Time for another round of hardware testing here at B2G. This week we got another double combo offering courtesy of Razer, with their Imperator gaming mouse and Vespula dual-sided mouse mat. Nice names, huh? Let’s see if they give you that extra sting in gaming and if they live up to their venomous namesakes.
Once again, Razer’s giving us a chance to play around with their stuff and for this session we’ll be having the pleasure of literally playing with the Imperator and Vespula. If you’re paying attention to the local enthusiast market, Razer has been injecting itself full-force with their product line slowly making its way to local shelves. Amongst those they have to offer are what we have in our desk today. So let’s get things started and let’s make this showy!
PACKAGING
Vespula
[singlepic id=2086 w=320 h=240 float=center]Big box is big. The Vespula’s packaging is one of those products that totally says Razer when you see it. It’s clad in black and shows off what you have inside with a clear plastic side.
[singlepic id=2087 w=320 h=240 float=center]Behind that we have marketing stuff plastered all over the box. Multi-language description of the features and such. We won’t get into much detail here.
Imperator
[singlepic id=2068 w=320 h=240 float=center]The Imperator packaging is again adherent to Razer’s packaging standards; black box, bold grungy text with smoky accentuations and with the main product highlighted. I particularly like the holographic text used in the Imperator name in the box.
[singlepic id=2069 w=320 h=240 float=center]Opening up the front flap, you get treated to a top-view of the Imperator, with a nice pictorial on the back of the flap. Seems like this is kinda the norm when it comes to gaming mice; showing them off one way or another without letting the consumer touch it. Tease us more, yo.
[singlepic id=2070 w=320 h=240 float=center] [singlepic id=2072 w=320 h=240 float=center]Viewing the sides we have marketing stuff detailing the features of the Imperator. On the other side we have a message from Razer Guy. Marketing stuff.
[singlepic id=2071 w=320 h=240 float=center]Forgive me for the blurred pic, I had no idea that was the only shot I took of it. Lemme just describe what’s in there:
- Ergonomic right-handed design - yeah right hand biased mouse… lefthand mice users beware. This will not feel nice held with your left-hand.
- Adjustable side buttons - the side buttons shift forward and backwards for better thumb-action
- 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser sensor - I heard this is what they used in the Spectre… kinda getting a jittery feeling there
- Razer Synapse On-board Memory
- Up to 200 inches per second/ 50g acceleration - Fast mouse is fast.
- Seven independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons - Hyperesponse is right… it puts hype in response because that’s what it wants you to do… get hyped. Should’ve been Hyper Response. Anyways, this is Razer’s super sensitive button technology.
- 1000Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response rate
- On-The-Fly Sensitivity adjustment
- Zero-acoustic Ultraslick mouse feet - Teflon I presume
- Approximate size: 123mm(L) x 71mm(W) x 42mm(H)
And then we have the top and bottom flaps of the box. Pretty much standard stuff there so we move on to the better stuff.
INSIDE THE BOX
Vespula
[singlepic id=2088 w=320 h=240 float=center]The Vespula is a pretty straight up, no-frills bundle consisting of the dual-sided mouse mat, a rubber non-slip (seriously high-grip) base with gel wrist rest, a pair of Razer triple-headed snake logo stickers and a documentation sheet. That’s everything.
[singlepic id=2089 w=320 h=240 float=center]The Vespula in its grey glory. The green accents don’t glow, fyi.
Imperator
[singlepic id=2075 w=320 h=240 float=center]Good lawdz, this one’s loaded. Contrary to the Vespula’s discrete package contents, the Imperator is packed with 5 documentations, a certificate of ownership, a cup base, a sticker pad, and of course the mouse itself. All these are neatly packed in a plastic inlet behind the internal box.
[singlepic id=2076 w=320 h=240 float=center] [singlepic id=2077 w=320 h=240 float=center]The Imperator is one big-ass mouse. Its got a wide base and an right-hand fitting designed for ergonomic perfection and comfort. Just like its namesake, the Imperator is black and big like the scorpion it represents. A rubbery coating envelopes the top of the mice with gloss plastic along the sides for styling.
[singlepic id=2078 w=320 h=240 float=center]The scroll wheel is wide and has plenty of notches for scroll actuation increasing its responsiveness.
[singlepic id=2080 w=320 h=240 float=center]Standard Razer cabling here, braided and 7 feet long. They say its tangle-free, I would agree but it tends to retain its form if you tie it up for quite a while.
[singlepic id=2079 w=320 h=240 float=center]Golden USB plug because this mouse is the king.
[singlepic id=2084 w=320 h=240 float=center]Flipping this rodent over, we see its wide base. Pardon the dirt… we don’t play nice, we play dirty. We got a profile button to shift between internally saved profile configurations, the side button shifter, and the 3.5G laser eye.
[singlepic id=2081 w=320 h=240 float=center] [singlepic id=2082 w=320 h=240 float=center]Plugging in the Imperator, we have lights everyone. Blue lighting on the scroll wheel and Razer logo with pulsating effect on the logo adds a subtle touch but lacks that impact. Would’ve looked meaner if the sides had a bit of glow to ’em.
PERFORMANCE, COMFORT, FUNCTIONALITY
Razer Vespula
Trying to test a mousing surface and tell someone if it’s good or bad is very hard. We’ll try to put some variety in our testing to simulate different people’s preference when it comes to their mousing surface as well as the mice they use.
We put the Vespula in the hot-seat and for this round we’ll be inviting over a couple of rodents to play on it: the A4Tech X-710BH gaming mouse with its vanilla brother the OP-720, and Razer’s own Spectre Starcraft II gaming mouse and finally our other star for today, the Imperator. And sorry, no ball mice in this test.
[singlepic id=2091 w=320 h=240 float=center]Gaming
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Mission: Special Ops – Sniper Fi
Like the mission name suggests, this is a sniper mission. You’re on defense with wave after wave of infantry, jeeps and trucks coming at you. This is a great mission to test out both sides of the Vespula.
Control Side
- X-710BH – being an optical mice, I’d expected it to perform great in this side of the Vespula with its grainier surface and I was right. The mouse mat gave the X-710BH some extra glide compared to my usual soft mat and it was pretty fast and accurate at lower DPI settings. Great performance here.
- Spectre –if you’ve seen my previous review, you’ll know this is one rowdy mouse. The Vespula managed to subdue the Spectre’s inherent flaw of a sidewards shift every time you make a right-click and kept it to a minimum. You’ll still be forced to claw it though.
- OP-720 –this is as vanilla as optical mice gets. Like its gaming brethren, it had better glide and precision on this side of the Vespula.
- Imperator - I don’t know how to say it. These two are like peanut butter and jelly, bread and butter, Batman and Robin, <insert more pairings here>. The Imperator had the best glide amongst the ones tested here but that might be due to mouse itself, we’ll know more about the Imperator on its part of the review.
Speed Side
- X-710BH – the smoother surface of this side of the Vespula really sent this mouse soaring. It made it easier to take out groups with a happy trigger-finger.
- Spectre – I just don’t see any hope for this mouse. I’ve tried to claw it and palm it to maximize my control on it but it really seems it’s just not made for first-person shooters. The Vespula’sspeed side brought back that right-click jiggle on the Spectre. Still, the mouse mat delivered excellent glide for it.
- OP-720 – this being an 800dpi mouse, gaming-wise its slow. Using it on this side gave it more speed and less traction so that’s already something.
- Imperator – I had to stick to 800dpi on this one 2 waves into the mission because I kept missing my targets because I’m used to this big guy being accurate at 1800dpi. The Vespula boosted the Imperator’s tracking by a lot making it more responsive, although not as precise as I would like. So yeah, lower that sensitivity.
Yes, I played the mission plenty of time to test out the different mice on the Vespula. Many will appreciate the high-grip rubber base and wrist-rest but one thing I particularly would find useful is a softer wrist-rest than the one it has. Sometimes I would find it starting to get uncomfortable or hard to shift hand position with it. Those with smaller desks should be well aware of the position required by these kinds of mats. Also I find the choice of color rather displeasing, the grey surface just kills the appeal of the mat with glowing monsters like the Spectre, Naga Molten or Imperator gliding on it.
Razer Imperator
After screwing around with the other rodents, I finally got the time to settle down with the Imperator and boy is she a big one. The Imperator has a pretty decent bulk added to it but since its an ergonomically designed right-hand mouse, it fits perfectly on just about any hand (unless you have small hands or you’re a little kid.)
During our testing of the Vespula in the Call of Duty mission, I found the Imperator doing really well with really great precision and speed. Also worth mentioning is the ability to switch DPI settings on the fly which is really useful.
Using it for a couple of days in the office for general use was also a joy, the design is really sleek and has a nice feel to it. The curves really puts your hand at a very comfortable position. The right-thumb buttons are adjustable via the slider beneath the Imperator so people with larger hands won’t have to bend their thumbs at an awkward angle.
I also took the time in creating a couple of artwork with it. I’d show ’em to you guys but their work stuff. I’ll just say the Imperator works like a charm laying down the Pen tool. Precision tool right here, folks.
CONCLUSION
So wrapping things up, all throughout testing the Vespula and Imperator did great. They performed well and had great feel to them. The Vespula could’ve been better if it had better wrist support. Razer is asking $34.99(Php1500) for the Vespula and $79.99(Php3500) for the Imperator, and I think they do well for their prices. Versus the Naga with its number pad and great looks (Naga Molten) and is priced the same, I’d still go for the Imperator for sheer performance. Still, if looks and extra features makes you tick, by all means, the Naga is one mean rodent.
Putting everything together, the Vespula is a nice dual-sided mouse mat for those who like to have two things at the same time; a grainy surface for precision and a smooth one for speed. Its got size to allow plenty of movement with large mice like the Imperator. The Imperator on the other hand brings in great performance, with elegant looks and perfect comfort. Razer says “its and extension of your hand” and the Imperator delivers. In closing, anyone looking for a serious gaming mouse with performance and comfort as their top priorities, the Imperator will surely satisfy while the Vespula is a great all-around mouse mat with a nice feel and feature of being dual-sided. It might need a bit of help in the ergonomics and looks department but it doesn’t detract any points in terms of performance. A great all-around gaming mice and mouse mat recommended for anyone into serious game action.
The Imperator feels so good to hold it’s orgasmic…
