My major issue with the Mamba (once the other issues were sorted out) was the price. $130 MSRP was just too much to give it a solid “buy” rating. But for a limited time, you can get one for $55 off the cover price — $85 total to be precise, which makes it a much better deal.

MMO players have another mouse from which to choose, this time from Razer. It’s called the Naga, and it’s designed to “enhance your ability to control your character.” No harm in that.

I never thought I’d see anything at all labeled “Zerg Edition,” but nerdy times call for nerdy measures. In this case, Blizzard and Razer are joining forces to put out some sweet StarCraft II gear. Right now the only thing available is this Zerg messenger bag, but I’m sure they’ll be coming out with much more soon (probably with individual announcements for each, if I know these guys). I’m not caught up on my StarCraft lore, so I don’t know who the Zerg-lady is on the bag, but I’m sure you do.

So you really want to go to BlizzCon 09, but in these troubled times, can’t afford to go? No problem! Razer (of Deathadder mouse fame) is giving away a trip for two to Blizzcon ‘09, including airfare, spending money, and a hotel room. If you don’t win the grand prize, don’t worry, they are giving away some other great stuff as well.

Razer’s had the Moray headset for some time now, but I never considered it worthwhile since really, it was just a pair of mid-range in-ear headphones. That’s changed a bit now, and I just got a package with a pair of Moray+ headphones in it. What’s the difference? Well, now it’s got an in-line microphone, which I foolishly did not include in the picture I just took. It’s an unobtrusive little band and they say it’s omnidirectional, but we’ll see soon enough.

The mousepad in general doesn’t get a lot of attention, but it is an important part of your desk or gaming environment. Some people prefer gel mats, some prefer ergonomically-shaped ones, some prefer built-in wrist-rests, and some prefer flat ones. That last group will love this new Razer Sphex (?!), which the company claims is the world’s thinnest gaming-grade mousepad. Of course, gaming-grade isn’t exactly a federally-regulated moniker; companies like Razer and SteelSeries have pretty much made it up out of nothing. Still, I’ve used both their mousepads and they’re better than the ones I used to get from Target.

Yes, I’m so excited! There are no screenshots yet for Hellrazer: Triple Helix, but it sounds totally awesome. They even invented an entirely new peripheral, the Anaconda, which will only work with this game. That’s the level of dedication these two gaming companies bring.

It’s surprising to me to hear of build quality issues on Razer products, because I’ve been using a Razer keyboard and mouse for a long time now and have had no problems at all. Still, it seems that some early-run Lycosa keyboards were poorly assembled and had trouble with their touchpads and backlighting. If you’re one of the unlucky few who were affected by this, hit up the link and hopefully they’ll set you right.

I had a long and interesting chat with Razer’s president about the development of the first wireless mouse the company has put out. Of course, it’s not just wireless, it’s also wired, making it what he termed the first “convertible” mouse. At last, you can use a mouse while it’s charging!

Click on for pictures and video of what is likely to be my new favorite mouse.

I’m just going to pop these pictures up quick so you know what they look like, then I’m gonna have my hands all over them a little later today. I’m psyched for the new headphones; I currently use a pair of Razer Piranhas and they’ve been good to me, but I’d be lying if I told you they were the most comfortable pair I ever used. The new Carcharias…es look a little more spacious.

The Mamba can be either wired or wireless, which is crazy and un-Razer-like, but they claim a 1ms response time, which I’m okay with. As usual with these mice, you can’t tell until you get your hands on it whether it’s a decent thing or not, but we’ll soon know that as well. But it looks like it’s taken its design cues from the Death Adder, and believe me that’s a good thing.