All dedicated gamers know Razer, and its uncompromising gamer mice. The company has also recently moved into the optical mouse sector with alacrity.

You can take a look at our test on the Viper , which is still being sold. That optical mouse impressed us with its extreme reactivity. Some readers, however, complained of erratic behavior. And in fact, it may well not be for everyone.

In the meantime we got a second version of the Viper and passed it around. Because of its extreme speed, you do have to be very precise in your movements to be able to get the most out of it. The best way to find out is to adjust the pointer speed of your current mouse to as high as it will go and see if it causes you any problems.

Slow Laser

Meanwhile, Logitech came out with its Laser Mouse , with which it got the upper hand for accuracy and responsiveness. Here again, a comment is in order. Some of our gamer readers had pointed out that the mouse had a latency time for repositioning when you lift it off the mouse pad and put it back. We hadn't noticed that (mea culpa), since none of our test players is really in the habit of picking up his mouse. But it is a real problem, and if you're among those people who reposition by lifting the mouse clear off the pad, you may be bothered by it. Logitech is aware of the problem and says they're working on a solution.

Ranking

The current ranking of mice in terms of precision and responsiveness is as follows:

1. Logitech MX 1000
2. Razer Viper
3. Logitech MX 510

This ranking needs some qualification, because ergonomics is a factor in differentiating the MX 510 and the Razer. But we'd been told we hadn't laid down a clear ranking. Now we have.

The ranking doesn't take personal tastes into account, however. For example, people who don't like playing with a heavy mouse shouldn't buy the MX 1000. The Razer Viper is really a gamer's mouse, and for office applications, photo retouching, and the Web, the MX 510 is preferable because it's easier to control. Also, left-handers have no choice other than Viper. And so on.