Gaming

Faster Than Fast – Razer Mamba Review

May 14th, 2009 at 7:48 pm by Matt Schuler under Entertainment
The Razer Mamba, free from wires, ready to strike (image courtesy Razer)

The Razer Mamba, free from wires, ready to strike (image courtesy Razer)

I’ve been wanting to test out the Razer Mamba since I first saw reports of it at CES.  I love my Razer Lachesis, but the Razer Mamba outpaces it at every step.  The Mamba sets a new standard for wireless gaming-grade mice, in my opinion its better than its direct competitor, the Sidewinder X8.  I glowed about the X8 when I wrote the review in May, and I still like it, but I like the Mamba more.

You may remember I recently had some questions answered about the Mamba from Razer President Robert Krakoff.  I asked him why the Mamba was going to be better than the X8.  His response “That question can be best answered by a side-by-side independent comparison of these two mice. Response times, precision and accuracy, comfort over long hours of competition, battery life and recharging functions will all vary. IMO these two mice are night and day based on personal usage and experience.”

Now there one thing I prefer on the X8 that I wish was on the Mamba and I’ll get to that in a moment, but in terms of gameplay and speed one thing is certain: The Mamba stands alone because it’s faster than fast. (more…)


A Smaller Sidewinder with a Smaller Price

April 17th, 2009 at 8:15 pm by Matt Schuler under Entertainment
The Sidewinder X3, a 2000 DPI mid-range gaming mouse.

The Sidewinder X3, a 2000 DPI mid-range gaming mouse. (image courtesy: Microsoft) Click to enlarge.

Microsoft is Sidewinder series has a nice compliment of mice and keyboards, now it’s getting another.  The X5 is a wired gaming mouse; the X8 is a wireless gaming mouse and the X6 is a gaming keyboard.  Those products carry a higher price tag than what some gameres may be interested in paying.

Enter the Sidewinder X3, a wired gaming mouse that retails at $39.95.  The X3 will have a 2000 DPI laser, half the X8’s 4000 rating.

The X3 will have five programmable buttons and will be ambidextrous.  Lefties will cheer its design, while righties will wish that they still had two thumb buttons.  That fifth button is now on the opposite side of the mouse.

The mouse will have macro recording just like the X8, and will also have the added function of doing a ‘quick turn.’  Microsoft’s release says the ‘quick turn’ is “built into the software and lets gamers check their perimeter from wherever they are in the game with the click of a button.”  It should be an interesting feature for FPS gamers.

The Microsoft release makes no mention of having BlueTrack technology, that could be in an effort to keep its MSRP down.

You should be able to pick one up starting in May.


Cut The Wire, Keep The Performance

March 19th, 2009 at 3:45 pm by Matt Schuler under Entertainment

Log on to a FPS server and say you’re using a wireless mouse.  Then disconnect out of shame from the thumping you just took from the people online.  The internet can be a cruel place, especially for gamers who don’t want a cord running from their mouse to the back of their PC case.

The Microsoft Sidewinder X8 is a gaming mouse that’s attempting to change the way gamers think about wireless mice.  It combines all of the key gaming features into a wireless package, that I feel succeeds in a big meaningful way.  This mouse dishes out a ton of awesome (and yes I know that’s not really a noun).

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Loud, Clear and Comfortable Headphones

February 27th, 2009 at 9:18 pm by Matt Schuler under Entertainment

Loud, Clear and Comfortable – SteelSeries Siberia Neckband Headphones Review

When you’re gaming, it’s important to know where your enemies are coming from, but you’re not always going to be able to see them coming at you.

That’s when it helps to have a good audio setup to let you know when a spy is trying to sneak up behind you, or a hunter is about to pounce.

Gamers can debate if they’d like a surround sound setup or would rather game with a pair of headphones, but for this review I’ll focus on the very loud and very clear SteelSeries Siberia Neckband.

SteelSeries)

It's good to hear your enemies, the SteelSeries Siberia Neckband helps you with that. (Image courtesy: SteelSeries)

Read on for the full review.

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A Few Good Mice: Razer Lachesis Review

January 8th, 2009 at 2:03 pm by Matt Schuler under Entertainment

When you’re gaming on a PC or a Mac sometimes a good peripheral can make all the difference. When you point your cursor somewhere, you want to make sure you hit your target and not your teammate.

I’ve almost exclusively purchased Logitech mice in recent years, but now I can say I may not go back.

Read on for my review of the Razer Lachesis.

The Razer Lachesis provides precise movement.

The Razer Lachesis provides precise movements.

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