The wireless gaming mouse is a viable alternative these days for hardcore players thanks to widespread adoption of adaptive radio tech by companies like Razer and Logitech. But even if you drop the cable for data, you still need to charge your battery … unless you don’t. Both Razer and Logitech have introduced their own forms of wireless charging in their devices, and this could free the mouse forever.
I already reviewed the Logitech G Powerplay system, which enables you to charge a mouse without ever plugging it in, and now Razer has launched its own take on that technology with its Razer Hyperflux Mamba bundle. This $250 kit gets you a wireless version of the company’s Mamba gaming mouse that works with the special Hyperflux mouse surface. The only thing you plug into your computer is the mousepad, and that creates a electromagnetic field that spins a device inside the Mamba to provide power.
The technology still surprises me. It just works, and it is nice to eliminate a cable from my life. But Razer’s Hyperflux does have a few quirks that you should know about before you drop $250.
What you’ll like
Wireless power and connectivity
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Once you get everything plugged in and set up (you’ll want to give the mouse a chance to rest on the pad to build up enough potential energy), the Mamba gives you great in-game performance. It uses the optical Pixart PMW3389 sensor that is in Razer’s other top-of-the-line mice like the Deathadder Elite.
The Mamba Hyperflux system also uses the same “Adaptive Frequency Technology” that is in the excellent wireless Lancehead mouse. The difference here, however, is that Razer built the wireless receiver right into the mousepad. That means this strong, interference-resistant signal is bouncing back and forth across only a couple of inches.
So you’ll have accurate, reliable controls over your games with the Mamba Hyperflux, but you can also forget about ever charging the device. As long as the mouse is sitting on the included Hyperflux surface, it’ll get a constant stream of electromagnetic power to run forever. I have never charged the device, and I couldn’t even if I wanted to because it doesn’t even have a battery.
Attractive, eye-grabbing design
Razer also included its Chroma lighting in both the mouse and the mouse surface.
For the Mamba itself, the Razer logo and the track wheel can shine through an endless variety of RGB-color combinations. On the mousepad, the edge of the device has an RGB LED strip that gives the entire setup a futuristic vibe that I love.
What you won’t like
No backup battery
Razer made a big point to note that the Mamba Hyperflux does not have a battery. The nature of the wireless-power technology means you don’t need something like a lithium-ion module to hold a charge, so Razer’s engineers removed it. I think that was a minor misjudgment.
The benefit of dropping the battery, according to Razer, is that the Mamba Hyperflux is lightweight. And that’s true, but I never found the Logitech G wireless-powered mice heavy. So while the weight advantage is not something that ever manifested for me, I did notice times when the Mamba would stop working for me for moments at a time.
Now, 99.99 percent of the time, the mouse worked without an issue. But if I started to lean back in my chair and the back edge of the mouse began to slip off the mousepad, it would shut down after a few moments. The Mamba does have an indicator light that turns green when it is getting power, and I tested this out. If the mouse hangs off the Hyperflux surface even half of an inch, that’s enough for it to lose the charge from the energy field.
I’ve adapted to that limitation, but it is something that a problem that a battery would have eliminated.
You’ll need a mouse built for Hyperflux
One other issue of not having a battery means that Razer will have to make versions of its mice specifically for use with Hyperflux. With the Logitech Powerplay, you can get wireless versions of the G905, for example, that work without wireless power. But if you get the Powerplay, you just swap out the bottom battery plate with the wireless-power plate, and then you no longer need to plug it in.
Logitech can now just build its mice going forward to support that wireless-power plate, and then any of its wireless mice could integrate with its Powerplay mat. Razer doesn’t have that solution yet.
For now, you can only use the Mamba (to be fair, Logitech only lets you use the G905 or G705 at the moment), and if you want to use a different mouse, you’ll have to wait for Razer to make one that has the Hyperflux tech built inside of it.
Conclusion
I’ve used the Mamba Hyperflux every day for the last couple of weeks, and I’ve had no problems with it now that I’m used to its wireless-power boundaries. Even still, it is the kind of upgrade that I love but recognize as frivolous. I hate cables, and I leap at any opportunity to make my workspace more organized. But you are definitely buying into a platform here.
You’ll have to rely on Razer to support it going forward to take full advantage of it. That is not some terrible risk because I think Razer is probably committed to this technology, so I can recommend it to anyone who wants to go wireless and likes the looks of Razer products. If you want a battery backup and a more modular, upgradeable alternative, the Logitech G Powerplay is a fine alternative.
Razer provided GamesBeat with a sample unit for the purpose of this review. It is available now for $250.
