Manufacturer: Razer
Release Date: 5/21/2015
MSRP: $59.99
Colors: Black
Mousepads aren’t something that most hardcore PC gamers should overlook. A great gaming mouse is only half the battle as the surface you move it on affects everything. I used the Razer Vespula for over 2 years, and loved it, but I was ready for something bigger, with no wrist pad, and cool looking.
There are various types of mouse pads from size to surface type. Most are made for low DPI or high DPI, and some mousepads can fit your entire desks. I was looking for something bigger, a little less smooth, and flashy and the Firefly was perfect. My initial thoughts were the Chroma effects were a gimmick and it was a crappy mousepad. After initial testing, I was dead wrong. This is the nicest mousepad I have ever used and the lighting effects are just icing on the cake. It’s very minimal with a Razer logo in the top right corner, an LED bar along the bottom and sides, and them a small bar at the top where the power cord goes. Yes, this is probably the only powered mousepad in existence and while some may naysay this, it’s needed for the LED lights. If you’re on a MAC or gaming laptop this may be an issue due to few USB ports. However, my PC has 8 USB ports in the back and 2 in the front so it doesn’t make a difference for me.
When I first opened the box and felt the slightly rough surface I was worried it would be too rough and drag my mouse down. I am currently using a Logitech G700S with 2900 DPI set. After setting the mouse down it was actually perfect. It made me realize just how smooth the Vespula was and I needed that little extra grit. The playing surface is perfect and not too small or big. However, the $60 price tag is for those cool LED lights right?
They are worth it. Razer’s Chroma SDK doesn’t support much right now, but the effects you can change in Razer Synapse 2.0 are enough for just a light bar and the ambient glow it gives off when on a surface is fantastic and cool. I currently only have seen Rise of the Tomb Raider and Overwatch support (that I own) the pad with Overwatch only using an orange glow at startup. Right now I use the Audio Visualizer app in the Chroma store that flashes the bar with sound which is just fantastic. Hopefully, over time, the Chroma features are embraced by developers and not abandoned like their touch pad or Hydra devices.
My only complaint is that the bottom of the mat isn’t sticky enough and I’m having to reset the position of the mat at least once an hour during heavy gaming. A small gripe and nothing that I feel deter the price point. The USB cable is going to be hated person by person. I don’t mind it and the cord is long enough to reach almost anywhere. However, if you don’t care for LED lighting I can’t recommend this for just a really good mousepad too.
