Razer Naga MMO Gaming Mouse Review

Testing and Use
Taking the mouse in your hand you’ll realize rather quickly that this is a right hand only mouse.  Or rather, if a left handed person were to use it they would find it not at all comfortable nor would they be able to make use of all the buttons.  Contrarilly I have found this mouse to be incredibly comfortable to hold.  And if you’re like me this is one of the most important things when buying a mouse.  It just has to feel right.  And I must say the Naga hits that nail on the head.

When choosing a mouse you must consider your grip style.  This will play greatly into whether the mouse “feels right”.  I find that this mouse is perhaps a bit too short for a true palm gripper, but also just a bit too long for a finger-tip grip.  The recommended style is claw, but for me I just don’t see it. Instead I find it allows for a nice hybrid style grip that is a mix between a palm grip and a fingertip grip.  For more information what grip is right for you Razer has a nice guide which can be found here:

Mouse Ergonomics Guide

Moving on from how the mouse feels lets address the functionality of the Naga.

With the Naga, you now have the  ability to press 12 separate keys with only the press of a single thumb button!  This feature leads us to the included training guide and the button stickers.  Almost certainly when starting to use this mouse you’ll find yourself pressing the wrong button.  They are rather tightly packed in and when you’re in the thick of battle in your favorite game, you need that healing spell, you go for say 8 or 9 and end up accidentally keying a 5!  Now you’ve attacked with 20 health left and it’s all over for you.  Back to the respawn or hope someone is there to revive you.

Truly at first on this thumb pad it’s very easy to get lost.  Not wanted this to turn away new and impatient customers, Razer has included training stickers. They help you to develop muscle memory in your thumb so you start finding the right button the first time.

Razer Naga MMO Gaming Mouse

And I have to say when you finally get the 12 button keypad down, it feels almost like cheating!  You no longer have to take you fingers from your navigation keys to perform an action, and when seconds count this is a huge bonus and can transform your gameplay.

Obviously the target market for this mouse is the MMO/RPS crowd.  But I’ll let you in on a little secret.  This is the best FPS mouse I’ve ever used!  Think about it, all of your weapon switching buttons right at your thumb.  Never again will you have to take your fingers off WSAD just to switch to your secondary.  Again, using this mouse feels like cheating!  Not only that but it’s accurate, good weight, and feels awesome in your hand.

Razer Naga MMO Gaming Mouse Razer Naga MMO Gaming Mouse

Like all good stories, there is a dark side to this mouse.  In a word: software.  The mouse will work no problem plug and play.  All the buttons will work with no issues.  Plug it in, Windows will of course want to install a driver, no problem there, give it 30 seconds and you’re in business.  But these types of devices are meant to be run with their software.  It gives you both the ability to custom map the buttons and fine tune the Naga to your liking.

Regrettably, using the Razer software has been a bit glitchy.  You can either install from the CD like a caveman or go the source at razerzone.com and download the latest version.  There are two big gripes I have; 1 being that it wants to do an awful lot of updating and two, every time you start your machine there is this period of laggy response from your cursor.  Both of these are things that can be lived with of course.  They don’t break the mouse, but this is a rather pricey mouse from a very professional company, I just expect better.

Razer Naga MMO Gaming Mouse Razer Naga MMO Gaming Mouse Razer Naga MMO Gaming Mouse