razer imperator

Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
724
Anyone got one of these yet? I guess it just came out so it might be a bit early. For some odd reason I'm intrigued and think I might replace my copperhead with one of these. Don't really care much about the customizable button position, but it does look pretty sick and 5600 dpi is obviously plenty. Any thoughts?

click
 
I got the e-mail from Razer, early on Tuesday. Looks like a good mouse, but $80 is insane. My Diamondback will be just fine for me.
 
razer is just releasing way too many versions of the same thing. Buy it if you like it and don't already own a razer product, otherwise, just skip all their mouse releases until something really ingenious comes out.
 
Seems like a newer/better version of the DeathAdder. I'd buy it if I wasn't already happy with my DeathAdder and had money to spend.
 
I may end up getting one of these (or a Mamba) as I have Razerstore credit, just waiting for a customer service rep to answer some questions. Mamba looks like it's great, but the price puts me off a little. Imperator side button adjust is intriguing - I have always had a real problem with side buttons, I'm a light finger tip grip user so I can never reach them on other mice. This could be just the thing, although that narrow looking thumb channel looks like it could be uncomfortable?

The added 2 buttons on the top may be useful as well, still 2nd best to Logitech's side tilt but potentially good for secondary & tertiary functions.
 
Seems like a newer/better version of the DeathAdder. I'd buy it if I wasn't already happy with my DeathAdder and had money to spend.

It's actually going to be a worse version of the DA, since they're supposedly using the shitty Phillips Twin-eye sensor they used for the lachesis and not the quality Avagos found in the DA/Salmosa. So odds are it's gonna have a lot of tracking problems.
 
they're supposedly using the shitty Phillips Twin-eye sensor they used for the lachesis and not the quality Avagos found in the DA/Salmosa.
Where did you find this info? and does that issue affect the Mamba also (as Imperator/Mamba are both 5600dpi laser)?
 
If I'm not mistaken, but from the pictures, this mouse seems to have a similar shape as found on many Logitech mice like the G5.

One problem I've always had with Razer was I could never get comfortable with their smaller feel, so I've always had to return to Logitech. So I'm wondering if this might actually be a Razer mouse that has the ergonomics of a Logitech mouse. If so, this might be exactly what I want, since there are many other features of Razers I do like.
 
That's the best looking Razer mouse I have seen yet. I'm not usually a fan of their designs, but it looks like it might be comfortable.
 
That's the best looking Razer mouse I have seen yet. I'm not usually a fan of their designs, but it looks like it might be comfortable.

my thoughts exactly. I love my copperhead to death, but one look at the imperator and my copperhead just looks plain weird.
 
This mouse does look awesome, but I still love the low profile curve of the Copperhead, something about it is just great for finger gripping once you learn how to hold it. I think the side's of the Copperhead could be improved and would love to see a refresh on the model.
 
This mouse does look awesome, but I still love the low profile curve of the Copperhead, something about it is just great for finger gripping once you learn how to hold it. I think the side's of the Copperhead could be improved and would love to see a refresh on the model.

yeah that would be nice. i don't understand why the copperhead was discontinued. by far one of the best gaming mice ever.
 
Imperator ordered, should receive it sometime next week. This will be my umpteenth Razer mouse after a number of quality problems right from the original Boomslang ball mouse through to the Copperhead. Razer customer services have always been really good though, sorted out a little problem with my store credit in record quick time and now I'm just hoping the Imperator is a good choice.
 
Imperator ordered, should receive it sometime next week. This will be my umpteenth Razer mouse after a number of quality problems right from the original Boomslang ball mouse through to the Copperhead. Razer customer services have always been really good though, sorted out a little problem with my store credit in record quick time and now I'm just hoping the Imperator is a good choice.

Let us know what you think.

This might be a viable replacement to my Habu which is starting to age and has software issues (have workarounds but still annoying) with Windows 7.

Maybe I can get the wife to get this for me for Christmas. :D
 
Is this really a fingertip mouse as it claims to be? It's weighed at 138 grams, just 7 grams lighter than a G500. It's also shorter and thicker than a Diamondback 3G. It also has a thumb and pinky rest...

If any fingertip users get this mouse, could you please give a short review on how it is?
 
Also very interested in this mouse coming from a previous Copperhead and Deathadder owner. Please post results and comparisons to other mice if possible!
 
Razer mice just seem to get bigger and clunkier with every year. It's all been downhill since the Viper (now Krait) which is and always will be, the only mouse for me. It's feather light, responsive, comfy, fast etc. etc. The Death Adder was the worst one yet, I think I used it for a couple of weeks and hated every minute of it. It's just a big plastic brick, it was so clunky.

They are just getting desparate to come with reasons for people to keep buying new mice from them really. Look at that ridiculous Naga mouse for 'MMO' gamers! Why are they trying to sell people clumsy looking mice smothered in buttons when people have 128 macroable keys right infront of them!?

They have run out of technology to wow people with and so they just add extra bits of plastic, which just makes the mouse heavier and less attractive than their Krait, imo.

EDIT: Now their Megalodon headset really was worth buying as they came along and gave us a solution that didn't exist before, that is fun and convenient.
 
Last edited:
The Death Adder was the worst one yet, I think I used it for a couple of weeks and hated every minute of it. It's just a big plastic brick, it was so clunky.

The DeathAdder is the only Razer mouse that I've really liked (haven't tried the Mamba).

Judging by the DA's popularity, I'd say a lot of people disagree with you. :) But that's OK, it's all completely subjective! If you like a mouse that's light as a feather, you probably didn't like the DA. Not that it's a heavy mouse, but it is fatter and heavier than something like the Copperhead. If you think the DA is a brick I'd like to see you wrap your hand around the Naga, haha!
 
They have run out of technology to wow people with and so they just add extra bits of plastic, which just makes the mouse heavier and less attractive than their Krait, imo.

Some people like weight in their mouse. Hence, why Logitech has their weight system. I personally do not, and find the Death Adder to be MUCH lighter than the G500 sitting right next to it.
 
I'm curious. I love my DeathAdder, but I've had it for about a year now, and I'm kinda itching to replace it... my backlit keyboard shines white, and my case fans will have white LEDs, so I think it'd be spiffy to get one of the Razer mice with a white light, rather than the typical blue.

I was thinking about getting the Phantom White Lachesis, but seeing the comment above about the sensor is definitely off-putting. I noticed that there's a "Mac Edition" of the DeathAdder, which also has a white light... but what's the difference? Would it work just the same on a PC? Seems to be like, as long as it's a USB interface, I should still be able to just plug it in, install some drivers, and rock out. Eh?
 
Just received my Imperator a couple of hours ago. Seems to work ok, most importantly, unlike my death adder, the extra buttons (2 side buttons, 2 buttons below the mouse wheel) work in games like Oblivion, when bound to keyboard keys. Never worked with my death adder, I think it was a UAC conflict of some sort, but since the macros are sent from the mouse instead of the drivers in the Imperator, this isn't an issue any more. So anyone who has this issue like I did, the razer synapse hardware profile mice fixes it.

Other than that, it seems like a regular mouse. I find the size and grip nice, but I'm not picky there. It may be my imagination but I think the mouse drifts, in that, if you move the mouse cursor one inche to the left, then one inche to the right, the mouse is not in the exact same place as when you started, but I may be wrong there, hard to tell.

The drivers installed and worked, every option worked as described, no driver crashes, and perfect windows 7 x64 compatibility. The mouse motion is very fluid and tracking seems fine, save the 'drifting' which as I said might be my imagination. I played some CS:S and went 15:5 as T on Assault, which would be about average for me. Loaded up oblivion and it was perfectly smooth and had no issues, was able to bind "block" and "cast spell" to buttons 5 and 4 (side buttons), couldn't think of anything for button 3 and 4 (buttons below mouse wheel). I think I'm going to have lots of fun playing oblivion with this setup; I just messed around a bit in game, jumping and walking on a fence to test my acrobatics and then quit to surf (the web.)

It feels a little weird, compared to my death adder, but then again, I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the death adder coming from a MS ball based mouse, so I think it'll pass as I get used to it.
 
It may be my imagination but I think the mouse drifts, in that, if you move the mouse cursor one inch to the left, then one inch to the right, the mouse is not in the exact same place as when you started,
I think this is probably just the effect of acceleration - I doubt you can move the mouse precisely 1" each time, or at exactly the same speed each time. I had a very brief play with Imperator yesterday and tried to duplicate moving the same distance left then right. Difficult to do exactly the same, but you can end up v. close without looking at the screen while you do it. I'll add more comments later.
 
Probably just my imagination, I did some more test just now and it seems not to drift much, if at all. I think it was probably a combination of high sensitivity and my discomfort with the sensitivity being so high, I turned the sensitivity down and it seems much better in comfort and accuracy, which is probably due to me not compensating for the high sensitivity.
 
An upgrade for my Lachesis? I love my Lachesis tracking ability but it has a big hump in the rear that (even though I somewhat adjusted) makes it uncomfortable for a smaller hand finger grip/claw gamer.

The Razer imperator looks huge from the pics?

Wish there were more mice geared towards clawed gamers.
 
An upgrade for my Lachesis? I love my Lachesis tracking ability but it has a big hump in the rear that (even though I somewhat adjusted) makes it uncomfortable for a smaller hand finger grip/claw gamer.

The Razer imperator looks huge from the pics?

Wish there were more mice geared towards clawed gamers.

I got a Lachesis and I fingertip it. My hand is rather small, but I also have long fingers though (if that makes any sense).

Check this site: http://www2.razerzone.com/MouseGuide/comparison/ . You'll find that the Imperator is actually smaller in dimensions than the Lachesis, but weighs slightly more. However, it also lists the Imperator under "large" while the Lachesis has a "medium to large" label on it. Strange. I suppose that's because the Imperator has more height (the height listed there for the Lachesis probably is that of the bump at the back of it). Anyhow, hope that link helps.
 
The Razer imperator looks huge from the pics?
It's smaller than the DA, and shorter than the Copperhead. My hands are 7.75" (19.5cm) i.e. exactly between the two standard small or medium glove sizes. Imperator seems to be on the absolute limit of largest possible size for me to use a finger tip style grip, but I can reach the rear most side button with the slider set back. Thumb rest is comfy too. Imperator is the first mouse in a very long time that I've tried and instantly felt the shape is nice for my hand, it's not perfect - I wish the length was compressed a few mm between the thumb rest and wheel, but I guess that would be a problem for larger hands than mine. Even as is: comfort is good, possibly even great! but I need to try some long gaming sessions to be sure (that won't happen for a while unfortunately)

I couldn't get on with the DeathAdder shape at all, bad fit for me as I don't like palm grip. Copperhead was OK with finger tip grip, but I was never really 100% happy with it and the side buttons were never easy to reach, I used Copperhead for 2-3 years. Right now I'm using a basic Logitech LS1 that is very compact and ideal for finger tip use, so the Imperator feels large in comparison. That said the LS1 felt small to begin with, after moving from Copperhead & a larger wireless Logitech so I think it'll be quick & easy to adapt to the size. Microsoft mice I've found mostly to be ludicrously large, especially Intellimouse & Sidewinder.
 
It's smaller than the DA, and shorter than the Copperhead. My hands are 7.75" (19.5cm) i.e. exactly between the two standard small or medium glove sizes. Imperator seems to be on the absolute limit of largest possible size for me to use a finger tip style grip, but I can reach the rear most side button with the slider set back. Thumb rest is comfy too. Imperator is the first mouse in a very long time that I've tried and instantly felt the shape is nice for my hand, it's not perfect - I wish the length was compressed a few mm between the thumb rest and wheel, but I guess that would be a problem for larger hands than mine. Even as is: comfort is good, possibly even great! but I need to try some long gaming sessions to be sure (that won't happen for a while unfortunately)

Thanks for the info. Think I'll pick up one of these as soon as someone puts a nice discount on it. Not ready to drop $80 an a mouse right now.
 
Mine should be arriving tomorrow...I must say I'm pretty excited. Will report back after some gaming tests. Currently in CS:S my KDR is a minimum of 2:1 though often is around 4:1...we'll see if I get my average up.
 
UPS just delivered the mouse...first impressions

Aesthetically, the mouse is amazing. Very good build quality, very solid feel. Can't say it feels much heavier than the copperhead to me, but I can tell this will take some getting used to. First and foremost, I think i'll have a problem with the two top buttons behind the scroll wheel. I use all 4 of my copperhead's side buttons in CS:S, and now instead of them being on the right side they're on top. How does one even use these buttons? I have to readjust my entire hand to click them.

One thing that's very very cool - the mouse comes with an OS X driver, and not only that, but razer had the foresight to disable acceleration with their drivers! No more third party apps to do this, its all configurable with razer's own driver. huge props for that. If anyone has used OS X they know the utterly fucked up mouse acceleration curve they have going on.

Last but not least, the mouse seems to wobble a bit...as if it's not entirely flat on my mouse pad. Maybe it's because I'm using a ratpadz and the surface isn't perfectly smooth, but I don't know. Also might take some getting used to. I'm off to do some gaming!

EIDT: Gaming is a pleasure. I can clearly tell the difference between 2000dpi and 5600, aiming feels much more precise and movement is extremely smooth. The two top buttons proved not to be such a big deal, a bit uncomfortable to reach, but not impossible. However the wobbling thing wasn't just my imagination. I don't know what's causing it, but it's annoying as hell and i'm pretty sure it's because of the ratpadz. May be time to get a new mousepad....
 
Last edited:
What settings are you using for this mouse? I'm still trying to play with the DPI and sensitivity (Windows mouse settings).
 
What settings are you using for this mouse? I'm still trying to play with the DPI and sensitivity (Windows mouse settings).

I personally always max out DPI and then lower sensitivity to my liking. In CS:S, my sensitivity is around 1.0-1.3 I don't remember exactly. In windows, I have it so I can move the mouse from one corner of the screen to the other with a small flick of the wrist.
 
I should be getting mine Monday. The thing that really sold me instantly on this mouse was:

[story]I've been looking to replace my MS Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 for some time now, I think ive had this thing for like 4 years now. but its so comfortable and I really love it. So ive been searching and searching and nothing has looked worthy of taking its spot. Then I come across this lat December and instantly I knew it would work. if you look at the shape its ALMOST identical to the LM6000, though not as wide.[/story]

razer-imperator-sideview.jpg

100_1268.JPG


I know, my thumb is filthy. Thats what happens when you work on your car and run in to get the internets help without washing your hands. But yea, I think my hand will be right at home with the new mouse.
 
Doubl3KiLL;

I know, my thumb is filthy. Thats what happens when you work on your car and run in to get the internets help without washing your hands. But yea, I think my hand will be right at home with the new mouse.

I had that same mouse. The thumb area looked just as dirty as yours does. No matter how hard I tried I could never get it clean.
 
This mouse interest me.

I have only had 2 mouses out of the hundreds I have tried that I have ever liked as far as fitting my hand comfortably. The MS Laser Mouse 8000 and the Logitech G-5.

Not long ago I purchased the Razer Mamba. I liked the feel of it, I liked the shape, but wish it was just a tad bigger. I tried it for a little while. and was not liking some of the Issues I had with it So I went back to the G5.

But looking at the pictures this mouse seems to be similar in shape to the G-5. which could be a factor on whether or not I should give it a try.

Can anyone compare this to a G-5?. As far as size and fit goes.
 
This mouse interest me.

But looking at the pictures this mouse seems to be similar in shape to the G-5. which could be a factor on whether or not I should give it a try.

Can anyone compare this to a G-5?. As far as size and fit goes.

I'd say your on the money. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the Imperator is similar in shape to the G5. Funny, I was just trying to figure out what mouse it reminded me of right before I read your post. I knew it was familiar but couldn't recall, thanks ;)

I received the Imperator for X-Mas and was hoping it was small enough for my small handed finger tip gaming style but it's a tad large. 95% of the big named gaming mice are:confused:. Not all gamers have big paws or only use the palm style. :( Still it fits better than my Lachesis and has the Lachesis laser. I headshot so well with that lazer. :D
 
This is classic Razer using the Philips laser sensor? there is a lot of bitching over over at ESReality forums about most mice, and especially Razer products so I'm sure I've seen the issue discussed. There may be a firmware fix for other Razer mice, so perhaps this will be fixed for the Imperator?

This is the forum I mean, but I find it a chore to read because of the attitude of many of the posters: http://www.esreality.com/?a=post&forum=13
 
A little update..Since I got my Imperator I hardly played any CS:S, a game which I usually play everyday since its release. Anyways I was playing CS:S today and it was pretty bad, sometimes the mouse cursor would stop even though you were still moving the mouse and once the mouse stopped sending any signals to the computer and I had to unplug and replug it in again to get it to work, but that only happened once, the main problem was hard to describe, it's little errors tracking here and there caused me to do a lot of compensating to avoid causing the mouse to skip or ignore movements, etc and it caused a lot of discomfort in my hand and was generally hard as hell to kill anyone in cs:s unless I got them from behind or some other angle where they couldn't see me, which I'm good at so I still got high scores with the imperator but it wasn't any fun. So I decided to try a G9x, picked it from bestbuy and was immediately doing much better, with no tracking errors or discomfort. At this point, all I would say is, avoid the Imperator and Mamba (had similar problems with the Mamba) and try the G9x, it's much better. Went 90 and 30 on Office, in a 20 vs 20 game, I had the best score and the best ratio.
 
It was regular CS:S, on Office Noob Hide-Out server. Keep in mind there is a G9 and a G9x, I got the G9x and I hear the G9 tracking is not so great but the G9x is supposed to be the best. It was also $99 at BestBuy so it had better be..
 
Back
Top