but feels perfect in your hand. It is contoured where it should be and near perfectly matches the curves and grip of your hand. The smooth rubberised top and thumb grip give it a feeling of luxury in your hand. The left and right click are perfectly tactile, as are the other buttons, all of which are placed within comfortable reach. The scroll ball is maybe slightly to tactile, but that comes down to a matter of taste.

Use: For the gamers out there, the Mamba has all the specs you’d be looking for in a gaming mouse, both in wired and wireless mode. The charging cradle/dock seamlessly charges the Mamba when not in use, as well as acting as the receiver for the wireless signal. All though it would have been nice to have a bluetooth connection, it is simply not possible to send such accurate mouse movements over a bluetooth connection, as well as being an absolute battery hog.

Final Thoughts: So it all looks damn right perfect for the Mamba, until the matter of price comes up. For all this beauty, functionality and performance, you’ll be paying a hefty price; $130 US to be exact. This is not a cheap mouse. But, it is the first of its kind, and an absolute beast of a performer. If you have the kind of budget for a mouse that will allow you to get the Mamba, then for goodness sake do it, you won’t regret it for a second.

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Available From: razerzone.com

Price: $130 US

Compatible: All macs and PCs with a USB Port

Final Score: 9/10 – Near Perfect, if not for the price tag!

Razer Orochi

Jack — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:45:38 +0000

Razer is a brand devoted to gamers. It’s tagline is ‘For Gamers, By Gamers’. But this dedication to gamers needs ends up giving everyone an advantage. The Orochi is no exception. Dubbed as the first and only bluetooth mouse that is usable in gameplay, the orochi fulfils not only gamer’s requirements, but everyone’s. The sleek design will fit in with anyone’s set up, and the small size makes it perfect for on the go. Its ultra-fast response time can be noticed not just by gamers, but by anyone who has used a bluetooth mouse before. Razer does however know the limitations of bluetooth communication, and to counteract this, as well as allow it to be used during air travel, Razer have included a USB cord that can be used instead of the bluetooth communication, resulting in exceptionally fast response time and accuracy.

Packaging: Usually at Apple-Review we don’t mention packaging, but with the Orochi, it’s hard not to. It comes beautifully packaged, with plenty of accessories and documentation. It is a packaging standard that sits among the very few companies (which includes Apple) that truly excel with packaging design.

Design: The orochi is a beautiful mouse. Its sharp lines and the blue glow of the LEDs give it a distinctive gaming look, but not to harshly that it does not work with most set ups. In fact, the attention to detail in the design makes it a perfect compliment to most set-ups (not least of which any Mac set up).

Use: One of the Orochi’s main features is also sadly one of its biggest downfalls. To manage to get it to the size it is (it is small!), Razer have had to sacrifice some of the comfort in its use. Having said that, it is by far and beyond the best portable mouse (comfort-wise) that I have ever used, and even manages to compete with many full sized mice in overall comfort.

Accuracy and Response Time: I’m no gamer, but in casual use (as well as fairly intensive graphic design) the Orochi holds well over bluetooth, and the hard specs over both bluetooth and USB are hard to argue with. It may not satisfy the most hardcore gamer, but for most, including those gamers who are somewhere between hardcore and casual, it excels.

Portability: It is damn small and is thus perfect for the on-the-go gamer. Its bluetooth communication makes it perfect for notebook users, with most modern notebooks being able to handle it totally adapter free.

Compatibility: As you would expect from a modern day mouse, it works faultlessly on a PC and a Mac, however, for wireless capability you will either need inbuilt bluetooth or an adapter of some sort, but for wired use, all you need is a free USB port.

Final Thoughts: The Orochi is a near perfect portable mouse, with next to no flaws. It is also a pretty low $79.99, which while fairly high for a portable mouse, is low for a gaming mouse of such high quality. It is without doubt for me the best portable gaming mouse on the market today and it is without reservation that I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for any sort of portable mouse

Price: $79.99 US

Compatibility: Mac + PC, USB and/or Bluetooth Required

Final Score: 10/10 – Best in Class, Totally Recommended

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