Razer Abyssus Mini-review

[vhaarr]

Heyho

I recently got me one of those new Razer Abyssus, and I feel I have to share this with the world.



Here's what Razer has to say about its own product;

The Razer Abyssus is created for gamers looking for quality, reliability and performance in a no-nonsense, straightforward gaming-grade mouse. Designed to focus on the fundamentals of competitive gaming, the Razer Abyssus is armed with ultra-responsive buttons tuned for maximum tactile feedback. With an uncompromising 3500dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G infrared sensor at its core, take full control of your every aim with perfect tracking so you outgun your competition.

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-abyssus/

I read this before the product was released, and I've tried and been happy with Razer mice before, I just never bought one. The last 10 years I've always used the cheapest mouse I could find. Logitech OEM ones for 5 EUR, that sort of thing. I had things like the MX1000 and other "top models" before, but I never really cared.

I was happy with my OEM mouse. But I had recently replaced my keyboard with a HHKBPro2 and thought I owed it to myself to give serious mousing business another try.

First, the packaging was good, it included lots of stuff that, frankly, I didn't even look at. It had a CD, book, warranty card, and so forth. I don't even remember all of it. But the packaging was sturdy.
Everything except the actual mouse itself went straight to the trash bin.

I don't have a photo of the packaging, I threw it out right away.

Installing the mouse on my Debian Linux couldn't have been simpler, I just plugged it in and it worked instantly with the USB connector. On the underside of the mouse Razer has included a few hardware switches for DPI and polling rate, which work directly with the mouse hardware, so no software is needed with this mouse. I really like that. Incidentally, I have them both set to the lowest possible settings; 125hz polling rate and 450 DPI.



The available settings are as follows;
DPI: 450, 1800, 3500
Hz: 125 and 1000

It uses a infrared sensor, no laser here.

I've always been a fan of the no-nonsense approach to life. This mouse incorporates that in several aspects.

First, the shape. It's simple, and there's no consideration at all for ergonomics, but it really appeals to me and I like how it sits in my hand.

Secondly, it only has 2 buttons. The mouse wheel acts as a 3rd button, just like you would expect. Very nice.

Third, no custom software is needed (although some is included in the bundle).

Another thing that is excellent about the Abyssus, that has nothing to do with simplicity, really, is the surface material. I've no idea what it is, but I think it's just normal plastic. Nevertheless it is excellent. The buttons are very nice to click and your fingers don't slide around the slightest. First rate surface indeed!



But it's not all cakes and dancing in Razer-land.

Enter the mousewheel; a squeaky, slippery thing that leaves a lot to be desired. That's right, it squeaks. When you turn it at low speeds it squeaks. You're probably thinking "who cares, I scroll really fast", but that's where the other problem comes in. The wheel is exceptionally slippery, and the bumps in it provide almost no resistance. The end result?

You are unable to scroll it at a sufficient speed without feeling that your finger is slipping, and so the squeaking starts. Once you get it going, after 2-3 clicks, you can attain normal speeds, but it feels very wrong and I have to lift my finger more than normal.

The position of the mousewheel, however, is excellent. It just needs a different surface, really. Like the surface they used for the rest of the mouse. Use that on the wheel and it'd be the ultimate pointing machine!

Overall, I'd say I am very disappointed with this product. Another thing that bothers me with these gaming accessories is the LED lights they put everywhere. Of course the light on this mouse is covered up when you grab it, but if you want to lean back and watch a video of any length, the blue LED lights will be forever shining in the lower right/left corner of your vision.

Just a fun "who cares" bit, but I was the first person to order this mouse in Norway (we only have one retailer, and I preordered as the first one, I could see after they shipped mine they had 499 in store, and they ordered 500 .



If I were to rate this product from 1-10, I'd say 3, because I use the scroll function heavily. A lot more than other computer users, based on observing my family (which includes 4 other computer users).

If you're not a heavy scroller, however, I think this mouse would probably please you a lot if you enjoy the same qualities in a mouse that I do. If you ignore the scrollwheel I'd give it a rating of 9 on a 1-10 scale with a point lost for the blue LED.

Thanks for reading

Flickr photo stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vhaarr/sets/72157623055552716/

[Langley]

You'd think after all this time they would really work on that scroll wheel issue. The only reason I has to switch from a Copperhead to an MX518 is because the scroll wheel stopped scrolling after a few years. A friend had a similar issue as you did on the Abyssus with his Diamondback (squeaking.) I'm kinda stuck with Razer because I have small hands, am left-handed, and like light mice (and really hated the feel of Logitech mice) all of which I appreciate Razer supporting, but they need to realize that one of the most used things on a mouse is the damned scroll wheel. Hopefully the Orochi I ordered escapes this trait.

[Rajagra]

What a shame. I like the idea of the switches to setup the mouse without software. Actually, that is a huge bonus considering how Razer writes its software, you were on to a good start chucking it in the bin. Not that it doesn't work, I just find it ugly and confusing.

[timw4mail]

While I'll agree that the scroll wheel on my Salmosa isn't my favorite, I've never found it that difficult to use...and I've never had it squeak.

[1839cc]

Can a better wheel be swapped into it from another mouse?

[GenEric35]

yea i've had a few razer products, what I like is the quality of their plastics, and cables, the packaging and docs also, perfect gifts for the pc enthusiast

[o2dazone]

sorry for OT, but when you did your arrow keys, did you just deal with the fact that the down arrow key doesn't sit flush with the rest of the row? I considered doing that, but the idea of it would probably bug me.

[vhaarr]

sorry for OT, but when you did your arrow keys, did you just deal with the fact that the down arrow key doesn't sit flush with the rest of the row? I considered doing that, but the idea of it would probably bug me.

I don't really care, the - key is probably one of the least used ones.

I was really only using these arrow keys as instructional tools, it was hard for me to remember for the first few days where the arrow keys were on the keyboard when holding down the Fn key. I will remove them again soon, they don't look good at all.

[Shuki]

Just bought one and I think yours might have a defective scroll wheel as mine seems to be fine. Much more sturdy than the wheel mouse optical where scrolling is a major issue for me.

The downsides of this mouse however have to be the high lift off distance and the fact it lacks customisabilty (no 500hz and few dpi options). 1000hz isn't reported on my mouse.

[In Stereo!]

The problem with Razer mice is that they develop some pretty groovie unintended double clicking action after some years of use. Besides this, I really like my Lachesis, but still it is a shame that is as durable as a Logitech RX250 or similar. And I never noticed the problems you have with your scroll wheel, which should be practically the same in both models.

The LED can be turned off with the software in your trash bin; this too is a parameter that is stored in the mouses hardware, so when you once shut it, it stays shut.

[vhaarr]

The LED can be turned off with the software in your trash bin; this too is a parameter that is stored in the mouses hardware, so when you once shut it, it stays shut.

I suspect their software doesn't work on Linux anyway.

But perhaps I can install it in vmware!

[YpoCaramel]

I don't really "get" the Abyssus - there's nothing really separating it from the various gaming mice out there today. I suppose Razer just decided "we need a 5600 dpi mainstream mouse" and and made this.

[In Stereo!]

I suspect their software doesn't work on Linux anyway.

But perhaps I can install it in vmware!

Well if nothing else, you can borrow some friends' Windows machine for 10min or something, install the SW, turn off the lights and uninstall it.

[Quel]

Just out of curiousity, what kind of application are you using that you have to scroll at such fast speeds?  I also agree with your point about LED's, though it's somewhat of a fad with any sort of mouse or keyboard developer.  I am just happy you can almost always turn it off... actually you can always turn off any LED, just get a screwdriver and wire snips.

[Ranma13]

For certain Razer mice, the software allows you to turn off the LEDs, though I don't know if it applies for the Abyssus.

[naisanza]

Great review man! I was close to getting this after having an annoying experience with the Salmosa's squeaky buttons.

I'm thinking WTF is happening to razer?? The DA was definitely a great solid product but felt unbalanced for me (not much of a palmer). But still really good.

It's like, is razer not even testing their products anymore? How does this issue slip by?

My choices for a new mouse was the MX300, Kinzu, and Salmosa.
The salmosa's out now, and so is the kinzu (note the palm note earlier), and I can't find the mx300 anywhere anymore since they stopped making them!! god i want that mouse pretty badly right now.

The only place that I know has it is in taiwan. i wished i had bought like 8 of them before I came back to the states.

If anyone know of someone who is selling mx300s please PM me!

[hyperlinked]

Naisanza, if you're a fingertip/claw hand, take a look at the Razer Diamondback 3g if you haven't already. That was my old mouse and my favorite mouse. It's since been replaced by a Razer Imperator mostly because the Imperator has better driver support on a Mac.

The Imperator is a hybrid fingertip/palm grip that also works ok with a claw grip. I prefer use a fingertip/claw hybrid hand so it's kinda a step in the wrong direction for me, but I've gotten used to it and the button placement is better so overall it's a draw in comparison to the Diamondback for me.

The Imperator feels very natural with a fingertip grip and for the most part it feels fine with a claw hand, but the buttons aren't light enough to use for long with a claw.

[naisanza]

@hyperlinked

i have tried that before. i wasnt a big fan of the design of the sharp edges though, so i couldnt get used to it (my old moues of 3 years was the g5)

the salmosa is pretty good (size+shape) of what I'm looking for, but the mouse correction gets annoying along with the squeaking of the buttons.

[Rajagra]

the salmosa is pretty good (size+shape) of what I'm looking for

I couldn't use a mouse called salmosa. It would make me feel permanently hungry.

[Aardwolf]

Hi,

I just got a Razer Abyssus. I chose it because of its simplicity and mechanical DPI switches. I needed a new mouse to replace one where the middle click was always registered twice.

I must say that this mouse does not disappoint me, and it has indeed a great feeling texture on the top.

About the mouse wheel:

It does not squeel, and it has a rubber material on it that is not slippery. So to me it's a great mousewheel which gives me exact control. I mean, the wheel has a rubber band around it, no matter how hard I try, I see no way how my finger could slip on it.

Maybe they changed the design of the scrollwheel to address such complaints?

[Scarzy]

Not really tried any of these new brand mice out yet, was interested in the kinzu and that was about it. If the 1000hz doesn't work correctly on the mouse why isn't there a 500hz option available? Surely it's not too hard to configure as other mice have it (DA/G5 etc) Have you tried doing that manually?

[washuai]

It goes 450 to 1800, ack.  I spend most of my time in 1800, but 800/900 are important to me.  The Abyssus is a response to people who want razer or a gaming mouse without paying more.  Although, they charge more for the Abyssus than I paid for my Death Adder.  $10 for no name mice, $30 for nice mice (my death adder), & I wish trackballs (and mambas) were $60, because $125-165 hurts and they really aren't worth it.