The Razer Abyssus is a "no frills" gaming mouse that is definitely superior to a standard optical mouse in every respect. If you're looking for an ample gaming mouse that gets the job done without a lot of fancy features, the Abyssus may serve you well.
The Razer Abyssus is aimed at gamers that want to step up from a standard optical mouse, but don't want (or can't afford) a more expensive, feature-rich gaming mouse. The result is a bit of a mixed bag that is good for gaming and generally adequate for typical (non-gaming) computer use.
Minimalist features
The Razer Abyssus has two buttons, a non-tilting standard scroll wheel, and an ambidextrous design. It doesn't require any driver installation—you just plug in its vinyl-sheathed USB cord and it works.
The Abyssus also supports three DPI (sensitivity) settings that are preconfigured to 450DPI, 1800DPI, and 3500DPI and changed via a switch located on the bottom of the mouse. Another switch on the bottom of the mouse changes the mouse's polling rate (basically a feature to enhance mouse responsiveness) to either 125hz or 1000hz..
The mouse buttons and the scroll-wheel are all very stiff and solid. This feels pretty good for gaming, actually, because it provides a solid, tactile feedback -- you KNOW you pressed a mouse button or switched weapons, and the stiffer buttons minimize or eliminate accidental gaming 'misfires' and provide more precise control. Unfortunately, stiff buttons and a stiff scroll wheel also make the Abyssus a bit less pleasurable for everyday desktop use—especially if you do a lot of scrolling for Web surfing and the like.
The hardware DPI and polling rate switches on the bottom are good because they don't require any drivers to load in order to use them. On the down side, they are on the bottom of the mouse and not very convenient. During testing I took the Abyssus for a spin in Left 4 Dead 2 (review pending!) and forgot to switch the mouse from 3500DPI to 1800DPI. Suffice to say changing the mouse in-game is awkward at best, and I may have shot a team mate or three and/or suffered some zombie bites in the process.
I have to confess that I make heavy use of on-the-fly DPI switching for both gaming and everyday desktop use, so having the DPI switch on the bottom of the mouse doesn't work well for me. If you don't need or want to switch your DPI setting often, the Abyssus' switch location probably won't be a big issue for you (the 1800DPI setting will most likely be the best for most regular use). Regardless, more convenient buttons would have been appreciated (but likely increased the price of the mouse).
Balanced ergonomics
The Abyssus strikes a good balance between size and weight—combined with its ambidextrous design, the Abyssus is definitely a solid 'all rounder' middle-of-the-road gaming mouse for both left- and right-handed gamers.
Like other Razer products, the Abyssus is sleek and black, and has a comfortable, silky smooth texture. The mouse has a nice, light 'glide' to it and feels very smooth both to the touch and as it glides across your gaming surface. A single blue Razer logo on the back of the mouse lights up to indicate the mouse is plugged in—and it looks cool, too.
Overall
The Abyssus' best features are its smooth tracking, solid mouse buttons, and its good, stiff scroll wheel. Lefties will appreciate the ambidextrous design, and the Abyssus strikes a good balance in terms of overall ergonomics.
As long as you don't use DPI switching often (or ever), then the inconvenient DPI/polling rate switches on the bottom of the mouse won't be a big issue for you -- and at 1800DPI (the middle setting) the Abyssus works equally well for typical PC usage and gaming. The stiff scroll wheel is perfect for gaming, where precision weapon switching and tacticle feedback are ideal, but it's not great for scrolling or Web surfing, where it requires a lot of extra 'finger work'.
At $50, the Razer Abyssus is barely in budget territory—but if you don't want to pay the extra $20-30 for features you won't use, the Abyssus may be the perfect mouse for you—or your mom.
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