At first I would like to thank Razer for offering me a sample of their Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Mouse for reviewing.

 

About Razer:

"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."

Product Features:

 

17 MMO-optimized buttons

Reign supreme in the far reaches of the galaxy with the Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Mouse by Razer featuring 17 buttons for effortless destruction and more skills at your disposal. The Razer driver software allows easy organization and absolute freedom to remap key binds, character abilities, and macros to all the buttons to keep you on top of your game.

Dual mode wired/wireless technology

Wield the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Gaming Mouse by Razer™ like a lightsaber; with precision and complete freedom of movement thanks to its gaming-grade wireless technology. Get unwired performance as responsive and accurate as when wired thanks to Razer-grade ultra-low latency. Then when it’s time to charge, switch the mouse to wired mode and keep fighting until you’re the last one standing.

 

Interchangeable gold-backlit faction emblems

The world of Star Wars: The Old Republic is expansive and fraught with danger, so choose a side and team up to take on the galaxy. With interchangeable resplendent gold-backlit Sith Empire and Galactic Republic faction emblems, your gaming mouse is the perfect symbol of your allegiance.

 

Razer Synapse 2.0 Enabled

Add and manage multiple devices with Razer Synapse 2.0. Instantly store and access your macros, key bindings, configurations and more from the cloud. CLICK HERE to learn more about Razer Synapse 2.0.

 

Product Specifications:

 

17 fully programmable MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)

Wired/Wireless dual mode capability

Interchangeable gold-backlit faction emblems

Charging dock (also functions as a wireless receiver unit)

Multi-color lighting

5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor

1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response time

Battery life: 12 hrs (continuous use); 72 hrs (normal gaming usage)

Approximate Size : 116 mm / 4.6” (Length) x 77 mm / 3.0” (Width) x 41 mm / 1.6” (Height)

Approximate Weight: 142 g / 0.31 lbs

 

System Requirements:

 

PC with USB port

Windows® 8/ Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® XP (32-bit)/ Mac OS X (v10.6-10.8)

Internet connection (for driver installation)

At least 100MB of hard disk space

Razer Synapse 2.0 registration (requiring a valid e-mail), software download, license acceptance, and internet connection needed to activate full features of product and for software updates. After activation, full features are available in optional offline mode.

 

 

Remember the Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Headset we have published back in February? Well, Razer did not manufacture this alone but along with a mouse and pad. In this article we will take a look upon the SWTOR Gaming Mouse, which is packed in the same nice looking themed box as we have found with the previous product. Right from the front, we can see one of the familiar intro artworks that was present with SWTOR pre-expansion and of course, the mouse, through a transparent plastic window:

 

 

 

Some of the product main highlights can be also found here:

 

 

 

Detailed info regarding the product features and several icons will be found on the sides:

 

 

 

The main product components are explained on the back side of the box:

 

 

 

By removing the outside packaging, we will remain with a transparent plastic mold, in which the mouse is held, along with a separate box with accessories:

 

 

 

The SWTOR mouse shares a lot of the design features from the headset, which makes it a real collectible if you enjoy the series; the area with the scroll wheel and the emblem are made from shiny black plastic:

 

 

 

 

The Republic emblem can be switched to a Empire version which is included inside the accessories box:

 

 

 

The SWTOR mouse is equipped with no less than 12 programmable buttons on the left side (design borrowed from the Naga series), in order to access the abilities from the Quickbars and much more:

 

 

 

The right side is ergonomic but does not feature any other programmable buttons:

 

 

 

On the front we will see a small opening where we can insert the USB cable when we do not want to use the wireless capability:

 

 

 

Next to the smooth scroll wheel we will get two other programmable buttons:

 

 

 

The back side of the mouse is pretty crowded; on the sides we will locate 4 PTFE feet for smooth gliding on the surface we will use the product on:

 

 

 

On the top right side, we will find written some product codes, along with the power rating:

 

 

 

In the middle we have the 5600DPI Laser Sensor (Razer Precision 3.5G Sensor) along with a Wireless/Wired switch and a secondary one for modifying the button functionalities:

 

 

 

Further down we have two gold contact points and a small “Pairing” button:

 

 

 

The box with the rest of the bundle also comes with the Star Wars The Old Republic logo on it:

 

 

 

By opening the top cover, we will spot some documentation:

 

 

 

Documentation-wise, this product comes with quite a lot, including two sets of nice looking stickers:

 

 

 

One of the small leaflets contains some trainers, which are small rubber pieces with adhesive that can be installed to the lateral buttons in order to get used to the design more quickly:

 

 

 

Inside the User Manual, the manufacturer will explain us the main product components and how to operate the software:

 

 

 

We will also get an USB cable, the battery, a replaceable Empire logo and a small dock:

 

 

 

The USB cable is gold plated on both sides:

 

 

 

 

As we have found with the most high-end mice, the cable is fully braided for additional durability:

 

 

 

The battery which ships with the SWTOR mouse is rated on the output 3.7V, 1100mAh:

 

 

 

On the top we have three contacts:

 

 

 

The battery installation can be done really easy; simply remove the right lateral of the mouse with little to no force (it is held by magnetic force), in order to expose the compartment:

 

 

 

 

After inserting the battery in the right position, secure it with the plastic lever:

 

 

 

For extra protection, Razer has wrapped the Empire plastic plate in a transparent film:

 

 

 

The small dock preserves the original Star Wars theme and features the two metallic contacts on top:

 

 

 

 

In the back, we have a small opening for inserting the USB cable:

 

 

 

 

The bottom side of the dock comes with a hexagonal rubber surface and in the middle we have the power rating, along with a secondary “Pairing” button:

 

 

 

After the Razer Synapse software has been installed, the frontal multicolored LED should power on:

 

 

 

The mouse can be placed with ease on the dock for charging purposes:

 

 

 

 

After installing the latest version of Synapse 2.0, we will be required to login to our online account in order to be able to download the driver + applications:

 

 

During the software installation, we will be shown a progress bar in the bottom right corner of the screen:

 

 

The themed interface is split into two major menus (Mouse, Macros), Mouse containing multiple sub-sections. From the Customize menu, we will be able to create and select new profiles, but also assign custom functions to the programmable buttons:

 

 

 

The side buttons can be also assigned:

 

 

 

For the buttons we will be able to leave the default key assignment, assign a keyboard function, use a different mouse function, adjust the sensitivity, assign macros, switch between profiles, launch a specific program or set multimedia functions:

 

 

 

When selecting a specific buttom assignment type, a different type of menu will be available:

 

Keyboard Function

 

Mouse Function

 

Sensitivity

 

 

Launch Program

 

Multimedia Functions

 

 

Inside the Performance tab, we will be able to adjust the X/Y sensitivity, the acceleration, but also the polling rate:

 

 

 

A separate button will open the Sensitivity Stages menu:

 

 

 

The scroll button LED color can be customized as we’d like and we can also adjust the brightness level:

 

 

 

From the Power tab, we will be able to see the current battery charge level and adjust power management options:

 

 

 

The Macros menu will let us define custom macro sets, with or without delays:

 

 

 

 

If you have used the Naga series before, using the SWTOR mouse would be like a walk in the park; if not, you would need some time to get used to the multiple button layout and Razer comes further in our help with the two sets of trainers, which can be placed in the positions of our choices. The game is well known for having quite a few abilities which cannot be accessed optimally at once by only using the keyboard so the mouse must also jump in and help; with the 12 buttons from the side we will be able to perform the actions even faster especially when this is needed more like PVE or in scenes where combined effort is required like killing world bosses.

 

The mouse is equipped with a 3.5G Laser which does not feature stellar DPI values (5600DPI maximum) with a polling rate of 1000Hz. Since the mouse is mostly suited for RPGs and MMOs which require a lot of key combinations and not shooters, this is not an issue at all.

 

As with all the latest Razer peripherals, the installation of Synapse 2.0 is required in order to be able to download the software and to be kept updated with the latest firmware versions. After logging in to our account, the profiles we create will be saved in the cloud, for easy access.

 

Besides wireless, the SWTOR mouse can be also used as a wired one, by plugging in the supplied cable in the front; at the same time, the installed battery will also get charged.

 

The only thing we did not like about the mouse is that it uses proprietary rechargeable batteries and not regular ones, so after they wear out we would be forced to use the mouse only in the wired mode.

 

Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Mouse is Recommended For:

 

We would like to thank again to Razer for making this review possible!