Love At First Bite With Razer’s Orochi Bluetooth Mouse [Review]

Here in Arizona, the general rule is to keep our hands away from anything that sounds like it has even the remotest chance of being prickly or having fangs. Strange then, that my fingers seem magnetically drawn to the triadic snake emblem on the palmrest of Razer’s Orochi Bluetooth mouse. The little sleek black gadget is like crack for my hand.

Razer has a reputation for fearsome-looking gamer armament; the Orochi (which, like the monikers of all Razer mice, is reptilian — this one is named after an “eight-headed, eight-tailed Japanese dragon,” according to Wikipedia. In case you were wondering) is their first Bluetooth-enabled notebook mouse. And it’s just the right size: not tiny like many other notebook mice, but definitely smaller than the more imposing mice in their lineup. Perfect for carrying around (and Razer supplies a neoprene case with the mouse for just that purpose).

I was surprised that, for a portable mouse — and compared against desktop mice I’ve used — the ergonomics seem perfect, even for my large mitts. The finger rests seem like they’re cradling me; button clicks feel satisfyingly sharp, precise. In fact, the damn thing is so comfy and a pleasure to use that, where I once used to leave my old mouse at home and was happy just working off my trackpad, I now feel compelled to bring the Orochi with me wherever I go.

Like all their mice, Razer built the Orochi for performance. Accuracy is excellent; The Orochi features 2000 dpi when operating wirelessly, and doubles to an impressive 4000 dpi when connected — via the supplied cable — to a USB port. It’s a top-notch gaming mouse, but it also felt like the perfect mouse for design apps like Photoshop or InDesign.

It’s not an “anywhere”-type mouse, but tracking-wise, it’s outperformed any “normal” mouse I’ve ever had. It’ll track on magazine covers, highly reflective surfaces and pretty much any surface I’ve thrown at it, save glass.

Everything about the Orochi screams “attention to detail.” Even the cable for wired use is tangle-resistant, braided fabric, docks seamlessly with the mouse and comes with a gold-plated connector (although, I’m not sure I see the point in the last bit).

Bluetooth connectivity is always a snap — unlike the problems some Magic Mouse users were apparently experiencing — and the mouse seems to manage power wisely; a pair of standard AAA alkaline batteries powered the mouse for over six weeks, even under heavy use and with the blue click-wheel light turned on (it can be turned off under battery power to save juice).

The only real gripe is that for all the snickety-snick exhibited by the primary buttons, the four auxiliary buttons seem like an afterthought, and are difficult to press or even identify sometimes. They’re in the wrong place, and don’t feel like they stand out enough from the rest of the mouse body. That, and Razer has yet to provide a driver that maps the aux buttons; I’ve been using USB Overdrive to map some of the others. But Razer says they’re working on button-mapping for the Mac, and should have it available soon.

In the box: Orochi, case, braided cable.

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