The Wargamer

Who Knew A Mouse Could Be So Complicated?

A long time ago in a laboratory far, far away, someone created one of the simplest, yet best interface devices yet devised:  the mouse.  Most folks don’t think twice about their mouse.  Almost any desktop bought off the shelf will come included with a mouse.  Typically these are two-button affairs with a scroll wheel built into the middle.  Nothing fancy, they do their job.

Yet not all mice are created equal.  As any road warrior knows, while a laptop will come with a built-in pointer device of some kind, these can vary from touchpads to a directional button in the middle of a keyboard.  All of which work, but many of us augment our laptops with a mouse for ease of use.  For most folks it’s simply a matter of whether they want a corded or cordless mouse.  A trip to the retail store (almost all of them carry a small computer peripherals department), and the deed is done.

Why, then, do mice cost anywhere from $10 to well over $100?  The answer is simple: if you go to a hardware store and look for a saw, nail, or hammer, there is a staggering variety.  Different tools for different jobs, right?  The same can be said of mice.

I first started paying attention to mice almost a decade ago.  I was doing a heavy amount of development work, using my mouse for hours at a time.  Then I’d head home and game into the late evening.  After a couple of months of this abuse my wrist started to hurt.  A lot.  My sister was working in health care and recommended a brace.  She also recommended I start looking for a more ergonomically friendly mouse.  The solution came from Logitech.  The TrackMan Marble FX was a great idea:  to isolate my wrist and allow my fingers to do the work.  Eventually time, and probably a job that demanded less intensive mousework, healed me up.  It’s been years since I had a problem (and just as long since I used that mouse), but as a result I look at mice with ergonomics in mind.  I also keep the TrackMan around just in case my wrist blows out again.  But since that time I had largely used conventional mice that came with my desktop, until recently when things started to change.

A couple of years ago, the world of mice broke open with the introduction of mice created for gaming purposes.  I bought a “gaming grade” mouse (the early version of this one  and I liked it.  It was responsive (laser-driven!), good looking, and did the job.  When it wore out, I moved to the next step, the G7 cordless mouse. Again, that link is for a later version.  My G7 had a resolution of 1600 dots per inch (dpi), which at the time seemed mind-boggling.  I loved it.  I still use it.  But I got a new laptop and needed a new mouse for it.  Logitech has always served me well, but in visiting a large electronics store I ran across a brand that I’d seen around but not heard much about:  Razer. 

The Razer Lachesis boasted 4000 dpi.  More is better, right?    Sexy design.  The slogan: “Built by gamers for gamers” had resonance with me.  I bit.

The Installation

The Lachesis comes with software to install with the mouse, which I had installed prior to usage.  With past mice, the software was typically a driver and some auto-update feature, along with some simple mouse button programming.  The Lachesis software is an order of magnitude beyond that.  Gamers have myriad options, including setting independent X- and Y-axis sensitivity, acceleration, five custom dpi settings with a profile, 10 separate profiles, and a the ability to auto-select a profile whenever an application is run.  In simple terms that means that gamers can set a mouse profile for 10 different games/applications that will automatically kick in when the game or app is fired up.  Wow.

VVRRROOOOOMMM!  … CRASH!

Have you ever test driven a high-performance sports car?  My G7 mouse is hardly a clunker but when I plugged in the Lachesis and started moving it around, it felt like a sports car with a hyper-sensitive accelerator.  The image of a sports car whipping around a corner way too fast and bashing into a telephone pole is probably as close as I’ll get to explaining what it was like to rev the Lachesis up to 4000 dpi and then play Call of Duty 4.  To say that I was out of control would be an understatement.  After figuring out that 4000 dpi was way too much engine for me, I slowed the mouse down and started to learn how to drive all over again.

The first thing I noticed about the Lachesis is its shape.  The entire line of Razer mice are named for snakes, and their shape resembles that of a pit-viper’s head more than the more common Volkswagon Beetle.  As I indicated earlier, the wrist strain I suffered has caused me to be a bit more observant about the ergonomics of my mice.  The Lachesis’ shape was flat, and that made me wary.  But I vowed to give it a few days before I drew any conclusions.  My initial reaction was to try to find a playing surface where my wrist was as straight as it could be, in order to minimize any strain.  The documentation that came with the mouse echoed this – there are several paragraphs devoted to explaining proper “comfort” for the mouse and point #4 seems to me to be particularly relevant

“During gameplay, relax your wrist and keep it straight.  If you do the same tasks with your hands repeatedly, try not to bend, extend, or twist your hands for long periods.”

That’s good advice.  After playing with the Lachesis for a couple of weeks I still don’t think it’s as ergonomically friendly as many other mice, but I haven’t encountered any serious issues with it. 

Beyond ergonomics, the general shape of the mouse takes some adjustment.  I have small hands, yet I found that the Lachesis seemed a bit small to me.  The VW Beetle-like shape of most mice has an effect of taking up room under my palm and my fingers would drape effortlessly around them.  The Lachesis is different.  The fingers are extended, and I often find my pinky finger is lifted off the surface of the table in order to not get entangled.  The left and right mouse buttons are oversize and are easily accessed, as is the middle scroll button.  The mouse is configured ambidextrously, so either right handed or left handed gamers can use it.  The thumb buttons are easily accessed, although I found initially I had to learn how to squeeze in such a way that I didn’t accidentally force a right-mouse click with my ring finger as counter-balanced my thumb.  Eventually I’ve learned to do this, but I found those buttons opposite the thumb are tough to get to with either my ring finger or pinky.  The default for those buttons is simply to move the profile settings up or down, but trying to change them for game settings I found that accessing them is awkward enough that I don’t use them for anything that requires any speed – effectively rendering them useless for in-game action. 

Learning to Drive Again

After about a week of using the Lachesis I found that I was getting the hang of it.  4000 dpi is akin to getting into a Ferrari and flooring the accelerator.  It’s lots of fun, but not terribly useful for common tasks.  However, I have used the variable dpi settings in gaming with good results.  For long-range FPS action, especially sniping, setting the dpi to a low setting allows for very precise shots against opponents who are in cover but have something exposed.  Conversely, in tight quarters where someone can jump around a corner or behind at any moment, having a high dpi setting allows for a quick movement.  The extraordinary speed offered by 4000 dpi means that the physical reaction can be much quicker and should be managed by fine motor skills, rather than gross ones.  A simply move of a few millimeters can often result in a big shift in the perspective of an FPS.  The result is no longer a mouse that has to whip across six inches of mousepad in order to find a target; much smaller movements suffice.  I’m faster.  This advantage comes at a cost. 

There is still a lot of adjustment that I’m making with the Lachesis.  The amount of precision and control that it gives me is extraordinary, but the corollary to that is with increased options I have to define increased limits.  1500 dpi is perfectly good for daily use in most situations, but there are times when faster or slower reactions are useful.  The customization and profile tools that are installed with the mouse require time to tweak.  Gamers who seek to maximize the benefits from the Lachesis will want to spend a fair amount of time dialing in the precise mix of sensitivities and dpi to get it exactly how they want it.  Gamers who have big screens with lots of real estate are likely to find the greatest benefit from the high end dpi options.  Artists working on individual pixels may find the ability to dial down to 100 dpi a great benefit.  Ultimately most tasks will probably be performed with settings in the middle, but just like with a high-performance sports car, taking the Lachesis out for a spin with the settings maxed can be a real joy ride once I learned to use it.

The Bringer of Silent Death

Cool looks and a pulsing, glowing logo offer only a hint of what the Lachesis is capable of.  Named after the Bushmaster snake (lachesis muta muta), largest pit viper in the Western Hemisphere, the snake itself is named for the second of the Greek Fates who decided the lifespan of people on Earth.  In the right hands, the Lachesis will help gamers decide the fates of many who oppose them.  Its ultra-precision may not be for everyone, but for gamers who want every edge they can get, the Lachesis may be the tool that gives them a decisive edge in gaming.