Project Lore

PC peripheral maker Razer introduced a brand new mouse today called 'Naga' which is focused on MMOs (which coincidentally comes right before BlizzCon). Full disclosure, Project Lore has a video content partnership with the ZAM Network which is running a promotion along with Razer for this product.

Razer goes on to describe it:

The Razer Naga is the ultimate Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming mouse that shifts the balance between keyboard and mouse by putting an unprecedented number of in-game commands in one place. A multi-button thumb grid and Razer’s MMO game interface add-on combine to place every command you need in the palm of your hand. An ergonomic form shaped to maximize ease of use lets you game in comfort for hours on end. With the Razer Naga, you will Get Imba.

The Razer Naga, Razer's new MMO Mouse

As a fan of Razer's mice (I use the DeathAdder) I'm a little taken aback by this device. It seems extremely bulky and almost too big for it's own good.  Positively thinking though the keys look like they have a nice size especially at seventeen buttons. One of the features I have loved about Razer mice is their comfort. The DeathAdder fits perfectly in my hand and is not overly complicated with buttons (which this mouse won't be able to claim). Thankfully all the buttons are fully customizable via Razer software, although how it handles macros remains to be completely seen.

While this isn't the first MMO mouse (and not even one that has features specific to WoW) the Naga looks to cram as much as possible onto one device. The last MMO mouse (the WoW MMO Gaming Mouse from Steelseries) was met with mixed reviews, especially because of it's initial price at $99 (while this has come down a bit) and it's handling of macros. The price of the Naga is $79, which means consumers will need to be serious about picking this up.

Until we get our hands on it (which we should at BlizzCon this weekend) we can only speculate at this point. I'm being cautiously optimistic, but I generally like simplicity in my mice. Interestingly, they are marketing the mouse as "Be Imba" (be imbalanced) as if this mouse might give the player an unfair advantage over another because they're using this mouse.

What are your initial thoughts on the mouse? Will you consider picking one up? Are specialized mice necessary?

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