Whether at home or on the go, every gamer deserves to have a gaming setup that meets their needs. To that end, Razer has provided a host of gaming peripherals for both on-the-go and at-home gaming.
How do the Razer Orochi V2, Razer Sphex V3 and Universal Grip tape stack up? Read on and find out.
Razer Orochi V2 – Gaming On The Go (RM319)
In a world where gaming mice are only getting bigger and wider, the Razer Orochi V2 is actually charmingly tiny. It’s a very compact mouse, weighing only about 60g. Add that with the fact that it’s entirely wireless, and you have a great mouse for carrying around with you.
Compared against the entirety of gaming mice from now until the heat death of the universe, you’d notice a lot of flaws with the Razer Orochi V2- for one, it makes me self-conscious about the size of my hands with how tiny it is, and how it causes aforementioned gorilla hands to drag on the mousepad.
Yet when looked through the lens of “because it’s meant to be portable”, it all makes sense. If you had the budget for it it definitely feels like the Orochi V2 isn’t meant to be your primary mouse, rather the one you have in your backpack when you travel. Everything about it makes it great for this type of situation, since it takes up so little space.
Size aside, the Razer Orochi V2 is pretty much what you’d expect from a Razer gaming mouse. It’s got customizable buttons on the side, responsive controls and an overall great feel to them.
The ability to change your sensitivity on the fly is a godsend, since games like the frenetic Titanfall 2 will have moments where you’d more appreciate a less responsive mouse and vice versa. The Orochi definitely stands out more for FPS use, since unlike the Naga series two side buttons isn’t exactly enough to do MMO keybinds for games like Final Fantasy XIV, whose free trial goes up to Heavensward.
It also has on-board memory, letting you store multiple profiles on the mouse to adjust to different situations. Similarly, you can also use it with the Razer Synapse app to make sure that even on your side-mouse, you never break your signature color scheme on the Orochi’s RGB lighting.
Another really cool piece of modern technology is that it actually supports both AA and AAA batteries. It’s an amazing feature, especially since the mouse has no wired charging options. Again, through the lens of someone on the move, this is a great feature, since you’ll be able to grab any of the two most common battery sizes to power your gaming for a long time with its enhanced battery life.
Speaking of options the mouse itself also lets you switch between a wireless and bluetooth mode, which is once again great for the gamer on the go. With the wireless mode you can just plug it in to any computer to play, meaning its easy to lend to your friends in a pinch. On the other hand the Bluetooth mode is better for if it’s your main mouse, since it’ll be paired to your computer until you decide otherwise.
The one flaw with the Razer Orochi V2 is its price point. At RM319, it’s a little to the steep side for what’s essentially a mini-mouse. If you already have a main setup at home and just need something to chuck in your bag for when you’re on the move, the Orochi might be a bit of a hard sell here, especially since you’re paying almost the price of a PS5 game for what feels like a support mouse.
Razer Sphex V3 – Reliable and Sturdy (RM45)
The Razer Sphex V3, Razer’s line of hard-plastic mousepads comes in two sizes, with a small (270 x 215mm) and a large (450 x 400mm) one. Unless you run one of those giant mega desks, I feel like the Small should see most people through just fine. It’s a little larger than your average mousepad, but that just means more real estate to swing your mouse around.
What the Sphex lacks in beauty- seriously, it’s solid black all the way through- it more than makes up for in quality. The material allows gaming mice to seamlessly glide over it, giving you less resistance. Again this really shines in FPS games like Titanfall, since you never really notice how much resistance a bad mousepad generates until you get your hands on a good one.
I’m also a huge fan of the fact that unlike many mousepads, the Sphex V3 is a solid plastic. This is a minor detail that won’t affect most gamers, but as someone with an uneven table surface the Sphex has less give even if you, say, have a monster-sized hole in your desk. I’m pretty sure Razer wasn’t catering to this demographic when they made the Sphex V3, but it’s appreciated nontheless.
The Sphex also comes with an adhesive backing, so you won’t have to worry about it sliding around your table over time, especially if you’re the more animated type of FPS player.
At RM45, it’s actually a pretty decent price for a very practical addition to your setup. It’s nothing flashy for sure, but it’s a really solid mousepad that’s both light and incredibly durable.
Razer Universal Grip Tape – The World Is Yours To Make Non-Stick (RM45)
The Razer Universal Grip Tape lets you stick grip points to your apparel, increasing friction so you won’t have to worry about it flying out of your hand as much.
Admittedly, at first I scoffed a little at the idea of the grip tape, but it wasn’t until I actually used it that it changed my mind. The tape is very thin- almost unnoticable. When you touch it though, the friction gain is very much brought to your attention.
The material used feels really good, and definitely makes gripping surfaces way more pleasant. Some of the pre-cut stickers are more purpose-built, such as the long strips that fit nicely on a mouse’s main buttons. However it also includes more omnicombinational stickers, like the hexagonal pads which can be reconfigured into any shape.
One thing I’ve found really good for it is to use it with non-PC apparel, such as game controllers. Considering how many game controllers can fluctuate in comfort, the Grip Tape is a good way to get them feeling better in your hand.
The stickers also come off easily, but not so easily that they’d do so accidentally. Applying them on is pretty easy to do, but if you accidentally get it wrong you won’t have to worry abuot it tearing since the material feels a lot more sturdy than you’d expect.
Just like the Razer Sphex V3 the Universal Grip Tape comes in at RM45, which gets you a respectable amount of stickers for your use.
All in all, it looks like Razer has pretty thoughtfully planned out how to not only give you gaming on the go, but also support your home setup with more options to customize your gear. I’m especially a fan of the Sphex mousepad since it feels so sturdy despite its weight, and my mouse in general feels good gliding over it.
Admittedly the Orochi’s pricepoint might be a bit of a turn-off considering how much mouse you get, but I feel like the Grip Tape and Sphex are appropriately priced for how good they are.
You can get all of these via the Razer website, as well as authorized resellers.
Review units provided by Razer
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