This is the most frustrating mouse I’ve ever owned, and I love it anyways

When I bought nan Razer Naga V2 Pro, I thought that I would instantly emotion it, and I thought that I knew what I was getting myself into. One period later, I tin now opportunity pinch afloat condemnation that I was incorrect connected some accounts.

Despite being 2 years old, galore still rank nan Razer Naga V2 Pro among nan best gaming mice, and having tested it myself, I afloat agree. But make nary mistake: It’s decidedly a rodent pinch a learning curve, and I learned that nan difficult way.

My first rodeo

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I recognize that I’m beautiful precocious connected nan Razer Naga train. The conception of Razer’s 12-button rodent is thing caller astatine this point, and various iterations of nan rodent person been astir since 2009. I’ve ne'er owned 1 until conscionable complete a period ago, though.

The Razer Naga is chiefly an MMO mouse, and 2009 was a premier twelvemonth for specified players; I, myself, was heavy into my World of Warcraft: Wrath of nan Lich King shape astatine that time. I judge could’ve utilized a Naga, but location was ever thing that kept maine distant from giving it a try, specified arsenic it being costly (I paid $160 for mine, but nan recommended database value is $180) aliases nan truth that each those buttons made it downright intimidating.

This makes nan Razer Naga V2 Pro my first effort astatine utilizing Razer’s MMO mouse. It’s not my first Razer mouse, but it’s nan first gaming rodent wherever I genuinely felt for illustration I was trying thing new. As a result, a batch of my impressions of nan rodent aren’t strictly related to nan V2 Pro arsenic overmuch arsenic nan Razer Naga overall, but I’ll screen parts that are unsocial to this mouse, too.

There’s a batch to unpack. Although nan Razer Naga V2 Pro is plug-and-play, it’s besides thing but.

Not a emotion astatine first sight

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I was excited to get nan Razer Naga V2 Pro, but my first excitement was short-lived. There were immoderate things that I didn’t emotion from nan get-go. The bully news is that adapting to nan rodent helped maine get past astir of them.

Before I dive in, let’s spell complete nan basal specs.

The Razer Naga V2 Pro is simply a high-end wireless mouse, and nan specs show it. It comes pinch 3 hot-swappable broadside plates: 1 pinch nan modular 2 thumb buttons, 1 pinch six, and 1 pinch 12. This amounts to up to 20 programmable buttons, and nan V2 Pro adds nan HyperScroll Pro scroll wheel, which comes pinch six presets and a civilization mode. You tin efficaciously double nan number of programmable inputs because of Razer’s Hypershift tech, which I’ll spell into a spot later.

The rodent comes pinch its ain 2.4GHz wireless dongle, and erstwhile you plug it in, you’re bully to go. You request nan Razer Synapse package to group it up, which I’ve already had owed to owning a Razer keyboard; I’m guessing you’d beryllium prompted to download it otherwise.

My first thoughts arsenic I held nan rodent were that it was really dense and that my manus was somewhat excessively small. (I knew that it’s not precisely cleanable for mini hands and bought it contempt that.) Despite nan weight and nan size, nan rodent felt comfortable for nan astir part, though nan sheer number of buttons underneath my thumb took immoderate effort getting utilized to. I usage a thenar grip and recovered nan rodent to beryllium perfectly suited to that grip type, though pinch bigger hands, I deliberation a claw grip would activity conscionable arsenic well.

I person to springiness it to Razer — nan hot-swappable broadside plates are highly easy to switch backmost and forth. Truthfully, I’ve had much problems unplugging nan rodent from its charging cablegram than I’ve had swapping retired nan 12-button sheet for nan two-button version. In fact, I recovered nan charging cablegram a small difficult to unplug.

Despite nan easiness of use, I had immoderate buyer’s remorse. I didn’t emotion this rodent astatine first sight. It was heavier than I expected, it was bulky, and it quickly dawned connected maine that mounting up nan keybinds would beryllium a task alternatively of a speedy five-minute job.

The different stages of utilizing a Naga

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I consciousness for illustration 1 of nan things that group don’t mention overmuch successful reviews of this rodent (of which I’ve publication plenty) is that it doesn’t conscionable return a agelong clip to group up but besides to learn. I want to touch connected that aspect, because that’s astir apt what’s taken maine nan longest clip to accommodate to. Again, this is much of a Naga point than nan Razer Naga V2 Pro, but if you’re a first-time user, you mightiness tally into nan aforesaid obstacles that I’ve encountered.

Getting started is easy, but only connected paper. I dove correct successful pinch nan 12-button version, naively reasoning I’d beryllium a pro gamer wrong an hour. (Spoiler alert: I was decidedly not a pro gamer wrong an hour.)

Without a batch of tweaking successful Synapse, those thumb buttons don’t do anything, truthful I group retired to hindrance them to definite keyboard keys, which, successful turn, made them usable successful games. Most games don’t admit these broadside sheet keys, truthful this keyboard-to-mouse modulation is necessary.

I entertained nan thought of utilizing HyperShift, but honestly, I deliberation I’m excessively casual a gamer to bother.

A process that I thought would return maine 5 minutes ended up taking nan amended portion of an hr arsenic I changed definite binds backmost and forth. I can’t kick astir nan existent package — it’s easy capable to navigate. No 1 tells you really difficult it’s going to beryllium to prime nan correct worldly to bind, though.

The broadside sheet accounts for 12 abstracted keybinds, and you tin double nan number of programmable inputs connected nan Naga V2 Pro acknowledgment to Razer’s HyperShift tech. This lets you delegate a secondary usability to each button, and erstwhile holding down nan HyperShift key, nan keybind changes accordingly.

I entertained nan thought of utilizing HyperShift, but honestly, I deliberation I’m excessively casual a gamer to bother. The games I chiefly play don’t require a whopping 24 different binds connected apical of nan worldly I’m already very utilized to utilizing connected my keyboard. Picking nan correct things to re-map was a process. I had a batch of binds that I was comfortable pinch utilizing during gameplay, and a batch of those I simply didn’t want to switch out.

Once I was done, nan reality cheque afloat group in.

A never-ending process

Monica J. White / Digital Trends

This rodent has been retired for astir 2 years now, truthful I won’t bore you pinch nan specifications that are disposable successful astir each reappraisal of it. Instead, I want to look astatine nan applicable broadside of utilizing specified a rodent arsenic your regular driver.

My main MMO is still World of Warcraft. (Yes, I know, clip to find a caller game.) Much for illustration astir MMOs, WoW gives you different spells and truthful different keybinds for each character. The binds themselves are azygous crossed each character, but arsenic each comes pinch its ain abilities, you request to fig retired a measurement to streamline these binds and memorize them.

Using nan 12-button broadside sheet really shook things up for me. At first, I recovered myself reverting to what I already remembered, meaning utilizing nan keyboard alternatively of trying to usage nan mouse. This was particularly difficult to debar during aggravated gameplay, wherever utilizing nan incorrect expertise tin beryllium deadly.

Even erstwhile I forced myself to instrumentality to nan mouse, it took maine a while to study nan fastener placement. Fortunately, Razer must person put a adjacent spot of thought into each, because erstwhile you’ve utilized nan rodent for a mates of days, nan fastener style becomes chopped capable that it gets a batch easier to show them isolated without looking.

But that first time aliases two? Not only did I not retrieve which fastener was assigned to which spell but I besides had to extremity and deliberation which fastener I was moreover pressing.

Monica J. White / Digital Trends

I yet sewage utilized to nan fastener layout, but honestly, I seldom make usage of each 12 buttons. I could, but I hardly ever request to. I can’t ideate doubling them pinch HyperShift — I deliberation I’d walk astir of my clip being confused arsenic to what I’m doing arsenic opposed to really playing.

It was an uphill climb, but 1 period later, I’m emotion nan existent use of utilizing this mouse. Gameplay becomes much intuitive; casting spells is truthful overmuch quicker; you free up much of your keyboard for different things. I’m not judge if it made maine a amended gamer, but it surely made gameplay much enjoyable for me.

The only downside? Adjusting this rodent to your needs is simply a never-ending process. Sure, I’ve mastered it for 1 character, but playing a different characteristic aliases a different crippled intends starting each complete again and memorizing moreover much binds. This is existent for immoderate game, but pinch nan sheer number of programmable buttons that nan Razer Naga V2 Pro offers, it does consciousness for illustration a chore if you play a batch of different titles.

The bully portion of it is that moreover if you don’t extremity up utilizing each 12 buttons and instrumentality to nan basal aliases nan six-button broadside panel, nan Naga V2 Pro is simply a superb rodent regardless, truthful you won’t beryllium missing out. I could spot it being little awesome for first-person shooters, though, if only because of nan weight.

The champion (and astir frustrating) rodent I’ve ever owned

Monica J. White / Digital Trends

There’s truthful overmuch that I emotion astir nan Razer Naga V2 Pro: nan sky-high DPI; nan fantabulous sensor; nan seamless wireless connectivity; nan high-end build value that tells maine that it mightiness past maine a agelong clip (which is rather a feat, arsenic I break mice successful grounds time).

A period later, I besides emotion nan broadside panels. I’ve gotten truthful utilized to nan 12-button type that I hardly ever fuss to standard down to 2 arsenic it doesn’t bug maine erstwhile I work. The six-button sheet is nan 1 that’s gotten nan slightest love, simply because I’ve gotten utilized to nan maximum layout and I deliberation that introducing immoderate changes astatine this constituent would only extremity successful frustration.

Another point that put maine disconnected astatine first but is now a favourite is nan customizable scroll wheel. Out of nan box, utilizing nan scroll instrumentality feels for illustration pulling teeth, but a speedy accommodation successful Synapse turns it into nan smoothest scroll instrumentality I’ve ever tried. There are truthful galore modes that there’s thing successful location for everyone, and if nan presets don’t activity for you, you tin ever create your ain profile. Personally, arsenic I don’t usage nan scroll instrumentality overmuch during gameplay, I haven’t had to make immoderate tweaks aft that first adjustment.

The artillery life is different point I’ve enjoyed and tin applaud this rodent for. Prior to this mouse, I concisely utilized a battery-powered Logitech, and swapping those AA batteries each week aliases truthful was tedious — not to mention expensive. The artillery connected nan Naga V2 Pro is excellent, lasting for days connected extremity if you move disconnected nan RGB lighting. Turning that connected makes it deplete a batch faster, though.

Outside of those much Naga-specific things, this is conscionable a really coagulated mouse. It’s quick, reliable, and ace customizable.

It’s besides wholly overkill for my needs, and honestly, I wouldn’t urge it to non-MMO gamers. If you don’t regularly play games pinch tons of different binds, you don’t request this mouse. Even if you do (like I do), it’s still overkill for galore group and it has a steep learning curve that ne'er really ends.

With each that said, I’d bargain nan Razer Naga V2 Pro again without immoderate hesitation, and I’d happily spell done nan tedious process of learning my binds each complete again. I’m officially a convert.