The Razer Naga 2012 Edition gaming mouse gave us a visit recently, and we’ve put this neat piece of hardware through its paces to prepare a review for you. The life of MMO gamers isn’t easy; the good old keyboards sitting right besides their mice can feel like they’re miles away during crunch situations, or even worse, laziness could get the better of them leaving their left arms languid. Okay, jokes aside, MMO games can get demanding at times with respect to quick reflexes, and keeping that in mind, Razer crafted the Naga – its brand of mice aimed particularly at catering to fans of the massively multiplayer online genre. And with the latest update to this range, a few new features have paved the way for additional attributes which we’ll be scrutinizing through the course of this review.
Specifications: The most notable of change on this product is the implementation of the Razer Synapse 2.0 technology which lets you pluck out your profiles right from the cloud no matter where in the world you have parked yourselves for your gaming sessions. Compatible with both PC as well as Mac, this mouse comes equipped with a total of 17 buttons that include its biggest visual appeal – the 12-button thumb grid. If you crave numbers, then the 5600dpi laser sensor on the Razer Naga 2012 Edition is something which should definitely grab your eye. That combined with a maximum tracking speed of 200 inches per second and 1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response time, present you with quite sturdy hardware traits to exploit. The three interchangeable side panels meant to enhance the mouse’s ergonomics further can be swapped depending upon the kind of grip you possess.
Design: The name Naga stands for snake, and hence smooth gliding on any given surface is something that is quite expected from this mouse. It makes use of zero-acoustic mouse feet which, coupled with its 134-gram build, really do ensure smooth sailing. Its matte upper surface is complemented by a glossy facade along its sides. And the curved surfaces ensure that this device is a nice piece of equipment to gaze at. While the green lighting effects stay put on the on the scroll wheel and the 12-button grid, a pulsating effect has been granted to the Razer logo which is placed on the body. The two keys placed right above the scroll wheel work in favor of the device’s overall looks. But while the front one is a breeze to click intuitively, the second one proves to be quite a hassle when you try to reach it. A long braided cable stretches out from its body to reach its gold plated USB connector. Apart from its sensor and its slick feet, the flipside of the Razer Naga 2012 Edition also accommodates a switch that can be utilized to swap thumb buttons between normal and num-pad modes.
Performance: To get going with the device you are needed to download, install and register the new Razer Synapse 2.0 software which then recognizes the hardware and sets up the drivers automatically. Following this, all your settings can be saved in your profiles, allowing you to grab them through the Internet anytime you desire. And the fact that makes it more splendid is that it is a common client for all Synapse-equipped products, meaning that the settings of all your Razer keyboards, keypads and mice can be downloaded at one go. This makes it a godsend to eSports enthusiasts who desire ultimate personalization of their controls and hate losing their matches due to discomfort. The interface of the Naga client lets you tailor your device’s attributes by adjusting traits like mouse sensitivity, acceleration, polling rate, macros, lighting options and more. The interface here is no big leap over that of the previous products, but what matters is that it is easy to access and understand.
The interchangeable side panels of the Razer Naga 2012 Edition have been designed around the different preferred grips by gamers. And while they’ve been designed well and connect beautifully owing to magnetization, removing them is somewhat of a hassle. One or two unintentional button clicks are sure to happen during the process. And getting a good grip on them is tricky owing to their glossy surfaces. We used the peripheral with our gaming mouse pads, usual mouse pads as well as on our trusty old tables, and let us tell you, it adapts to any surface without any hitches. Our gaming sessions went as smoothly as our normal surfing sessions. The mouse glides effortlessly, its clicks are well responsive and the scroll wheel too is nice and reactive.
That brings us to the 12-button grid on which this device prides itself. Surely, it is a great utility during intense MMO matches, but the steep learning curve that comes along with it doesn’t help the purpose. The trainers that are equipped with it are merely fat stickers that can be attached on some buttons, so they act as reference guides for the other keys. Do they work? Well, for us they didn’t. And moreover, these trainers proved to be quite bothering for our thumbs. Another design choice that concerned us was the hardness of the buttons on this grid. Being quite rigid to press simply takes away their purpose of easy access. If we had to compare, the mechanical buttons on the Naga Hex are much more accessible and responsive than these.
Final Word: As much as it is difficult to get a hold of the functionalities of the Razer Naga 2012 Edition, it’s equally as effortless to wield it once you do. It’s packed with extraordinary features, one of them being its 5600dpi laser sensor which works perfectly fine when pushed to the maximum. Its feet are slick no matter what surface they’re made to glide on, and this makes the mouse feel extremely comfortable in your hands. As far as looks are concerned, the green lighting theme suits its shape well, but we still reminisce the color changing options that were available with the initial Naga Epic. Here’s our score for this new entry to Razer’s immense portfolio of gaming peripherals.
Looks: 9/10
Functionality: 8/10
Comfort: 8/10
Overall (not an average): 8/10