Don't want to see articles from a certain category? When logged in, go to your User Settings and adjust your feed in the Content Preferences section where you can block tags!
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.
After my wireless mouse finally stopped charging anything and the temporary £5 replacement mouse was just terrible, I decided to take a look at the Razer DeathAdder Chroma.

I went with Razer since they are generally a brand that's well known and known for reasonably good hardware. Luckily on Linux, we don't have to deal with their terrible software (I've seen first-hand how terrible their Windows software can be).

image
I suffer from a permanent injury in my main hand/wrist, which hurts the longer I use a mouse, but surprisingly the DeathAdder Chroma is incredibly comfy. One of the features is "Ergonomic Shape" and they certainly aren't lying about it. It's been a real pleasure to use for both work and play and really does the job perfectly. This has been the longest my hand hasn't been annoyingly painful after prolonged mouse-use in years.

It fits the hand well and the material doesn't feel cheap. Many mice have awful solid and cold basic plastic, whereas the DeathAdder Chroma has a slightly rough feeling to it which also gives it a good bit of grip in your hand for the more intense gaming sessions. The rubber side grips also help dramatically with this, it gives me a real feeling of actual control over it.

It doesn't come with hundreds of useless buttons attached to it to give it some ridiculous "MMO" or "gamer" label, but it does have two extra buttons on the side. Personally, I find those two extra buttons extremely useful for web browsing as forwards/backwards buttons, and as handy extras in online FPS games for things like throwing a grenade. Their button placement for the extra side buttons is right on the mark too, ample room to rest your thumb with minimal movement needed to access the extra buttons.

It has a 10,000dpi optical sensor, which is incredibly smooth and precise. I've tried it on a number of different surfaces and it's had no issues at all. A problem I had with my last two mice in FPS games was where the sensor seemed to bounce off tiny crumbs, dust and whatever else my desk had on it, making my aim all over the place. My testing with the Razer DeathAdder Chroma shows just how good the sensor is, with crazy accuracy and no random twitches.

image
While I'm not really fussed about the lighting on the mouse wheel and the back of the mouse, it's still a nice touch and it is perfectly configurable on Linux. With thanks to the 'razercfg' tool, adjusting colours, DPI and more is incredibly easy. I used the Arch AUR-git package and it made the setup a breeze, I just had to enable it afterwards with systemd without issues.

An absolute world of difference compared to the various mice I've had before. I highly recommend it. Mine was on sale too in a local store, so double win there. Well worth the money in my books. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware, Review
4 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
46 comments
Page: «4/5»
  Go to:

fractal May 5, 2017
I had to switch my mouse about 3 months ago. My MX518 finally died after 7 years of daily usage, much to my grief. Ended up switching to G402 as I've seen people commenting that it's the next closest thing. Having used various mice from various companies (including Razer Deathadder), I still think MX518 was the best one out there. Overall I prefer Logitech over Razer.
Pompesdesky May 5, 2017
Quoting: 14Use the right tool for the job. I have the Nyth and it's just about perfect. I have large hands, so I use the wider attachment piece on the side. I like several side buttons, but I don't need all 12. The Nyth allowed me to put a blank strip in the middle so I can grip the mouse as hard as I want without mistakenly hitting buttons. The far rear buttons are too hard to quickly reach, so I have the double-wide buttons in those spaces. So, I end up having six buttons on the side. They get a lot of use in, yes, MMO GAMES, as well as FPS. Get used to switching weapons using mouse buttons and the keyboard becomes too slow.

So yeah, the Nyth deserves "MMO" and "gamer" labels.

Before the Nyth, I had the Logitech G600 and the Razer Naga before that. I thought that the Logitech was a really, really good mouse, but after about a year, my hand started hurting because of the way you have to grip the G600. Since there are three main click buttons instead of two, you lose the 'ring finger' to grip the right side of the mouse, leaving only your pinky. After about a year of my pinky doing the heavy lifting, I couldn't take it anymore. It was a bummer. That was the only reason I switched to the Nyth.

Hi 14,
I'm using a G600 since a couple of years and I'm really happy with the buttons that I use in FPS games to quickly switch between weapons or do some actions. However it's a little too narrow for me and I'm not holding it straight (it rests a bit sideways in my hand). I just discovered the Nyth reading your post and I'm really interested in it. How's the software support for it under Linux ? Does Roccat provide something to configure it or is there a non-official Linux tool that does the trick ?
Creak May 5, 2017
Quoting: GuestNow just hurry up blizzard and give me Overwatch then I can get rid of windows and use my SSD for linux!
Hehe, I've lost hope on Blizzard, they just deeply hate Linux.
Liam Dawe May 5, 2017
Quoting: AnachronyX"I suffer from a permanent injury in my main hand/wrist, which hurts the longer I use a mouse..."

Maybe you could try a trackball. It helps a lot.
I tried one a few times, feels too alien to me :(
Kimyrielle May 5, 2017
Quoting: Creak
Quoting: GuestNow just hurry up blizzard and give me Overwatch then I can get rid of windows and use my SSD for linux!
Hehe, I've lost hope on Blizzard, they just deeply hate Linux.

In my case, the feeling is mutual. I don't like their games either. They are the only larger publisher I have never bought a game from. I couldn't care less if they ever support Linux. But as far as Overwatch goes, wasn't it supposed to run in one of the newer WINE patches just nicely?
realusername May 5, 2017
Quoting: SslaxxNice mice suggestions, but are there any good cheap mice around?

If you are on a tight budget newer Microsoft Wheel mouse optical mice are cheap and plentiful on eBay etc. Last time I bought one they were £8 each in (as far as I could tell) new condition. They were last made around 2009 and are still really great mice for FPS games. Buttons and scroll wheel will feel a bit cheap if you're used to newer stuff but they work fine and the sensor is solid when USB polling is set to 500/1000hz. Maybe even try a Microsoft intellimouse if extra buttons are a requirement for you.

Anything else I would even consider recommending would be a decent jump up in price (£30+).
Beamboom May 5, 2017
I've tried many different brands over the years. Lots of fancy thingies.
I always return to the boring but oh so good Logitech G series mice.


Last edited by Beamboom on 5 May 2017 at 4:45 pm UTC
killyou May 5, 2017
Logitech G403 /eot
Cybolic May 5, 2017
Quoting: Pompesdesky
Quoting: 14Use the right tool for the job. I have the Nyth and it's just about perfect.[...]
]...] I just discovered the Nyth reading your post and I'm really interested in it. How's the software support for it under Linux ? Does Roccat provide something to configure it or is there a non-official Linux tool that does the trick ?
The software support is amazing! It works out of the box, but there's also semi-official software for it (official in that Roccat provided the developer, Stefan Achatz, with access to their hardware and some guidance as well as a license to use their files, but it's not developed by them).
The software lets you bind all buttons (including in ways apparently not possible in Windows), change both lights and their effects, change sensitivity of both axis separately, switch polling rate and CPI and bind up to five profiles with auto-switching based on process name, executable file or window title (with regex support); oh, and it also supports that ridiculous audio announcer functionality for extra 1337ness when switching settings :P
If you're on Arch, it's just a pacman -S roccat-tools-nyth away :)

I also practically wrote a mini-review of it on page 3 of these comments, if you want to know more about its functionality.


Last edited by Cybolic on 5 May 2017 at 11:25 pm UTC
14 May 6, 2017
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: PompesdeskyHi 14,
I'm using a G600 since a couple of years and I'm really happy with the buttons that I use in FPS games to quickly switch between weapons or do some actions. However it's a little too narrow for me and I'm not holding it straight (it rests a bit sideways in my hand). I just discovered the Nyth reading your post and I'm really interested in it. How's the software support for it under Linux ? Does Roccat provide something to configure it or is there a non-official Linux tool that does the trick ?

Cybolic beat me to the software information, and he's right on! The only info he gave that I'd critique is the software is in the AUR, so installation is a couple more steps than normal. Looks like you're on Mint, so you'd want to check their packages or Ubuntu's. I'd be surprised if they didn't have one.

When I put the slim side piece on the Nyth, it is quite narrow, at least for me. In that configuration, it feels mildly better for shooters for me, but since it's a different feel than every other time I use the mouse, I'm not as accurate. If you put the skinny piece on, overall width is a little bit narrower than an iPhone 6.

After trying a few configurations for a while, I don't switch anymore. Being able to get it just how I want was worth it to me. I would buy it again.

Oh, one of the selling points for me was the on-board processor. Yes, it not only has on-board memory like other gaming mice, it actually has its own processor so you truly keep your config on multiple computers and OS. When you program your buttons onto the mouse, it will keep those settings even if you plug it into a computer that doesn't have Roccat software installed.


Last edited by 14 on 6 May 2017 at 3:13 am UTC
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.