Razer Vs. SteelSeries

Well, Barack Obama said its time for change...
So its time to change... to new headphones and mouse + mouse pad! heh-heeh

I mostly play MMORPGs and talk on vent.
(I REALLY need a pair of headphones with a good mic!)

So, what do you guys prefer Razer or SteelSeries?

Also, any recommendations are appreciated ~

 

Steelseries makes better quality products imo. But overall i prefer Logitech. For Headphones i wouldnt pick from either, but i cant make a good recommendation. For mouse i would go with the Steelseries Ikari Laser(my choice) or Razer Deathadder. Mousepad depends on whether you want hard or soft, but for soft you cant go wrong with the Razer Goliathus Series or Steelseries QCK series, depending on sizes and textures.

 

It's hard to compare brands as a whole like that rather than comparing individual products. I love all my Razer stuff, but I know SteelSeries makes great stuff too.

For a mouse, I definitely recommend the Razer DeathAdder. 3,500 DPI with one of the best optical sensors ever made. Personally, I find optical sensors are generally more versatile than lasers, less picky about surfaces, etc. Excellent shape and button placement.

For headphones, check out the Plantronics GameCom 377. It's one of the best stereo headsets under $50, and its sound has been compared to headphones that cost well beyond its price, by people who know way more about the technical aspects of audio gear than I do. Its microphone will not let you down either.

When it comes to mouse pads, first you have to choose between hard and soft. Hard mats generally have less friction and more easy gliding, but are usually smaller. Soft mats tend to offer more controlled motion and come in larger sizes. I personally use the Razer Goliathus Alpha Speed edition, which is pretty big, good for my low sensitivity. The SteelSeries QcK line of mousepads are pretty much the same; soft mats in various sizes.

 

I would have voted Steelseries, but only a fool restricts him / herself to only 1 brand.
The product i own from Steelseries is the Siberia V2 Black and the older Icemate Siberia.
I upgraded mainly because the mic solution for the old one dident fit me as a notebookgamer.
So i gave it to my little brother, and its still working to this day.

 

I currently own both a left handed Deathadder and a Xai. I bought the Deathadder first because it was my first experience with a contoured mouse, having used ambidextrous mice my whole life.

Deathadder:

This is a big mouse and its tall with a wide base. If you have big hands you might find it comfortable but my hands would almost cramp up after 15 to 20 minutes use. I also found the main buttons had a bone shattering click. The side buttons are very easy to access though and you won't accidentally click them.

For some reason Razer decided they were going to rubber coat the top and make the sides out of glossy plastic. The thing collects hand grease, dead skin and dirt/dust like you wouldn't believe.

Xai:

This is also a big mouse but its much flatter than deathadder and I found that I could use it comfortably for long periods. It feels alot like an Intellimouse explorer except the Intellimouse feels more solid.

The is a much talked about issue with regards

I think it is a better built mouse than Deathadder on balance and it has all matte surfaces but the mouse wheel is loose and not very nice to use. As with most ambidextrous mice, I can and often do accidentally click the side buttons when I adjust my grip.

Xai software is better than Razer's software and the lcd/profile switching is useful. With that said, this mouse is not UEFI compliant. What does this mean?

It results in a number of boot related problems which vary from computer to computer (depends on BIOS). If I have the Xai plugged in, my boot process takes anwhere from 10 to 15 seconds longer, most if not all of that time spent waiting at the log in screen for my computer to recognize my keyboard.

I have lost keyboard control during bootup which means that if the Xai is plugged in when I switch my computer on, I can't press F2 to enter the BIOS or F8 to get into safemode. I fixed all of these problems by unplugging the Xai everytime I turn my computer off so I start it up with the mouse unplugged. This is really annoying but it may not affect you.

Some people experience very long boot times as a result of their computer looking for an OS on the Xai's onboard memory (used to store mouse settings and user profiles). I think it appears to some computers as a USB flash drive and I think you can fix by going into the BIOS and changing the boot order so that you never boot from an external drive.

Unfortunately it appears as if these are firmware level issues that will never be fixed because Steelseries allegedly outsourced Xai firmware development to another company and are now involved in a legal dispute with this company. I emailed Steelseries about all of the above problems and to the firmware issue. I have received an acknowledgement but to date have not received a response.

It appears as if the Sensei is the functional replacement for the Xai since firmware development can continue on the Sensei.

Mouse pads

This is really down to preference but both mice are extremely jittery on cloth pads - especially the Xai. I can't slowly draw a straight line with either mouse on a cloth pad since the cursor just jumps all over the place. On hard surfaces you don't get this problem. So if you want to get a mouse pad for either of these mice it needs to be a hard surface like 9hd or something. Avoid QcK/QcK+ which are fine cloth pads and I love the size but both mice are horrid when used on my QcK+ heavy.

Conclusion:

Both mice have pros and cons but after shopping around, owning both and getting palm/wrist ache with the Deathadder and a headache with the Xai, I just want a Microsoft Intellimouse 1.1. Its a real shame they discontinued it.

 

Microsoft Store Online - Microsoft Intellimouse Optical - Buy from Microsoft Store

Not doing the job?

 

Out of stock and has been for a looong time. Theres a reason why the asking price on ebay is north of £70.00 STG.

 

The intellimouse USED to be my go to mouse..for years..I keep them in stock for when one broke on my 3 desktops..I now use a Logitech G9 as my primary...it is so superior, from the nylon sheathed cord, to the general width and weight, none match it.

As far as headphones "gamer" brand headphones are a joke for the price..buy yourself a cheap Logitech desktop mic and as far as headphones, I use a pair of Pilot headphones that I bought off new egg for $35 a couple years back and they are awesome.

 

I wouldn't know about the logitechs. I'm left handed. :sniffle:

 

@Hayte,why not you try the new Sensei mouse from Steelseries if price is not an issue? i also experienced the boot up problems with the Xai on my M17xR3,& i agree with you that the BIOS seems to be tricked into looking for OS inside the Xai onboard.That problems seems to be solved with the Sensei,although i'm not sure if the new metallic coating is to your taste.(it looks somewhat matt-glossy but still very smooth).

 

Price is definitely an issue. At £79.99 it is by far the most expensive mouse I have ever seen. At this point I've gone back to the Deathadder. I get some relief by adjusting my grip but its still rather big and tall for my hands. 9HD arrived a couple of weeks ago and all tracking issues with both mice pretty much vanished as soon as I got that.

One thing that I like very much about the Xai is that its driverless and can store profiles on the mouse. Because I'm left handed I reverse my mouse buttons but the Xai remembers it whenever I plug it in. Its great when using it on computers that I share with lots of other users because I don't have to fiddle with mouse settings and install/uninstall drivers and all that crap.

I'll probably check the Sensei when it comes down in price or when they start hitting the second hand market in numbers.

 

Just fyi, the DeathAdder has onboard memory and can be used without drivers as well after you configure it for the first time.