For cable-hating gamers.
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Freeing yourself from your mouse's cable is a great feeling, whether you use a desktop or a laptop. The major tradeoff, however, has always been the fact that they use batteries. This adds extra weight, and of course, you have to constantly remember to keep them charged. Those days are seemingly behind us, thanks to the introduction of wireless charging mats for gaming mice.
The first was Logitech's PowerPlay system for its G903 and G703 mice, and now Razer has joined the game with its Hyperflux wireless charging system (See it on Amazon). It combines two separate peripherals: the Razer Mamba (which we reviewed last year) wireless mouse and Razer Firefly gaming mousepad. At $249.99 for the system it costs exactly the same as Logitech's pairing, so let's see how it stacks up.
Design and Features
First off, this revised version of the Mamba is almost identical to the wired Mamba Tournament Edition mouse, with the only major difference being the wired version has a raised honeycomb pattern to assist with side grip, and the HyperFlux version uses smooth, striped rubber. The previous Mamba also has a braided mouse cable, and this one has none at all, obviously. The mouse wheel also differs a tiny bit from the wired version, adding smaller, more frequently placed, pyramid-shaped bumps to give a little extra friction for your index finger. The scrolling is also different on the new version, with a more precise feel. However, clicking the mousewheel is not as easy on the new wireless version.
Pressing a button on the left side of the Mamba HyperFlux quickly switches between pre-programmed profiles. This allows you to customize the button assignments for specific games or programs. You can store up to five profiles. There's a rear LED on the mouse that changes color depending on which profile you're using, which is handy. I like to set up one profile for PUBG and change others depending on which game I'm obsessed with at the moment, so being able to quickly switch between them is excellent. My only complaint it's that there's only one button for this action, so if I passed the profile I was looking for, I had to cycle through again.
As far as the Mamba itself goes, it's pretty much exactly like the standard Mamba we reviewed previously. It's one of the best wireless mice you can buy, and is also one of the more expensive gaming mice on the market. Razer touts the lightness of its wireless mouse, and it really is amazing how the battery doesn't add any weight to it. Seriously: I put both the wired and wireless mamba on a kitchen scale and they both weighed 96g. It's just the right amount of weight to make it feel like it has some substance without feeling too heavy.
Software
The Synapse software has been updated but has the same functionality as the old Synapse. The UI has been overhauled, and you can install beta software that works with Philips Hue and the Chroma API. I must say though; the new Synapse software is the weakest part of the entire package. The UI is visually upgraded, but now also installs an extra piece of software on top: Razer Central, which seems totally unnecessary. All it does it let you manage your Razer account and upgrade firmware, but I don't see why you couldn't just do this with Synapse. Also, for some reason the new Synapse version installed next to my previous installation, rather than upgrading and replacing it, so managing my Razer devices meant switching between two versions of the same software.
At one point a software conflict arose, forcing me to uninstall my old software entirely. Every move of the mouse (regardless of which mouse I used) maxed my GPU and slowed things down to sub-1fps in every game I tried. It was extremely frustrating and didn't go away until I completely uninstalled the old software and drivers.
Gaming
Actually using the Razer Mamba HyperFlux for gaming is a delight. I didn't fully appreciate how much the cord was getting in my way until it was removed from my life. On its website, Razer touts its "Adaptive Frequency Technology," which "constantly scans frequency channels in millisecond intervals for any form of interference," and "seamlessly switches frequency" if needed. Sounds fancy enough. In practice this meant I never experienced any input lag during my many hours of competitive play.
In fact, being free from the cord made me feel like I was playing better. The cable on my mouse often catches on the edge of my desk and slows me down. With it gone, I felt much more free to make more dramatic, sweeping moves to zero in on my targets in PUBG.
Firefly Charging Mat
The second half of the HyperFlux bundle is the Firefly mousepad, and it's equally important as the mouse itself. It uses wireless charging to keep the mouse full of juice. Since it's a Razer product, the mousepad has Chroma lighting, which you can adjust in the newly renovated Synapse software. The surface of the pad is double sided; one side is smooth and plastic for fast movements, while the other is cloth and textured for more precision. I prefer the cloth side, as the plastic is a little too fast for me.
Because the pad is also the charger, there's no messing around with a charging dock like on the original Mamba, or keeping a stray USB cable plugged into your computer. As long as the mouse is on the pad, it's charging.
Aesthetically, the whole system is attractive. The mousepad is incredibly thin, with a strip of Chroma lighting running its entire perimeter. The lighting can be changed to anything Chroma can offer, and synced with other Chroma-enabled devices too. The mouse also has Razer's fancy lighting system, so when the two are synced it looks pretty cool.
Purchasing Guide
The Razer Mamba HyperFlux and Firefly charging mat are sold as a bundle on Amazon and for now are holding steady to their $250 price:
The Verdict
The Razer Mamba and FireFly HyperFlux system is a great, accurate, attractive gaming system freeing you from being (literally) held back with a cable. It's absolutely wonderful for gaming, with great ergonomics and the perfect weight and size. But its clunky software and eye-popping price tag hold it back. Still, going wireless without having to worry about charging is certainly awesome, as long as you can afford it.
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