Review: Razer Mamba (2015) Tournament Edition

Software, performance and conclusion

The software that ships with a mouse may not be a significant consideration for most gamers but Razer deserves credit for producing the most coherent and user friendly software on the market for gaming mice. The Synapse software separates into three logical tabs - mouse, macros and stats. The mouse tab includes the majority of the tweaking options such as acceleration, button assignments, DPI adjustments, lighting effects and surface calibration, and this is where gamers can fine tune the mouse to their liking.

The lighting tab usefully splits off adjustments into two separate layouts. The primary window allows users to pick between preset effects (wave, breathing, reactive, spectrum cycling, static, off), as well as pick the direction of flow and the brightness level. A second more advanced layout can be entered by clicking through to the Chroma Configurator which allows for individual customisation of each of the 16 LEDs depending on the mode in question.

Furthermore, the macros tab houses the functionality to create and assign custom macros to any of the reprogrammable buttons. The final tab, stats, opens up a new window which provides in-depth statistics on the user's button presses, mouse clicks and mouse movement if the user chooses to enable the statistical tracking function.

Synapse benefits even more from being able to support multiple Razer products at the same time, including an option to sync lighting effects across Chroma-compatible devices. Further still, the ability to save settings profile to the cloud means Razer product owners can easily download their preferred settings onto any machine.

Usage

The Razer Mamba Tournament Edition is a fairly small and lightweight mouse making it ideal for fast-paced gaming. On the other hand the up to 16,000 DPI facilitates slow movers in that even small mouse movements can result in a large cursor response. The user, therefore, has a great deal of flexibility in the usage model they want to pursue. 16,000 DPI may at first seem unnecessarily high but getting used to such a high sensitivity is a rapid process and may suit many gamers, for those users who prefer lower DPI levels it is possible to go as low as 100.

Accuracy is virtually impossible to verify within a normal usage scenario though the Mamba Tournament Edition feels precise and nimble at hand, whether in gaming or around the desktop. Despite packing a laser sensor there is no sign of acceleration, jitter or any negative effects irrespective of a hard or soft mouse surface. To further add to the seamless gaming experience the two thumb buttons are impressively tactile and easy to access with quick response times. The decision to relocate the two other buttons from the edge of the left click to the centre makes these significantly less accessible so frequently required actions should be bound to the side thumb buttons.

In terms of ergonomics the Razer Mamba Tournament Edition isn't the most comfortable we've ever used. This is partly because the mouse lacks the width and the height to easily support the ring and pinky fingers (a palm grip) which causes some fatigue over extended usage scenarios since the mouse doesn't support the full weight of the hand. The Mamba Tournament Edition is, however, well suited for the claw-style grip that lends itself to a competitive gaming style. Prospective buyers will need to consider how long they use their PC in one sitting to determine whether the Mamba is ergonomically right for them, and as always, peripheral size and shape is something of a personal preference.

Conclusion

A street price of £80 for the Razer Mamba Tournament Edition means it sits alongside the most expensive gaming mice on the market, though it is still considerably more affordable than the £135 asking price for the wireless and click-adjustable version. Yet while the price for both mice is undeniably steep, prospective buyers are paying for a state-of-the-art laser sensor that delivers an unprecedented level of DPI performance and granularity.

The new Mamba design benefits from an updated Chroma RGB feature set that delivers truly stunning lighting effects with a seamless implementation via the Synapse software. Razer's new Mamba Tournament Edition mouse does offer something extra over other mice in the same price bracket, particularly for the type of gamer who wants to be at the forefront of developments in gaming mouse design. That said, the 2015 Mamba is still an acquired taste, some gamers desire neither the flamboyant lighting effects nor the cutting-edge laser sensor.

Our testing leads us to conclude that the Razer Mamba Tournament Edition is an innovative addition to the high-end gaming mouse segment. The Mamba Tournament Edition trades affordability and a little ergonomic comfort for all-out performance and gaming prowess, however, such a balance is typical of a Razer product - this is a gaming mouse built with competitive gamers in mind.

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