Razer Krait

Introduction

A mouse that is targeted specifically at people who want to achieve the best possible results in RTS (real time strategy) games like Age of Empires or Rome Total War could be considered presumptuous. The company making it presumes: that there is in fact a market aimed solely at RTS gamers, presumes that the mice already available don’t do a satisfactory job and presumes they have the technology to create a good product. The Razer Krait is an attempt, and quite a good one at that, to prove all Razer’s design teams' presumptions correct.

We’ve done a mouse group test in previous articles and have even reviewed the previous Razer mouse, the Copperhead. As most already know by now the mouse and the keyboard are the PC gamers ultimate tools and thus, it is incredibly important that these tools are of high quality. The mouse market for gamers has been (relatively) saturated with competitors over the past few months, as companies seek to cash in on the lucrative booty that awaits the eventual industry leader. Everything from specialist mouse pads, through to ultra slippy Teflon mouse-feet, are available to buy on the net now – in terms of PC gaming, the mouse has become big business.

As a previous semi pro-gamer myself, playing in the UK CPL finals for Counterstrike a few years back, I understand the importance of a good mouse. In the past few years, the trend has been to push the pro-gaming bandwagon towards the mainstream gamer in an effort to sell products. In reality, the majority of the items have combined over inflated price tags with underwhelming performance, with only a few ever being described by reviewers as outstanding. With a product as specific as an RTS mouse, the question must be raised over whether or not a mouse can be made specifically for one genre.

So the question is: does the Razer Krait offer gamers anything different from other mice? How does it look and feel? And ultimately is it worth buying?

Features

The presentation of the Krait is extremely nice, arriving in a well packaged box along with a CD for installation, some stickers with the company logo and a small book describing the advantages of using a Razer Krait mouse. There were a few issues I had with the advertising on the box, which most of those ordering the product online will only see when it arrives, and I will come back to them later in the article.

The mouse itself looks as smooth as a milkshake. Words like - small, sleek, dark and sexy slip off the tongue when trying to describe its look. Also, if you're one of those people who likes their computer to come with flashy lights then there is a bonus here too. The amber lighting that runs down either side shines out brightly, especially in the dark, so for LAN gamers who like to show off this certainly wouldn’t let you down.

As far as size goes, the mouse is not the biggest, nor is it the smallest, and has a very similar feel and shape to it as the Viper. The fact that it’s wired will please many gamers, who still hold the belief that wireless mice decrease performance in gaming. As such the mouse is not heavy, especially when comparing it to a larger wireless mouse, and for those suited to that ‘bigger’ feel, this may take a little getting used too.

Another area of concern for some may be the width of the mouse. For those with average or small sized hands, there shouldn’t be a problem but for anyone with larger hands, this mouse may be too narrow. It all comes down to your mouse stance, there being two to choose from. Are you a finger mouse person, do you rest your hand on the table/mouse mat and let your fingers do the pushing - or are you a palm person, who likes to rest the entire hand on the mouse and move it that way? If you think you’re a finger person then this mouse will be more suited for you.

The initial impression of the mouse was a good look, a nice feel but a slight concern over the size and weight. Of course these areas, like clothes, are always very subjective. For some a big, heavy mouse will feel perfect whilst for others, a small, light mouse is their ultimate head-shot tool. Now let's get into the practical testing.