|
Hey here again with another product review 
This time I'm reviewing the official, the highly criticized, the unique, the Razer Starcraft 2 mouse! (AKA the Razer Spectre) Yes this is the mouse that was laughed at by the majority of the community for its "APM lighting" technology, however there are more reason to buy this mouse than its lighting. Lets get to it!
Razer's fancy boxers are second to none. It comes with another fancy box inside, which contains the usual instruction manual and product marketing
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/fKlfn.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/QEzbv.jpg)
After getting it out of the box, the mouse was better looking than I thought it would be. Those who hate how Razer uses plastic around the base of the mouse will be happy to know the Spectre uses rubber coated sides. However unlike most Razer mice the top is smooth plastic (opposed to rubberized). The front of the mouse is significantly wider than the back. So where you grip the sides decides on how wide the mouse is. Theres large "Zero-acoustic Ultraslick" mouse feet on the bottom, which i have to say work amazingly well.
You can see how the side slopes in towards the bottom, leaving it narrower at the bottom
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/sIWlE.jpg)
Notice that big switch on the bottom? That's the button force adjustment feature. Switching between high and low is a HUGE difference. This feature is awesome, and very simple to adjust. As for the shape, it feels a bit awkward. Hopefully I won't notice is once I'm used to the mouse.
The mouse is very small, just a tiny bit smaller than my old Salmosa. As for the side buttons the are nicely positioned which minimizes the chances of accidentally pressing them, however they lack feedback when pressed which isn't exactly ideal.
Hard to tell from here, but the Spectre is a bit smaller. The narrowing shape also makes it feel smaller in your hand compared to the big back of the Salmosa.
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/t4vYx.jpg)
The software is a real gem. Here's some pictures of all the features.
+ Show Spoiler +
This is where you can get crazy. The mouse allows you to customize all the normal settings, but then it gets insane. You can set the colors for each band of APM which goes in increments of 50 all the way to 400 (the increments can actually be changed to whatever you want). Additionally you can set the mouse to blink 1-5 times in whatever color you want when an in-game event occurs. For example you can set it to go crazy after your mothership is complete lol! Thats so awesome. Lastly when your out of the game the lighting can be independently set to what ever color you want or turned off. Oh and you can record macros on the mouse. Since its a blizzard licensed product I guess their okay with that.
To sum this mouse up, it feels like a luxury sports car, fast but there's plenty to it. The APM lighting system might seem gimmicky, but when examined there's a hell of a lot to it. Other features like button force-adjustment are warmly welcomed, and the ability to customize is almost unlimited with the Spectre. So if the Salmosa is to bare for you, spend the extra money and upgrade. But if your fine without all the extra features theres little difference other than DPI between the Salmosa and Spectre.
Rating: 10/10
Recommend for: Tech savvy people, who like features
Don't recommend for: Minimalists, or people who don't care for the features. You can get a cheaper mouse in that case.
Link to Buy: Amazon Razer Store
Additional Photos:
+ Show Spoiler +
|
Sweet man, I envy you.. Mine hasnt come yet, I'm glad you like it and alot of what you've written reflect my feelings and thoughts on this mouse even before I've had the chance to touch it, so I'm pleased
<3
|
Well, you say there's a hell of a lot to the lighting system (and I suppose there is), but who wants to read morse code from under their palm when they could just as easily look at the screen, or listen to ingame sounds?
The only interesting thing with that mouse is the macros, even though it's a Blizzard product it's weird that they would let you use those... Is there any official word on what you can and can't do?
|
On December 04 2010 07:13 pat965 wrote:
Well, you say there's a hell of a lot to the lighting system (and I suppose there is), but who wants to read morse code from under their palm when they could just as easily look at the screen, or listen to ingame sounds?
The only interesting thing with that mouse is the macros, even though it's a Blizzard product it's weird that they would let you use those... Is there any official word on what you can and can't do?
I'm not sure what their official word is, but i assume whatever is possible within the program is legal at the moment. Like I said though, I'm not sure.
|
Does the APM lighting bug out over 500 apm? I've been trying to work out the formula they use for the APM output to the registry that the Razer software uses, and it seems to be a 3 digit number that overflows above 300 apm
|
Thank you so much for the review Razer Spectre isnt out on my country yet but I pre ordered mine so its coming in a few days :D
Also thanks for giving me a heads up on how my new mouse is going to be like :D I'm so looking foward to it !!
|
does the z-axis issue affect your play?
|
On December 04 2010 08:54 Phaded wrote:
Does the APM lighting bug out over 500 apm? I've been trying to work out the formula they use for the APM output to the registry that the Razer software uses, and it seems to be a 3 digit number that overflows above 300 apm
I had a problem with the lighting after i adjusted the colors then started playing SC2. It would bug the hell out. After i reset my computer it worked fine though. As far as it bugging at 500 APM that hasn't happened to me yet, although the only time i get up that high is the starting spam.
On December 08 2010 21:32 genra wrote:
does the z-axis issue affect your play?
Not sure what you mean, I haven't noticed any problems with the laser yet. Whats the z-axis issue?
|
Pick up the mouse and set it down again while watching the cursor... does it jitter much or jump to other places?
afaik the spectre resembles everything that can be done wrong with a laser mouse.
|
On December 09 2010 03:25 AT_Tack wrote:
Pick up the mouse and set it down again while watching the cursor... does it jitter much or jump to other places?
afaik the spectre resembles everything that can be done wrong with a laser mouse.
Yeah i tried that out. It has a terrible problem when you pick it up, the cursor moves a good deal down and right. Although I don't have a problem with it because I have it set to a very high DPI, and I almost never pick it up.
The laser is however very skeptical sometimes, although I think that's directly related to how responsive i have it set. When the Spectre's on a hard mousepad and set to high DPI it literally is so easy to move that you find the mouse doing weird things on your screen because your wrist/hand are actually moving a fraction of a inch. I think I might start trying lower DPI settings, and maybe then the z-axis problem will start to effect me.
|
yeah this mouse weighs more than a salmosa/abyssus and its a laser mouse which is pretty bad for razer mice (cus of the sensor they use) compared to their optical mice. Also im pretty sure those macros will get you banned, blizz product or not.
|
This mouse is far from a 10/10.
Sorry to say, but the current Philips twin eye sensor on razer mouses is TRASH.
The mouse looks very uncomfortable for your hands also.
|
Let's give it 10/10 cuz of APM lighting?
I didn't read one line about how it felt handling in-game? Just 'it looks uncomfortable' - how bout some more info?
|
On December 19 2010 19:33 DarKcS wrote:
Let's give it 10/10 cuz of APM lighting?
I didn't read one line about how it felt handling in-game? Just 'it looks uncomfortable' - how bout some more info?
Heres my review (I got the mouse)
-We don't even notice the lighting (My hand is on the mouse!)
-The mouse is too small and very uncomfortable for the hand. Not good if you play for long time a day.
- Some big laser problems that you can notice when you play. You can learn more on youtube when you type Razer spectre.
- Because of those two last reasons it's hard to play well and control groups and units.
- Oh yea, the right click is too soft and it's annoying. Seriously.
- But I guess the look is somewhat cool (I need to find a good point lol)
So, I'm generous when I say 5/10
Again, if you don't take that game too seriously and just play for fun, it's not that much of a problem.
|
On December 20 2010 15:44 DracoQC wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2010 19:33 DarKcS wrote:
Let's give it 10/10 cuz of APM lighting?
I didn't read one line about how it felt handling in-game? Just 'it looks uncomfortable' - how bout some more info? Heres my review (I got the mouse) -We don't even notice the lighting (My hand is on the mouse!) -The mouse is too small and very uncomfortable for the hand. Not good if you play for long time a day. - Some big laser problems that you can notice when you play. You can learn more on youtube when you type Razer spectre. - Because of those two last reasons it's hard to play well and control groups and units. - Oh yea, the right click is too soft and it's annoying. Seriously.- But I guess the look is somewhat cool (I need to find a good point lol) So, I'm generous when I say 5/10 Again, if you don't take that game too seriously and just play for fun, it's not that much of a problem.
Did you try the button force adjustment, if you read the OP it says the difference is HUGE. Or is the right click not affected for some stupid reason?
|
Did you try the button force adjustment, if you read the OP it says the difference is HUGE. Or is the right click not affected for some stupid reason?
You can change the force of the button, but only for the left one. Can't do anything for the right button.
I don't know why it's like that...
You kinda need to force your finger a little to not click... Not that hard but after 4-5 hours sometimes it's annoying. Some accidental right click aren't cool in certains situations lol
At least it's cool for the left click for sure.
|
Having used the mouse at Blizzcon, it felt very cheaply made, not sturdy at all, and it was also in an uncomfortable shape. I really wouldn't consider buying this mouse really. There are better/cheaper alternatives on the market from SteelSeries/Razer/Microsoft like the Sidewinder X3.
|
I just want to ask this; people who dislike the shape of the mouse are usually people who never used a ambidextrious mouse before, and then complain about the form of it. I mean why even bother with one of these if your handgrip is more made to fit something that is ergonomic?
What I meant to say is that putting down the mouse for its shape, when you're a user that generally prefers ergonomic mice, is just extremly subjective at best.
DracoQC - at what DPI do you play, and how does the laser issues fair at lower DPI rates?
|
United States11637 Posts
|
Thx for some real info! I think I'll go for the Razer mamba :D
|
You will have pretty similar issues with the mamba though
|
Looks like a mouse from the mid 80s
It's like the designers at Razor missed the last 25 years of ergonomic improvements , the thing is just a block.
|
On December 20 2010 18:06 Kyuki wrote:
I just want to ask this; people who dislike the shape of the mouse are usually people who never used a ambidextrious mouse before, and then complain about the form of it. I mean why even bother with one of these if your handgrip is more made to fit something that is ergonomic?
What I meant to say is that putting down the mouse for its shape, when you're a user that generally prefers ergonomic mice, is just extremly subjective at best.
DracoQC - at what DPI do you play, and how does the laser issues fair at lower DPI rates?
I used (and will use again : ) ) SideWinder X3 Mouse, which is ambidextrious. With that mouse I was getting the perfect feeling in play with 2000 dpi.
With the spectre, it's sure that it will hard to play with 5600 dpi (Well for me, maybe some people are used to this) But no matter the dpi, I just don't like the control and everything. Like I said, it's more a question of opinion, but I was tired to see so many: ''so good mouse'' and ''10/10'' and no other side of the medal. I kinda think that it's a mouse for the show or something like that, pretty cool but not really good. Razer caught me with this.
I still like the razer marauder thought, it cost a lot but it was a gift so : ) And we actually see the light.
I don't know if I can post the link here, but you can look for Ramla777 review on the spectre in youtube, short but good review in my opinion.
|
Nice review.
But from the look of it. This mouse is made for all the casual gamers out there that just by their mouse because it relates to SC2.
How a mouse this shape can be used to play SC2? All the APM things, just a hype from Razer to get the mass to buy it. Anyone that actually knows what SC2 is about will not choice there mouse because the manuafacturer tells them it is a SC2 mouse :D
I am may be wrong though, but very unlikely.
EDIT: btw, the Salmosa is great from SC2.
|
On December 20 2010 18:45 DracoQC wrote:Show nested quote +On December 20 2010 18:06 Kyuki wrote:
I just want to ask this; people who dislike the shape of the mouse are usually people who never used a ambidextrious mouse before, and then complain about the form of it. I mean why even bother with one of these if your handgrip is more made to fit something that is ergonomic?
What I meant to say is that putting down the mouse for its shape, when you're a user that generally prefers ergonomic mice, is just extremly subjective at best.
DracoQC - at what DPI do you play, and how does the laser issues fair at lower DPI rates? I used (and will use again : ) ) SideWinder X3 Mouse, which is ambidextrious. With that mouse I was getting the perfect feeling in play with 2000 dpi. With the spectre, it's sure that it will hard to play with 5600 dpi (Well for me, maybe some people are used to this) But no matter the dpi, I just don't like the control and everything. Like I said, it's more a question of opinion, but I was tired to see so many: ''so good mouse'' and ''10/10'' and no other side of the medal. I kinda think that it's a mouse for the show or something like that, pretty cool but not really good. Razer caught me with this. I still like the razer marauder thought, it cost a lot but it was a gift so : ) And we actually see the light. I don't know if I can post the link here, but you can look for Ramla777 review on the spectre in youtube, short but good review in my opinion.
My post was not directed to you, but in general. (The ambidextrous stuff, the question regarding tracking was  ) I see so many reviews on the web complaining about an ambidextrous shape, not the feel of it or anything like that.
Seen the review and it's good. I just think his tracking issues are even worse due to him using a cloth mat. Lasers usually dont like that, but it's still sad that the lasers are still this bad.. :/
And I've mostly seen trash reviews regarding this mouse tbh.. I find the shape extremly well fit for me, and I'll get back here with my opinion within a day or two, since I have not recieved it yet.
|
Kyuki
Please play the game before you make a review, don't be like the others. dont be hasty, play sc2 for some days and then come back.
|
I refunded this mouse last week because of its laser sensors. It is common for razer laser mice to have this "jitter" problem
|
Here is me coming back with my thoughts.
I've spent like 2 hours with the multitaskingtrainer, and I'm just so sad right now...
I expected the mouse to have all the mentioned issues, but I was hoping they'd not affect my gameplay, and I was wrong. The Y-axis issues are horrible even though it's less notable on lower DPI settings, and every now and then when you lift off the mouse and place it back down it stops tracking for a very short duration, which fucks up exactly everything when you play a RTS, or pretty much any game that requires mouse precision. The smoothness and the flow gets dusrupted completely, and if you are in a important situation it might screw you over.
Basically, the issues with the laser sensor is damaging to my gameplay, and I would not really advice anyone to use this mouse unless you know you never lift your mouse off of the mousepad. Tracking (besides the above) is good and the software is good.
The big reason why I'm so sad though (I had a feeling it would go this way) is because I love the shape and the feel/weight of the mouse. It's just PERFECT for me. So I'm gonna ship this back and place my money elsewhere, and most likely spend the money on a optical mouse instead, since it seems pretty much all laser sensors out there have similar issues, and issue with acceleration and other crap...
I'm kind of amazed that they got to put the SC2 brand on this mouse with this horrible of a sensor, and that it got through testing...
If this mouse had a Deathadder optical sensor, it would be just awesome.
:<<
|
I got a razer spectre today..after using it to play a few games Id rate it a 9.5/10
Pros: *more or less why I like it*
High DPI (as far as I know its the only mouse out there thats relatively small and has 5600dpi which is nice)
Its small(good for ppl who use finger tip grip on their mice)
The adjustable pressure needed to left click is nice no need to *break in* the mouse if you like a loose clicker
fancy colors */nerd drool*...
Cons:
Not very ergonomic
can be a bit cheesy looking with the SC2 logo stamped on it *idk why but that annoys me a bit*
The two side buttons (5 and 6) seem a little high up,but they are still usable with comfort
Over all the material seems very solid and the mouse is very responsive..none of that y axis tracking failure you hear so much about in razer mice and the lights are pretty.
|
On December 20 2010 18:26 iPlaY.NettleS wrote:
Looks like a mouse from the mid 80s
It's like the designers at Razor missed the last 25 years of ergonomic improvements , the thing is just a block.
Razers designers never heard of ergonomics, with their high arch backs and tapered mice that are hard to grab at the sides. But for the most part they have been getting better :D
On December 21 2010 19:48 KJH wrote:
I refunded this mouse last week because of its laser sensors. It is common for razer laser mice to have this "jitter" problem
Switch to a hard mousepad that is smooth, thick cloth textured mouse pads for optical mice aren't the best for lazer mice.
|
What actually makes you think that the jitter issues are not present on smooth hardpads? They are.
|
Hey, just made my account to post in this thread.
When I first got the spectre I was also disappointed with the jitter issues and felt that the mouse was too hard to control. I had a crappy old mousepad with dents and scratches in it, and figured thats why it was so hard to control. Over the holidays, I bought a new steel series medium sized cloth mouse pad for 10 bucks and the difference is extremely noticeable. The mouse has almost no jitter issues anymore, other than it moving around when you pick up the mouse. This has never happened to me while playing the game, so I don't know what people are doing that theyre always picking up their mice... I did not have any issues with the mouse not tracking after lifting it up.
The mouse is easy to control, the variable force button is amazing when on the low setting and i actually dont have any ergonomic problems with it except for having to move my thumb a bit to hit the two side buttons.
The software for the mouse is indeed great and easy to use. The lighting is extremely fun to play around with, but I don't think I've ever used it in an actual game. I even set the mouse to blink red 5 times every time a mineral patch is depleted, and have only really noticed it once or twice.
Overall I would give this mouse an 8 /10. To anybody having problems, I would recommend playing a few more games, as the sensitivity takes awhile to adjust to. The issue might also be your mousepad, as my cloth pad gives me little to no problems with the laser. I am only playing on the 1800dpi setting fyi, I found the higher settings too sensitive and hard to control.
EDIT: I also disabled mouse acceleration in windows 7, don't know if that would make a difference, but I found it easier to control
|
If you need to buy a new mouse, you should really consider the G9X. I play with it for a while now and it's a great deal (despite the price) : accurate, high or low dpi (switchable directly on the mouse), comes with two different grips, not made of cheap plastic and lot more features...
I do love it (and it's Fruitdealer's and Tester's choice by the way ^^) !!!
|
My left and right click wore on me so fast..
|
Will there get HotS gear?
|
Will it jitter? I have a "nova" silver mouse pad. It's very smooth and gets "glued" to the surface of the table.
|
United Kingdom20318 Posts
|
I won this mouse on ChanmanV's stream during his Christmas show, and was very appreciative. However, after about two weeks of trying to make it work, it was just too jittery and twitchy to use, so I went back to my Abyssus.
Even so, props and thanks to ChanmanV for the mouse.
|
Tried one, and my wrist felt like there was sand in the joints. I'm glad I was just borrowing it to try it out, because I'd have felt pretty ripped off if I bought it. The only "cool" feature is the APM lighting, a purely cosmetic feature with no practical use outside of a broadcast with a "mouse cam". I don't really want to beat a dead horse, but the OP is not considering value for money / ergonomics / accuracy / durability when this is anything over a 6/10. Almost feels like viral marketing.
|
Sensor is one of the worst ive ever tried. I threw mine in the trash can (although I shoulda sold it).
|
On June 18 2013 23:36 Cyro wrote:
Don't buy it
would you suggest me something? I went through the ultimate mouse thread and I reduced the options to:
1) CM Storm Spawn
2) Zowie Mico
3) Razer DA
4) Razer Abysuss
My hands are average in size and I use claw grip.
|
Zowie mico is soooooo good! Feels really nice!
|
Logitec g100 $20 solid mouse.
Hi all the blizzard/razer sales team on this thread 
|
I've been burned so many times by razer products not ever be interested in buying another item they make. Their stuff is faux-gamer. the deathadder is their only real gaming mouse, the bungee is kind of weak, the blackwidow is overpriced, and they have so many other expensive, poor quality gaming peripherals (these days, why would you make a gaming keyboard in the $75+ range that doesn't use mechanical switches?) that are just marketed much more than engineered. I used to buy a new mouse every year or two, just expecting that's how gaming mouses were. Never put two and two together that my old logitech mx518 and microsoft sidewinder (the one with the vertical thumb buttons and the size of a basketball) were rock solid and lasted nearly forever.
I use a deathadder, razer mouse bungee, and until recently, a blackwidow ultimate, and will likely never buy another razer product. The botique manufacturers are getting so good these days (CM storm has been blowing it out of the water lately) that there's no reason to stick with the big names. They used to be the only real gaming peripheral makers. Now they aren't, and they're lagging behind bigtime in the basics.
The latest razer gaming tablet is just another example of an over-marketed, under-engineered piece of overpriced junk. If razer wants to win me back as a customer, they need to step up the quality and prune down the line.
I still prefer the RAT7 and deathadder to other mice, though razer's best mouse, IMO, was the diamondback. I wore the clicker out on that
|
Did so many people really have a problem with it? I bought this mouse about a year ago now and i've had 0 problems with it. I bought it because i needed a small and light mouse that was more than 3k dpi, since im handicap and it's much easier to just use small movements. I've never had any sensor problem or jitter and what not. I don't really care for fancy features but the lights are pretty cool i guess. I find it odd that i see so many bad comments about it, i guess i struck lucky.
|
Peripherals are such a subjective matter, all I can say is that I'm glad you're happy with it!
|
On June 20 2013 11:14 Honeybadger wrote:Peripherals are such a subjective matter, all I can say is that I'm glad you're happy with it!
Well i mean im not like "omg coolest mouse ever sc2 mouse omg11!11!!1!!" I'm just saying from my experience, there's been 0 failures at all since i bought it. So at least for me, i have 0 complaints about it's function, once it dies hopefully i get a working one like this one whether it's "better" or not.
|
United Kingdom20318 Posts
On June 19 2013 03:32 Karpfen wrote:would you suggest me something? I went through the ultimate mouse thread and I reduced the options to: 1) CM Storm Spawn 2) Zowie Mico 3) Razer DA 4) Razer Abysuss My hands are average in size and I use claw grip.
Spawn is a great mouse. Deathadder weight, size, shape and awful feet make it a real pain to use for quick jerky precise movements (high level osu..) unless you're doing high sens palm grip (which i think is pretty silly) but that's being quite picky i guess.
Hard to reccomend a mouse shell for somebody else
|
On June 20 2013 11:49 xMiragex wrote:
Well i mean im not like "omg coolest mouse ever sc2 mouse omg11!11!!1!!" I'm just saying from my experience, there's been 0 failures at all since i bought it. So at least for me, i have 0 complaints about it's function, once it dies hopefully i get a working one like this one whether it's "better" or not.
I meant no sarcasm. If you're happy with it, that's all that matters in the end.
If someone showed me a keyboard better than my nighthawk X9 custom for half the price, I'd be interested in learning about it, but I'm still damn happy with my x9.
|
i've had mine for ~1.5 years. i also own the xai from steelseries. the post im making is probably a year or two late to be helpful to anyone but w/e. i like the xia better as far as functionality and dependability and performance, but i like the spectre b/c of how it fits in my hand. to anyone who is researching which mouse to buy, my advice would be that the best preforming mouse on the market is worthless if it doesn't "feel right" in the palm of your hand. iirc im drunk and my spectre is acting up again
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/dtKOV.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/FhnKc.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/iwBLF.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/0DHIa.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/YhuCK.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/gXrUx.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/ti9Q3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/BxpkX.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/o07mV.jpg)
