Razer Abyssus Gaming Mouse

Introduction

For a while now we've been seeing mice with a horde of buttons and programming interfaces to program that flock of buttons hanging all over the mouse. We've been wanting to see a regular 3 button mouse with enough high tech to make it deadly accurate, a nice infrared sensor capable of picking up swift movement, high to mid-range adjustable DPI and with adjustments that can be made without going back into the operating system to make changes.

We get a lot of feedback on products we've reviewed and one of the top responses we get is on gaming mice. A lot of people tell us they want just 3 buttons on a high tech mouse, or they tell us they have a 9 button mouse and only use 3 buttons. They still want the high tech bells and whistles, precision control, and above all else they want it from a major player in the gaming field at a reasonable price.

Apparently Razer has been hearing the same things we've been hearing because we received a Razer Abyssus mouse with those features and a lot more.

Razer has combined simplicity in use with a high tech design and brought the Abyssus in under $50 which is pretty good for a high end gaming mouse.

• 3500dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G infrared sensor
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response time
• Mechanical dpi/polling rate switches
• On-The-Fly Sensitivity™ adjustment
• No Drift Control
• Always-On™ mode
• Ultra-large non-slip buttons
• 16-bit ultra-wide data path
• 60-120 inches per second and 15g of acceleration
• Three independently programmable Hyperesponse™ buttons
• Ambidextrous design
• Scroll wheel with 24 individual click positions
• Zero-acoustic Ultraslick™ Teflon feet
• Seven-foot, lightweight, non-tangle cord
• Approx. size in mm: 115(L) x 63(W) x 40(H)

System & Hardware Requirements

• PC with USB port
• Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® XP
• Internet connection (for driver installation)
• At least 35MB of hard disk space

With a 3500DPI capable design you can lower the Abyssus down to 1800DPI  and 450DPI from the switch on the bottom or switch from Ultra Polling at 1000Hz to 125Hz. In most cases you will want 1000Hz Ultra Polling but if your running on your laptop on battery power 125Hz will give you better results with battery longevity. Along with the 3500DPI you get 1ms response time which we've seen in the past ensures that your mouse responds instantaneously as soon as you move your hand.

You might have skipped this specification because a lot of vendors use it but don't talk about it. Drift Control, Drift Control is a mechanical process of using predictive software/hardware to let you draw a straight line. In gaming the last thing you want is the software taking a 5 degree slope and turning it into a straight line. Doing that compromises accuracy so Razer left Drift control off the Abyssus. Another annoying feature we see on mice is the off mode where after a second or two the mouse goes into power saving mode, we like to call it the Oh Crud were getting killed mode because shaking the mouse to wake it up takes just enough time to put you in an embarrassing situation when gaming. Embarrassing like taking a sniper shot to the head.

The pictures don't do the surface of the Abyssus justice they are a rubberized surface that provides a lot of anti-slip grip capability. Of course non-slipping is a big plus but it won't do you much good if the data can't get to the machine fast enough so Razer built in a 16bit (2Byte) wide data path as opposed to the 8 bit data path a lot of mice use.

How fast can you move the Abyssus without losing tracking on the sensor, how about 60 - 120 inches a second with 15G of acceleration. You'd almost have to be a genetic mutation to exceed those specs. You can also rely on the Abyssus to translate your clicks in real time because each button is a hyper response button and with the 1000Hz Ultra polling and 1ms response time traveling across the 16 bit data path your movements and commands reach the machine before your brain has time to realize what's happened.

We also get a lot of email from lefties complaining about the lack of switch hitter mice, well the Abyssus is ambidextrous so your covered if you happen to be a lefty. No matter which hand you use the Zero Acoustic Ultraslick Teflon feet will glide across the pad of your choice like wind caressing your face. Some Razer peripherals have a braided cord over the wires but the Abyssus doesn't and as long as it isn't tangle prone we are ok with that because sometimes the braided cord is a little stiff.

There you have it a little old school (3 button) with a lot of high tech to make your gaming shrine a more accurate more lethal instrument of "rein down hot lead on all those that oppose you" than you've ever thought possible.