Razer DeathAdder 3G Infrared Gaming Mouse
by Razer
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Razer DeathAdder 3G Infrared Gaming Mouse
Customer Review: Nice mouse, slightly problematic install
Summary: 4 Stars
UPDATE, 4/18/2009: After nearly two years, my DeathAdder has been experiencing problems. The finish is starting to come off of the top of the mouse, and the left mouse button is intermittently cutting in and out such that if I try to click and drag anything, it stops halfway through. Thankfully, the warranty is two years and I will most likely be getting a replacement. However, before you read the glowing review below, keep in mind that you may suffer issues in the long term.
I'm a gamer, but loathe PC-based first-person shooters. So one might think this mouse overkill for someone like me. However, I splurged on this mouse anyhow thinking it might come in handy elsewhere, be it in Warcraft 3 or just a web browser.
The first thing you notice right after you plug it in is that it looks cool. The scroll wheel is a bright blue, and the Razer logo gives off a soft blue pulsing glow. However, you can turn the lights off in software if this isn't your thing, which is a nice plus...
...once you can get the software to work. I'm not an inexperienced computer user by any means, but simply following the directions included in the package resulted in the mouse software claiming that the DeathAdder was not connected when it clearly was. All I had to do was go to the Razer website, download driver version 1.05, uninstall version 1.03 (which required a reboot), install 1.05 (another reboot), and it worked just fine. It was merely annoying, but certainly worth noting.
With that out of the way I've found the mouse extremely comfortable (though unfortunately it's ever-so-slightly curved to one side, which means southpaws need not apply) and very, VERY responsive. It never skips, jumps, or glitches. The buttons are easy to click but not so easy as to cause mis-clicks, especially the two buttons on the left side, which are a bit sturdier. The mouse comes with a decently long cord with a gold-plated USB connection too; having used wireless mice I must say I prefer this setup to changing batteries, rechargeable or no.
When I first considered buying, I was stuck between this and the Microsoft Habu, mostly because the latter has two additional buttons and a left-to-right tilt wheel. I've tried both, and I must say this is clearly superior, not just in price point but comfort as well. You don't really need the two extra buttons unless you plan on switching the DPI a lot, and according to ESReality's Mousescore 2007 the mouse performs far better in 1800 DPI than 900 or 450, so it's probably better to stick to the highest DPI and change the sensitivity instead. I can't say I miss the left-right tilt wheel either, since the scroll button's click function is a universal scroll in web browsers, and that's just as good if not better.
$45 seems a bit expensive for a mouse, but even for non-gamers, consider how much you use it - it's probably 99% of all user input to your computer, so why not splurge a little on an excellent mouse? Razer is also apparently moving into mice/keyboards/etc. with a general computer usage focus, so those non-gamers out there should check out other Razer products as well.
Customer Review: Best shaped mouse around!
Summary: 5 Stars
A gaming mouse (high dpi laser and wired rather than wireless) has a quickness and consistency that wireless laser mice just cannot match. I have owned a number of gaming mice over the years and while I have liked them all, I think this one is the very best so far.
The most important issue here is the shape of the mouse. The top (left and right) buttons of this mouse are a continuous part of its top surface rather than being separate buttons like on the Diamondhead or the Copperhead. For me, this is important because it makes the mouse feel much smoother when my hand rests on it. As a result, my hand rests more naturally on this mouse than any other.
Another important issue is the carefully thought-out shape of the basic right and left buttons on this mouse. Note that these buttons have a subtle up-and-out curvature that allows one's fingers to rest more naturally and to click faster and with greater precision than with the uniformly downwardly curved (or convex) buttons on mice made by manufacturers like, say, Logitech.
Previously, I liked the shape of the Microsoft 6000 gaming mouse (not to be confused with the ubiquitous Microsoft 6000 wireless mouse) the best. But the shape of this mouse is clearly better.
Many gamers do like the Logitech mice, but I have always felt that the curvature and shape the G5 and MX518 mice is a bit off. The problem is that the fingers do not rest as naturally relaxed and yet poised on a downwardly curved surface as they do on a surface with a slight and subtle upturn at the front edge of the basic right and left buttons.
Speed and control:
This mouse is extremely precise and it is easy to adjust its sensitivity with the proper drivers.
Vista Drivers must be downloaded:
My operating system is Vista Premium Home. While the print on the box that the mouse came in proclaimed that this mouse was Vista ready, it turned out that there were no Vista drivers on the CD ,so I had to download drivers from the manufacturers support site. This proved fairly easy though so I do not consider this a serious issue.
Adjustable Lights and the Look:
I do not like the purple lights on the wheel and on the logo that are always shown in the pictures of the Razer mice. Accordingly, I was delighted to realize that turning these lights off is a simple matter of clicking on two buttons in the driver setting panel. Once the lights have been turned off the mouse looks much plainer (and much better too in my opinion).
Customer Review: Didn't like it in comparison to the Copperhead.
Summary: 2 Stars
I know I will be heavily criticized for this review since most on here are positive but I'm just relaying my honest opinions as objectively as possible here.
I owned a Copperhead before I bought this mouse so the weight, thickness and the flatness of the Deathadder were a pretty big difference. This mouse isn't half as nimble as the copperhead because the copperhead has angled edges that allow you to rotate your wrist just slightly when you move the mouse from side to side. It allows you to move the mouse much quicker because you don't have to lift it off the mat at a totally straight angle. You can't do that with the Deathadder because it doesn't have angled edges that taper upwards like the Copperhead. It feels very stiff and slow in comparison.
The tracking also seemed weird to me. There's talk about positive acceleration problems on the razer forums so I think this might have been the reason for it. Basically the mouse felt as though I was moving it through some sort of sludge like there was some weird resistance to the movements. I spent a couple of days tweaking different settings but just couldn't find any that worked for me. The tracking just feels less precise to me than the copperhead.
Problems with the ergonomics: The hump in the back is too highly angled. The wheel in the center is very high up in comparison to the notches in the left and right buttons. The first thumb button is in a very weird position that requires you to stretch your thumb to reach it. Truthfully though I returned this mouse because the tracking just didn't feel right to me. I probably could have lived with the ergonomics otherwise but the tracking just felt off to me no matter how much I tweaked with it.
My hands are about average size but this didn't work for me at all after using a copperhead. I use an icemat and I'm somewhat anal retentive when it comes to having a clean sensitive tracking surface for my mouse (i've bought so many replacement feet for this mouse and have tried several different mousepads). The tracking on the copperhead seems more accurate to me as well at medium sensitivity. The copperhead just feels more comfortable/natural to me and definitely helps with my gaming. Maybe if I'd never used a copperhead I would appreciate the Deathadder more but as it stands I prefer the design of the copperhead even though it's not meant to be an ergonomic mouse.
Customer Review: Quake Tested
Summary: 4 Stars
A substantial deathadder review can be found on esreality.com. The reviewer Sujoy Roy uses a quantitative approach. An old vinyl turntable "plays" a mousepad underneath the stationary deathadder while Sujoy compares the reported movement speed of the device with the actual rotational speed. He then doodles up some graphs showcasing the deathadder's marvelously linear response. I think this was mentioned in passing by J. Harvey in his review a couple months ago, but here's a link anyway:
http://www.esreality.com/?a=post&id=1300293
I've been using this mouse for a couple months on an Allsop Raindrop XL mousepad. I use Windows XP with the Razer provided drivers and latest mouse firmware from Razer. It's configured for 1800 DPI and 500 Hz USB samplerate.
I play Quake 3, Enemy Territory, and FEAR Combat with the deathadder. It feels significantly more precise and lighter-weight than my old Logitech MX500. I can't detect any negative acceleration once the game settings for each title are correctly configured. (exception: ET can't use directinput, and without DI, the razer's 1800 DPI overwhelm ET's capacity for mouse tracking in a single frame, resulting in negative acceleration. I use anir's diforce tool to wrap ET's mouse handling routines with directinput and circumvent the problem. At any rate this is not the fault of the Razer per se).
I also haven't had any issues with either liftoff distance or the sensor housing dragging on my mousepad.
The deathadder has two different types of grip surfaces. The palm and mouse1 and mouse2 fingers rest atop the mouse. This area has a soft matte finish that offers just enough friction to keep my palm from sliding down the back of the mouse. The sides of the mouse, where the thumb, pinky, and possibly ring finger grip the mouse, are made of higher-friction shiny plastic. I find myself frequently cleaning this plastic surface since it seems to catch any bits of finger grime and sweat that I deposit. It becomes slippery faster than the matte top if my hand gets very sweaty, but otherwise performs well.
The DA feels pretty close to my size -- maybe slightly too small. My right (mouse) hand measures 8 in. pinky tip to thumb tip at full spread, 7.5 in. palm base to middle finger tip.
Customer Review: In love with this mouse, even after coming from Logitech
Summary: 5 Stars
I had been using the Logitech G9 mouse for about a year when I started thinking about getting a new mouse. I spent about 1-2 months browsing Amazon and looking at all the different gaming-grade mice, and reading reviews, their specifications and asking friends about the mice they use.
I'm really heavy into gaming, specifically World of Warcraft and Left 4 Dead at the moment. I'm also a software developer, so I need a mouse that is comfortable to use all day long. I also need the mouse to not be so crazy fast that I can't use it, but fast/precise enough that I won't skip a beat during those fun fragfest moments in Left 4 Dead, or in WoW.
I finally settled on purchasing this mouse, since I also own a Razer eXactMat (which I love). I must say I am incredibly impressed with this mouse.
It has an incredibly natural feel in my hand (my hands are not very big.) The hand covers most of the mouse, and rests very comfortably on top of it. My thumb naturally fits right underneath the side mouse buttons (Mouse 4/5) and I've never accidentally clicked them. You have to move your thumb ever so slightly up to click them.
The mouse itself feels very light and easy to move around the mat. There is no option to add in extra weight, but I did not find it necessary. It glides across the mat with ease and never skips around the screen. It's also always ready to move. There is no risk of that initial "wakeup" lag, like in some wireless mice.
Visually I really like the way the logo glows. It lights up and off very slowly. Looks very cool for when I game at night.
I wish the mouse had the "free scroll" like Logitech mice do, but it's not something I really miss. If I ever have to scroll tons of pages, I simply move the scroll bar, or use PageDown or PageUp keys.
I was very worried about moving to a non-Logitech mouse, because I've been using them since the beginning of time it feels like. But honestly I am very happy with this mouse and would recommend it to anyone!