First released in 2006, the Razer DeathAdder is a legendary gaming mouse that has undergone more than 30 iterations and sold over 10 million units. The latest version – DeathAdder v2 – arrived last month.
The design is relatively unchanged from the original’s. The v2 sports the original’s iconic asymmetrical curvy shape and contour, fitting the natural shape of one’s hand. When using it, you are resting your palm on the mouse rather than gripping it. I think it suits both claw-and palm-grip gamers.
There are eight programmable buttons to customise the macros and secondary functions by using the Razer Synapse 3 software. These buttons are all within easy reach of the fingers and thumb.
Apart from buttons for left, right and scroll-wheel clicks, there are two buttons on the left side of the mouse and two buttons on the top that, by default, let you adjust the mouse sensitivity. A button at the bottom lets you cycle through the stored profiles.
The v2 can store up to five on-board profiles using the Synapse software. Each profile has a different sensitivity, lighting and custom button settings, so you can plug it into any gaming rig and be ready to go.
But the lighting setting – choose from 16.8 million colours – in the on-board profiles can be activated only if you install Synapse on the machine the mouse is connected to.
The v2 now uses a fabric-sheathed USB cable that is more durable and less likely to entangle than a rubberised cable. The new cable also has minimal drag for quicker swipes and better control.
Inside the v2 is Razer’s Focus 20,000 dots-per-inch (dpi) optical sensor. It is a huge upgrade from the original’s 1,800 dpi infrared sensor, though just an incremental upgrade from the 2016 DeadAdder Elite’s 16,000 dpi optical sensor.
The v2 uses Razer’s optical mouse switches, which are supposed to be faster and more durable than conventional mechanical switches.
At 82g, the v2 is much lighter than the Elite (105g). The best part is that Razer has kept the price the same as the Elite’s, despite the upgrades.
In terms of performance, the v2 does not disappoint. In fact, it is one of the best gaming mice I have used.
FOR
• Superb performance
• Timeless ergonomic design
• Comfortable grip
• No price hike from last version
AGAINST
• Not for left-handers
• Scroll wheel click a tad sensitive
• For DeathAdder fans only
SPECS
PRICE: $109.90
SENSOR: Razer Focus+ 20,000 dots-per-inch sensor
TRACKING SPEED: Up to 650 inches per second
WEIGHT: 82g
RATING
FEATURES: 4/5
DESIGN: 4.5/5
PERFORMANCE: 4.5/5
VALUE FOR MONEY: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Whether on role-playing games or first-person shooters, it performed superbly. I could strafe, turn and aim as quickly, smoothly and accurately as I wanted. I also did not feel any aches in my hand after hours of gaming.
A downside is its asymmetrical design, which suits right-handers.
Another minor complaint is that the scroll-wheel click seems a tad too sensitive. It registers a click even when I was just scrolling through a Web page.
Plus, the world is now very different from in 2006. I prefer a wireless gaming mouse these days. And there are a lot of capable ones, such as Razer’s Mamba Hyperflux and Logitech’s G502 Lightspeed, to choose from, though they are more expensive.
You really have to be a DeathAdder fan to fancy the v2, as good as it is.
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