Gaming Weapons

Left Handers Rejoice, The Razer Deathadder Is Here

Chris — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:15:33 +0000

It’s been a while since left-handed gamers have had a decent gaming mouse to play with so they’ll be glad to hear of the new left-handed Razer Deathadder.

This new version of the Deathadder is simply a mirror image of the ergonomic right-handed design that’s proven to be so popular. Specification-wise it’s identical to its right handed brother, with five programmable buttons and a 3,500dpi infrared sensor with 1000Hz polling. But now the side buttons are on the right and the ergonomic design fits snugly into the left hand.

The Razer Deathadder is still one of my favourite gaming mice (my original 1,800dpi version is still going strong) so left handers are getting a quality mouse, but they’re hardly spoilt for choice. Hopefully this is a sign that Razer are considering switching their other ergonomic designs (Imperator, wireless Mamba) to the dark left-hand side, and if Razer can prove there are enough buyers out there then other manufacturers are sure to follow. Left handed Logitech G9x, anyone?

The left-handed version of the Razer Deathadder will be shipping on 24th March at a retail price of $59.99.

Left Handers Rejoice, The Razer Deathadder Is Here is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

Looking For A 17-Inch Laptop Cooler?

Chris — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:43:13 +0000

Having just invested a in a new Dell Studio 17 laptop I thought it might be a good idea to look after it. One of the biggest long-term problems with laptops is the build up of internal heat and with the Studio 17 using an ATI Radeon HD 4650 graphics card this was a big concern. So I decided I needed a 17-inch laptop cooler, but picking one wasn’t easy!

For a start it’s hard finding a laptop stand that will actually fit a 17-inch laptop and support it properly. Most are designed for 15-inches and below, and a lot don’t mention size at all so you have to track down their measurements to compare with your laptop. That narrowed down the list a lot but because I also wanted a laptop cooler it started to become an even harder task to find one.

However, after a lot of Googling and reading reviews on websites, in Amazon, Play and other retailers I found the Canyon Cooler laptop stand. It claimed to be able to support 12 to 17-inch laptops, had a built-in fan and also acted as a support to raise the screen level. It sounded ideal and the average review scores suggested it was a quality item.

When it arrived it was a simple case of unpacking it from the surprisingly slim box, setting the back rest at the desired height and plugging in the USB connector for the fan. The Studio 17 is far from the smallest of machines and it hangs over the sides of the stand by about 5cm on each side, but the Canyon Cooler holds it steady.

With the Dell perched comfortably on the stand it works a treat. The fan does a good job of keeping the base cool and I did notice the laptop’s internal fan kicking in less frequently as a result, even when gaming. The fan itself is fairly quiet, not exactly silent but a lot quieter than the Dell’s built-in fan. Think of it as a quiet background hum that’s easily drowned out when you start up iTunes.

The increase in height for the screen is great for a more comfortable working position, as is the angle on the keyboard. Without the stand I used to find myself leaning over the keyboard and looking down at the screen which could lead to back and neck pains after a long day, but this has improved as I can now sit with a more upright posture.

The only criticism of the Canyon Cooler is the lack of a built-in USB hub that some other stands offer, but this brings me to a handy tip. Make sure you plug the cooler into a powered USB hub rather than directly into your laptop as the increase in power gives the fan noticeably more speed, improving the cooling.

My Canyon cooler was bought from Amazon for £23, which makes it more expensive than some of the alternatives but then I do belive this is a better quality item. Amazon were also offering free delivery if you were prepared to wait a few days, and keen as ever to save a few quid I ticked the box. My parcel arrived just three days later, which is pretty good for free delivery.

If you are looking for a suitable stand and/or cooler for a 17-inch laptop then I can definitely recommend the Canyon.

Looking For A 17-Inch Laptop Cooler? is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

Razer Imperator Review

Chris — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:16:06 +0000

It’s time for another mouse review, and this time I’ve gone for the Razer Imperator. It’s new, being the latest design from Razer, and claims to offer a comfortable gaming experience with it’s ergonmic right-handed form and new adjustable side buttons.

So What Do You Get With The Razer Imperator?

As you’d expect with Razer the packaging is top notch. The feelgood factor starts with the stylish black box that presents you with a good look at the mouse, as well as a useful breakdown of all of the best features.

Carefully opening the box revels the Imperator, a quick install guide, a Mac install guide, a full instruction booklet, a cardboard coaster for your desk, a ‘certificate of authenticity’, another cardboard picture of the Imperator, a Razer product catalogue, two Razer logo stickers, an invitation to the Raptr.com gaming service and a cuddly toy … ok, maybe not a cuddly toy, but that’s a nice pile of stuff all packaged in a smart black envelope.

The Imperator is all black, with a matt black rubbery coating on the top and smooth gloss black sides. The only colour comes from the blue lighting of the Razer logo on the top of the mouse and down the edges of the scrollwheel (a nice touch). There are seven buttons in total, including the two adjustable thumb buttons and two small buttons that sit at the base of the scroll wheel. The scroll wheel itself is a ‘normal’ one with clicky movement and no tilt actions.

Connection is made via a gold-plated USB plug that sits on the end of a seven-foot long braided cable. This is an improvement that Razer are adding to more of their mice in place of the old thin cord that could get tangled quite easily.

Setting Up The Razer Imperator

As with most gaming mice these days the Imperator works out of the box by simply plugging it into a spare USB socket. But you’re missing out on the best features if that’s all you do, as you really need to install the Razer driver software to get the most out of it. A simple 27Mb download gives you the ability to program the buttons, adjust the max dpi and each of the adjustable levels and tailor things such as cursor acceleration.

What’s Different About The Razer Imperator?

Yes, I know, the Imperator looks like every other Razer mouse. Black with blue lighting, it’s a nice design but it’s starting to look a bit familiar now. Perhaps Razer’s design team ought to be introduced to the other colours of the spectrum, or maybe we should let them know that you can mould plastic in colours other than black.

However, there is more to the Imperator than you might think. The ergonomic design is smaller than that of the Deathadder and Mamba, with a less pronounced arch to its back. It fits more snugly into the palm of the hand and is better suited to those with small hands, but it is still more of a palm-gripper than claw grip. There are slight contours on the left side to support your thumb, something that Razer haven’t done for a while, and add to the feeling of comfort.

The unique feature of the Imperator is those sliding buttons, controlled by a lever underneath the mouse. I found that I wanted to move them slightly further back than they’d go – not much further, but when you’re promised a feature and it doesn’t quite deliver it’s slightly disappointing. I also think the buttons are a bit thin – the Deathadder’s side buttons are much thicker and better to use.

One suggestion for the Razer design team is some sort of LED/LCD display for highlighting the current dpi level. It works well on other mice so no reason why it shouldn’t on a Razer mouse.

Is It Any Good?

Quite simply, yes! The 3.5G laser sensor is the same as you’ll find in all of Razer’s top mice, offering up to 5,600dpi with on-the-fly adjustability. It works extremely well, and the two buttons on top of the mouse are ideal for swapping dpi levels.

The sensor, positioned centrally in the base of the mouse, responded perfectly at all times and I never had issue with it. Whether on low dpi or high, the tracking was superb. I kept the polling rate set to the maximum of 1000Hz and settled on a max of 2,400dpi, but that’s the beauty of the driver software – if you think that 5,600dpi is way too sensitive then just turn it down until you’re happy.

The buttons are also a joy to use, firm and responsive without being too hard to press, and the scroll wheel has a good positive action.

Anything Wrong With The Imperator?

No, there’s nothing seriously wrong with it, but there are a few minor niggles. I’ve already mentioned the first problem above i.e. the side buttons didn’t meet my expectations. Another minor point is that the lovely glossy plastic on the sides is a great way of displaying your fingerprints. Any smudges or dirt stand out surprisingly well on the shiny finish.

However, the biggest flaw is the current asking price. At $80 RRP the Imperator is a touch too pricy for my liking, especially when compared to competition such as the cheaper but better specced Logitech G500. I bought my Imperator through Ebay for $77 (including postage), but a quick check on Amazon reveals that prices have already dropped below $70. I’m sure that price will be down to nearer $60 in a few months time.

Conclusion

Pros

New ergonomic shape
Excellent sensor

Cons

Adjustable thumb buttons are a let-down
Glossy surface shows off fingerprints
Expensive

The Razer Imperator is a subtle change in ergonomic design for Razer and it works. The new shape is nice, more contoured than Razer’s other right-handed mice, and it could win over some of the people who weren’t keen on the bigger mice such as the Deathadder or Mamba.

The adjustable thumb buttons are a nice idea but to be honest I prefer the bigger fixed buttons on the Deathadder, and the glossy surfaces show off any greasy fingerprints. Don’t eat crisps while using this mouse!

But don’t let that those minor points put you off, as under the shell is a great sensor that will give you hours of gaming satisfaction. Overall the Razer Imperator is another excellent gaming mouse and worthy of your attention.

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Razer Imperator Review is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

Wireless Roccat Pyra Debuts EasyShift Technology

Chris — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:28:46 +0000

Unfortunately I’m not jetting off to Germany for this year’s CeBIT show, but if I was going to be there I’d be one of the first people to see the new wireless Roccat Pyra mouse.

This is Roccat’s latest gaming peripheral and their first attempt at a wireless mouse. Not only that, it’s also their first product to feature what they’re calling an EasyShift[+] button. Exact details are sketchy at the moment, but it doubles the number of functions of the 5-button Pyra – it sounds like a glorified Shift button to me.

The wireless Pyra features the same polling rate as a wired mouse (1000Hz) to minimise lag. The resolution of the sensor can be set between 400dpi to 1600dpi, not high by current standards but more than adequate for most games. The Pyra will make use of the same macro and profile manager that comes with the Kone mouse and Valo keyboard.

More details to follow as and when they emerge from CeBit 2010.

Wireless Roccat Pyra Debuts EasyShift Technology is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

Nvidia Optimus Offers (Battery) Life For Mobile Gamers

Chris — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:35:51 +0000

The following video is a showcase of the new Nvidia Optimus graphics technology. Running on an ASUS N61Jv notebook, the Optimus graphics card offers laptop gamers the chance of being able to unplug their laptop without wiping out the battery in half an hour.

I’ve just made the switch to a laptop as my main machine as the pressures of a growing family forced me to give up my trusty desktop PC (boo hoo!). While my new Dell Studio 17 has a half-decent graphics card (an ATI Radeon Mobility HD 4650 with 1GB of memory) it also has a short battery life of just under two hours.

This is where Nvidia’s Optimus technology comes in as it seeks to make more efficient use of the battery when not running graphics-intense apps such as games and movies. It’s effectively two graphics cards in one – a basic mode for normal Windows use that uses little power, and then a more powerful graphics mode to keep up with the pace required of modern games. The switch between the two modes is seamless and automatic.

It’s a great idea that will prove to be popular – I just wish it had been released a few months ago!

Nvidia Optimus Offers (Battery) Life For Mobile Gamers is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

High Speed My Book With USB 3.0 Drive

Chris — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:51:40 +0000

One of the best bits of hardware I’ve bought recently has been a My Book World Edition network hard drive. Why so good? Because it’s got loads of space (1Tb, although you can buy it with 2TB), was really easy to setup and offers fast transfer speeds because it plugs into my router and works as a proper network drive.

I chose a network drive because I didn’t like the idea of waiting to transfer enormous files over a USB 2.0 connection, but it looks like Western Digital have addressed this issue with their new My Book USB 3.0 hard drive. It uses the latest USB technology to reduce data transfer times, allowing speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second and file saves that are up to 4.7x faster than the equivalent USB 2.0 drive.

But don’t you need a USB 3.0 hub to use it? Yes, you do, but WD are ahead of the game as they’re offering the drive with a PCIe adapter card so you can upgrade your PC. If you’re lucky enough to be USB 3.0 compatible already you can buy the drive without the card and save $20.

There are two capacities available – 1TB with a retail price of $179 ($199 with adapter) or a 2TB drive for $279 with the adapter. The MyBook USB 3.0 edition is currently discounted at Amazon and other online stores.

When my current drive fills up (which won’t take long) I’ll be having a good look at one of these.

High Speed My Book With USB 3.0 Drive is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

Western Digital My Book World Edition 1TB

Starcraft 2 Keyset For Zboard

Chris — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:11:24 +0000

Starcraft 2 may not yet be released, but that hasn’t stopped Steelseries from riding the growing waves of hype surrounding the game. As you’d expect there are going to be some Starcraft-themed goodies, and one of the first to hit the stores is a Starcraft 2 keyset for the Zboard.

The formula is the same – there’s a scattering of artwork from the game on the right hand side of the keyset along with various game-specific buttons in an ‘intuitive layout’. On the left there’s a standard QWERTY keyboard with more labels around the keys for the rest of the in-game commands. Like other keysets you will have the option to reprogram every key and you’ll be able to add macros using the Zboard software.

The Starcraft 2 keyset will be available when the game is launched at a price of around 25 euros. Sadly there’s no official release date for the game but you can pre-order it now and save $10 on the official price of $59.99.

If you’ve been living under a rock and didn’t know there was a sequel coming to the hugely popular StarCraft: Brood War, StarCraft II will pick up from the end of the first game and give you a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an alien-invasion based real-time strategy game.

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Starcraft 2 Keyset For Zboard is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghosts

Chris — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:03:09 +0000

Do you feel the need to be able to press 26 keys at once and have every single key registered by your PC? Then you want to investigate the new Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard.

Featuring some clever anti-ghosting technology the X4 is claiming to allow 26 keys to be pressed at once. While the chances of you ever wanting to press that many keys simultaneously are extremely low (that’d be one helluva special move) it is a big selling point in the crowded gaming keyboard market.

Copying the look of Microsoft’s previous Sidewinder X6 keyboard, the X4 also features six programmable macro keys (with three modes each for a total of eighteen macros) and you can record macros without having to leave your game. There are auto-switching key profiles that can be activated for individual games, as well three different keyboard modes (standard and two gaming modes), adjustable backlighting on the keys and multimedia controls.

As well as the macro keys there is a new automatic macro repetition feature that lets you repeat a macro over and over with just one key.

The Microsoft SideWinder X4 works with Windows 7, Vista, and XP (but not XP 64-bit) systems and will be available from March at a list price of $59.95. Amazon are taking pre-orders now. Just in case you don’t trust Microsoft’s hardware, the SideWinder X4 is backed by a worldwide three-year warranty.

Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghosts is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

World Of Warcraft Headset

Chris — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:30:47 +0000

We’ve already had the World Of Warcraft mouse, a WoW-themed Dell laptop, various WoW keysets for the Zboard and now you can buy a World of Warcraft headset.

Built by Soundblaster, the headphones look the part with Warcraft runes around the earpieces, but they’re also packing some decent features. For a start you can choose to have a wireless set for $149 that uses uncompressed 2.4GHz technology or you can go for a wired version for just $119. While the wireless version obviously uses batteries it can be recharged while in use with a USB-to-mini-USB cable (included with the headset, along with a USB wireless receiver).

As you’d expect on a gaming headset there is a microphone that is detachable if you don’t want to use it, while the volume and mute controls are built into the headset for easy access.

The audio technology is provided by Creative, the people famous for their Soundblaster range of audio cards, and the headphones make use of THX TruStudio PC to provide surround sound effects with virtual speakers.

A cool feature that’s bound to make these really appeal to the many WoW fans out there is the interchangeable headset lenses. You can choose to display either a Horde or Alliance lens, and Blizzard are promising new lenses soon. On top of that, the headset offers ‘16 million programmable color illumination options’. That’s a lot of colours!

The burning question is – how much extra are we paying Blizzard for that World Of Warcraft license? Is this a $50 headset with an inflated price tag? For over $100 there are some excellent choices if you’re after a gaming headset, so the sound quality from the WoW headset had better be good.

World Of Warcraft Headset is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?

Split Personality For Razer Vespula Mousepad

Chris — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:42:58 +0000

While it might sound like an Italian scooter, the Razer Vespula is actually a new mousepad for gamers looking for a little extra comfort.

The Vespula is two mouseapds in one. It has one smooth side designed for fast mouse movements while the other side has a coarse texture to improve precision. In theory it should appeal to players who like big sweeping movements as well as those who prefer smaller, more precise mouse gestures.

As well as the dual-surfaces, the Vespula comes with a memory gel-filled wrist rest. That should help to reduce pressure on your wrist and make your gaming a more comfortable experience. You might be thinking that the Vespula sounds familiar and you’d be right – it’s basically an updated version of the old eXactMat mousepad and wrist-rest combo.

The Razer Vespula is a hard mousepad measuring 300mm (length) x 240mm (width) x 4 mm (height). It’s on sale now from Razer’s online store at a retail price of $34.99.

Split Personality For Razer Vespula Mousepad is a post from Gaming Weapons. Why not check out our list of the best gaming mice?