Razer intros Naga, a 17-button MMO mouse

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Matthew DeCarlo

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Razer introduced a 17-button mouse for massively multiplayer online games at the Gamescom expo today. Named Naga, the mouse has a twelve-digit keypad built into the left side of its shell - the perfect spot to keep your thumb busy. It connects via USB and features a 5600dpi 3.5G laser sensor, 1,000Hz ultrapolling / 1ms response time, a maximum tracking speed of 200 inches per second and Teflon feet.


To further expand the Naga's functionality, there are MMO-specific software add-ons, you can have unlimited character profiles, and you can stack commands on any given mouse button by defining a modifier key. For instance, by holding down a keyboard key, you can configure and execute several layers of commands with a single mouse button.

For the curious, the Razer Naga's dimensions in millimeters are 116L x 69W x 41.6H. The company says it will be available online "soon," and will be shipping worldwide for $80.

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Teklord said:
I see this being more useful for apps than just MMO's.
Agreed, this could be very useful outside the MMO world. Personally got myself a nice 5 button mouse which is a bit dated and this is reminding me I should get something new :) .
 
this could prove to be something interesting :D i can see its handyness if i was able to pair it with Graphic Apps like Maya, 3ds Max or Photoshop
 
Part of me thinks this is ridiculous. Part of me really, really wants one.
 
oh geez, i'm staring at my Dell mouse and then i look at that picture. Won't it be uncomfortable for people to be using this mouse? First off, those buttons have to be big enough so you dont press 2 buttons that easily. And since I see a numpad(?) that would mean that mouse is pretty tall. My mouses are already small enough for me to rest my wrists comfortably on my table as I game and use the computer. And looking at that curve in the front makes it seem like I'll have to raise my whole hand just to use this mouse. And since Rzr is a gaming accessory company, that would mean I have to have my hand raised to play my games?
But then again, after I think about it, mayb this mouse is so long, your wrist can rest on the "belly". But if you do that, those numpads aren't that very useful....just use the keyboard for the shortcuts.....
This is of course just what i think it is. It is just a picture of it so I wouldn't know what it is really like unless somebody reviewed it or if I use it myself. So bleh, let's see what Razer cooked up this time.
 
I own this mouse, it is awesome for MMOs, it doesn't allow you to bind keys outside MMOs, which is terrible. The mouse is comfortable and well built, the buttons are sturdy so you can't accidentally click them without a little force. Buttons 1-6 are easy to click without effort, 7-9 a little strain, and 10-12 can be awkward. Overall I saw a 15% improvement in my skill output. So if your a serious MMO gamer, this mouse is only for you, otherwise it is a waste.
 
Isn't "skill output" a measure used in the computer-human/human-computer interaction (CHI/HCI) field by academics?

There was a famous incident in 1988 at CHI when in the middle of a presentation a PhD was making about his thesis, comparing performance on a foot-mouse (a mouse that sits on the floor and is moved with your foot) versus a hand mouse, was interrupted by a very prominent researcher (Bill Buxton, look him up). Buxton announced that the entire study was worthless, and the PhD invalid/absurd, because what you had to measure was not how fast the mouse moved but how much human throughput was enabled by freeing the hand that was otherwise stuck moving back and forth to the mouse or trackball. Comparing raw movement speed of the footmouse versus hand mouse was pointless and misleading. The experts present (and every person present was an expert of some sort) had to agree and this was very embarassing for the student and his supervisor, Ben Schneiderman of U Maryland (whose fault this was ultimately).

Since that time people who measure performance of various UI combinations have remained terrified of this happening to them at a prominent conference and various metrics that are acceptable have emerged, all due to fear of Buxton, who is the god of multimodel interface metrics.
 
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