Pairing Razer’s Seiren and Mamba is a fun PC gaming idea, but it’s costly

As autumn quickly approaches, so does the launch of numerous video game titles. A trend that usually goes straight through to the holiday season, so naturally a PC gamer needs to be ready. For what exactly? The destruction of incoming n00bs (gamer speak for newbies), of course.

Also, there’s the fact that Razer wanted to see what my thoughts were about two of their recent gadgets: a microphone and a wireless gaming mouse, the Seiren and Mamba, respectively.

At a Glance

Razer Mamba

  • 16,000 DPI 5G laser sensor.
  • Adjustable click force buttons
  • 1,000 Hz ultrapolling / 1 ms response time

Razer Seiren

  • Recording patterns: cardioid, stereo, bidirectional and omnidirectional
  • Three 14mm condenser capsules
    • Amplifier’s impedance: > 16ohms
      • 4.5mV/Pa (1kHz) sensitivity
  • 192kHz sample rate
  • 24-bit rate

A multicolored Mamba

dsc_2619First off, let’s talk gaming mice: Much like how audiophiles are devoted to wired headphones over wireless ones, PC gamers swear by using wired gaming mice. So, in the eyes of a seasoned gamer, despite the fact that Razer — a respected gamer brand — is responsible for its design, anything wireless would be considered inferior. So, what, then, is the point of this $149 mouse?

Well, not everything is so clear-cut when it comes to wireless gaming mice. Just like there are fans who buy into Logitech’s wireless gaming mice (often considered to be the best in class, but that’s for another review), there are some good things to be had with Razer’s Mamba. After all, the Razer Mamba, now a wireless Chroma accessory, can be wielded like the wired original, the DeathAdder, with the added benefit of being wireless.

dsc_2616A 16,000 DPI dual-laser wireless gaming mouse sounds great on paper, but there are some drawbacks with the wireless function. Namely, battery life: Use it for anything other than Chrome (say, in a game) and your percentage will drop, maybe 6 hours in. I agree, that’s a considerably long time to be spending in front of a computer screen.

Then again, if it’s just resting on your mouse mat (or plain desk) and is used multiple times throughout the day, those hours add up quickly. Even though you can preset the Mamba to go into sleep mode when not in use, if it’s not placed on the charging dock, your battery life is short-lived. What makes this worse is that while it’s charging, you don’t have a mouse pointer, and therefore can’t use your computer. Very funny.

By all means, use the included cable to charge it while using it, but then you just defeated the purpose of having a wireless mouse in the first place. Maybe it’s so you got to use all the fancy Chroma lighting effects? Those are definitely an eye-pleaser.

All ears on Seiren

dsc_2608Despite being in separate product categories, I’d consider the Seiren a better product overall. It’s a $179 digital USB microphone. After all, the newbies and pros need to hear your voice while in a gaming session, lest you spend precious moments typing in chat — which can only be so useful, for so long.

The Seiren has more than just one function (a microphone), as you can plug in your own headphones and use the Seiren like an amplifier or DAC (digital to analog converter). It’s very useful, because you can tune-in on your own voice, adjusting pitch and gain so you have your preferred audio clarity. Or, you can cut out your voice altogether and just listen in on the game.

Despite not coming with a pop filter (which I’d recommend), the Seiren sounds great out of the box. Granted, if you’re in a noisy room and you’re set to max gain, everyone will hear everything. Then again, that’s why you would buy a pop filter (which Razer sells for $25, but I’d get elsewhere).

All in all, it’s a solid desktop microphone that I find myself using with everything from Cortana to conference calls, game communications and recordings. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the PC gaming flair, so Razer also has a small button that lets you switch the triple-snake logo light on or off.

Bottom line

dsc_2620The wireless Mamba is a good wireless mouse, but better (wired) mice exist. If you really want your wireless mouse to light up like a rainbow and have a 16,000 DPI sensor, then Razer has your new toy. Otherwise, there are wired options that get the job done, for less than $149.

As for the Seiren, it’s an excellent microphone for streamers and gamers. It might cost $179, but you get what you pay for. Of course, there are audiophiles who might tell you true audio brands like Sennheiser or Audio-Technica would serve you better (and appear more professional).

It’s a matter of choice: The Seiren is great microphone for most users. Meanwhile, the Mamba is a pretty wireless gadget you can buy.