Mice & Keyboards by stefan @ 2012-04-16
The new mouse from the Naga family is Hex and Razer has built it for MOBA and Action RPGs; it comes with 6 extra buttons on the thumb side and 3 different rubber thumb rests are also provided, to suit our needs. The customization of the mouse functions can be realized by using the powerful Razer Synapse 2.0 software, which can be downloaded freely from the manufacturers’ website.
At first I would like to thank Razer for offering me a sample of their Naga Hex Expert MOBA/Action RPG Gaming Mouse for reviewing.
"Razer is more than just the world's leading brand in gaming.
We were founded in 1998 in San Diego, California by our CEO Min-Liang Tan and our President Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff in a tiny shared office with a couple other gamers. We have grown today to hundreds of employees worldwide with offices in seven cities, including San Francisco, Hamburg, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore.
Our vision from the very beginning was to be the world's greatest gaming brand and we've set out to achieve that by designing the best gaming products that any gamer has ever seen.
We believe that truly great products are based on technology, designed with extensive human factors and user ergonomic studies and then tested by the top professional gamers. In simpler terms, our own world class scientists and engineers develop cutting edge technology in-house or with partners, design phenomenal products around core technologies – and test the hell out of them in the field with our pro-gamers before we launch them.
We are the only gaming hardware company in the world with dedicated gaming user interface research and development labs, and our technology and designs are incubated in three dedicated design centers located in facilities in California, Singapore and Shenzhen. No other company boasts of technology like we do – because we're the only guys who have what it takes under the hood.
We tell it like it is: some can pretend to co-develop products with professional gamers, but gamers don't develop technology: scientists and engineers do (and ours just happen to be gamers as well).
We develop and design our products in our own labs and then put them to the test with top professional gamers who use them in pro-level tournaments and then provide us with feedback. Then we iterate on the product, refining it with the feedback – over and over and over again. That's how it's done, that's how a Razer product is built from ground up. No marketing BS and no hype.
We pioneered the eSports movement with the world's first $100K tournament back in 2000 and we have continued to give back to the community by sponsoring top eSports athletes who give back to Razer by beta-testing our products. We remain one of the largest sponsors of eSports community sponsoring top global eSports teams worldwide.
The people that work here at Razer are gamers just like you – some amateur, some ex-professional gamers, some just play for fun, just ask our CEO who will lay the smack down on you in Quake Live or our President, who has over ten level 80's on his local server. Hell, he will even take you on a raid in the middle of the work day.
We are the same gamers who are told by the suits that we need adult supervision and we need a professional CEO or management team – and we're the same gamers who tell the suits exactly where to shove it because we like doing what we do – and we do it on our own terms.
We hope our passion for gaming speaks to you like it does to us, through our products and we hope you enjoy the competitive edge we bring to your game."
6 MOBA/action-RPG optimized mechanical thumb buttons
The Razer Naga Hex features 6 large mechanical thumb buttons specially optimized for MOBA and action-RPG user interfaces. Every pro-gamer can map their 6 favored spells, abilities, and items to these buttons for rapid actuation.
High performance buttons up to 250 clicks per minute
In action-RPG and MOBA games, intensive clicking is necessary to deliver relentless blows on one’s enemies. So pro-gamers need a mouse that can keep up. The Razer Naga Hex utilizes special switches that lasts up to 10 million clicks. It also accurately registers up to a whopping 250 clicks per minute, perfect for those with lightning fast reflexes.
Razer Synapse 2.0
Razer Synapse 2.0 is cutting-edge intuitive proprietary software that functions as the Razer Naga Hex’s brain – automatically syncing the gaming mouse to a cloud server to download driver and firmware updates, as well as save individual gamer settings without you needing to lift a finger. Specifically for the Razer Naga Hex, Razer Synapse 2.0 capabilities will be expanded to store settings for a custom Razer in-game UI designed just for MOBA and action-RPG players.
6 MOBA/action-RPG optimized mechanical thumb buttons
11 total programmable Hyperesponse buttons
Special switches in buttons for 250 clicks per minute
10 million click life cycle
Razer Synapse 2.0
5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response time
Approximate Size : 116 mm / 4.57” (Length) x 70 mm / 2.76” (Width) x 46 mm / 1.81” (Height)
Approximate Weight: 134 g / 0.30 lbs
PC with USB port
Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® XP (32-bit)
Internet connection (for driver installation)
At least 100MB of hard disk space
The new mouse released from Razer is named Naga Hex and shares some of the features with the Naga Epic model we have reviewed in the past; it is shipped inside a cardboard box with the green/black color scheme which is very usual for Razer and on its frontal side we can see a photo of the product, along with a list of the main features:
The box opens like a book, so we can see some additional details on the inside, along with the mouse itself, covered by a transparent plastic mold:
The main product features are also explained on one of the box sides:
The opposite side we’ve got a product description right from RazerGuy himself:
Also, on the box we can also find the System Requirements:
On the back we’ve got a larger photo of the mouse, with a description of its main components:
The box is sealed on both sides for safety:
Besides the mouse, inside we can find a black envelope with documentation:
The Razer envelope comes on one side with their “For Gamers. By Gamers” saying, the company website address, and on the other side we can find the Razer logo:
The documentation is composed from two manuals, a registration guide, two additional thumb rest accessories, a mouse description card and two Razer stickers:
The Razer snake logo stickers can be placed on our laptop, desktop or other item of our choice for a nice effect:
The Razer Master Guide includes information regarding both hardware and software installation:
The registration card lets us know what steps we need to take for signing up on the Razer website:
People who want to go straight to gaming and do not want to lose time by reading the Master Guide can open the Quick Installation Guide:
The Naga Hex has an ergonomic shape and the top side is covered with a shiny smooth plastic, with an interesting mix of black and green colors:
Here we can also find the Razer logo, which looks best when the mouse is connected to our PC and is lighted up by the LED underneath:
One of the main features of the mouse is represented by the six mechanical switch buttons; in the center we can find a replaceable thumb rest; the rest of the lateral surface is made from a rough, grippy plastic:
The additional thumb rests are to be found in a small transparent plastic bag with instructions:
The other side has no buttons, but features the same plastic with rough texture:
On the front we can find the usual left, right click buttons and the scroll wheel; near the scroll wheel we will find two additional programmable buttons:
On the bottom of the mouse we can find five low friction feet:
Near the 3.5G, 5600DPI high performance sensor, we can find a small switch, similarly shaped to the one on the Salmosa, which lets us change the function of the mechanical buttons between 1 to 6 numbers from the keyboard or NumPad 1 to 6:
A warning sign can be also found here, regarding the laser sensor radiation, when viewed with optical instruments:
The cable used is fully braided for durability:
The USB connector comes with the Razer logo and is gold plated:
Here are some photos with the mouse in operation:
Lateral Mechanical Buttons
Razer Logo
Scroll Wheel
The latest version of the Razer Synapse 2.0 software can be found for download on their website:
Synapse will also need .NET Framework 4.0 installed and if it is not detected, the installation will occur automatically:
The Razer Synapse 2.0 software installation can be done really easy, not requiring additional steps:
Upon the first run, we will be prompted to create an account; if we do not have a previous account, we can create it from the same interface:
Synapse then downloads the rest of the needed modules and after this action is completed, a restart will be required:
All customization settings are available from the software interface, which is well organized and easy to use; the GUI is split in multiple tabs located at the top; the Customize tab is the most complex and here we can assign functions to the programmable buttons:
The view of the mouse can be changed, to be able to assign functions to the mechanical switch buttons too; here we can also switch between “123” and “NUM” mode, so two functions can be assigned to each button. We can jump between the “123” and “NUM“ modes by using the switch on the bottom of the mouse:
The Button Assignment window opens up each time we want to set a function:
Inside the Performance tab, we can adjust the Sensitivity and Acceleration of the mouse:
The same tab lets us customize different sensitivity stages:
In the Lighting tab, we can disable completely the light from the scroll wheel and thumb grid, but also from the back Razer logo:
Inside the Macros tab, we will be able to record new actions that could be later assigned to the programmable buttons:
When cycling through the sensitivity steps, the current DPI meter will be shown on the screen:
Razer has added a new member to the Naga family by introducing the wired Hex model, with a shiny plastic top, redesigned thumb keys and green lighting. Naga Hex also features an ergonomic shape, but this time the pinkie rest is not replaceable as we have seen on the Naga Epic model; also, the laterals of the mouse are made from a rough texture plastic, for gaining a better grip. The cable is braided for additional durability and because of the plastic chassis with no other insertions, the mouse feels light (134 grams) compared to the Corsair M90 we have previously tested.
Thanks of the mechanical switches, the thumb buttons are durable, built to last up to 10 million clicks; the preinstalled thumb rest is replaceable with the two extra items found inside the box.
The Razer Synapse 2.0 has an easy to use interface, from where we can customize the button functions, assign macros, modify the DPI or acceleration levels; the same software allows turning off the light effects of the mouse and the settings we’ve made can be saved to different profiles, which can be linked to the respective game executable files.
The 5600DPI Razer 3.5G Laser sensor is of good quality and it tracked without any issues on both cloth and aluminum mouse pads.
The Razer Naga Hex can be found in the Razer store for about 79.99 Euros.
I would like to thank again to Razer for making this review possible!