Razer Lachesis 4000DPI Mouse

Performance:

On a number of occasions in the past, Razer has promised to support their mice under Linux. However, they have yet to properly provide any level of support. Their latest excuse for this lack of support is FUD saying that all of their secrets are within their firmware on this mouse and if they want to provide Linux support that will be opened up. Of course, that is not exactly the case. However, soon enough we hope they will learn and begin to provide support for alternative operating systems.

There are a number of third-party open-source programs for adjusting settings on Logitech mice, but unfortunately very few for Razer mice. Back in 2006 there was RazerTool for adjusting profiles, upgrading the firmware, toggling the DPI/frequency/button settings, controlling macros, and other options, but that open-source program had a short lifespan. The most recent release of RazerTool was in May of 2006 and its support is limited to Copperhead. We were also working on Diamondback and Krait support for RazerTool. This program did even have a GUI interface for controlling the settings. It should not be too much work in theory to get RazerTool running with the Lachesis, but we have yet to start hacking on any of that code.

While right now the Razer Lachesis goes without any official or third party support on Linux, eventually we hope there will be configuration support for this mouse. Even with no modification support and just using the stock settings and then controlling the DPI through the two buttons, we were still very pleased with this mouse. As we mentioned in this article already though, the two buttons on the right hand side aren't associated with any X event.

Going from using the 2000 DPI Copperhead to 4000 DPI Lachesis was a bit challenging at first but it was easy to get accustom to the increased sensitivity within a few days. The mouse had functioned as expected and we ran into no problems with it lagging or other issues.

Conclusion:

It is very unfortunate that Razer Inc hasn't yet backed the Linux community and stuck to their word by providing any Razer Linux software whether it is open-source or closed-source. There are also no active third-party Razer projects that have support for the Lachesis or the other new Razer mice.

While there is no support for easily setting up the extra mouse buttons, frequency toggling, profile setup, or controlling the LEDs on the mouse, the basic functionality of the mouse is there plus the two buttons for controlling the DPI. With that functionality plus the exceptional build quality of this mouse and its phenomenal design does still make it a nice mouse even for a Linux user. It may take some getting used to the design of the Lachesis and its 4000 DPI sensor, but we have been using it for a few weeks now and absolutely love it. The mouse, however, is not cheap with a price tag of about $80 USD. Though our only complaints about the Razer Lachesis is the lack of formal Linux support, but when it comes to the hardware that makes up this mouse it's great. If you do decide to purchase this mouse or any other Razer products, be sure to voice your opinions to Razer Inc about your purchase and interest in Linux support.

The Razer Lachesis can be found at Xoxide.com and other online retailers.