Gaming

Naga Hex V2 set for more battles

The Razer Naga Hex V2 is the revamped version of the original Naga Hex, which was released in 2012.

Both mice are meant to be used for multiplayer online battle arena (Moba) games such as Dota 2 or League Of Legends, as they have a circular array of thumb buttons that can be bound to skills or items for quick activation.

I have been using the original Hex for years, and it has long been one of my favourite mice. The Hex V2 feels like a completely different creature, for better or for worse.

The aesthetic of both mice is markedly different. While the original has a glossy marbled green finish, the V2 is a lot less flashy with a plain matte black cover punctuated by the three-armed Razer logo in RGB lighting.

The shapes of both mice are broadly similar, with a steeply arched back and a finger rest on the right side. However, the V2 is wider and flatter than the original, which means that users switching over will have to adjust their grip.

The Razer Naga Hex V2 feels like a completely different creature from its predecessor, for better or for worse. PHOTO: RAZER

While the first Hex was 7cm wide and 11.6cm long, the new version is 0.5cm wider and 0.3cm longer. Its height has been dropped, from 4.6cm to 4.3cm. They weigh about the same. The Hex and Hex V2 weigh 134g and 135g, respectively.

  • TECH SPECS


    PRICE: $129.90


    BUTTONS: Seven-button thumb wheel, total of 14 buttons


    SENSOR: 16,000 DPI laser sensor


    ACCELERATION: 210 inches per sec


    CABLE LENGTH: 2.1m


    SIZE: 11.9cm (length) x 7.5cm (width) x 4.3cm (height)


    WEIGHT: 135g

    RATING


    FEATURES: 4/5


    DESIGN: 4/5


    PERFORMANCE: 4/5


    VALUE FOR MONEY: 4/5


    OVERALL: 4/5

While I could comfortably use the original with a claw grip, I found myself having to use a palm grip in order to control the V2 well.

Button-wise, the two mice are similar as well. The forward and back buttons that sit behind the scroll wheel are still there, but the V2's scroll wheel has been upgraded so that it now has side clicks.

However, the V2 does not have the Num/123 toggle button that was on the underside of the first version, which was useful for differentiating between number pad and regular numeric inputs.

The thumb wheel, the hallmark of the Naga Hex, has been changed from a six-button to a seven-button arrangement. This means that the array is now asymmetrical, and a little less intuitive to get used to.

The centre thumb rest is now much larger and depressed.

In the first iteration of the mouse, the rest was smaller and on the same level as the thumb buttons. This means that, now, more thumb movement is needed to activate the buttons.

Also, while both mice have mechanical thumb buttons, the tactile and audio feedback on the original mouse is a lot clearer and sharper.

Overall, I think that the thumb wheel on the original mouse is more user-friendly, although the extra button on the V2 will probably come in handy for hardcore Moba players.


  • Verdict: The Razer Naga Hex V2 feels very different from the first Hex. But, like its predecessor, it should still be the go-to mouse for Moba players.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 20, 2016, with the headline Naga Hex V2 set for more battles. Subscribe