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The world's most popular gaming mouse just got ridiculous upgrades

Razer says the new DeathAdder Elite is the fastest, most accurate mouse ever made -- and it comes with never-before-seen Omron mechanical mouse switches for improved durability.

Sean Hollister Senior Editor / Reviews
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
2 min read
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The Razer DeathAdder Elite.

Razer

The Razer DeathAdder is one of the most comfortable mice I've ever held. And apparently, many gamers agree: Razer says it's been the best-selling gaming mouse for over a decade.

But apparently, it's not good enough for Razer. So today, the gaming accessory maker is announcing the new DeathAdder Elite -- a version Razer claims has unprecedented speed, accuracy and durability.

It's got a new optical sensor that not only has a huge 16,000 dpi resolution, but also tracks across your mousing surface at a blazing 450 inches per second. Razer says the mouse cursor should appear exactly where you move it 99.4 percent of the time. Allegedly, that's unheard-of accuracy.

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Razer

What's more, the mouse features Razer's brand-new Omron mechanical mouse switches, which the company says have been tested to 50 million clicks. (Most other manufacturers test to 20 million clicks.) Razer says they should feel the same as on previous DeathAdder models. It's got the internal customizable RGB lighting of the DeathAdder Chroma as well.

Do you need that much mouse? Of course not, unless you're a pro gamer -- and even if so, Razer isn't too far ahead of the pack. Razer product managers admit that the next-best gaming mouse probably has 98 percent accuracy already, and Logitech's G402 can travel in excess of 450 inches per second as well.

But if it's time for you to replace an aging DeathAdder, you don't need to worry about that. The DeathAdder Elite will cost the same $70 (roughly £55 or AU$90) as the current DeathAdder Chroma when it ships in October. Preorders begin today at Razer's website.

In case you're counting, the new mouse switches mark the fifth kind of mechanical switch that Razer has designed, including the Razer Green and Orange switches it uses in its BlackWidow Ultimate keyboards, the low-profile switches in its Mechanical Keyboard Case for the iPad and the "mecha-membrane" hybrid switches in the new Ornata keyboard.