Razer DeathAdder 1800dpi Mouse for Mac Review

Apple users are the most hardened group of gamers on the planet.  There are so many games available for the Mac platform that you just can’t count them all.  They have such hits as World of Warcraft, Warcraft 3, Black and White 2… um…. well, they have a bunch of solitaire and board games, that’s for sure.

Regardless of the amount of games for the Mac (or lack thereof), Razer thinks there are more Mac users than Southpaws (Razer doesn’t make any left-handed mice), because they have released the DeathAdder Gaming Mouse for the Mac.  Fortunately, this mouse also works with the PC, so it could be a good mouse for those that own both platforms.

 

The Razer DeathAdder™ gaming mouse is the world’s first 3G infrared sensor gaming mouse. This ultimate gaming mouse with ergonomic right-handed design provides maximum comfort during intensive gameplay, and will send enemies scurrying for cover.

1800dpi 3G Infrared Sensor
The 3G infrared sensor in the Razer DeathAdder™ enables movement speeds at 2.25 times faster when compared to a standard 800dpi optical sensor. Before the enemy sees you, he’s been fragged. *Please note that Infrared is invisible to the naked eye.

 

Ergonomic Right-Handed Design
An ergonomic right-handed design provides optimum comfort for intensive and extended gameplay.

1000Hz Ultrapolling™
A response time of 1ms, as compared to that of 125Hz / 8ms found in conventional gaming mice, gives you the competitive edge over your opponents.

Technical Specifications

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) 60–120 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)

System Requirements

• Mac/PC with USB port
• Mac OS X (v10.4 and above) or Windows XP/x64/Vista/Vista64
• Internet connection (for driver installation)
• CD-ROM drive
• 35MB free hard disk space

As far as this mouse is concerned, it is practically identical to the PC version of the Razer DeathAdder.  The only real hardware difference is the firmware of the mouse, which allows the mouse to be recognized by Apple computers (assuming you have OS X).  The mouse is completely black, but the top part of the mouse has a nice matte finish, and the underside and sides of the mouse use a shiny black plastic.  The  large white scroll wheel is notched and sits right in the center between the left and right mouse buttons.  On the left side of the mouse are two thumb buttons (typically used for Forward and Back on the PC).  The underside of the mouse has the 3G laser sensor and a small recessed button to switch your gaming mode.

The mouse comes with a plethora of stuff, too.  Included with the mouse are several Razer stickers, a quick-start guide, a driver CD, and several other pieces of Razer Flair.

Installation of the mouse on a mac is fairly straightforward.  Just like on the PC, it is immediately recognized and ready to use as soon as you plug it in.  You really only need to install the software to use the extra functions of the mouse.  The white LEDs underneath the scroll wheel illuminate, as do the LEDs under Razer’s Snake logo on the body of the mouse.  By default, the Snake logo fades in and out, but can be changed to be on all the time.

 

The mouse can have several different profiles, each with their own button assignments and dpi, which can be changed using the button on the bottom of the mouse, or within Razer’s software. As with the PC version, there are no visual indicators on the mouse to communicate what mode the mouse is in.

You may have some issues in some Apple programs, because most Apple software was never intended to use these many buttons.  For example, by default the Forward or Backward buttons won’t work in Safari, but you can create macros to emulate keyboard commands (Command Left and Command Right).  So, there can be a lot of setup involved if you need the mouse to do a lot of different office tasks.

Razer’s software is almost identical to the PC’s, which makes the DeathAdder one of the more flexible choices for the Mac platform.  The main software window lists button assignments for the mouse (left button, right button, wheel button, and two thumb buttons).  By default they are Click, Menu, On-the-Fly Sensitivity, Dashboard, and Expose.    The bottom part of the window allows you to choose between several USB polling rates (125Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz), and 3 different DPI settings (450, 900, and 1800).  You can save or load settings into one of five banks.

 

You can also expand tabs which allow you to modify the mouse’s sensitiviey, X-Axis and Y-Axis.  You can also change how responsive the Double-Click and scroll speed is.  There is also an option for the monitor to show the DPI when it is changed on-the-fly (which is practically essential since there are no other indicators).

It is great to be able to adjust your sensitivity on the fly.  Sometimes when working with graphics you need fine control, and when web browsing you may need more fluid movements.  For the mac user, this is a relatively new feature, but many PC mice have had this for years.  If this were a PC-only mouse, I would definately complain of the lack of a dedicated DPI button and on-mouse sensitivity indicators.  Honestly, Mac users won’t mind, because a message comes up when they change dpi settings.

As far as mouse features go, these are very basic for the PC, but is an awesome step forward from the typical standard one-button Mac mouse.  The Razer DeathAdder is one of the coolest-looking mice you can use on your Mac, too.  You’ll have to do some extra programming to extract more functionality from your Mac applications and games, but this isn’t incredibly overwhelming, partly because there are only a handful of buttons you can program.

Even if you’re not a fan of the three games worth playing on the Mac (which are also on the PC), you can easily switch this mouse between a PC and Macintosh.  So, if you’re one of the urban professionals who like to LAN and use their Mac, then this mouse is one to consider.  You can bring more functionality and usability to your Apple computer, then take it with you to a LAN party with your PC.

The mouse isn’t the most robust rodent in terms of features, especially when compared with higher-end gaming mice, but for a Mac user is absolutely fantastic.  It is a mid-grade gaming mouse, so it can pull triple duty as a good gaming mouse, office mouse, and PC mouse.  If you were dead set on a Razer DeathAddrer anyway, then why not go with the Mac version?  You can compare prices between the two here, and the Mac version can actually a few dollars cheaper.

	REPORT CARD : Razer DeathAdder Gaming Mouse (Mac Edition) category rating comments Quality 4 Well-constructed, just like Razer’s other mice Innovation 5 Mediocre features for a PC gaming mouse, but absolutely phenominal when compared against Mac mice.  One of the most robust Mac mice around. Performance 5 Tracks very well on just about any surface. Installation 4 Plug in, install software and go.  You may spend some time configuring your apps to use all these extra buttons. Value 3 $60 for a bit of a stretch for a gaming mouse if you’re not doing that much gaming.  Excellent value if you use it for PC and Mac. FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5 stars