Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse and Vespula Mouse Mat Video Review

Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse and Vespula Mouse Mat Video Review



Razer has been in the business of producing professional gaming based peripherals for some time now and even from the beginning enjoyed relatively good and fast success in the market. But why is that the case? The marketing would have us believe that Razer gear is made by gamers, for gamers and that seems true judging by the two products that we are looking at here today.

In our video review above, the first product we look at is the right-handed only Razer Imperator gaming mouse. I've had the pleasure of using Razer gaming mice in the past, but it had been some time since I got my hands on the latest and greatest. The Imperator is a 3.5G laser mouse and is marketed as being the mouse for control, comfort and customization.



During our time with the mouse (and we did spend many hours on end using it) I am impressed. I'll be the first to admit I'm not a hardcore gamer these days, but I like what I see with the Imperator. It has seven different buttons that are all customizable through the Razer control software. Its 3.5G laser allows for sensitivity up to 5600 DPI and it has a very impressive polling rate of 1000Hz or 1000 updates per second via USB. You have five different DPI stages you can set in the control software that allows you to adjust sensitivity on-the-fly using the two buttons below the scroll wheel. Suffice to say, accuracy is very good.



As for appearance, you can always count on Razer to produce some damn fine looking hardware and the Imperator is no different. On the front of the mouse near the bottom is a blue Razer logo that flashes on and off and the scroll wheel has blue LEDs on either side of it that looks really good. If you aren't a fan of flashy lights, you can turn them off in the control software. The USB connector is gold coated, but besides looking better, we're not totally sure if that actually does anything. The cable is very long (roughly 1.5 - 2 meters) and it is also the type that is braided with protection, although that's pretty standard these days even from cheaper gaming mice.

The Imperator will set you back roughly $70 - $80 USD depending on where you buy it from and while that's not a cheap price, there are many other more expensive mice on the market, but for what you get here, I would consider it good value for money. The software is very easy to use and adds a lot of programmability to the mouse that is stored in the internal mouse memory and the mechanical adjustable side buttons is a very good and unique idea as well. If you want to get the edge on your competition in the latest game, consider this one.

Second up in the video above is the Razer Vespula gaming mouse mat. For a long time I've been using a very large OCZ mouse pad that was given to me a while ago and it's been fine for basic Windows productivity. It's been a while since I've used a proper gaming pad which includes the vast amount of features as the Vespula.



Measuring in at 300mm (length) x 240mm (width) x 4 mm (height), it's not the biggest pad on the market and probably even a little bit too small for me and my tastes. As I said above, I'm used to a very large pad from OCZ and I just find this one too small, but others may find it okay depending on what they've used in the past. It is a dual-sided pad - it has a smooth and textured surface that you can switch between depending on your gaming needs. The smooth surface is designed for gaming which is fast paced. The textured surface (that I like best) is for slower paced games that requires a higher level of accuracy such as a RTS or even for use within Windows.

The pad comes with a gel-filled wrist rest that the pad sits on and that also ensures that the pad cannot move around on your desk. The wrist rest is a great idea and does add extra comfort, especially when you are using your mouse for as many hours per day as most of us do. Not only that, but the pad looks super slick with typical fashionable Razer styling and it matches the Razer Imperator mouse really well, too.

As for the price, the Vespula will set you back around $30 - $40 USD depending on where you shop. That's a bit steep for a mouse pad, but you do get what you pay for with this product.