Okay Geek Farm
Razer Orochi Black Chrome Edition review
Jason Tsay
We’ve been seeing the decline of the desktop computer in favor of laptops for years now and in that time, gaming has also moved to the portable space. The Razer Orochi is a wired/wireless hybrid gaming mouse built specifically for these gamers, featuring a powerful 4000 dpi laser, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, and onboard memory. In fact, its success has pushed Razer to roll out a black chrome edition for those who prefer a glossy finish rather than a matte one. Does the new coating affect the overall experience?
Features
- Gaming optimized Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
- Dual Mode Wired/Wireless Functionality
- Razer Precision 3G Laser Sensor - 4000 dpi (wired); 2000 dpi (wireless)
- 1000Hz Ultrapolling/1ms response (wired); 125Hz polling/8ms response (wireless)
- Razer Synapse On-board Memory
- Ambidextrous design
- Black Chrome Finishing
Our Impressions
The Razer Orochi comes in a black and green rectangular box with a plastic window in front. Some snazzy envelopes continue the quick start guide, master guides (PC and Mac), certificate of authenticity, sticker, USB cable, travel pouch, and two Energizer AA batteries. The Black Chrome Edition is different from the regular Orochi in that the entire mouse is covered with a glossy chrome finish rather than a matte one. And when we say chrome, we don’t just mean a gloss finish; this thing is actually slightly metallic and mirror-like. The shiny new finish actually does improve grip a tad but is a total fingerprint magnet.
The front of the mouse is wickedly angular but the left and right click buttons are nicely curved and slanted to fit the hand. Both of these buttons are firm and give off a loud click when depressed. The Orochi is actually a pretty small mouse up close. However, it maintains the excellent ergonomics and sleek looks Razer are known for. Its ambidextrous design (with buttons on both sides) allows left handed gamers to have the same experience. Although being ambidextrous makes it sound like it might be less comfortable than a “hand-specific” erogonomic mouse, both sides are well molded for your fingers to slide comfortably into. The side buttons, although small and skinny, are well placed and provide a good tactile feedback. They’re almost flush with the side of the mouse so you’ll have part of your thumb on them at all times. You won’t have to move your thumb to use them but neither will you have to worry about activating them inadvertently. So if your thumb is only on one side of the mouse, what do the other two side buttons do? Razer has fashioned them into on-the-fly sensitivity toggles.
Despite being a smaller mouse, the scroll wheel on the Orochi is just as large and wide as that of a full sized Razer mouse. The same ridges are there for extra grip and two blue LED stripes line the side of the wheel. When you scroll, you can feel each individual click solidly, which is quite nice. A blue LED embedded in the line below the scroll wheel indicates battery status. The bottom of the mouse has laser in the center with a Teflon ring around it and 4 other Teflon feet (1 in each corner). Below the laser is a power switch, which is apparently attached to the ring around the laser (when you flick the switch, the ring also turns). We like the fact that Razer even made the bottom of the mouse even more stylish with a faceted diamond design.
Setup was super simple. We popped off the top shell (there’s actually a small area for you to slide your fingernail in to remove the top shell) and fitted in the included AA batteries (these should last you about 3 months). We squeezed all four side buttons and the Orochi hooked up to our MacBook Pro. Via Bluetooth 2.0, the process took a couple of seconds. The bundled cable allowed us to use the mouse with zero setup. So how exactly does the wired/wireless hybrid feature work? The wireless mode, unlike most other wireless mice, requires no USB receiver, just Bluetooth. Since most laptops have this feature, it’s really much less of a hassle and is one less thing for you to plug in. As for the wired mode, Razer includes a 3 foot braided micro USB cable which plugs neatly into the front of the mouse. When the cable is inserted, the mouse automatically switches to wired mode. And by wired, we really do mean wired - the gold plated cable serves up both data transfer and power (you can even remove the batteries at this point). When you’re ready to go back to wired mode, simply detach the cable and you’re ready to go. The Razer Orochi features a 4000 dpi laser which is scaled down to 2000 dpi when you’re using it wirelessly. Polling maxes out at 1000Hz when wired and takes a plunge to 125Hz when wireless. We like the fact It’s a shame that Razer doesn’t make a special rechargable battery pack for this feature though.
The Razer Orochi’s software is simple to use and allows you to assign buttons, adjust performance (sensitivity, acceleration, polling), manage profiles, manage macros, and tweak the mouse’s lighting.
Overall
The Razer Orochi is without a doubt one of the finest mice we’ve ever used - be it gaming or laptop specific. It takes the best parts of each and mixes it into one refined mobile gaming mouse. We’re going to say the new chrome finish is “meh” because it looks awesome when it’s new but pretty disgusting after a couple hours of gaming. Plus, we really do prefer the smooth matte finish of other Razer mice a lot more.
Pro’s
- wired/wireless hybrid
- looks great
- ergonomics
Con’s
- fingerprint magnet
Where to buy
This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided the Orochi Black Chrome Edition by Razer.
