The Razer Atheris mouse packs big performance for gaming, work in a small body

With the Razer Lancehead wireless mouse making waves across the desktop PC gaming space, Razer is turning its attention to notebook owners. The company just introduced the Razer Atheris, another wireless mouse packing gaming-grade performance in a mobile-friendly form factor. Razer claims this mouse has the world’s longest-lasting battery life, promising up to 350 hours of continuous use on a single pair of AA batteries.

That said, the peripheral doesn’t appear to rely on built-in rechargeable batteries. That 350-hour claim also only applies when connecting the mouse to the parent PC via Bluetooth. It includes 2.4GHz wireless connectivity too through an included USB dongle based on Razer’s proprietary Adaptive Frequency Technology. Like the Buy Now , the Razer Atheris can store the USB dongle in a special internal compartment when not in use.

“[Adaptive Frequency Technology] constantly scans frequency channels in millisecond intervals for any form of interference, and seamlessly switches frequency to allow for a perfectly lag-free data transmission from your gaming mouse to your system,” Razer says.

The good news with the Razer Atheris is that it sports an “ambidextrous” design, meaning it wasn’t built specifically for the right-handed crowd. In fact, the Atheris could seemingly serve as miniaturized version of the Lancehead in appearance, only without the lengthy shape and Chroma-based RGB LED illumination. The hardware is a little different, too.

But unlike the Lancehead, the new arthritis-sounding Razer Atheris mouse sports only five programmable “Hyperesponse” buttons. This is where the ambidextrous claim essentially halts, as product shots show the two main buttons, the mouse wheel, a button behind the wheel, and two buttons mounted on the left side above a rubberized grip. Razer says the two side buttons cannot be moved to the right side, a feature provided on the Lancehead, making left-handed users maneuver their ring finger to press those buttons instead of a thumb.

Also different is the use of an optical sensor versus the Lancehead’s 5G laser sensor. The Atheris’ optical sensor provides a maximum sensitivity of 7,200 dots per inch (DPI) while the Lancehead’s 5G laser sensor can do an insane 16,000 DPI. We assume the button behind the mouse wheel is provided for cycling though sensitivity levels you can set in Razer’s free Synapse software.

Essentially what Razer has created is a mobile-friendly mouse with enough baseline PC gaming features to satisfy Razer’s so-called cult requirements while also providing the performance and reliability needed for on-the-go productivity and board meetings. It’s a peripheral addressing office use with a little PC gaming attention on the side.

Unfortunately, that’s everything we know about the Razer Atheris mouse for now. It won’t be made available until the fourth quarter of 2017 for a low price of $50. Until then, here are the specifications: