When Razer first introduced the Naga a lot of people made jokes and references to its phone like number pad on the side. Then soon after, not only did I see a lot of people sporting them, but a lot of the manufactures introduced their versions of the MMO mouse. Suddenly it was only partially crazy to have a full phone number pad under your thumb. Recently Razer introduced their new Naga 2014, the second major redesign of the Naga although I would consider the 2012 edition to be less of a “major” redesign. I’m really excited to see what they have learned from the last model and changed for this model. I have been using it for a little while now and I can finally tell everyone about my experience.

Product Name: Razer Naga 2014

Review Sample Provided by: Razer

Written by: Wes

Pictures by: Wes

Specifications

Buttons

Total of 19 MMO optimized programmable buttons

Scroll Wheel

8200dpi 4G laser sensor

Sensor

8200dpi 4G laser sensor

Cable

7 Foot long braided cable

Product dimensions

Length: 119mm/4.68”

Width: 75mm/2.95”

Height: 43mm/1.69”

Product weight

135g/0.30lbs

System Requirements

-PC / Mac with USB port

-Windows® 8/ Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® XP (32-bit) / Mac OS X (v10.6-10.8)

-Internet connection

-100MB of free hard disk space

-Razer Synapse 2.0 registration (requiring a valid e-mail), software download, license acceptance, and internet connection needed to activate full features of product and for software updates. After activation,full features are available in optional offline mode.

 


Packaging

For the most part the new Naga has the same packaging that we have seen on almost every other Razer product. They did change the cover art slightly and put what almost looks like a sunrise in the background behind the photo of the Naga. Beyond that you will find more information on the side buttons as well as a way to get your hands on the mouse itself if you open up the front door. This is great for when you are buying in the store, it’s much better than getting it in and finding out that it doesn’t fit your hand at all. Talk about disappointment. Around back there is another photo of the Naga along with a couple of its key features with short descriptions on lines that point to the features. There is also a specification listing on the back in four different languages. Inside you will get your user guides as well as a card congratulating you for picking up a Razer mouse and one telling you about rewards you can get if you join on their website. You also get two Razer stickers as well. This is basically par for the course for what you normally find along with your Razer products.

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Software

Over my last few Razer reviews I have talked in depth about the ups and downs of their Synapse 2.0 software. There are two main issues with the software that drive me up the wall and have caused a lot of backlash from the community. First when installing the software it requires a reboot of your PC, the same happens when you need to update as well, something that most current mouse software doesn’t require. The other issue is the need to sign to the software and the fact it needs the internet to do that. This is related to the cloud features but for those without internet or who don’t want to create an account it can be frustrating.

Moving on though, I really do love the Synapse 2.0 software’s layout. Additionally I love that the software integrates with every Razer product made recently means I only need one program to control all of my devices. You can swap between devices along the bottom with their photos. The first page you will land on with the Naga is a page that gets right to the point with a photo of the Naga with options for each button in the photo. Each one can be selected and you can change the buttons function to one of the MANY options Razer has given us.   

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The next page you can set your sensitivity as well as polling and acceleration. Seeing that a lot of people look down on acceleration, it’s interesting to see this as an option at all. Personally I think the more adjustments available the better.

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The lighting page has only a few options and all of them are on and off options for all three of the Naga’s backlit areas.

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The calibration page was something that caught me off guard. Razer has included an option to tune the Naga to specific mouse pads as well as an option to set your lift off distance. As someone who lifts their mouse while gaming, this makes me very happy.

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The macro page lets you record all of your macros with or without delays in between key presses and then bind them to a button on the Naga.

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The Add On page is on the software for all Razer products but with the Naga we actually see a Naga add on. This is where you turn on or off the MMO overlay for in game. As you can see from the images below from Razer’s website you can set specific spells to each button and see icons to go with each one. No other mouse has a feature like this, this is really what sets the Naga apart from other MMO mice.

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Features/Pictures

My first impression of the redesigned Naga 2014 was that Razer took a few of the design features of the Logitech G600 and combined them with the original Naga. The new design is wider and slightly less curvy than the original Naga making it look a little more like the G600. You still have a contoured shape that fits your ring finger but this time the contour is longer and extends most of the way along the right side of the mouse. The new design features a little extra styling on the front with two mesh panels. On the far right side for grip Razer has included a rubber pad, this isn’t something I have seen them do before but I suspect this is related to a design that doesn’t look to be friendly to people who lift their mice (like me). Hopefully the grip will be enough to help that.

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Much like the original Naga, the 12 button array on the left side of the mouse is what gets your attention when checking out the Naga 2014. The 12 buttons are laid out like you would see on a phone in rows of three. Each button is backlit and if you look closely you can see the 5 and 11 buttons angle out more to help you place your thumb without looking.

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Up on the top of the Naga 2014 you have two buttons behind the scroll wheel as well as the buttons associated with the scroll wheel itself. For the first time, other than a Microsoft or Logitech mouse we have side clicks for the scroll wheel. This can be used as additional keys when gaming and for easier browsing when out of game. I hope they continue including this on all of their future mice as well. The scroll wheel itself is plastic with a rubber ring around it with small rows of numbs spaced out for traction. The two white lines you see in my photo glow when the mouse is plugged in as well.

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On the underside we have considerably larger Teflon pads than what I have seen on past Razer designs. This should hopefully cut down on the wear on the pads, something I have had issues with in the past with Razer’s other mice. They also put a Teflon ring around the sensor as well. Beyond that there isn’t much going on the bottom, beyond your serial number and all of the needed compliance logos.

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The cord for the Naga 2014 isn’t anything different from the original or any other Razer mouse really. You have the gold contacts and a 7 foot long braided cord to give it a little style and to also protect the mouse cord. The braiding is a tight weave so there isn’t too much catching if you have a sharp edge on your desk for example.

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I mentioned before that I thought the new design reminded me of the G600; it’s only fair to put them next to each other to see how they compare. When you look at the overall shape from behind you will see the G600 is still a little boxier than the new Naga. The two buttons behind the scroll wheel are very similar as are the side buttons. The G600 has angled the side buttons in a way to split them up into two packs while Razer has angled the Naga’s buttons in a way to make them all useable at once. With so many buttons we will have to see which is the better choice in my testing.

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Below I have photos of the new 2014 Naga next to the original design to show how much has really changed. For starters the finish all along the sides and buttons is different and less glossy; I have seen that this is something that Razer is doing across the board to prevent finger prints whenever they can. The original Naga did have two buttons to the left of the trigger button that have vanished and replaced with the two buttons behind the scroll wheel. Speaking of buttons, the side buttons of the original Naga are clearly less defined when compared to the new model. With them sticking out more they were able to give more shape to each button to help define its location. I mentioned it before but you can see that the new model is wider and less curvy compared to the original. This can be seen from above and from behind, the original Naga is very curvy while the new design is closer to the G600 for shape than the original.

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Performance

Even if you previously used the old Naga, moving to the new model is going to take a little adjustment time for you. If you are like me and came from a completely different mouse all together its going to take even more time than that to adjust. On the plus side of things, everyone has a phone and is fairly used to the number layout on the side of the Naga. Once you figure out where to keep your thumb getting to the key you need isn’t too bad. Compared to the old Naga this is even easier with a few side buttons having different angles to help set them apart from the others. On top of that the side buttons were positioned better on this design, on the old Naga I had a hard time reaching every button on the side. Even once I was used to everything, I did still accidentally bump buttons on the side a few times. I think this was related to how I sometimes lift my mice when gaming, I may have put a little too much pressure. This is why I normally prefer a design that gives you a place to keep your thumb without having to worry about bumping buttons. Another improvement from the old Naga to the new model on the side buttons is the switching behind them. The new Naga uses mechanical switches behind each side grid button giving them more of a defined feeling, this is the same design that the Naga Hex had.

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The tracking and overall performance of the Naga wasn’t all that bad, but I did run into a few issues where it flipped out over a small cat hair or two. The original Naga as well as the 2012 version both had the Phillips Twin Eye sensor that I was never a fan of. The new Naga uses what Razer called the 8200dpi 4G laser sensor, I originally thought that this would be a standard A9800 sensor. But after experiencing some Z axis tracking issues and taking a closer look at the sensor itself I’m starting to wonder if this isn’t a new Twin Eye model. I contacted Razer and waited for a response but as of the time of this review I don’t have an answer from them. My overall experience was still better than the past Naga models, but I am curious to find out if my suspicions are true.

*edit* After talking with razer fairly in depth about the sensor. I can confirm that this is a sensor exclusive to them. I couldn't get details on who the manufacture is but considering that this looks a lot like an old twin eye I can speculate. 

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One addition to the Naga 2014 that I really enjoyed is the tilt scroll wheel. For a lot of gamers this isn’t a big deal because frankly most mice haven’t had it for so long we have gotten used to not having it. But when you do have it it’s a nice option to be able to bind things to it in game for quick access. In my case, I found it easier to bind my push to talk to all three scroll wheel clicks, I would typically use a thumb button for push to talk but with the Naga the buttons I wanted to put it on fell right into the 1-6 buttons that I would use in LoL for items. For those of you who don’t want a tilt scroll wheel you of course still have the option of turning it off. Assuming the quality is there, I don’t really see a downside with this addition.

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I mentioned it on the last few Razer reviews we have had but I would love to see them open up the possibility to run other colors for their backlighting. Green works for some people but for others it would be great if they use RGB lighting to let people select their own colors in the software.

 


Overall and Final Verdict

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At the end of the day, what do I think about the new Naga? Well first I have to point out that I think Razer has made significant improvements to the overall design both with its hardware as well as their software over the past few years. Swapping to mechanical buttons for the side button grid array was most likely costly both from a parts and manufacturing perspective, but I know it will hold up much better in the future. This gives me hope actually, in the past few years Razer has started to develop a bit of a reputation when it comes to their build quality, I really hope this is a sign of the way things will be in the future. I also think they did a good job listening to their customers with both the inclusion of the tilt scroll wheel as well as changes to the placement and shape of the side buttons to make them easier to use. As someone who isn’t used to the Naga design I did find the G600 design a little easier to pick up and go with, but I know that Naga faithful will have no trouble at all with the new design. I am a little bummed that Razer hasn’t listened when it comes to their software requiring you to log in even if you aren’t interested in saving to the cloud and the same goes for the green back lighting color.

The only major sticking point for me really is going to be on the sensor. Hopefully the issues I experienced will be worked out in later firmware updates and most might not even notice them. All in all I think that Razer has stepped up to the plate to bring the Naga up to date to compete against a growing market of MMO mice. I think the Naga 2014 is one of if not the best option on the market right now, with that only being debatable due to my easier experience using the G600 (and I know a lot of people haven’t had that same experience with the g600). As for the Naga’s price point, I think Razer hit the nail on the head. This is priced along with mice that have a lot less going one (mechanical side buttons). If you need an MMO mouse, I would recommend checking out the new Naga 2014.

fv3recomended

Author Bio
garfi3ld
Author: garfi3ldWebsite: http://lanoc.org
Editor-in-chief
You might call him obsessed or just a hardcore geek. Wes's obsession with gaming hardware and gadgets isn't anything new, he could be found taking things apart even as a child. When not poking around in PC's he can be found playing League of Legends, Awesomenauts, or Civilization 5 or watching a wide variety of TV shows and Movies. A car guy at heart, the same things that draw him into tweaking cars apply when building good looking fast computers. If you are interested in writing for Wes here at LanOC you can reach out to him directly using our contact form.

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garfi3ld's Avatar
garfi3ld replied the topic: #32444 23 Aug 2013 21:07
Happy Friday everyone, today I take a look at the new Razer Naga
Deb0's Avatar
Deb0 replied the topic: #32447 23 Aug 2013 22:52
Any sign to the dreaded "double-click" issue they tend to develop?

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