It's like a cell phone had a baby with a mouse.
The Razer Naga's big difference from a normal mouse is the dial pad on its left side that looks like a cell phone pad. Razer wants to tap into the tech mindset and have you transfer the thumb dexterity you've garnered from text messaging over to casting Arcane Shot to kill mobs. That is, the Razer is specifically designed for the MMO player.
Its key selling point is that it reduces a player's keyboard strikes and keeps players focused on simple mouse interactions. If you click the number on the dial pad that corresponds to a hot linked item in your on-screen item bar, you'll use that item/spell/ability, whatever. It's essentially taking all numbered keys and putting them in close reach of your thumb.
The Naga is curved so that it better fits in the palm of your hand; it's compact, sleek and everything feels where it should be.
The Naga comes with an oversize Megasoma mat and also the option to install Naga-specific add-ons for World of Warcraft. With the disclosure that the add-on will be updated intermittently and might be discontinued, I didn't even consider loading it onto my computer. I'll stick with add-ons that I know will continuously be updated or have a track record of being updated.
After putting easily 60 hours on the Naga I can't imagine playing with another mouse. It's responsive, I love having the buttons on the mouse so I can quickly select a skill or item and I barely notice it; that's something I think is important in a mouse. I'm not conscious of the Naga when I'm playing, and while I'm still getting used to the keypad (I typically only find myself pushing buttons one through six), I can't imagine playing World of Warcraft without it at this point.
The Naga is currently available and retails for about $80.
Naga technical specs:
- 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
- 1000Hz UltrapollingTM / 1ms response time
- 200 inches per second max tracking speed
- Zero-acoustic UltraslickTM Teflon feet
- 17 MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
- Optional MMO-specific software AddOns
- Unlimited character profiles with AddOns
- Approximate size: 116L x 69W x 41.6H (in mm)
