Gaming giant Razer can't be accused of resting on its laurels. Razer continually refines and iterates its signature products, as evidenced by today's announcement of the new DeathAdder Elite mouse and the Gigantus mouse mat. Both products are designed to give a competitive edge to Windows gamers.
Meet the DeathAdder Elite
The DeathAdder is Razer's signature eSports mouse, designed especially for the needs of competitive gamers. Razer takes that design a step further with the new DeathAdder Elite. In addition to Razer's fancy Chroma lighting effects, the Elite sports some features that should really make it shine.
The Elite shares the same basic form factor as the regular DeathAdder, and is tended to be used in a right-handed orientation. Razer has worked hard to perfect the ergonomics of the Elite though, going so far as to team up with the University of Queensland Australia Centre for Sensorimotor Performance to perfect the mouse's shape.
Performance will be key to the DeathAdder Elite, starting with mouse clicks. This new model features Razer Gaming-optimized Mechanical Mouse Switches (coproduced with Omron), to provide the ultimate responsiveness in mouse clicks.
These switches are rated to last 50 million mouse clicks, far more than the 20 million that traditional mouse switches. Razer has also optimized the Elite's firmware and drivers to only pick up the clicks once the switch is ready to activate, which will prevent phantom clicks that can happen when other mice are clicked rapidly.
The Elite also features what Razer calls the world's most advanced optical sensor. This 16,000 DPI sensor boasts 99.4 percent resolution accuracy, a measurement of the correlation between mouse movement and arrow movement. Other gaming mice typically have about 95 percent accuracy, whereas non-gaming mice only are about 90 percent, according to Razer.
The Razer DeathAdder starts next week from the Razer Store and will launch first at BestBuy on October 2. It will sell for $69.99 – not a bad price for competitive Windows gamers.
Beware the Razer Gigantus
Gaming mice like the DeathAdder Elite need a proper mouse surface to reach peak performance. That's where the new Razer Gigantus comes in. Not to be confused with the Razer Goliathus, the Gigantus is Razer's eSports mouse mat. It was designed with the input of four world-class eSports teams (including Team Liquid).
The first thing you'll notice about the Gigantus is undoubtedly its ultra large surface area. It measures 445 mm x 445 mm x 5 mm, a massive square shape. The reason for this huge size is to accommodate low DPI players who require larger movements during gameplay. Even if you use a higher DPI though, large mouse mats like the Gigantus provide an extra level of comfort for your entire forearm.
The surface of the Gigantus has been engineered for speed and control, so it should accommodate all play styles. The mat itself also features what Razer calls enhanced thickness and a rubberized base. This design provides extra consistency when used on different surfaces.
The Razer Gigantus mouse mat will come in three variations with slight differences in the artwork at the corner of the mat. The Special Edition and Team Razer Edition variants will be exclusive to the Razer Store, with the regular edition selling everywhere. All three retail for $29.99 and begin shipping in early October.
How about it, guys? Anybody out there in the market for a new gaming mouse or mouse mat?
