Razer Vespula mouse pad

This morning, Razer just announced their newest gaming accessory: the Vespula dual-sided mouse surface. This is basically a spiritual successor to the eXactMat, which is now removed from Razer's store (and shows up as "out of stock" if you manually enter its old URL), as it was also a dual-sided hard mouse surface. The material hasn't been disclosed yet, but I think it's safe to presume it's anodized aluminum, as that's what the eXactMat was made of.

The Vespula features a slick Speed side and a coarse Control side, just like the eXactMat, allowing you to "choose the winning side" (I thought it was clever of them ^_^), and comes with a matching gel wrist pad.

It's currently available at Razer's online store priced at $34.99, just a bit more than the eXactMat, which was $29.99. I wonder what that extra $5 is paying for.

I think I'll be ordering one of these; Razer is offering free shipping until the 29th, so this is a good occasion to take advantage of that. Besides, now I'll have two hard surfaces, which is great. I'll probably be keeping the Vespula for my desktop setup with my DeathAdder, and my old eXactMat will go in my backpack with my Orochi.

The Razer store page for the Vespula:

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mousing-surfaces/razer-vespula

The Facebook blog entry of its release:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/razer/razer-vespula-choose-the-winning-side/299784365942

Photos:







EDIT - yep, just ordered mine. I'll update this thread with some photos and initial thoughts when it arrives, probably some time next week.

 

That thing is hot man. Is it anodized aluminum like the exactmat? Did we find out yet?

 

They haven't specified yet. Worst case, I'll let you know for sure when mine arrives.

 

Do that, and I would LOVE if you'd write a review comparing it to the exactmat with pictures and all. I know that's asking a lot but I was JUSSSSST looking for a new mousing surface...

 

I'll do my best. It's hard to quantify things like feel and smoothness. Well...I suppose I could use an electronic force sensor and calculate the coefficients of static and kinetic friction, but that probably wouldn't really be any more useful for anyone here than if I answered your questions by telling you that I like eggs.

But I will do my best. I'll get some side-by-side photos and relay my own thoughts.

 

Don't hurt me for saying this but...

Gaming mice - Cool
Gaming keyboard - Pretty cool
Gaming mousepad? - Massive waste of money?

Surely a laser mouse will register the same movement regardless of the surface?

 

Its not just that, theres also how it the mouse will glide on that surface.

It does make a noticable difference compared to a $1 mouse pad.

 

Hmm, I would love to buy that, but it wouldn't fit on my desk (small desk I know). And my it would be wasted on my MX Revolution, for a gaming mousepad I need a gaming mouse.

BTW, Mastershroom, if you could compare the differences between the eXactmat and this one that would be great, so I could then decide which one to get.

 

Ill decide for you,

This one because its newer and has 2 surfaces haha

 

hmmm,, first thought after seeing the mat: alienware! LOL

It'll be a good pair! They look alike.. I think

 

Wow, that looks awesome - I may put yet another charge on one of my credit cards this month. It is not overly large either (compared by my current mousepad) - 300mm wide (~12 in).

I have been using a fUnc Industries Surface 1030 since 2005-06, I love it but the granular surface side is all worn down.

This vs. the Destructor . . . choices, choices:
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mousing-surfaces/razer-destructor/

 

The sensor itself may track just as well on a bare desk or generic foam pad, but with gaming surfaces it generally comes down to friction and glide. Some gamers (like me!) prefer ultra-slick zero-friction surfaces to allow their mice to glide effortlessly across, allowing for easy, wide sweeping motions. Others prefer coarser, more textured surfaces to increase friction and allow for pixel-by-pixel motion, usually used by ultra-high sensitivity gamers, and it's good for photo work as well. This Vespula, for instance, allows you to choose which one you want at any given time.

You don't need a gaming mouse, but it certainly is a nice thing to have.

And I will certainly do a head-to-head between the Vespula and my old eXactMat when it arrives. I opted for standard shipping, so assuming 5 business days, it should be here by next Wednesday.

So did its predecessor, the eXactMat, which also came with a memory foam wrist pad.

Yeah, Razer and Alienware generally make a good pair. In fact, I think on Razer's site, the background photo of the Orochi is an Alienware M17x (or maybe it was the Kabuto mobile mouse mat, I forget).

From what I gather, the Destructor is just one rough control-oriented surface. A lot of people on the Razer Facebook entry speculated that this Vespula will have the same Control surface as the Destructor, along with its own Speed side. Hard to tell, considering nobody has one yet, and I've personally never felt the Destructor.

I will admit the Destructor has that carrying case in its favor. I wish the Vespula/eXactMat came with something like that.

Also, as a side note, I looked up the name. Apparently vespula is a species of wasp, known to most of us as the yellow jacket.

 

I think I'll be getting one of these to replace my Goliathus (which is too soft for me). OT: anyone know if I can get an extended cable for my orochi, or if I'd be better off just getting a bluetooth dongle in a new system? I'm leaning toward bluetooth but ya never know.

 

If you don't have Bluetooth, it's a good investment, although the cable should always be long enough if you want the high-performance wired mode. You could just accomplish that with a USB male-female extension.

 

I've been looking for something different than my goliathus.

thanks for the link op

 

Interesting. Razer has too many mousepads in my opinion, it is hard to keep track of them all.

The Destructor is larger than the Vespula. I only plan on using the textured side so the Vespula loses some points there, and I have no use for the armrest. If I get a new mousepad I will most likely go right for the Destructor (or maybe the Megasoma? Too many mousepads to choose from indeed). Might as well get an Imperator while I'm at it too . . .

 

My pleasure.

I don't think they really have too many. For desktop setups, they have the Goliathus in Speed and Control varieties for those who like soft mats, the Destructor and eXactMat/Vespula for those who like hard surfaces, the Megasoma for those who like silicone (and really enormous surfaces), the Sphex for those with very limited space, and the Kabuto for laptop gamers.

In other news, according to UPS my Vespula should be here tomorrow, that's a pleasant surprise. I'll be sure to get some photos and everything else.

Anyone else think Razer needs to come out with a new keyboard? As it is, all they have is the Tarantula (which they don't even sell anymore), the Lycosa, and the Arctosa (which is basically a Lycosa without the lights).

 

Please let me know tomorrow about a comparison between this and the eXactMat. I have someone willing to buy my eXactMat for $25. So I'll just take that and add the difference to buy the Vespula if you think it's worth it. The Vespula looks much nicer than the eXactMat, so that may have me switch anyways. But I want to know the build quality and how smooth it is. I like a real slick pad, so I hope the speed side is very fast.

 

Assuming UPS sticks to their estimated schedule (and it's worked pretty well so far), I'll do exactly that.

 

No luck today?

 

It just got here. Pretty late by their usual standards. I'm working on finding a good camera for pics now, but some initial impressions:

The biggest difference: the Vespula is made of hard plastic as opposed to the anodized aluminum of the eXactMat. It can flex, but very slightly and you have to put a lot of pressure on it around the edges. It's very sturdy. The plastic also weighs significantly less than the aluminum, and it's not as cold to the touch.

The Vespula is very slightly smaller than the eXactMat, but not significantly. The included wrist rest is a slightly more firm gel; the eXactMat's rest was memory foam.

In terms of texture/glide, the Control sides are basically identical on the eXactMat and Vespula. The Vespula's Speed side, on the other hand, is much smoother than the eXactMat's. A definite plus.

I think I'm going to be leaving the eXactMat on my desktop setup, and bringing the Vespula with me on the go for my Orochi.

Overall, the two are definitely comparable. However, I don't see why the Vespula costs $5 more, considering the slightly smaller surface area, and the fact that it's plastic instead of metal. Either way, though, I'm not disappointed, and I would recommend it to anyone who was considering an eXactMat but didn't get one.

Pics will come later.

 

Could you post pics of the size difference with one on top of the other if you can.
Thanks!

 

I'm a bit disappointed thaqt its not metal. I ended up selling my exactmat for $25 and paid the extra 10 and bought the vespula today. I hope I don't end up regretting it. But the vespula looks much nicer so I'm sure I will like it. I was debating with going with the destructor too, but I heard it was pretty rough. And that it also wore out pretty fast. Plus I really like the wrist pad.

Now I hope razer can finally help me with my mouse. I'm now on my second razer naga and this one is broken too. Its becoming very frustrating and I was planning on buying the mako speakers and megalodon headset too. But I'm starting to question their product quality.

 

You got it.

I don't think it's disappointing. The plastic is definitely more than sturdy enough. I've been using the Vespula with my Orochi on my bed for a while, and it does not flex at all. Like I said earlier, you really have to force it to flex; it'll never happen under normal (or even extreme) use.

Ouch, what's been wrong with your Nagas? My experience with Razer quality has been pretty top-notch so far. My original DeathAdder 1,800 DPI from 2008 still works perfectly to this day, even after I've taken it apart and reassembled it. My new 3,500 DPI DeathAdder is also in perfect shape, as is my Carcharias headset, Orochi, and eXactMat. Perhaps your Nagas just have a crappy spot of luck.

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Anyway, apologies for the poor photo quality; these were taken with my cell phone's built-in camera, whose quality leaves much to be desired. I'll see if I can con someone into letting me borrow a real camera for some better pics tomorrow. Note: all photos are thumbnailed, just click to view them in full size (as grainy and unpleasant as it may be).

For starters, just a few packaging shots, and the usual Razer certificate of authenticity and logo stickers (quite frankly, I have nothing left to stick these on, I've got so many ):









A pretty straightforward shot of the Vespula on its gel wrist pad. I can't remember what side it was on at this point, and the photo's too grainy to see the icon (it's an exclamation point in a circle for the Control side, and a automotive speedometer for the Speed side), but they both look pretty much the same anyway:



This is demonstrating the slight flexibility under extreme stress. I had to grip both edges and press them together tightly, a condition that will never (or at least, should never) happen under normal use:



Side-by-side comparison of shape and size between the Vespula (left) and my old eXactMat (right), with my 1201N in the background to give you a somewhat rough estimate of relative size:



The Vespula on top of the eXactMat, as requested by roliath. You can see they're basically the same shape and size, with each one extending over the other slightly in different areas:



Like I said, I'm sorry for the awful photo quality. Hopefully I'll be able to do better tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to request any additional angles or shots.

Overall, the Vespula gets my recommendation. Like the eXactMat, it offers a pretty solid mix of high-speed glide (seriously, the Speed side is virtually zero-friction...on my bed, the Orochi just slides off the thing if I let it go due to the extremely slight incline) and high-precision texture. The Speed side is even smoother than the eXactMat's was, and the Control side doesn't really seem any different.

 

too bad its not aluminium...razer trying to earn more with less durable materials?
id stick with my exactmat which they think is "less profitable"

 

I bought the Naga from Amazon and noticed that the 7 button would keep sticking down. So I was going to exchange it at Amazon but they were out of stock. So instead I just ordered a new one from Razer so that I could still use my Amazon one until the Razer one came and then just send back the Amazon one and get my money back. But now the one from Amazon is having an issue where the mouse will pause for a couple seconds on my screen and I can't move it. It seems to happen randomly and about maybe once every 5 minutes or so. It's really frustrating when I'm playing a game and it freezes. So now I've been in contact with Razer support but they only respond like once a day. And when they do, they keep telling me to reinstall drivers, etc. But I keep telling them I've done that a million times and that I have another Naga sitting here and it's not having the same problem. So it has nothing to do with my computer.

 

Have you updated the firmware (not the same as drivers)?

 

Yep. Razer had me do that as well as uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers. Still didn't fix it though.

 

Hmm...tried using it on different surfaces? Laser sensors can be pretty finicky about what you're using them on.

 

Yeah. And like I said, I have a second Naga here that responds fine. Just one of the side buttons is broken on it. But it tracks perfectly. Its just the new one I got to replace my first one doesn't track correctly. It just pauses for a second or two for some reason. Won't move at all.

 

Ah. Well, that's unfortunate. Hopefully the third time's a charm, right?

 

yea i dont know if this is better than my destructor, but it sure looks COOL! imo, i would go with this, the destructor is getting old (i still like mine tho )

and lol, without looking on wikipedia i knew Vespula had something to do with a hymonoptera order (im taking biology [+chem] right now and i we just learned that like last week ...don't expect me to know it right off my head haha).

some people say the Vespula will have 1 side the same as the destructor...is this comfirmed? i'm not quite sure since this Vespula cost $35 while the destructor still costs $40...so it wouldn't make sense unless razer were trying to deceive people who are about to buy the destructor. and yes...the carrying case with the destructor...is actually pretty nice. i use it when going to and from school. people ask me, "WTH, your mousepad has a case?!? it must be really good then!" haha

 

I have no idea if the surface is anything like the Destructor, I've never used one of those.

 

lol well it would be truly awesome if it was like the destructor. Then it would have 1 side like the destructor, one other control side and the cool memory foam wrist rest (i want one of those ) all in a package for $35! you own the exactmat right? how does the speed side and control side of the exactmat compare with the vespula's speed/control? destructor is apparently the best mix of speed and control so im not sure if it would fit into one of those categories.

 

The Control sides are very similar. The Vespula's offers just a little more glide than the eXactMat's. And the Vespula's Speed side is significantly slicker than the eXactMat's.

 

o.o that's nice to know. i would love to get that mousepad, but sadly i already own a pretty decent mousepad so i wouldn't be able to justify the purchase

that memory foam wrest looks awesome! as well as the general aesthetics of the mousepad (i like the green gel pads on the edges that hold it on a surface ).

 

I ordered mine yesterday, can't wait to get it. I shipped off my eXactMat, so now I'm stuck with using a book until I get the Vespula lol.

And Razer finally agreed with me that I need a replacement to my mouse. Any idea how their returns work? Do I need to pay for shipping to send it back? And do they send me a new mouse before I need to send my broken one back?

 

I may have to order one of these. After four years the textures on both sides of my exactmat are wearing down in the major mousing spots and they tend to grind a touch.

 

Just got mine today. I have to say that it looks much nicer than the eXactMat. But it feels way more flimsy. It's defintely not as nice of a quality as the eXactMat. I feel like we are just paying more for the better packaging on this over the eXactMat. One thing I really like about it is the wristpad though. It's much smaller than the eXactMat's so it's much more comfortable for me. It's not as high up and I don't have to bend my arm at a weird angel with this one. Overall I'm happy with it. It glides great and looks really nice. It's not as nice durability or quality wise as the eXactMat, but it's still very comparable.

 

IMO, the Destructor is still the ideal mouse pad. Sure it's pricey at $30, but it does come with a case, and it's very, very durable. The surface takes some getting used to, but it won't fall apart on you after it becomes your sole love

 

This^ Lolol

 

What, a thread title?

 

When someone starts their post with ^, it means they're referring to the post above theirs.

 

lol yea, meant to be about the post above me

 

well this sucker was finally in stock at amazon so i bought it. I'm looking forward to the control side. Mastershroom, how is the pad with dust attraction? I have never owned a plastic mat before and I would imagine static charge might make it more susceptible to collecting dirt compared to a cheap-o mouse pad.

 

It's a non-issue as far as I can tell. Putting your hand directly over it, you don't get that "fuzzy" feeling from static that you get with other plastic surfaces. Certainly nothing that can't be solved with a blow of air.

 

im thinking about getting one of these for myself. one thing i don't like about my aluminum exactmat is that when its cold my hand builds up moisture on the surface and my mouse skips.

 

Yeah, that's another thing you don't have to worry about with the plastic Vespula, although I never found it to be a huge issue with my eXactMat either.