First Look: Razer's StarCraft II Gaming Gear

2. Spectre Mouse

Terran fans, rejoice! Razer has finally unleashed official StarCraft II computer peripherals: Marauder Keyboard, Spectre Mouse, Banshee Headset, and Zerg Bag

While none of the StarCraft II peripherals made by Razer fit the usual profile in terms of design or color for the company, the Spectre mouse perhaps has the most deviation from the norm. Most Razer mice are jet black with blue accents, with plenty of curves and a design philosophy that screams gamer. The Spectre is also quite obviously a gamer mouse, but its angled edges, small stature and complete lack of a “butt” make this a “gray” sheep of sorts.

If you use your mouse with a “claw” grip, where your fingertips rest on the left and right clicks but the rest of your fingers sit arched up (as opposed to “palming” a mouse, where your whole hand rests on the mouse at all times) then the Spectre was designed with you in mind. Using a claw grip brings your palm up onto the body of the Spectre; because the mouse is a lot smaller than other Razer mice, the bottom of your palm (near your wrist) will hang off the edge of the Spectre, which isn’t a very comfortable experience (more on that later).

Like most Razer offerings the Spectre has five buttons (left, right, two thumb buttons and the wheel click). Unlike most Razer offerings, however, the Spectre has a mechanical switch on its underside that adjust how much pressure it takes to press the left click down. After messing with the switch, we could tell a difference when being deliberate with the left click, but it’s harder to notice when you’re fighting off a Zerg rush.

The sensor on the Spectre is the same 5600dpi 3.5G version found on many of Razer’s other mice. This means it works just as well as other mice, with plenty of room for sensitivity adjustment. The software, like with the Marauder keyboard, is as solid as ever, and maintains all the macro and performance tweaks, just with a new StarCraft II-inspired UI. While the default lighting on the Spectre is blue, it has the same customization found on the keyboard.

Overall, we are fairly underwhelmed by this mouse. The $79.99 price is the same as many other mice that happen to be more comfortable, regardless of your hold style. And for the other palmers in the audience, the Spectre is particularly annoying. The sharp angles on the butt of the mouse don’t conform to the palm all too well, and we found ourselves going back to our tried and true DeathAdder after our testing was complete.

The Spectre might be worth a look if you’re a claw-type with a hankering for StarCraft II paraphernalia, but in all honesty, you’re probably better off sticking with whatever gaming mouse you already have (or look at the DeathAdder, since it’s our favorite Razer mouse).