Razer Naga Trinity gaming mouse review / Overclockers.ua

How can one phrase describe the new gaming mouse from Razer called Naga Trinity? The most suitable option is the slogan from coffee advertising – “we select all the best.” The fact is that this long-suffering series of manipulators has always had two problems. The first was that multi-button mice have little demand even among avid MMO players who, for the most part, prefer to use the keyboard for numerous commands. The second rested on laser sensors (Avago-9800 or Philips Twin Eye), which made this mouse not suitable for active FPS games, as it suffered from either unpredictable acceleration or problems with liftoff height (Z-axis bug). And if with the first question Razer somehow tried to meet the players halfway by releasing the Naga Hex and Hex V2 series, then the sensors continued to be put here, to put it mildly, not universal. But now, after many years of development and several million dollars, Razer showed us a miracle, that is, the Naga Trinity mouse, which got its name for the ability to change the three left side panels with a different number of buttons. The solution is certainly not as elegant as Roccat Nyth, but no less simple and functional. And now about everything in more detail.

Specifications

Delivery and equipment

Razer’s “new” packaging design is pleasingly minimalist. A black front and back panel, a green rim on the side faces and a soft strap for hanging on a display case, that’s all the features. On the front there is an image of a mouse with all interchangeable side panels at once, immediately revealing the meaning of its name. There is also a company logo and a Chroma badge, indicating that the device supports RGB lighting. On the back, in 12 languages ​​(including Russian), three main advantages of the mouse (from the company’s point of view) are described: a sensor, interchangeable side panels with different button configurations, and 19 programmable commands. Inside the mouse and additional panels are protected from damage by a reusable transparent plastic blister.

The package includes an instruction manual, an inlay with congratulations from the president of the company, and two stickers with the Razer logo.

In addition, the kit includes three interchangeable side panels for two, seven and twelve buttons. The first two are stored separately, and the third is by default dressed on the mouse.

Appearance and design

The shape of the Razer Naga Trinity hasn’t changed significantly compared to the Naga Hex V2 in many ways, but a number of subtle differences have appeared in the design. The case as a whole coincides in size and contours: there is a finger rest on the right, the aft part is characteristically rounded, and the panels of the main buttons have recesses in the center. However, if earlier the top panel was, as it were, squeezed between the sidewalls, now, on the contrary, it hangs over them. The location of the scroll wheel and the two buttons behind it has not changed. Both of these keys are quite soft with a muffled click.

The classic sidebar from the Naga series has 12 membrane buttons arranged in four vertical rows of three. They are tight enough not to be accidentally pressed, because when rearranging the mouse, you have to hold exactly these buttons, there is no separate stubborn platform for the thumb. The pressing force on all keys is average, the sound of operation is not loud. The button caps are placed at different angles and inclinations, but to learn how to hit them accurately, you will have to spend a lot of time.

The sidewall is held on two magnets quite tightly and without gaps, it starts to be attracted into place from a distance of less than 20 mm. To dismantle it, you need to pull on a small recess in the base. Changeable panels can be rearranged without turning off the mouse (when the panel is removed, the backlight turns off, but the sensor and buttons continue to work). Contact pins on the housing are spring-loaded.

The sidewall with two large buttons will appeal to fans of FPS games. The keys work quietly and with medium force. A rubberized thrust pad with longitudinal recesses is provided for the thumb.

The seven-key variant on the side makes the Naga Trinity completely identical to the Naga Hex V2. The buttons are located around a rubberized thumb pad, they can be groped for without any problems and are quickly remembered. The nature of pressing is the same as in other layout options – medium in effort and quiet.

The perforated metal grilles disappeared from the front, and just plain plastic remained. It seems like this is an indulgence in terms of design, but, on the other hand, who in general and how often looks at this side of the mouse? The cable enters the housing in the middle and is provided with excellent kink protection. The two main keys work with a slightly above average effort and a click that is average in terms of volume. There is no backlash and no free play, the fit of the panels is close to ideal. The switch under the middle button is traditionally a little tighter and has a dull click when triggered.

Nylon braided cable is very soft, flexible and pliable. Its length is 2.1 meters, and the extra cord can be wound using a reusable rubber clasp. There is no ferrite ring, the USB connector is short, with a green insert inside and a protective cap.

The lateral rubber insert in the right finger rest is clearly borrowed from the Lancehead. And this is good, because longitudinal recesses are an order of magnitude easier to clean from contamination than a fine hexagonal structure. The ring finger lies on the stand from above, and the little finger wraps around it from the side.

The Naga Trinity has a new scroll wheel variant that I haven’t seen before on a Razer product. More precisely, I came across in a model called Basilisk, but there it was regulated by stiffness. It also gives the impression that the stiffness is turned to the maximum, all cutoffs when turning are worked out with maximum tactile feedback and a characteristic clicking sound. Tilts to the side, on the contrary, are quite light with a quiet soft touch, which makes the scroll wheel dangle slightly in its pocket, which will be noticeable if you just shake the manipulator. The surface of the wheel is rubberized, the notches are made on it in the form of small pyramids placed in a row of six pieces. There are a total of twenty detent positions in this mechanical encoder.

At the stern there is a characteristic illuminated Razer logo in the form of a three-headed snake. The upper part of the back panel is rounded, but the lower part “breaks off” vertically, which does not allow the base of the palm to be fully placed on it.

The body shape of the Razer Naga Trinity is good and quite versatile, ergonomics are sharpened for use exclusively with the right hand. Best of all, the mouse lies in a hand of any size with a “finger” and “claw” grip. Under the comfortable “palm”, the length of the stern of the body is slightly lacking, closer to the hand, there is a void, which can cause discomfort to owners of large hands and medium hands.

There are three large area Teflon feet on the base, two in front and one in the back. In the center around the sensor window there is another small leg, in the form of a ring. The sensor installed here is optical, Pixart PMW 3389DM-T3QU, which is a proprietary modification of the PMW 3360 series for Razer. To the right of it there is a profile selection key, and above it is a color indicator of the current profile. The recess on the left serves as a hook for detaching the magnetic panel.

There are three backlight zones – scroll wheel, logo and side keys. They are individually adjustable for color and lighting effects. Color reproduction and brightness levels are correct. The panel with two side buttons does not have a backlight, and on the other panels, all keys take on the same color when reassigned.

Consider software.

Proprietary software

The Razer NagaTrinity is supported by the new Synapse 3 software version (current iteration 3.3.123.385) which is in beta testing status. The driver is installed along with the user account control and branded applications called Razer Central. Synapse starts through it. The software is updated both automatically and forcibly.

In the settings, you can select one of a dozen supported interface languages ​​(including Russian), and configure driver autorun settings. The official product manual is also available from here.

In addition, you can reset the connected devices to their default values, and reset the start guide to view it again.

The Synapse 3 start screen has a “modular” program layout structure. Separate modules are a mouse driver, a Chroma visual effects studio, a macro editor, a feedback form with developers, a warranty form, information about supported devices, a link to the Razer store, and a link to the proprietary zVault currency system. All modules that are not simple links are duplicated in the usual list of menus in the upper left corner of the application window. In the upper right corner there is access to the current user account. Among the new products, we can note the Philips RGB compatibility module, which allows you to synchronize the backlight.

On the Customize Mouse Buttons screen, you can remap any commands for all seven primary keys and two scroll directions. The full list of available commands will be indicated on the tab on the left. For additional side buttons, there are three more screens that you can click to change commands on them. The current active panel is determined automatically by the driver and is indicated by a green check mark on the corresponding icon. Interestingly, for dismantling and installing the panel in the driver, there is an animation that marks this action in real time. That is, all three sidewalls can be changed literally on the fly, without the need to turn off the device or restart the driver. In addition, you can assign additional functions to the Hypershift mode, the essence of which is that when a certain key is pressed and the mode is activated, the functions of all buttons change to an alternative set of commands. Thanks to this, up to 37 different commands can be performed on the 19 active buttons of the manipulator. On the right is a list of profiles (a separate slide-out tab) that can be written to the internal memory in four slots marked in red, green, blue and light blue.

In the “efficiency” settings, the sensor resolution is adjusted from 100 to 16000 dpi in 50 dpi increments. You can set five separate levels of sensitivity, or leave only two levels. Separate or synchronous change of sensitivity along the X and Y axes is available for each level individually. There is no adjustment for angle snapping or cursor acceleration. There are three polling frequencies to choose from – 125, 500 or 1000 Hz. There is also a direct link to a standard program for basic Windows mouse settings.

In the basic backlight settings, it is possible to control lighting effects for all three zones simultaneously in color and brightness (ranging from 33 to 100%). You can set the time for the backlight to turn off when the screen turns off or when the mouse is idle, from 1 to 15 minutes. In quick effects, you can choose dynamic, pulsating or static lighting, or cycling colors. One common backlight color for the scroll wheel and logo is also selected. And the effects can be synchronized for other devices that support Chroma backlighting. For more complex settings, you need to check the “advanced effects” checkbox and go to the Chroma Studio editor.

In the Chroma Studio editor, you can fine-tune the parameters of all zones and lighting effects separately, edit layers and superimposed effects, and arrange real light shows with the mouse, viewing changes in real time.

Calibration allows you to adjust the height of the sensor separation from the surface for a specific type of rug. This can be done by selecting a Razer branded mat from a list of pre-configured settings, or manually calibrating for any new surface type and setting the tear-off height from 1 to 10 units, which corresponds to a range of 1 to 3 mm.

The macro editor has wide functionality. The left tab has a complete list of created commands that can be copied, imported, exported and deleted. Commands are recorded in the central window, where not only mouse or keyboard clicks are received, but also the cursor movement trajectory is recorded relative to a specific window or screen as a whole. The right tab shows the available command assignments, options for setting time delays, and a schematically recorded cursor path.

A separate section has also appeared in which profiles can be linked to the activation of certain applications installed on a particular PC. But there is no point in considering it in detail.

Ergonomics and testing

The Razer Naga Trinity was tested on the Razer Goliathus WoT (Speed ​​medium). As has been repeatedly noted above, this manipulator almost completely repeats Naga Hex V2 in form. In terms of ergonomics, the body of the device is pleasant and versatile, despite the weight increased by 15 grams compared to the previous version. The mouse fits into the hand immediately (regardless of its size) and does not require getting used to. It feels very good with a “finger” and “claw” grip, quite tolerably with a “palmar” grip. The surface of the case is not easily soiled and is easy to clean. The same can be said about the rubber side inserts, where they are. The hand on this mouse does not fog up. Even despite the interchangeable side panels, the build quality and fit of parts deserves respect, there are practically no backlashes, the gaps are not noticeable. The panels of the main buttons are made almost perfectly. Traditionally, the scroll wheel has a little play, since it has the function of tilting to the sides. The left sidewall can click when the case is strongly compressed, however, this will not be noticeable during normal use. The cable is very soft and pleasant to use, it does not interfere with mouse movements and it is quite possible to do without a holder. The legs are not particularly slippery, the manipulator has practically no inertia.

As for the switches, my admiration was caused by LMB and RMB. They are tuned very well in terms of pressing force, they have no backlash and free play, the click is quite quiet. The middle button is no longer so pleasant, but quite tolerable. All other keys on all removable panels are ordinary membranes, quiet, with a short stroke and low pressing force. The only question that may arise for them, perhaps, concerns durability. The scroll wheel has a hard tactile feedback and clicks noticeably when turning. When scrolling quickly, a loud characteristic crackle occurs. Tilts of the wheel to the sides are soft, in some situations false positives may occur, therefore it is better not to assign important commands to these keys.

As for the interchangeable panels, the two-key option seemed very pleasant to me, which has a convenient stand, and the buttons themselves are easy to grope. It took me quite a while to get used to the arrangement of the seven side keys, primarily because there are seven of them, not six. In addition, they are located illogically – the numbers 1, 2 and 3 go clockwise, and the numbers 4 to 7 go counterclockwise. As a result, it is easy to confuse buttons 6 and 7 when pressed because they are activated by the base of the thumb pad and not by the tip. I really didn’t manage to get used to the 12-button version. When installing it, be prepared for the fact that the mouse will be inconvenient to tear off the surface, since the keys occupy the entire sidewall and can be accidentally pressed when lifting. The mouse has built-in memory for four profiles that can be switched with a button on the base, which allows it to dispense with always-on software, at least if you do not need to play complex macro commands. The Razer Synapse 3 driver looks quite nice and clear. Its only drawback is the number and proportion of processes in RAM. I hope that in the release it will be made a little more compact.

The backlight looks good. It’s just a pity that the company did not implement individual color settings for each side key.

The Pixart PMW 3389 sensor performs exceptionally well. It is not whimsical to surfaces, it is almost impossible to rip it off, it has no parasitic jitter, drifting or problems with liftoff height. The cursor almost does not move during separation from the surface and rearrangement. There is no acceleration, but the average smoothing of the trajectory is felt regardless of the resolution level. In addition, the accuracy of cursor positioning sags as the number of dpi increases, this is especially felt after passing the threshold of 12,000 dpi, although it is unlikely that anyone will use such parameters in real games.

Results

The addition of the Naga Trinity mouse to the Razer range was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. Even more than that, throughout the past 2017, the company delighted its fans with new and original devices. And, from my point of view, they have chosen the right path of development for their manipulators. The DeathAdder Elite, Lancehead TE, Basilisk and now the Naga Trinity are all variations of form and function built around the excellent PMW 3389 optical sensor. After all, it’s the form and the sensor that matters in a mouse, right?

And what good is the Razer Naga Trinity itself? Yes, almost everything. The company finally realized that multi-button mice are a very narrow segment and for most players they are too specific. And interchangeable magnetic side panels with a different number and arrangement of buttons in this case are the best way out. Love the Naga shape but prefer FPS games? No problem, put two buttons with a rubber sidewall and get a manipulator comparable in terms of convenience to the DeathAdder Elite. Want to play StarCraft? There are seven concentrically arranged keys. An avid MMO fan or an accountant? There are 12 buttons at your service, if you can remember their location. That is, the Naga series has become universal and is no longer tied to a single genre of games, and these panels themselves can be switched literally on the fly, which none of the competitors can boast of. Moreover, the best-in-class sensor is now installed here, which, again, competitors do not have, nervously (in the literal sense of the word) working on unstable Phillips and Avago lasers. Well, here it is still worth adding all the other advantages of the device, such as: high-quality surface, comfortable shape, soft cable, good switches, built-in memory, RGB lighting and software.

Of the shortcomings, only a slight backlash of the scroll wheel can be noted, which occurs due to the fact that it can tilt to the sides. And in general, this wheel is tuned slightly specific – with very hard and noisy cutoffs, which may not be to everyone’s taste. The second point is that the Razer Synapse 3 driver has grown a lot in the volume and complexity of processes, and it lacks stability in places. I hope that the company’s programmers will still bring it to a sane state.

Since the Razer Naga Trinity is now a universal manipulator, it can be recommended to all players in any genre of games. However, only if at least sometimes you need a large number of keys, or you just like the shape of this mouse. If neither the first nor the second, then Razer has many other worthy and more affordable offerings in the range, built on the same platform as the Naga Trinity.