MasonGaming.com

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As any soldier will tell you, a reliable weapon is paramount to a successful campaign. The same is true in the world of virtual warfare, where every millisecond and pixel matters – a world where fast and accurate targeting can be the difference between life and death. I realised just how much difference a high resolution gaming mouse could make when I reviewed the Logitech MX518 a little while ago, and now I have what’s widely considered to be the Daddy of gaming mice sitting on my mat – the Razer Diamondback.

Actually the Razer Diamondback has been around for a while, and it was the first 1,600dpi mouse to hit the streets, but after I reviewed the Logitech and Benny looked at the Saitek PC Gaming Mouse, we felt that we had to also assess the Razer. In fact it’s clear that this mouse has been available for a while, since there are quotes from previous reviews plastered on the box. However, whoever it was that chose those quotes really should consider a career outside of marketing. Why? Well, this is what Tom’s Hardware had to say according to the Razer box – “… The mouse’s accuracy is really diabolical…”. Hardly what I’d consider to be a choice quote to sell your product, but each to his own.

Anyway, amusingly inappropriate quotes aside, let’s take a look at the Diamondback. The version I have in front of me is the limited edition Plasma version, which has a very cool blue light that illuminates the scroll wheel. It has to be said that the Diamondback looks great, even better than the Logitech MX518, which I quite frankly adore. The casing has a smoked black finish, but it’s still translucent enough to see the workings and, of course, the blue light inside. Introduction Razer have transformed the gaming mouse market with their several successive mice; each building on the plus points of the last. With speaker systems and headsets; the keyboard was only a matter of time. Today I have the Razer Tarantula which is Razer’s first attempt (bar the Microsoft Reclusa). Specifications Razer Tarantula ™ Technical Specifications 32kb Onboard Memory Powered by Razer Synapse™ Anti-Ghosting Capability Profile switching with ease Keymaps Fully interchangeable keys Macro Keys 10 Gaming Hotkeys The mouse is without doubt the most important weapon in any PC gamer's arsenal, you simply must feel comfortable with it if you're going to stand a chance competitively. There are literally hundreds of so called gaming mice on the market too, find the right mouse for you and your style of play is not that easy, maybe Razer's DeathAdder can make it a bit easier. After the recent trend of using lasers to achieve higher and higher sensitivities, it's perhaps a little surprising to see Razer use infrared in its latest mouse, but then Razer never has been a company that simply follows others. Technical data 1800dpi Razer Precision 3G infrared sensor Ergonomic right-handed design 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response Five independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons On-The-Fly Sensitivity adjustment Always-On mode Ultra-large non-slip buttons 16-bit ultra-wide data path 6400 frames per second (5.8 megapixels per second) Up to 60 inches per second and 15g of acceleration Zero-acoustic Ultraslick Teflon feet Gold-plated USB connector Seven-foot, lightweight, non-tangle cord Approximate size: 128mm (length) x 70mm (width) x 42.5mm (height) Before we get to how well it works we should perhaps briefly mention how the DeathAdder looks, the top section of the mouse is made from a smooth matt finished plastic that for some reason doesn't seem to promote sweaty palms, a bonus in my book. It's also in a single piece with a split running in-line with the mouse wheel to allow the two main buttons to depress, these and indeed all the button sound very much like micro switches. The rest of the device has a high shine black finish. Thumb buttons are large and positioned well, at least for my hand and in general it's a very easy mouse to use. It's extremely comfortable and reminds me very much of my old favourite the Intellimouse Explorer V3, which has of course been re-launched. My only slight gripe here is that it's a little light for my taste, nothing a few G5 style weights wouldn't fix though. However lefties should beware, this mouse was not designed with you in mind. The final design point to note is the lit mouse wheel and the glowing blue Razer logo in the centre of the mouse, granted this logo is under the palm of your hand most of the time whilst gaming but it still managed to annoy the hell out of me. Fortunately it can be switched off in the driver control panel, independently of the mouse wheel light which is good as I actually think that's cool. The driver control panel itself has the familiar 'Borg' like black and green colour scheme that's so common in Razer's packaging and PR materials. As well as having the options to disable annoying glowing logos if you see fit; there's also all the standard sensitivity options you might expect as well as the more advanced button customisation, including macro's and on the fly sensitivity. The tool for selecting the polling rate is also found here, setting the mouse to 1000hz and 1800dpi will give you the most sensitive and accurate mouse I've ever experienced, in fact I'm more than happy with the polling rate set to 500hz. I must also give Razer kudos for updating their drivers often and also the mouse's firmware to fix even tiny little issues. Performance is what this mouse is all about, and boy does it perform. It's taken me quite some time to tweak it to my liking and different surfaces certainly seem to need different settings as you might expect. Of all the half-dozen or so surfaces I have tried it on, I much prefer the way it's large Teflon feet glide on a good old cloth matt, it's sensationally smooth and highly accurate with it. First person shooters are obviously what this mouse was made to excel in, and it does. As with everything else I did with this mouse over the last couple of months, it's an absolute pleasure to use, this thing remains accurate at very high speed and is astonishingly good at making tiny adjustments, something that can make all the difference between winning and losing. That ability to be so accurate and sensitive whilst moving slowly also makes this a great mouse for use in graphics or CAD packages; a nice little bonus if you work on your PC as well as play. Summary Over the years I've gone through a mountain of pointing devices and the main thing that's taught me is that it's worth investing a few extra pounds in a top quality device. If you shop around you'll be able to pick up one of these little beauties for around £40, which might be a lot for a mouse but this is no ordinary mouse. It's very much on a par with the best gaming mice on the planet and some might think it's even a little bit better than most. Personally I'd rate it that little bit higher than the awesome Logitech G5, if we could get the G5's modular weighting system into a DeathAdder we'd have a clear winner but that's the only point in which the Razer loses out, it seems slightly better in every other respect. If you're in the market for a gaming mouse and don't mind paying £40* then picking up a DeathAdder is not a difficult decision, it's highly unlikely to be a decision you'll regret either. The other day some of our acquaintances from CCL came into the TrustedReviews offices. CCL had been kind enough to supply us with the recently reviewed Razor Diamondback Plasma mouse for review and during the conversation the subject of other gaming peripherals that CCL supply cropped up. Two of these I found of particular interest – a Saitek Eclipse keyboard and a Medusa 5.1 Surround Headset. For me, these two items together with the Razor mouse soundedg like three essential gaming items. The Diamondback is a high precision optical mouse that’s perfect for left-handers such as myself, the keyboard with its blue backlight would enable me to play games late at night in the dark as I am wont to do (review coming soon), while the Medusa headset would enable me to play at full volume in surround-sound, without waking the rest of the family up. Naming a headset Medusa does seem unusual but if you know your Greek mythology if makes perfect sense. Medusa was a woman whose hair consisted of many snakes and equally the Medusa headset is many headed as rather than just the normal two drivers, the headphones contain multiple speakers in order to mimic the effect of a 5.1 surround field - two for fronts, two for the back, one for the centre and one for bass effects. The appeal is obvious. It’s not always possible to play with a full-on surround speaker setup and when you switch to a regular set of stereo headphones, you lose that front to back feeling. With its new X-Fi sound card, Creative makes much of the fact that you can obtain a 3D soundfield from a stereo source but not having heard it myself I can’t vouch for its effectiveness. However, our reviewer Paul Weir wasn’t that bowled over by the effect, though as he admitted some are more sensitive to it than others. Speed Link is not a name I’ve was previously familiar (turns out its big in Europe) and not one I’d associate with audio but then again neither is Zalman who also produced a set of 5.1 headphones. I own the Zalmans making me well placed to compare to the Medusas. Firstly, the Medusas are more conventional looking, though that’s not too hard compared to the frankly bizarre looking Zalmans. They’re also more comfortable to wear, thanks to the Medusas having a thick velvety pad around the earphones and a padded headband. The headphones are of a closed back design which helps to increase bass. It also ensures that sounds are kept in so that you don’t disturb others nearby. This makes them ideal for LAN parties, where everyone can play together, but also in their own world, without disturbing each other. To aid portability, the phones fold up into the headband making them that bit more portable. Everglide, old school gamers only. Everglide is one of the world's leading designers and manufacturer of enhanced gaming peripherals since its inception in 1997. Optimizing game play for a wide range of games such as Counter-Strike, Quake and Painkiller. Everglide is also regarded as one of the leading brands in home and office peripherals. First launched in 1997, Everglide revolutionized the mouse pad industry with its acute surfaces and emphasis on durability. This created a paradigm shift in how mouse pads were viewed, particularly within the gaming community. Through the years, Everglide mouse pads have garnered various awards and accolades and have been highly accredited by gaming magazines and websites. Because most of the kind of gear that we gamers truly love seems to be obsolete every couple of months, it's easy for most of us to overlook that some of our toys can actually wear out. Usually, this is something simple like a mouse pad or a favorite set of headphones. Even though they may not have all the latest technology, these sorts of items can really make or break your overall experience. Since we are always on the lookout for this stuff, we where very please that Everglide offered us their latest headphones for a spin around the gaming scene. Everglide s-500 Professional Gaming Headphones As the audio in PC games gets more advanced, the demand for high quality sound gear increases along with it. Everglide, known more for their line of mice and mouse pads, has come out with a set of headphones, the s-500 Professional Gaming Headphones, which are optimized for the best gaming experience. Each Everglide product is an epitome of pride and excellence, designed and engineered to enhance the quality of true gaming experience. Everglide will continue to develop products in collaboration with top technology providers as well as some of the best gamers of the world today. Technical Specifications Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20,000Hz Transducer: Dynamic Nominal Impedance: 16Ohm Max Sound Pressure SPL): 102dB Max Power Rating: 100mW Weight (w/o cable): 360g Cable Length: Total of 3.1m Available Color: Carbon Black, White Oh, one thing you should keep in mind, the Everglide s-500 Professional Gaming Headphones are designed almost exclusively for PC use, making them somewhat unique among high-end headphones. The design features lots of durable padding on the headband and ear cups, as well as a 3.1m (10 foot) cord terminated with a 3.5mm stereo jack. The Everglide s-500 Professional Gaming Headphones feature proprietary gaming technologies that optimize your audio experience. Features Optimal Noise Isolation Ultra-light Membrane for Instantaneous Audio Response Enhance Audio Positioning and Gaming Frequency Designed for Comfort and Extended Wear These headphones promise to help you improve your game by accentuating key gaming sound frequencies. The point that should strike you when looking at the specifications is the frequency response; these headphones cover the entire range of human hearing. These numbers indicate the headphones should be capable of achieving noticeable lows while still reaching musical highs. A company like Everglide, is creating peripherals to help each of us strive to be the very best gamer we can be. Gamers are willing to spend much of their hard earned money on gaming equipment. This gives the companies gamers hardware shop. super store for esports and competitive gaming. only the best products for the best prices.