Wireless devices have always held a tricky place in the world of gaming, especially professional gaming. While they allow freedom from wires, with that freedom comes a series of issues, such as connectivity dropping, missed mouse clicks, and the dreaded battery drain. Razer hopes to address these problems with the Razer Lancehead, the new wireless offering that manages to deliver on all promises while still maintaining that iconic Razer look and feel.
The Lancehead comes with a proprietary Adaptive Frequency Technology (AFT) in tow that will check for interference many times a second and will ensure the signal is always on the strongest frequency. This sort of technology is nothing new: it has been featured in many mice and other devices. But Razers offering appears to be far more robust, and able to adapt to the environment very well. Throughout testing, I never noticed any dropoff or issues with signal.
While I am not a huge fan of wireless mice, I have to admit the Lancehead has me convinced of the potential of the concept. From a crowded coffee shop to a busy office, the mouse never had an issue with signal. The wireless managed to maintain consistently, so much so I often forgot I had it wireless, rather than the optional tethered charging mode. It was impressive, and, apart from the Logitech G900, showed a level of consistency I have not seen elsewhere. There is also the Lancehead Tournament edition, should you want the features without the wireless at a bit of discount.
Beyond the wireless technology, the Razer Lancehead has all you could hope for from a high-end mouse from a world leader like Razer.
The mouse offers a DPI of up to 16,000. The mouse can also detect up to 50Gs of acceleration and supports polling at 1000Hz. Now, in reality, the Lancehead has specs well above what most people may need, but it is nice to have it, and it will be future-proofed should you ever need that level of performance.
As with most new Razer products, the Lancehead supports Croma lighting. This will allow you to customize the lighting to your heart’s content, whether making it fit your style or just playing with the settings till you find something you like. It also supports all the Chroma apps that let software control the lighting of the mouse, tailoring it to the specific game you may be playing.
Visually, the Lancehead has that iconic Razer look. With a light gunmetal style colour scheme and an ambidextrous design, it will be at home in any gaming setup you may have. The soft rubber on each side ensures that no matter which hand you use the mouse with, you will have a pleasant experience. With a toggle in the Razer Synapse software, you can swap which hand the mouse is set for, ensuring left handed users will have little trouble setting it up to their needs.
Beyond the ambidextrous nature of the Lancehead, the mouse has all the buttons you would expect from a mouse at this price range. The scroll wheel works as intended, with the right amount of resistance to ensure a tactile wheel when in use. The side buttons and the DPI buttons are easy to use but never get in the way while gaming or just using the computer. Overall, Razer has put time and effort into the design of the Lancehead, and it shows with comfort and ease of use.
The underside of the mouse will reveal the hatch that allows you to store the 2.4GHz transmitter for travel, and the button to turn on and off the mouse. The cable is the typical braided cable one would expect from Razer with the ability to plug the Lancehead in directly should the battery be low, or if you just want to go wired for any particular reason.
Now if you are buying a Razer mouse at this level, you want to know how the gaming capabilities are, and I am happy to say that they are fantastic. The buttons all have a satisfying feel to them. From clicking in Diablo to shooting in Overwatch, it was all responsive and accurate. The scrolling of the mouse was smooth, and even when on the unideal surface of a coffee shop table, I never experienced any issues. There is a level of quality in the Lancehead that few mice can achieve. It is clear Razer knows what they are doing in the field, and they brought that knowledge base to bear on the Lancehead.
While everything hardware-wise was impressive, I am still not a big fan of the Razer Synapse software. While it does all it is supposed to do, and does it relatively well, with so many features reliant on it, it is one more piece of software you need to leave running while gaming. In reality, it never gave any noticeable performance hit to any of the games I was playing, but it is still one extra piece of software that needs to be running should you want to get the most out of the Lancehead.
For power users though, the Synapse offers a wealth of tools that allow you to customize the Lancehead to your heart’s content. From lighting to macros, it is easy to use and allows for some exciting and useful customizations for those who want to put the time and effort into it. It is also your source for all the lighting settings, which I will admit are quite fun to dive into.
Overall, the Razer Lancehead is a joy to use, and one of the best wireless mice currently on the market. The AFT works great, the feel of the mouse is second to none, and the lighting is just plain fun. While it comes at a hefty price ($140USD), the performance you get cannot be beaten. Razer has knocked it out of the park with the Lancehead, and if you are looking to upgrade or just looking to buy a high-end gaming wireless mouse, you can’t go wrong with this option.
