GG: Can you elaborate on the collaboration with Sixense for motion sensing and gesture recognition controller technology for the PC? It brings to mind Sony’s Motion Controller for PS3, any comments?

RK: This technology marks the next step in user interface technologies for gaming on the PC. Razer and Sixense scientists and engineers along with select PC OEM partners are working on an ultra-precise one-to-one motion sensing hardware that uses electromagnetic fields to track precise movements along all six axes for use in current and future generation PC games. The absolute controller position is tracked to within a mere millimeter for positioning and to a degree for orientation.

GG: Will the new controller also have force feedback?

RK: Nothing is firm at this time, but the plans are yes it will.

GG: Will this technology be useful for things other than gaming? (like in the fields of medicine, defense, etc.)

RK: Gaming is our primary focus. Based on the way Razer approaches the hardware and finds methods to enhance tracking and latency, there should be no limitations for gaming or other applications. For Razer, we will be happy to make a successful gaming hardware since that is the business we know and love.

Head on to read the rest of the interview right over here.

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Since then, other companies have come in and pushed eSports sponsorships to ludicrous amounts, many just trading cash for endorsements. Now the money has all but vanished as sponsors are running away from gamers as fast as their bottom line is evaporating. Stalwarts like the CPL, WSG and CGS have all been forced to pull the plug due to big ticket sponsors dropping out. This all started before the current recession and IMHO will only continue to hurt our community for some time to come.

Despite all of this doom and gloom, Razer continues to sponsor gamers in a low-key fashion, supporting gamers, the community, and validating hardware.

With the current financial crisis, many of the companies have, and will pull out of sponsorships. While Razer has also been affected by the economic downturn, we will continue to sponsor gamers and events as we believe in the mantra for gamers by gamers. While our sponsorship budgets have also been scaled back, we intend to continue sponsoring gamers and have no intentions of ever pulling out.
It is crucial for Razer to remember its roots and always support the community that made us successful.

We believe this retrenchment will be good for gaming in the long run, where the true sponsors will continue supporting gamers while those who were never really committed to the community have and will pull back.
And that eSports will actually flourish ultimately as ridiculous amounts of money with no possible return on investment from sponsorships were not sustainable in the first place and actually drove committed sponsors like Razer behind the scenes.

Lastly, the true committed pro-gamer will not have a problem finding a sponsor while the guys who were not committed to eSports and only in it for the money will also drop out.

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There are a number of reasons why we stuttered during the development of the Mamba and there is no way I can convince you that it takes 8 years to create a masterpiece. Over these many years of trial and error, we had a dream of creating the truly first wireless gaming mouse. Yes I know that there are a number of other wireless mice available but trust me when I tell you that they are not worthy of the title wireless gaming mice. If you don’t agree with this statement go to any BYOC, live gaming event, large LAN party, gaming center or arcade and see how many wireless mice are in use … freakin NONE!

From the beginning of its development we had four hard and fast rules that had to be perfected in order to make the Mamba a wireless gaming mouse. Overall it MUST perform exactly as a wired version of the best gaming mouse in the world. It had to limit latency to 1ms. It could not weigh more than a wired mouse. The battery life needed to be at least 9 hours or more (I’ll explain the more part later). And lastly signal conflict had to be mitigated as much as humanly possible.

I have searched our archives to find some original Mamba images and these date back to 2001. Back then all we made was the original Boomslang ball assembly mouse. If you recall that mouse gained critical acclaim as the first and original gaming mouse. We needed to follow up the success of the Boomslang with a wireless mouse and the gamers we interviewed at that time wanted a right-handed design.

After a year of research and development we began to run out of money. Since we had already announced the Mamba to our fans we came up with a less-than-genius plan to enlist our fan’s support and raise a little capital to “Save the Mamba”. Since this mouse was an endangered species in 2002 we printed Save the Mamba tee shirts and baseball caps and used the proceeds to keep the flame of creativity afire.

At that time (2002) technology limited us to a 2000 DPI, 900Hz mouse that weighted in at 180g with the batteries. I guess it was a good thing that we fumbled all those years as the 2009 version of the Mamba is 5600 DPI laser at 2.4GHz and weighs in at an amazing 129g even with the battery in place.
Again, and I repeat myself, with a firmware latency limited to 1 freakin millisecond!
I’m going to delve into much deeper information in this blog than my usual pithy approach because 1) you need to know what a huge achievement this is and 2) how truly excited I am regarding this mouse. So here is some of the official Mamba specs …

Mamba Specs
Wired Latency
•    1ms (Ultrapolling)

Wireless Latency
•    1ms (Ultrapolling)

Weight of Mamba
•    With Battery – 129g
•    Without Battery – 108g

Weight of MX 1000
•    169g

Weight of G7 in grams
•    With Battery – 134g
•    Without Battery – 115g

Time Required to Fully Charge Battery
•    Timing required for both Dock and USB is the same. Difference is in switch settings.
•    Mamba switch in ON position – 5 hours
•    Mamba switch in OFF position – 4 hours

Battery Life
•    Continuous Gaming Usage – 14 hours
•    Normal Gaming Usage – 72 hours

Default DPI Settings
•    5 Settings are available on the mouse by default – 800, 1200, 1800, 4000, 5600
1800DPI is the default setting
Earlier in this post I alluded to extended battery life and “more”. The more part relates to one of the coolest features of the Mamba. The mouse performs in dual-mode wireless and wired functionality. You will be able to switch quickly between the freedom of wireless into the frenzy of wired play with zero down time for charging. The USB cable can be easily and instantly switched from the charger unit directly into the mouse. It’s diabolically cool.

Mamba Q and A

Also in order to better to anticipate your many questions here is a beginning Q and A. Please write me back through this blog with any other questions and I will do my best to answer them and also update this Q and A so everyone else can read them.

Q.  How is it possible to have 1ms polling rate in wireless mode when the mouse supposedly communicates to the receiver at 1000hz and then the receiver communicates to the computer at a rate of 1000hz – theoretically this would degrade signal strength by 25% unless there is a repeater type function built into the receiver itself. While testing I have found the Mamba in wireless mode to be indeed around 750hz, not 1000hz. Please keep in mind my findings are based off of the windows drivers and I will test again when I have access to the proper drivers.

A.  Ultrapolling is a hardware level optimization. The mouse hardware, wireless transmission and reception and USB communications are tuned to send information from the mouse hardware to the PC at a 1000 times a second (A frequency of 1000Hz / a 1ms interval).
This is a hardware feature. It is active all the time. It is active whether or not data is sent by the mouse and received by the PC.

Software that measures polling frequency captures data received by the PC system. This software measurement is always lower than the hardware setting. It varies depending on the frequency of data sent by the mouse to the PC. It is not representative of the hardware setting.

Q.  Will the Mamba communicate with more than one receiver at a time?

A.  Our engineers have attempted to get a single Mamba mouse to work simultaneously with two charging docks. It has not been possible on our end.

If it was meant that two Mamba mice are able to be paired to a single Charging Dock, this is enabled for debugging purposes. It shall not be possible with customer hardware.

Q.  Does the Mamba have dynamic power scaling?

A.  No, the Mamba is tuned for gaming performance and all hardware equipment is provided with the required power at a constant rate.

The Mamba utilizes Power Management where it enters into a standby state after it remains idle for a few minutes. This is done to extend the time before a recharge is required.

Q.  Do we have the R&D preliminary studies with an in-depth performance analysis?

A.  What we can provide is a comparison of communication latency across the various wireless mouse technologies:

o    Bluetooth – 14ms
o    Generic 2.4Ghz – 8ms
o    Gaming Grade 2.4Ghz – 2ms
o    Razer Mamba – 1ms
Q.   Razer Mamba security features, what are they?

A.  The Razer Mamba utilizes a proprietary wireless protocol.
The pairing of Dock and Mouse utilizes a proprietary pairing protocol.
No encryption of the signal is made as this would affect performance.

Q.  What are the hardware DPI intervals to?

A.  800 DPI is the minimum gaming-grade DPI setting.
If lower DPI values are desired, they are able to be configured via the software drivers.

Q.  Are any of these claims for longer battery life in wireless mode than competitors valid?

A.  Our proprietary laser sensor gives more power with less power drawn

Increase in battery cells and quality

Firmware/Drivers/Software

The Razer Mamba’s Laser sensor is able to deliver gaming-grade performance while drawing less power.
It uses a high-grade, rechargeable Lithium-Ion Polymer battery.

The Razer Mamba was designed for gaming performance with an extended battery life. This is accomplished with optimized electronics and power management. The Mamba is a Razer gaming-grade mouse of the highest order. As responsiveness and accuracy are key to gaming performance, where and how you move the mouse is exactly how the cursor responds.

To wrap up this post I wanted to express my personal gratitude to our development and firmware teams who have worked hours, months and years on this amazing piece of engineering. This is truly quality product and the estimated MSRP of $129.99US reflects the craftsmanship and attention to detail that those of you who desire a wireless gaming mouse can expect. My best guess of retail availability is early April of this year.

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So … the plot thickens again today as I receive yet another anonymous clue from what I presume from to be our crack development team (they may be on crack). As my spies and fellow Razer bloggers have surmised this is either a complete new computer system or a coffee maker. Since I do not drink coffee I will eliminate that possibility and more toward this next photo clue.

To me it looks like a very high tech hockey stick however the verbal clue (oh how they love to mess with our minds) but the word clue “necare” says otherwise. This word is either a new medical term or healthcare organization or it is possibly a disbanded disco band. Not much help guys! Especially when you add it to the previous verbal clues, Liber (not uber guys), II, Necare. I read this as possibly “freeing two rock bands”. Can someone offer another meaning to this conundrum?

Also if we associate the 3 images together what do we see? I don’t know, maybe it is a high-tech coffee maker. I have heard rumblings and rumors that we will actually find out what product this actually is at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 8th.

I can’t freakin’ wait!

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Okay so this week I finally got through my email and spent time reading your comments and guesses regarding this new project. Several times a day I passed the development office doors but they were always locked with a sign posted “Secret sh*t, stay out Robert!”. I’m starting to take this personal.

Then today someone in that office (I think they are messing with my mind) emailed me this new picture and now it’s my turn to start guessing. I’m not saying that some of your interpretations and suppositions weren’t salient but after all I do have my own ideas.

What this looks like to me is the lighting on the bumper of the new Razer concept car. If that is the case I will be going to Washington soon requesting bailout money. Of course it could be something as simple as a new 4000 DPI electric toothbrush, but someone reminded me that gamers seldom brush. Could our evil genius dev team be working on a Razer Robot II … one to replace Razerguy (it blogs and answers email) and bring you coffee in the morning? 

Is it a Razer core product or something out of the ordinary? Some of you say it’s a mouse or a keyboard. Others speculate a monitor or a casemod. Perhaps it’s a console controller of some kind?

I’m not done yet so I’ll keep guessing and hopefully you’ll keep posting your thoughts. This is not over yet so stay tuned.

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Greetings from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Does anyone know wtf this picture is? I spent all day hanging out on the beach and this showed up in my email with no subject line. I called the office and they had no idea what I was talking about. All they told me was Lab doors are locked from the inside and nobody has gone in or out since I left.

At this point, your guess is as good as mine. Nobody tells me anything and I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

Anyways, I pass it on for what it’s worth. Somebody out there can enlighten me…maybe next time people will send me better pictures with less cropping…or tell me what the crap a Liber is…

I am going to be back in the office next week. Maybe then I can get some answers. Till then, salud.

Razerguy

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Our fearless leader and pioneer of all things awesome, Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, has an interview set up with Avault.com tomorrow at 2pm PST. Swing by and check it out. He is bringing some product with him so there is a chance at scoring some free hardware.

Razerguy will be packing a Razer DeathAdder mouse, Razer Goliathus Control mousepad, and a pair of Razer Moray earbuds . To be eligible for these items you need to head over to Avault.com and sign up for their forum. Once there, send your mailing address and your forum name to podcast@avault.com. All entries must be received by 2PM EST on Thursday December 11th. The winners will be announced live on the show so make sure you tune in.

*UPDATE*

The interview has been moved to Friday and it will be a downloadable podcast instead of a live broadcast. There is still hardware to win and goods to be claimed so check Avault out this Friday.

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A new study led by Iowa State University has concluded that violent video games do have a negative effect on children, with test cases examined in both the U.S. and Japan.

Although previous studies have proven inconclusive or negative in terms of the harmful effects of video games on children, the new study claims to be unambiguous in its findings. The research, published in the journal Pediatrics, is a combination of three separate studies: two from Japan and one from the U.S.

In particular, the study looked at the effect of violent games over time, with findings showing increased physical aggression continuing for months afterwards in some children. The study also showed little variation in results between Japanese and American children, despite the reduced levels of crime and violence in Japanese society.

Speaking to the Washington Post, lead author Craig A. Anderson commented: “When you find consistent effects across two very different cultures, you’re looking at a pretty powerful phenomenon. One can no longer claim this is somehow a uniquely American phenomenon. This is a general phenomenon that occurs across cultures.”

“We now have conclusive evidence that playing violent video games has harmful effects on children and adolescents,” added Anderson.

The U.S. study examined 364 children aged between 9 to 12 in Minnesota and found an increased likelihood of physical aggressiveness up to five or six months after playing violent games. The Japanese research studied 1,200 children aged 12 to 18.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is now in the process of revising its recommendations on media violence, as a result of the study. A new statement is expected in four to six months, but the academy already recommends limiting screen time — including television, computers, and video games — to one to two hours a day.

Website GamePolitics has pointed out a letter to Pediatrics by Christopher Ferguson, a researcher at Texas A&M International University, which notes:

“The authors fail to control for relevant ‘third’ variables that could easily explain the weak correlations that they find. Family violence exposure for instance, peer group influences, certainly genetic influences on aggressive behavior are just a few relevant variables that ought either be controlled or at minimum acknowledged as alternate causal agents for a (very small) link between video games and aggression.”

In addition, the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) has issued a statement on the survey, which has president Hal Halpin commenting as follows:

“For the better part of the past decade we — game consumers, makers, sellers and creators — have been waiting for the results of an unbiased, longitudinal and comprehensive study to be done which will inform us about the potential harmful effects of entertainment products on our children. Unfortunately, with the report published in the latest issue of Pediatrics, we remain wanting.

One of the ways in which our stance is likely very different from others in the discussion on the subject is that the ECA would encourage more and better research on the matter.

The problem has been, and apparently continues to be, that the agenda of the researchers supersedes our want and need for inclusiveness of all media… not just games — for the overtly sensationalistic spin that will inevitably be employed — to the exclusion of music and movies. We remain optimistic that longitudinal research that is truly comprehensive, objective, and inclusive will be performed and shared, but sadly that day has not yet come.”]
By David Jenkins

Razerguy’s take …

Conclusive evidence eh? I wonder what the results would have been if these same children were exposed to the same amount of time watching the nightly news, violent movies, comics or any other pop-culture entertainment medium. Trendy books on vampires come to mind.
My generation grew up playing cowboys and Indians and I must have ganked a million Indians as a 9 to 12 year-old (yes, I was always a cowboy); however as an adult I was wise enough to separate fantasy from reality and no Indians were harmed in the making of this post.

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So I ask you how does or will this current economic conditions affect your gaming habits? Do you plan to play more, less or about the same? Are there any concessions you intend to make to your gaming habits?

Personally I have made some changes to my lifestyle. I don’t drive as much as in the past and have changed to a vegetarian diet. But my gaming habits if anything have grown during these troubling times.

IMO MMO’s are the best entertainment value going. I can lose myself for hours in my fav fantasy land where the cost of food and transportation are only relative to the game economy and regulated by the amount of time I want to invest in grinding. If I spend more time in game I can help to lower the virtual economy by actually earning and grinding for goods and trade items.

In the real world my personal contributions have little to no affect on the “real” economy and I am a mere pawn in the game of life; in the world of my MMO I can become self-reliant and sustainable.

If I decide to see a movie, I have to spend time and money getting there, pay the inflated cost of tickets and concessions ($7 for popcorn!?) and then make the trip back home. I’m not even guaranteed a good movie or a decent experience either. At least with my fav MMO I know what I’m going to experience and I’m there in a relative minute without the cost and hassle of auto transportation.

By playing more games in the confines of my own home I am helping to relieve the pressures of fossil fuel dependency as I drive less than the average person. By not buying a book I am helping save a tree and possibly a forest and I am doing my part to protect the environment (get a Kindle dude and download your books). By not attending a movie I am sending a message to that industry to get their act together and make movies that relevant to me and a more like what I experience in game. Get all your music digitally online and listen on your Mako – it completely rocks!

So when the economy goes into the tank I will be spending even more time on my computer … playing games, getting all the news, communicating with friends, planning my calendar, searching for energy solutions, downloading entertainment I like and doing my part to stay off the roads, clog up restaurants, stores and theatres and generally escaping from the crap reality of the messed up political and investment banking system that has put us into this hellacious mess in the first place.

Game on dudes.

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To make this an even more relevant event the folks who run PAX sessions and panels running all days from Friday through Sunday. Some of the topics were The Beginning and Ending in Game Design, Violence in Gaming and the panel I was asked to contribute to, PC Hardware and Gaming Technology.

Panels are generally Q&A formats – Jeff Kalles from Penny Arcade moderated our session, along with Chris Mellissinos, Chief Gaming Officer from Sun Microsystems and yours truly … we spent an hour doing our best to field questions regarding the future of hardware and what kinds of technologies might trickle down into your next computer.

One of the highlights of PAX was the limited edition Razer DeathAdder PAX08 gaming mouse. There were 400 for sale at the PAX show booth and those were gone before noon on day two. At the Razer booth things were pretty active as we hosted a COD4 deathmatch on our 12 high end gaming stations over a 3 day period. There were 4v4 matches in team deathmatch. Teams were all assembled on the spot. 10 teams a day played over 3 days. Everyone that competed got a Razer hat or beanie, winning team got a Goliathus mini, and MVP got a PAX08 mouse. Event went for three days so we had a total of 30 teams.

Next there was a Razer PC Mod competition. Over the 3 days there were over 700 voters to determine which of the 3 finalists would come out on top – plus another 2,000 online spectators cast their votes.

At the PAX10 booth there were 10 Makos on display. Unfortunately the noise level of this event makes it impossible to truly appreciate the quality and powerful audio experience of this amazing product.

After returning from a week in Leipzig Germany at Games Convention there are some interesting cultural differences between GC and PAX. American gamers are more laid back whereas their East German counterparts are completely rabid. Either culture makes for good gaming but it was really interesting to notice how different they behave and approach their passions for gaming.

Be that as it may be the PAX event was well run and a lot of fun for all who attended. Razer is looking forward to PAX09 and attending this very cool event. Thanks PAX J

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