[axi0m]

Welcome to axi0m's Armory where I'll be testing and reviewing the latest and greatest RL loot to aid you in your quest to slay the baddies. Today I'll be reviewing the Razer Naga a sweet little gem brought to you by... well... Razer. While this isn't the only MMO focused mouse on the market, it is one of the most popular with its primary competition being the Steelseries World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse.

Overview:

The Razer Naga is a mouse designed with MMOs in mind. What do I mean by that you ask? Well on your typical "gaming" mouse the button scheme tends to be a lot more reserved and relatively minimalistic. Take the Logitech G5 for example; you have your standard middle mouse wheel, left and right click, a mouse 4 button, and a feature many "gaming" mice have to adjust your DPI(Sensitivity) on the fly. Definitely designed more around twitch gaming and FPS. The Razer Naga takes the old concept of gaming mice and throws it right out the window. On this mouse you have the staple left/right/middle mouse buttons, there is a mouse 4 and mouse 5 situated right at pointer finger length. Here's where the craziness comes in though, on the left hand side right where the thumb normally rests you have a 3x4 section of 12 buttons which can be configured in numerous ways using bar mods. There is a button on the bottom that switches their layout to bind to numpad or to your primary numbers across the top of your keyboard as well.

Another cool thing about this mouse is that while it doesn't have the in game integration that the Steelseries mouse has, it does have a UI designed for it by the guys over at Razer. The add-on itself is built off of Dominos and has a lot of settings unique to the Naga. Bindings by default on all the bars are set for 1 through = and an entire bar can have it's modifier (Shift, Alt, etc) changed by just a couple clicks.

Aside from the in game UI there is also a software package which allows for some finer tuning of the mouse. The DPI scale can be adjusted anywhere from 100 to 5600 with the default being 1800. The software also allows for all of your other typical features, binding what each primary key does within Windows(Full OSX software is coming soon), also adjusting acceleration and polling rates. The software also allows for the creation of profiles so you can adjust settings on the fly based on the game you're playing or if you want to use a higher DPI when gaming and a lower one for normal use.

The mouse also comes with little sticky bumps and a usage recommendation guide for them. The purpose of the trainer bumps is to help you adjust to the positioning of the buttons on the mouse. I typically hover my thumb over "5" and I had the bumps on the 4/5/6 and 10/11/12 rows since that's what seemed to work best for helping me to adjust.

Review:

After un-boxing it I had the software and driver package installed within ~5 minutes. Install was simple and straight forward, updating the firmware was kind of annoying because my case is huge and you've gotta unplug it then hold Left, Right and Middle down while plugging it back in to boot into the firmware update mode of the mouse.

The feel of this thing is absolutely incredible, it took some getting used to given the switch from the WoW Steelseries beast, to this smaller more reserved shape. It glides across my mousepad effortlessly and has very good balance and weight compared to the Steelseries mouse. I used to play FPS (Counter-Strike specifically) competitively so it's something I tend to pick up on and appreciate greatly.

Razer states that on average it takes around 18 hours of game play to become fully acclimated with the mouse. Being highly impatient I decided to jump into that nights raid going gung-ho with the mouse to see if the claims were true. Being as that I'm one of my guild's main tanks the first thing I noticed was a definite increase in mobility, by forcing all the bindings over to the mouse I had free reign over utilizing the strafe buttons as well as WASD for much better movement and positioning for whatever mob I was tanking at the time, kiting oozes on Rotface had never been easier. I was even able to reinvent the way I use WASD since I didn't have to worry about having at least one finger free for hitting my bindings.

One of the greatest advantages that I've seen however over my 3 week span of testing the mouse has been quicker reaction times and less "oops wrong button" instances. Having everything in a small area where I can quite literally hit 4-5 different bindings without even moving my thumb has definitely helped to lower my error rate to virtually 0%. This also allows for the usage of many more modifiers on bindings as well. Realistically based on the length of your fingers you typically never use 7 through = for any normal use keys. Most people I've talked to normally put their primary attacks on 1 through 6 and use modifiers out the wazoo to keep all their abilities easily within reach, that definitely isn't the case here. No more crazy contortionist positioning of the fingers to hit your Shift+Alt+6 modifier to use a potion, now you can hover two fingers over shift and alt while having full control over WASD and just tilt your thumb accordingly to hit the binding of your choice. Hitting that speed pot binding you have set at Shfit + Alt + = can be hit just as easily as hitting 1, 2, or 3. Much like the claims made by Razer it did take roughly 18 hours of gameplay to become fully adjusted to it, and 3 weeks later I'm still seeing slight increases in mobility and reaction time.


Final thoughts:

Overall this mouse has everything an MMO player would want, great feel, great weight, and tons of easily programmable buttons.

Pros:

• Good Balance.
  
• Good Weight.
  
• Comfortable fit for most size hands.
  
• Has its own UI.
  
• Compatible with other bar mods including WoW default.
  
• Great customer support through forums and guides on the official site.
  
• Cool flashy lights.
  

Cons:

• Firmware updating is a bit tricky.
  
• The "trainer" bumps you can stick on tend to fall off quickly.
  
• Mouse 4 and Mouse 5 buttons are in a somewhat awkward position unless you have a long pointer finger.
  
• The color of the cool flashy lights can't be changed.
  

Overall I give this mouse a 4.8 out of 5.

[Baerock]

One suggestion - upgrade to Roccat Kone and you're good to go

http://www.roccat.or...ce/ROCCAT-Kone/

[Runes_467090]

From someone who has this, the fact that the buttons cannot be freely bound is a bit annoying. Having to use the numpad keys* wouldn't be a problem for most people, but it can be for some laptops that overlay the numpad on the other keys. Being able to bind the buttons would just be a good thing in general, and it seems like a simple enough feature to wonder why they didn't put it in.

The large amount of buttons are nice and it is still a good mouse, but it's a bit disappointing and confusing that the buttons can't be bound. It would be nice if they were able to come out with an update that allowed it.


*I'm using the mouse buttons as extra buttons in addition to hitting the 1-6 etc normally, so using the 1-12 instead of the numpad 1-12 wouldn't make much sense

[pwndis]

Wow Baerock did you even read the article. 'Upgrading' to the Kone would actually be a downgrade.

[Dch1948]

Way too many buttons for me. I'd never get them right. As it is, I've moved my main actions from the number buttons to the bottom row of letters on my keyboard. They're much easier to reach there and I don't need the functions that z-n normally do anyway. I don't have a num pad but wouldn't use one if I did since my right hand has to remain free for the mouse. I don't use the movement keys either except to back up, I just press both mouse buttons and steer that way. It's much faster and more precise. I really don't see a need for a special gaming mouse.

This post has been edited by Dch1948: 21 March 2010 - 02:56 AM

[Hunter_Killers]

I tried using the Steelseries mouse a while ago, I just couldn't get used to having buttons where my thumb goes to hold onto the mouse.

Maybe I just need a better surface than an old arborite desk.

[Baerock]

pwndis, on 21 March 2010 - 01:37 AM, said:

Wow Baerock did you even read the article. 'Upgrading' to the Kone would actually be a downgrade.

I respect those wanting to adapt to this new mouse they've made. I just don't see the need of it myself, and i've played as a previous tank as well from Vanilla to Wrath. I rerolled Shaman pretty much at the start of Wrath.


To the writer - good to see you've found what you were seeking, and great article.

This post has been edited by Baerock: 21 March 2010 - 05:40 AM

[Xendrie]

Runes_467090, on 21 March 2010 - 07:35 AM, said:

From someone who has this, the fact that the buttons cannot be freely bound is a bit annoying. Having to use the numpad keys* wouldn't be a problem for most people, but it can be for some laptops that overlay the numpad on the other keys. Being able to bind the buttons would just be a good thing in general, and it seems like a simple enough feature to wonder why they didn't put it in.

The large amount of buttons are nice and it is still a good mouse, but it's a bit disappointing and confusing that the buttons can't be bound. It would be nice if they were able to come out with an update that allowed it.


*I'm using the mouse buttons as extra buttons in addition to hitting the 1-6 etc normally, so using the 1-12 instead of the numpad 1-12 wouldn't make much sense

not sure what you mean here. do you mean you want the mouse to have its own 12 buttons aside from the keyboard or do you complain that all the keys are bound to numpad only?

cus i have my buttons like 1 = page dn, 2 = page up, 3 = f8, 4 = f9

etc etc.

so it can be bound "freely" in the point of at least choosing which buttons on the keyboard you want binded.

[Runes_467090]

Xendrie, on 21 March 2010 - 05:39 AM, said:

not sure what you mean here. do you mean you want the mouse to have its own 12 buttons aside from the keyboard or do you complain that all the keys are bound to numpad only?

cus i have my buttons like 1 = page dn, 2 = page up, 3 = f8, 4 = f9

etc etc.

so it can be bound "freely" in the point of at least choosing which buttons on the keyboard you want binded.

That they are all on numpad or 1-12 instead of being able to be bound, or at least that's what I found.

Are you using the Naga? I got the mouse when it first came out and spent a large sum of time trying to figure out how to bind its buttons to various keys on the keyboard (like the page dn etc that you were speaking of) that weren't 1-12 or numpad 1-12. With a laptop that essentially doesn't have a numpad, it would be nice to be able to bind the buttons to something like control 1-12 or shift 1-12. I would also find it nice to be able to bind a modifier key to one of the buttons so it can be more easily pressed than it's position on the keyboard, but that's more of a preference thing.

It would be a delightful surprise if I had missed something or there was a new update that allowed the buttons to be bound.

[axi0m]

You can. I have ctrl alt and shift 1-12 bound.

[kakakia456]

I bought this mouse during Christmas vacations. I would like to add some more Pros and Cons to this mouse.

Pros:

• Long Connecting cable
  
• Perfect Rolling button usage
  
• Helping A LOT playing online games
  
• You have 2 options. either use of the 1-0 and - = above letters on keyboard, or the number keypad on the right, same keys 1-0 and . +

Cons:

• Updating is easy but only causes more problems.
  
• Sometimes the pointer stucks moving left-right or up-down. What i mean is that suddenly for no reason the pointer stops moving 2D. it travels only in 1 dimension. After some seconds it goes back to normal, but sometimes this can cause you problems in game.(this might be a problem caused by the individual sensitivities option that u can put a set dpi for moving left-right and a fixed dpi for moving up-down. It seems it kinda needs some work)
  
• Sometimes the pointer hangs in games and you cannot click anything. To unstuck it you have to Alt+Tab to desktop and back to your game.(Still hasnt been fixed)
  
• The lights cause heat to your hand (Annoying for cold countries)
  
• For optical mouse without "red light" laser underneath, it doesnt respond to movement if u lift it half a centimeter. This can cause problems to people with very low sensitivity

If i had the chance, i would go back to my MX-518 Logitech mouse. Personal opinion though.

This post has been edited by kakakia456: 21 March 2010 - 05:57 PM

[Xendrie]

Runes_467090, on 21 March 2010 - 07:57 PM, said:

Are you using the Naga? It would be a delightful surprise if I had missed something or there was a new update that allowed the buttons to be bound.

yes i use the naga.

as you can see on this screen shot i just took, if you enter the section where you got all 12 buttons you can click each button separately, then you will get a long list to choose from. In this list you can pick the option "single key" and at that point you get asked to which key on the keyboard you want it bind.

and after that its just to assign buttons after how you have it bind in wow.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2j2sxgh.jpg

[rhorle]

That is one of the things I don't like about mice with special buttons, having to assign keyboard keys instead of having games recognize as mouse button. I have a standard logitech mouse with a tilt wheel and I'd love to be able to just start up wow and assign the tilt left to a certain action.

I understand that you can assign it to key combination you would never ever ever use, but it would just be nice if the software kept up with the technology instead of having to "hack" the software to get it to work. I had the tilt left assigned to some keys but kept hitting while not in wow and getting numbers and stuff where I didn't want it, and having to switch profiles is cumbersome sometimes when you forget. (Even if it has easy switch capabilities directly on the mouse).

This post has been edited by rhorle: 21 March 2010 - 06:17 PM

[Mitear]

axi0m, on 20 March 2010 - 08:24 PM, said:

Cons:

• The "trainer" bumps you can stick on tend to fall off quickly.

^
This!

Where can I order more? I'm all out...

[Runes_467090]

Xendrie, on 21 March 2010 - 05:53 PM, said:

yes i use the naga.

as you can see on this screen shot i just took, if you enter the section where you got all 12 buttons you can click each button separately, then you will get a long list to choose from. In this list you can pick the option "single key" and at that point you get asked to which key on the keyboard you want it bind.

and after that its just to assign buttons after how you have it bind in wow.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2j2sxgh.jpg

Thank you so much!

This honestly ups my opinion of the mouse from about a 5/10 to 10/10.

Thanks again for the help!

[axi0m]

kakakia456, on 22 March 2010 - 01:53 AM, said:

I bought this mouse during Christmas vacations. I would like to add some more Pros and Cons to this mouse.


Cons:

• Updating is easy but only causes more problems.
  
• Sometimes the pointer stucks moving left-right or up-down. What i mean is that suddenly for no reason the pointer stops moving 2D. it travels only in 1 dimension. After some seconds it goes back to normal, but sometimes this can cause you problems in game.(this might be a problem caused by the individual sensitivities option that u can put a set dpi for moving left-right and a fixed dpi for moving up-down. It seems it kinda needs some work)
  
• Sometimes the pointer hangs in games and you cannot click anything. To unstuck it you have to Alt+Tab to desktop and back to your game.(Still hasnt been fixed)
  
• The lights cause heat to your hand (Annoying for cold countries)
  
• For optical mouse without "red light" laser underneath, it doesnt respond to movement if u lift it half a centimeter. This can cause problems to people with very low sensitivity

If i had the chance, i would go back to my MX-518 Logitech mouse. Personal opinion though.

A lot of those seem to be issues with you just getting a bad mouse, I haven't experienced the hanging while alt + tabbing. I also lifted the mouse just now about half an inch and still had tracking. I also haven't had the axis lock like you have. I think there's another underlying issue there.

[kakakia456]

axi0m, on 22 March 2010 - 06:57 AM, said:

A lot of those seem to be issues with you just getting a bad mouse, I haven't experienced the hanging while alt + tabbing. I also lifted the mouse just now about half an inch and still had tracking. I also haven't had the axis lock like you have. I think there's another underlying issue there.

Do a google search and you'll see that lots of people have those issues. Also, those problems are on their "to do" list. Their updating though is too slow to a point that's getting annoying. 1 version every 2 months.

[Svavha]

I bought the mouse based on the review, and the fact that my old MX518 had just died (god I loved that mouse R.I.P.).

I absolutely love it, at first I thought you couldn't bind keys or anything else than the numeric values to the buttons, but you can bind absolutely anything especially if you make a macro in the mouse program that comes with the drivers.

I only have one gripe, and that's that the Razernaga addon for wow unbinds my ctrl 1 and 2 keys for some reason, everytime I relog. This is pretty annoying, especially since I disconnect sometimes and then I obviously don't have time to find the bind in wow, and reset them to the correct things.

Anyone else have an issue with that?

Other than that and the awkward 4/5 keys on the left, it's pure awesome.

Edit:
Nevermind, found out what the problem was.
Razernaga has its own binds that interfere with current binds, you can change them under the addon options. 9/10 for the mouse imo, with the only problem being the corner buttons.

This post has been edited by Svavha: 23 March 2010 - 10:46 AM