Cyber Snipa Tracer mouse mat

I've always wanted to try out a mouse mat that was considered a "gaming" mouse mat. I've always used the standard cloth mouse mats. Not the real thick ones, but preferably the thin foam rubber ones with a cloth surface.

Well my girlfriend changed all that for me when at Christmas I was presented with a Cyber Snipa Tracer mouse mat. I have to say, my mouse use has definitely improved with this thing (and no, it is not just mental)!

Here's a pic:

I'm really glad she got this for me. Now I understand why people use mats like this. This thing is way different than what I was used to. For example, it is very hard. The structure is some type of hard plastic with a surface basically glued onto that. This surface is extremely slick, especially if you use a mouse with already slick feet like any of the Razer mice or the Logitech gaming mice. You can literally tap the mouse with your finger and it will slide on this thing farther than you expect. If you were to tilt the mat at all, it would slide right off. If you don't get what I'm trying to say already, this mat is really, really, really slick. :)

I've tried all the mice I have on this mat, and am satisfied with all but the Razer Lachesis. The Lachesis is Razer's newest offering, with advertised 4000 DPI. The Lachesis simply will not work on this mouse mat. However, I must stress this is NOT the mouse mat's fault, it is a problem with the Lachesis. No other mice have trouble with this mat, even other laser based mice like the G5 and G3 from Logitech. The Lachesis simply cannot handle any small spec of dust or grime on the surface before it simply goes haywire. I can slide over a speck of dust and literally the pointer will jump 4 to 6 inches across the screen. Razer states in their knowledge base as of now (1/30/08) that they are working on this problem, however their latest firmware (1.58) has not corrected the problem.

Back to the Cyber Snipa. Simply put this is a great mouse mat. Get one if you can. Another one that is exactly like it but sold under a different name for approximately the same cost is the Thermaltake A2417 Flare Pad. My girlfriend has this pad herself and I can honestly say it is identical to the Cyber Snipa Tracer. I can't find one difference except for the logos.

This mat also lights up blue with a dimmer switch that, of course, dims the light. You can dim the light down to completely off or impressively bright. I sometimes turn down the light it is so bright. This is powered by a USB port, so if you have a free USB port to use this feature, it is cool although completely unnecessary. Currently I'm a little short on USB ports so mine is not plugged in at the moment, due in part to the Razer Tarantula taking up 2 USB ports.

The one gripe I have with it is that I tend to sometimes pull my hand to the back of a mouse mat. If you do this on this mat, it will lift the front end up slightly off your table/desk because of this pad's one piece solid construction. The mat actually rests on 4 or 5 feet on the bottom of it around the edges. While there are 3 feet on the back that look like a middle one was placed there to sort of counteract this, it still should have been placed farther back nearer the edge of the mat to prevent this problem totally. A small piece of non-slip padding or another small foot of some sort from your local store would fix this problem indefinitely and easily. Another option is simply turning the mat sideways, which I've found works well also. This completely removes the lift up problem. However I have simply gotten used to putting my hand farther up on the mat to prevent this and it is now almost a habit.

I give it a 9/10. I definitely recommend this mouse mat to anyone who is looking for a good gaming mat. Extremely slick and smooth, easy to dust off/clean off, and looks great. Also it is very wide, so it has ample space to slide your mouse.

-Rav

Mouse Stuff I've Learned.

DPI - Dots Per Inch. However, this does not mean dots per SCREEN inch, but instead dots per inch you physically move the mouse. For example: if I have a mouse that is set at 1800 DPI, then when I move the mouse a physical inch on the mouse mat it should move 1800 dots on the screen. This is why the term (to me) is a little misleading because I've always related DPI to monitor resolution where a higher DPI means more dots in an inch on the monitor screen. This isn't so with mouse DPI. If I adjust the same mouse to 400 DPI, then when I move it one inch on the mouse mat it will move much less on the screen because it's only moving 400 dots instead of 1800 for the inch I physically moved it on the mouse mat.

That confused me for a while, so in case anyone else was confused about it I thought I would put this snippet here to clarify.

How to setup a mouse with high DPI or multiple DPI settings
There's many ways to start, but this is how I do it.
*Set your windows mouse sensitivity in the control panel to the 3rd notch from the left (on the low side).
*Set your mouse (via software that came with it, or buttons on the mouse itself) to the highest DPI setting it has.
*Your mouse should now be somewhat near a decent movement speed now.

I see people in forums write all the time, "Why would someone need more than 800 DPI? Faster than that is just a waste!" Here's exactly why you would want as high a resolution as you can get...

If you have a mouse with adjustable DPI, try just the opposite as I listed above. Set the mouse DPI to 400 (or whatever its lowest setting is) and then adjust the windows sensitivity in control panel up around the last mark, or within a couple marks of that (on the high speed end). Open Notepad or something where you have a nice white background to watch your pointer on. Now... move your mouse very slowly in a diagonal fashion, say from the bottom left to the upper right.

See all those jagged, jumpy twitches your mouse is making? That's the reason you want high DPI and not low DPI. A typical 400 dpi mouse needs the mouse sensitivity in the control panel cranked way up to make it usable for people who don't want to drag their mouse across the whole mat and lift it all the time. This in turn makes it extremely jumpy, because it's trying to move at 400 dpi but it really can't because it's having to "skip" dots to do what the windows mouse control is telling it to do. So you get a stair-stepping effect, sort of like 0 anti-aliasing for mice if you're familiar with that gaming graphics term.

High DPI is lke 8x or 16x anti-aliasing for mice basically. It lets your mouse make much finer movements without the staircase/stair-step effect. This is especially important for people who do graphics design for a living as well as gamers (the latter more for fun however and less imperative!). I cannot stand using an old Microsoft Optical mouse because of the 400 DPI setting. I use mice that are at least 1600 dpi or more because I do not want to see stair-stepping when my mouse moves, as this makes simple tasks like highlighting text more difficult to do. With high DPI, this task becomes something you don't have to be so careful with and instead is something really smooth and easy to do.

Great mice with high DPI I recommend are the Razer Diamondback 3G, Death Adder, and Logitech G9, G5 or G3.

-X

Creative Fatal1ty Keyboard

I don't know anything about the gamer guy this keyboard is hyped by. I did want to try out a laptop style keyboard for my desktop, since I see the benefit of having that style of keyboard. While you do lose some things from a typical keyboard layout, you do gain others. On with the review!


Looks - I think the board looks good. Very minimalistic. The white/clear keys don't look so hot when not illuminated, but with the back lighting on they look pretty good. The back light glow is soft, a light blue. I can see this being easier on the eyes for dark gaming than the typical back lit keyboard in a pure dark or nearly pure dark environment. Some keyboard lighting is pretty harshly bright in really dark rooms.

The board is really square as you can see from the picture. You can also see it is missing the "Insert/Home/Page Up, etc." layout. This thing is laid out exactly like some laptops, so if you're familiar with laptops you'll get it sooner than those who aren't. I personally prefer a full sized keyboard to this design. However, this design saves a lot of desk space. If you need a smaller back lit keyboard, this might be a good one to look into. It has the typical hight adjustment legs that you can flip out as well on the bottom to raise the angle some.

Performance - Overall the keyboard is good, but I'm not a fan of how clicky it is. It is extremely clicky, so much that it almost slows down my typing instead of making it faster because of the laptop style. The key presses are hard and stiff, not easy to push down like a laptop's keyboard usually is. If it required the same pressure as laptop keys, this would be a great board. This is my primary concern with it.

Also if you're not used to the layout, it's hard to get to the keys you want in a hurry. You have to revert to the "hunt and peck" method. This can get old after a while. Eventually you'll catch on if you prefer to use this board, but if you're really used to a regular keyboard you won't like this aspect of it.

Software - I have not tried any software with this board (if there even is any). I don't remember it having any software when I tried it out.

Conclusion - 7/10. Not an awful keyboard but definitely not the best. Too clicky for my tastes and the keypresses are too firm/stiff to make it good for everyday use. It might be ok strictly for gaming, but I still would prefer another keyboard like either Razer board or either Saitek board over this.

The Current Rundown

After using peripherals over time, I eventually develop a like and dislike for some things about them. This is the current status of what I would rate the peripherals I've extensively used. Check back frequently for more additions.

-X
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Mice
Razer Diamondback 3G - 10/10
Logitech G9 - 9/10
Razer Death Adder - 8/10
Razer Pro Click - 8/10
Razer Salmosa - 7/10
Logitech G5 - 7/10
Razer Lachesis - 4/10



Keyboards
Microsoft Reclusa - 10/10
Saitek Eclipse - 10/10
Saitek Eclipse II - 9/10
Dell SK-8115 - 8/10
Razer Tarantula - 8/10
Razer Lycosa - 7/10
Creative Fatal1ty - 6/10



Other Stuff
Cyber Snipa Tracer - 9/10
Logitech USB Headset - 8/10
Razer Piranha - 8/10

Razer Lachesis - Mouse Review by Rav

The Razer Lachesis is a great looking mouse, but not without its performance problems. I can see it being a love or hate peripheral instead of one 85% of people would really like. The potential for hit and miss is strong. Time to explain!


**UPDATE - The Lachesis works exactly the same after the 1.58 firmware beta. It still skips like crazy on the Cyber Snipa Tracer pad (a hard, slick mouse surface that works great with ANY other mouse I've used on it), but cloth surfaces are trouble free 99% of the time. /UPDATE**

**ANOTHER Update! ;) - Razer has some very "interesting" things to say about how to "fix" this mouse's problems. I think they are pretty ridiculous suggestions. One is remove the bottom piece of the mouse around the laser. Yes, you read that right. Remove part of your mouse. :\ Another suggestion is... wait for it!... use it at 2000 dpi. Wait, doesn't the Lachesis go up to 4000 dpi? Yes. But, even though you might have bought it to use that feature specifically, Razer is saying to fix some problems with it you really can't use that feature and you should use 2000 dpi only. Pretty pathetic fixes if you ask me.

I really like Razer stuff, I use their Diamondback 3G mouse and Tarantula keyboard currently. However, do NOT get the Lachesis unless you only use a cloth mousepad. They have released another firmware update I believe since the one I last tried (I returned the mouse so I can no longer test it, as I think it sucks totally). However I have my doubts that it would fix the problems for people with hard slick mouse mats such as the Cyber Snipa.

I would link you these references on their site, however it is currently down. I will try to link them at a later date when their site is back up. /Update**

Looks - As with most Razer mice, the Lachesis looks great. It comes in blue or white lighting (I have tempest blue). The shape looks different than any other mouse I've seen. This is fine in the looks department however as the mouse looks slick. The pulsating Razer logo on the mouse is the same as the Death Adder, which looks great. This can be turned off in the Razer software (if installed). It has the "velvety" feel of the Death Adder and Diamondback 3G covering the whole mouse and similar one-piece construction on top that the Death Adder has.

Shape - I am used to a Diamongback 3G as my primary mouse and this is not really like the Diamondback in shape. It is definitely unique. I think what throws me off is its length and also width near the corded end. Picture an hourglass in your mind, and that's how this mouse is setup. Big rear, thin middle, big front. Great for a woman, not so sure about a mouse. I will have to say it seems to be hard to get used to so far. I have to hold the mouse semi-sideways to make it work for me. I do this with most mice anyhow as I tend to rest my ring and pinky fingers on the right side of the mouse, however it is exaggerated with the Lachesis.


Performance - I have had my share of problems here, unfortunately. I am currently testing 1.58 Beta of the firmware for the mouse, as 1.00 and 1.56 have had major problems tracking on surfaces like the Cyber Snipa Tracer mouse mat. This puzzles me because Razer's Exact Mat has a smooth side that is similar, if not the same, as the Cyber Snipa's surface. If it performs on theirs like it does mine then I don't see how it ever got to production. It will randomly jump across my screen, sometimes up to 4-6 inches. Finer movement is very difficult. It is like dust or something being on the sensor, even though there doesn't appear to be any. Swap mouse pads (for example, go to a normal cloth pad) and this problem disappears. I have seen it jump once on a cloth pad. This was using the 1.00 firmware as well, which definitely has jumping problems. If you search the 'net for Lachesis problems, you'll see what I mean. There are plenty of people with tracking problems related to this mouse. If you look at Newegg customer reviews alone you'll see what I mean. I am convinced this is directly related to the mouse pad or mat that you use this mouse on. I'm convinced this mouse (in its current state) is designed strictly for cloth mouse pads. If you have a hard surfaced mouse pad or something similar to the Cyber Snipa Tracer (or even Razer's own Exact Mat with the same slick surface) then don't expect the Lachesis to work on it. The "super precision" it is advertised as having will go down the toilet as soon as it hits the mat.

The side buttons are stiffer than the Death Adder or either Diamondback versions.

If Razer can correct this problem, I see this mouse being a possible contender among gaming mice. Otherwise I don't see much use for it. I can use any other mouse on the Cyber Snipa mat without any problems at all, including the G5 which is a laser mouse like the Lachesis, just half the DPI. However, setting the Lachesis to 2000 or even 1000 DPI has made no difference on the skipping problem.

Software - Razer's software is typical here. Same look and feel as their other mouse software (Diamondback, Death Adder, Copperhead, etc). It does of course have specific Lachesis options, such as DPI adjustments from 125 to 4000. Personally I try to use the mouse at 4000 DPI with the windows mouse sensitivity on either the 2nd or 3rd notch. Over that and I have to drop the DPI to 3000 or 2000. It allows for adjustments in increments as small as 125 DPI. Razer claims this mouse adjusts that way via its hardware, not through software interpolation (meaning the hardware is doing the adjustments, not just software emulating an adjustment).

I have setup some profiles with different report rates. The Lachesis can be set to 125, 500 and 1000. I can't tell any difference from 500 to 1000, so I typically leave it on 500 to use fewer computer resources.

Conclusion - As of now, I give it a 5/10. I can't justify it over any other Razer mice I've reviewed. Pending more tests on the Cyber Snipa Tracer surface via firmware updates and also getting used to the different shape knocks the score down. This mouse didn't work for me right out of the box like it should. I would dock it at least a point or two for the comfort factor because of its semi-radical shape, but shape is all personal preference. My hands aren't large but I have skinny long fingers. The problem I have with the Lachesis shape is mostly the width near the primary buttons. It feels it should be narrower there. It could stand to be at least a half-inch shorter as well to fit my personal tastes.

Hopefully Razer can salvage this mouse, seeing as it is the only one on the market with 4000 dpi. Not that 4000 dpi is necessary (I really think it's just a selling point honestly), but it does offer another precision level for gamers who toy with DPI a lot. I can see someone who constantly adjusts DPI settings liking this mouse... IF they can overcome its radical shape and if they don't use a hard surfaced gaming mouse mat. What gaming mouse can't be used on a gaming mat?

-Rav