Hardware Review: PAX ’08 DeathAdder and Logitech VX Revolution September 6, 2008

I know this is like comparing apples to oranges. The Razer DeathAdder is a gaming mouse, pure and simple. The VX Revolution is a wireless notebook mouse. So why bother? Because if you’re like me, using more than one computer in the course of your day, you find yourself needing more than one mouse. Hopefully this review will help suggest the right mouse for the right job.

 

I first bought the Revolution because I wanted a mouse to play WoW on my MacBookPro. I chose a cordless mouse to maximize my mobility. The Revolution connects to the computer with a small dongle that sticks out about an inch. Most of the time this wasn’t a problem, but one one occasion Indy ran by and knocked over my laptop. The computer was fine (thank you MagSafe adapter!), but the USB dongle snapped clean off and I had to replace the mouse.

Note the dongle.

 

The Logitech VX Revolution

The Revolution has a nice form factor. I have small hands, and the Revolution is a smaller mouse. It is ergonomically designed and I never have any wrist pain when using it, even after hours and hours of scrolling and clicking. It is reasonably accurate without noticeable lag. the “Hyper-scroll” feature is great for heavy surfing and certain games. The battery life is reasonable – I have to change the two AAs about once every 3-4 months.

 

The DeathAdder is like butter. Within seconds of plugging it in I was experiencing the silkiest, smoothest mousing experience of my life. It had better be, with a 1800dpi Razer Precision™ 3G infrared sensor and a 1ms response (compared with 8ms for standard mice). This thing has pinpoint accuracy, and its almost a waste to be clicking on lootable bodies rather than fragging the heck out of some sucker in TF2.

It slides, it glides, it juliennes fries!

 

Again, the form factor is nice. The DeathAdder is a little larger than the Revolution, but not overwhelmingly so. The cord is 210cm long, so I never feel that I’m pulling at it. If anything, it may be a little too long, because I had to find a place to tuck it out of the way. The exclusive PAX ’08 paintjob isn’t really that great looking, but there were only 400 made and I got one, so the smug feeling of dork accomplishment compensates for the bowling shoes design. This is my desktop mouse of choice.

Strike! Oh, wait. This is my megamouse.

 

In the end, it really does come down to the right mouse for the right job. For high-tension gaming, particularly in a desktop setting where mobility isn’t a factor, it’s going to be the DeathAdder every time. When a gnome’s gotta go, though, the VX Revolution goes with her, and does a serviceable and comfortable job.

 

Logitech VX Revolution Wireless USB Mouse (USD$69.99):

Weiner-worthy: Portable, accurate and comfortable
Be Curful: One good thwack at the right angle and you’ll need a new mouse.

3 Mousing Weiners out of 5

 

 Razer DeathAdder PAX ’08 Limited Edition (USD$59.99):

Weiner-worthy: Smooth, ultra-responsive, and comfortable.
Be Curful: Razer’s long cords can be a problem if you don’t have the room.
5 Mousing Weiners out of 5

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Weiners at Play

As promised, here are the weens and one of their cat siblings, Rofl, the Earl of Roflcopter, as they take over my games and computers.

Sawyer plays Soulcalibur IV from the comfort of his Sumo beanbag.

Indiana Bones poses before entering the Temple of Cute in Uncharted. He uses the PS3 DualShock controller to protect his tiny modesty.

Rofl looks around, trying to decide what to play next.

Indy fighting his way through the Tower of Babil in Final Fantasy IV.

Sawyer takes a break from playing Mass Effect via Boot Camp on Mommy's MacBookPro.

Rofl considers logging into the Lich King Beta to find out if Northrend is up.

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Who would want pictures of US, anyway? Right? Right?

My setup

A few people have asked what my gaming setup is. For consoles, I have a day-of-release Wii (slept out overnight for that one), an original PS3 60GB with the Emotion Engine, and an original XBox 360 with the increasingly inadequate 20GB hard disk. These systems are hooked up to a 42″ Westinghouse LCD monitor and the room is wired for Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.

 

For handheld gaming I have a pair of Nintendo DS Lites and a PSP-2000. Moving farther afield in the mobile arena, I have an 8GB iPod Nano and a 32Gb iPod Touch.  All of these (and the consoles) are lovingly skinned in Dharma decals from Decal Girl.

 

I also have computer love. I am an avowed Mac fan, and do most of my site work on my 2.5 GHz 15″ MacBookPro. That being said, I also have a Windows machine. That guy is a CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 5212 Athlon 64 X2 3.0GHz with 2GB RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT card running XP Pro 64. My monitor is a 22″ Samsung SyncMaster 226BW (sadly with a glossy finish) and my speakers are the Bose 2.1 set.  For controls I have a Belkin Nostromo n52te Speedpad and The Limited Edition PAX ’08 Razer DeathAdder mouse.

 

No, I’m not rich. My husband and I just tend to put all of our disposable income toward gaming, and have done so for the last three years.

The Future

First, I just placed my Amazon pre-orders for Fable II, Little Big Planet, Mirror’s Edge, Rock Band 2, And Sid Meier’s Colonization, so look for previews and reviews of all of these games and more in the weeks to come.

 

Second, after about a day of downloading and patching, I am finally ready to play the Wrath of the Lich King Beta. Look for weekly in-depth updates as I take a toon from level 70 to as far as it will go before release.

 

Finally, it has come to my attention that this site needs more weiner. Look for pics of the titular weens this weekend.