A Better Mousetrap

A Better Mouse?

Precision is everything. Gamers also need USB mice or PS/2Rate, to increase the number of times the system polls the mouse. The faster the polling rate, the faster the mouse is able to update the system. Generally, we'll willing to try anything that increases mouse performance. That's why we were intrigued with the new Razer Boomslang mouse. According to the Razer website,

The Boomslang 2000 screams sensitivity. Exclusive focusing technology makes it twice as adept at the art of precision gaming than the Boomslang 1000, more than five times as acute as the traditional mouse.

That claim sure caught our attention, and we immediately pulled some strings to get our hands on an evaluation model. The good people at Karna sent us a beta version of the Razer Boomslang 1000 mouse. While not purported to be as highly sensitive as the 2000 version, Karna claims that the 1000 is more than twice as accurate as a standard mouse.

What's the mouse like?

If you've ever seen the Razer Boomslang, you know it's not your father's pointing device. Low-slung, symmetrical, and curvaceous, the Boomslang actually resembles some first-generation hand-held scanners - narrow at the base and wide up front. In fact, the entire front half of the mouse is taken up by two enormous easy-click buttons, along with the requisite scroll-wheel. Hidden in each recessed side-well is a thumb-button.

In fact, there are two thumb-buttons, one on each side. Rather than twist your hand in obtuse convolutions to fit your pinky into the right side-well, the folks at Karna instead decided to cater to the 5-30% of the population classified as left-handers.

Top view of the Boomslang

Undercarraige of the Boomslang

Flip the mouse on its back, and you're treated to a supinated view of its belly - what you should immediately notice are two things - first, Karna has taken the effort and expense to use small Teflon-coated pads to help the mouse coast along a surface, rather than the elongated strips now preferred by both Microsoft and Logitech. Is this a good thing? Yes! Less surface area in contact with the mousepad means less friction, and smoother motion throughout. Users of Logitech's Mouseman 96 or Logitech Gaming Mouse are familiar with smooth, unfettered movement. Unfortunately, nobody else seems to realize that this is a "good thing."

The second realization is the placement of the mouse ball. We had a Gamers Extreme article a few years back illustrating the advantages of having the mouseball placed as close to the front of the mouse as possible. It looked like the Boomslang ignored convention, and instead placed the ball in the mouse's behind, sitting squarely beneath your palm. At first, we were just perplexed. However, after trying the mouse for a few hours, it became clear why this decision was made.