Slashdot Mirror
Razer Develops 1000 DPI Optical Gaming Mouse
gameaxx writes "Back in 2002, Slashdot ran a piece on what the best mouse for precision PC gaming was, and there was a debate over whether the optomechanical Razer Boomslang running at 2000 dpi was the uber gaming mouse, or the optical mice from Logitech or Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 running at 800 dpi were the best precision gaming mice to have. Now, Razer has just announced (PDF link) the upcoming February 2004 release of a ultra-precise 1000 dpi gaming mouse called the Razer Viper. At 1000 dpi, this breaks all the boundaries set by bigwigs like Logitech and Microsoft, whose mice max out at 800 dpi. Whether this settles the optical 800 dpi vs Boomslang optomechanical 2000 dpi debate once and for all with the release of a 1000 dpi gaming mouse remains to be seen until we actually get our hands on it."
With optical mice, the rate at which they scan is also quite important.
Uttering logically derived and empirically supported truths to the disciples of the orthodox establishment.
I have had zero problems playing games with the MX700 mouse. I initially was a little concerned before I got it how it would work, but it is absolutely awesome. Paired it with the cordless elite keyboard and I am completely happy.
I myself use the MX700 on a daily basis, and I'm looking to get the MX900 mouse. Its the exact same 'optical bits' but it uses Bluetooth instead of the 900MHz radio frequency that the MX mouse uses now. The batteries supposedly last 2 weeks now, and with my 2500mAh batteries (instead of the 1700mAh ones that come standard) mine should last about 32% longer than that, which would be about 2 and-a-half weeks. Or thereabouts. I'm not too worried with it, as the recharging time only takes about 45 minutes... and I can use the keyboard shortcuts for that amount of time--easy.
The best part is that the base station (which still includes the recharging bits) is a Bluetooth hub. So you can use to sync your phone or anything else that uses Bluetooth. Headsets, cameras, keyboards, PDA's, etcetera, etcetera.
But back to those mice... There simply too big and flat. Its like trying to mouse with a portable CD player. The ball is also too far back, so that the move that I've seen everyone do at one point or another (flicking the front of the mouse while lifting it off the table) just plain doesn't work at all.
Not to mention that the tiniest piece of dust in the inside of those opto-mechanical bits makes your mouse behave as if it were designed by rhesus monkeys on crack.
And this is not a 5-minute review. I used it for a week, and the hype of "more frags!" was pure bunk. It was a pain in the ass to use in Windows as well. The settings--while you could change them on the fly with a wacky 4-button hotkey--were always too fast for me in windows. I have it fast, but this thing was like my mouse was dipped in Teflon... I sometimes use IceWM, so it was like Teflon on Ice. *rimshot*
So, myself personally (when my rebate check comes from Uncle Sam), I'm going to be buying the following combo for myself. Its time for me to update my desktop keyboard as well, and I hear good things about it so far... not to mention that it looks tons better than the Microsoft USB keyboard I have now... And I like the detached keypad/calculator/media pad. that's a nice touch, I think.
Dinovo media desktop
The Razor Boomslang Mice (I have a 2000 DPI one) were a big deal for first person shooters with a very noticable difference for intermediate to advanced skilled players. Additionally, the shape of the mouse was very unique in that it allowed greater precision control. True, it wasn't for everyone, but speaking for myself, it was a big improvement once you got over the week it took to become accustomed to it. It was also manufactured with very high quality parts, was shipped in a very cool 'cookie tin,' and introduced a brand new mouse technology that I am surprised has not been copied.
This was the 'sensitivity on the fly' adjustment, where you could hold down the side button and use the mouse wheel to adjust sensitivity, and a green meter would super impose on the screen to show you how high you had set it. Very useful for going from apps to games, and for going from standard to sniper-style weapons within games.
It was endoresed by the top ranked FPS player of the time (Thresh). Unfortunatly it went bankrupt, then was again able to sell some mice, and is apparently re-constituted.
I used both this mouse and the MS Intellimouse Explorer Optical Wireless. I would say the wireless was better because it was wireless, but the Boomslang was great because it was more precise (in my hands).
Anyway, if you are not an intense FPS player, yes, this looks like advertisements for garbage. If you are an intense FPS player, this will be a must-have.
Except that both of those statistics do not apply with the mx700. It has a much higher refresh rate, and pixel precision as you so call it, is not an issue, if you are having it on the desktop it is becasue you have your mouse speed up too high. The refresh and higher DPI garauntee that the mouse does not flutter but does not prevent pixel skipping associated with high mouse speeds.
However does the higher DPI mean that one needs more mouse mat "real estate" to use it effectively?
On the contrary; you need much less mat real estate, unless you turn down the mouse "sensitivity" in your games.
Could a similar effect be achieved by simply turning down the mouse sensitivity in the game for a "regular" mouse?
As long as you don't mind moving your mouse really far in order to turn around. The point of a high res mouse is that you get precision without having to move very far, which makes for quite quick, accurate sniping.