Form factor, at a cost

When it comes to the gaming mouse market, there's a very mixed set of options available to pick from. There's simple mice with a few extra buttons, as well as angular monstrosities capable of being modified to the ends of the earth.

The Razer Diamondback fits more on the simple side of things, but excels mostly in regards to its form factor. It's hard to compare to any other mouse, just in terms of how it feels to hold and operate.

Product: Razer Diamondback Chroma Mouse

Manufacturer: Razer

Input: One USB 2.0+ Port

MSRP: $89.99

While most gaming mice are either a symmetrical egg shape for claw grippers or molded to a hand shape for palm grippers, the Diamondback is a long, thin, symmetrical mouse. It's long enough for palm grip use, but also not molded for either hand.

The mouse is functionally similar to most of Razer's line. There are seven buttons, including two on each side edge, and a clickable scroll wheel. The buttons are not the most high-end in the world, but they're decent enough for the average user. The scroll wheel is a little resistive and fairly loud. It's built much like most Razer mice in this same price range.

It's comfortable to use for long periods of time, however I did seem to be slightly more prone to hand cramps after six-hour-long gaming sessions. I found the mouse light and responsive, able to smoothly glide thanks to its reduced surface area. It does the basic job very well, with minimal fuss.

The mouse also ties in with Razer's Chroma lighting suite, meaning it lights up in all sorts of fancy colours. If you have one of supported keyboards, you can sync up the lighting colours, and if you have one of Razer's keyboard surfaces, you can make that light up with clicks of this mouse. Many of the more fancy lighting patterns are too distracting to be practical, but the standard lighting effects are enjoyable to see.

Now, let's talk about the price. That's the big issue here. For almost $90, the Diamondback is a functionally minimalist ambidextrous mouse with a price tag that would be considered high for a complex, high-end mouse. Yes, it looks nice and ties in with your other Chroma peripherals, but otherwise it's a standard peripheral with a higher-than-average price tag.

So yeah, if you are already invested in the Chroma ecosystem, it's a nice mouse, but it's a hard sell for the price in isolation.

[This review is based on hardware provided by the manufacturer.]

Razer Diamondback Chroma reviewed by Laura Kate Dale