One of the most important pieces of hardware for a PC gamer is the mouse. Without a great mouse, a gamer is left sitting in his or her own sweat as their opponents blast away. Being hardcore gamers at heart, Razer has once again set out to improve the way that we play PC games with the Razer Taipan mouse. Let’s take a look at the feature set under the hood.
- 8200PI 4G Dual Sensor System
- 9 Programmable Buttons
- Rubberized Contoured Thumb Grip
- Anti Slip and Fingerprint Matte Finish
- Optimized Weight, Shape, And Balance
- Compatible With Synapse 2.0
- Developed With Feedback By Pro-Gamers
Installation as always with any Razer product was super easy. The first thing I noticed is how nice the cord for the mouse was constructed. A braided black cord that really felt like it could hold up to a little bit of punishment. A simple plug into my available USB port and my operating system recognized it right away. After a few short moments I was up and running for some game time. Oh but wait, you can’t forget about Synapse 2.0. A quick trip to the Razer website for the download link and it took me about 5 minutes to install everything. The Synapse 2.0 program not only allows you to manage any driver downloads for your devices, it also gives you the ability to adjust any setting on the mouse. From macros to glowing logos, Synapse 2.0 is an easy to use program that makes life easier for the peripheral owner. With my settings all lined up, let’s take a jump in and see what we thought about the Taipan.
Design and Feel
The Taipan is the equivalent of a fancy sports car. It looks pretty and feels even better when you get your hands on it. This ambidextrous mouse has the ability to make ANY gamer feel like they are using a piece of gaming art in their hands. From the smooth black matte finish to the glowing Razer logo, the Taipan sure is pretty to look at. The big question is, how does the mouse feel? There have been many times where I have come across a mouse that looks pretty but is not really functional or comfortable. I am happy to report that the Taipan feels pretty good from the first time you use it. The mouse rests comfortably in your hand and the thumb grip is a prety great addition. I felt as though I did not have a lot of slippage in my thumb and is rested really good during each play session. The one problem a lot of gamers will find is the dragging of a couple fingers while using the mouse. In order for your pinky and ringer finger to be comfortable, you will need to flex your hand in an awkward manner. The dragging of the fingers is going to be a problem with pro-gamers everywhere as it may slow down some APM rates. I have bear paws for hands and sometimes after long play sessions the Taipan just feels a little too small for me. Just a slight increase in overall size would make it a better fit for those with bigger hands.
Getting Down To The Action
The Taipan for me is not only a dream gamer mouse but it also works for every day use. I do a lot of business work and the Taipan was great for doing my normal daily routine. I admit that these days my PC gaming is mainly limited to MMO’s and Diablo III. I took the Taipan for a spin in both and the dual-sensor lived up to it’s promises of being quite accurate. I rarely had any miss clicks and the toggle buttons next to the mouse wheel has a smooth DPI changing function. If you want to be super fast, you can bump it up to the top or keep it down low for noobs like myself. I do not use a mousepad and after a four or five hour The Secret World session, The Taipan still held up with the accuracy factor. The Taipan comes with nine programmable macro buttons that you can set via the Synapse 2.0 menu programs. I am not a huge macro user but testing it out I had no problems at all with them working. Button presses, mouse wheel, and general use performed better than expected.
Final Thoughts
While not perfect, The Razer Taipan is an outstanding mouse for someone who is looking for an upgrade or for those left-handed gamers many hardware makers overlook. Pro-gamers may be thrown off a bit by the finger dragging problem but I found this mouse to be a great mouse for every day PC use. At $80, the price is a little high but with that you are getting a sleek looking new addition to your desktop. I highly suggest that Shogunites take a look at the Taipan if they need an upgrade.
The Razer Taipan is available now for $80 and we were provided one for review purposes
