Tech Olive

Razer recently sent us a batch of mice for an upcoming roundup, but before we dive into that, we felt the need to review Razer’s newest gaming mouse, the Imperator. On paper, the mouse seems quite impressive, but would it deliver such performance in a hands-on test? Time to put the Imperator to the test.

The Imperator is really just Razer’s excuse to take their biggest and best and put it all in one convenient, ergonomic package. On the fly sensitivity adjustments (up to 5600DPI), on-board memory to save your profiles, adjustable thumb buttons, an ergonomic design and a fantastic 7-foot braided fiber cable make this mouse the next step in the evolution of Razer’s high-end gaming mice, not to mention the little details, like the non-slip over-sized mouse buttons, a lighted scroll wheel and the pulsating lit Razer logo in the palm of the mouse.

Not all things on this mouse are tulips and daisies. Unfortunately, the overall comfort is disappointing. It’s a great ergonomic design, but compared to other ergonomic mice on the market, the Imperator falls short of what I expected from Razer. For the cost, I expected a mouse that perfectly contoured to anyone’s hand, offering a thoughtless blob to cup your hand around. While this is mostly the case with the Imperator, the right side of the mouse can seem a bit awkward trying to settle your final two digits into a comfortable position and I just can’t quite shake that.

If that’s not enough, Razer seems content to make their mice with a great rubber-coated top half, and a glossy, sweat and grime-attracting lower body. I’m not saying the lower half needs to be rubber coated as well, but at least give us some matte or textured plastic over the glossy alternative. Unfortunately, Razer’s choice to such annoying materials is what hurts the overall score the most.

Overall: 7 Olives