Razer has always used interesting names for their gaming peripherals. We’ve even reviewed a few of them. However the name for their latest gaming mouse, when pronounced, sounds more like a wonderful South Asian treat then a high performance pointing device. Still the Razer Salmosa represents an easy entry into the gaming peripheral market for those who want something that performs better then the $10 mouse that came with their system.
The Razer Salmosa is an entry level gaming mouse that tries to bring all the great things about Razer’s mice to those folks who are on a tight budget. This latest mouse features Razer’s 3G infrared sensor, which has by default a resolution of 1800dpi. This is adjustable via both software are hardware to three separate settings. It also has adjustable polling times. All this is packaged into an amdextrious design that should suit both righties and lefties. For more product specs check out the product home page.
When it comes to gaming peripherals, pricing can be a contentious subject. Both keyboards and mice that are marketed as “gaming” devices can run $60 USD or more. At the risk of sounding like Ron Popiel in an infomercial, I have to say that you won’t be paying that for the Razer Salmosa. Razer has priced this mouse at a very competitive $39.99 USD. This makes it the gaming mouse for those penny pinching gamers.
First Impressions
The mouse itself doesn’t look like much. It appears to be a standard 3-button mouse, with looks similar to something old school from Microsoft’s bag of goodies. That’s where the similarities end. First the Salmosa is smaller than most gaming mice, and the buttons are contoured and textured to fit well into your hand. Instead of being a solid brick like the Microsoft Optical Wheel Mouse, which it most closely resembles, the Razer Salmosa is recessed inwards to better fit you hand.
Another deceptively simple aspect of the Razer Salmosa Gaming Mouse is the button configuration. While they may look like any other simple 3-button configuration, they are actually completely reprogrammable to any number of functions through the included software. As for the scroll wheel, it offers more resistance when scrolling then most common “clicky” scroll wheels. This would in theory allow you to pick your weapon of choice easily, without accidentally scrolling to the next one. It’s also fully customizable in terms of speed.
Flipping over the Salmosa reveals where you make adjustments to both dpi resolution and polling frequency. Though it’s nice to have the ability to tweak both of these settings, the position of the switches may be inconvenient for some types of games. I can’t see myself being encouraged to flip my mouse over in the middle of a fire fight in my favourite 3D shooters. I’d imagine RTS gamers might have an easier time of it, but I’ll have to reserve judgement until we get to actual testing.
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Package and Software
The Razer Salmosa comes with a batch of accessories similar to what we’ve seen in other Razer peripherals. For instructions you’ll find both a quick start guide and a master guide. The quick start guide doesn’t so much show you how to plug in a mouse as it does show you the different features of the Razer Salmosa. As for the master guide, it is what it’s name implies. It ramps up the detail of the quick start guide by a factor of ten, and also includes a driver disk for the customizable options of this mouse. Finally there’s a certificate of authenticity, welcoming you to the “cult of gaming,” and some Razer logo stickers to place on your gaming rig to show off your l33tn3ss.
Those that are questioning the point of included a driver disk with a 3-button mouse haven’t really been paying attention to this review thus far. The software included with the Razer Salmosa is almost a given should you wish to utilize all the customizations offered with this mouse. From here you can customize basic sensitivity settings, tweak the scroll wheel, and futz about with the button configuration. You can also switch the hand with which the Razer Salmosa is used. I should note that I was able to run this software on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista without issue. Did all this customization, combined with the incredibly precise sensor on the Razer Salmosa, help me out in my gaming endeavours? Well now it’s time to find out.
No Really. I’m Testing. This is How I Test.
When it comes to testing gaming peripherals, I’m sure there’s some incredibly scientific method available to see if one particular sensor can more accurately pick this pixel or that over another mouse sensor. I know of no such processes, and I still find that some good ol’ gaming is still the best way to test real world performance.
For testing I used my standard test rig, and loaded it with preferred titles like Team Fortress 2 and Supreme Commander. I then pretty well carried about like I normally would in these games, capturing territories and popping a few rounds in some online opponents.
When it comes to Team Fortress 2, I tend to focus on two classes, depending on which map and game type I’m playing. Those two classes are the Heavy and the Scout. The play style of these two classes are like night and day, and I found the Razer Salmosa more than capable of handling them both with ease. With the Heavy I could easily plow into a crowd and mow down that crowd, or be able to move about easily should the crowd decide to reciprocate. With the Scout, I was able to pull off run-and-gun manoeuvres while being confident that the 3G sensor found in the Razer Salmosa would allow me to turn around and GTFO should the going get rough.
When I changed to my 3rd class, things did change a bit. The Sniper is the one class that benefits the most from adjustable DPI settings. The play style of such class benefits from such adjustments by allowing more accurate ranged shots while being able to switch to normal movement for more heated battles. The Razer Salmosa makes this difficult, as the mouse has to be flipped over to change settings. Doing this in a fire fight means that you are pretty well dead, if you rely on such a feature. It would have been nice for Razer to have located the switches for these settings on either side of the mouse, or in some area more readily accessible than the bottom.
All isn’t doom and gloom with the button configuration. The main buttons are very responsive, with good travel distance, and excellent tactile feedback. The scroll wheel is of particular interest. The mechanism behind it is much more tense then what’s found in many other mice, and allows for you to easily pick your desired weapon without overshooting it due to excessive scrolling.
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How About Them RTS Games…
When I switched to my favourite Real-Time Strategy game, Supreme Commander, my opinion of the Razer Salmosa still wasn’t swayed. The precision of the 3G sensor allowed for easy and accurate movement across the map, and the tight scroll wheel made for trouble-free and exact zoom level selection. I didn’t really make much use of the polling frequency or dpi resolution adjustments with SupCom, rather relying on some of the adjustments found in the driver software. This is definitely a well rounded mouse.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
The Razer Salmosa could be described as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but “entry level gaming mouse” is a much more fitting title. The first impression one gets when they look at this mouse is that it’s fairly basic. Luckily Razer doesn’t really do basic. There are several high points that will appease gamers on a budget, and one niggling problem that some may find frustrating.
This mouse is easily the cheapest way to get your hands on a dedicated gaming mouse that should appeal to those with small hands, and those looking for a good ambidextrous mouse. It’s also the easiest way to get a hold of Razer’s 3G infrared sensor; the accuracy of which should ensure you don’t lag out while swinging your preferred weapon in a furious fire fight. The construction is solid, and the inclusion of such features as the tight scroll are a welcome addition.
The only big issue I had was with the placement of the switches for adjusting dpi resolution and polling frequency. Placing these switches on the bottom of the mouse means you have to stop gaming to change settings. Moving these switches to a more accessible location would be the way to go. Some have also suggested that the Salmosa may be a little too small. I have fairly large hands, and had no problems with using this mouse.
In the end, when you factor in the features and the price of the Razer Salmosa Gaming Mouse, it’s hard to say no. At $39.99 this mouse is one of the cheaper options out there for an acurate and durable gaming mouse. It does have a couple flaws, but its spot on feature set and spectacular performance make up for most short comings.
Pros
- Excellent price point
- Good construction
- Superbly accurate 3G infrared sensor
- Many adjustable features
Cons
- Small for some users
- No additional buttons
- DPI and polling switches located on bottom
Overall Rating: 8.5/10.0
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Razer Salmosa Gaming Mouse Photo Gallery
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