Anyone mind clarifying is the Razer Deathadder (The latest one with the 3G sensor) an optical, laser or Infrared mouse? Some sources I read mention that Laser and Infrared are the same thing in mice so I assume it must be a laser mice however many retailers list it as an optical mouse with a better optical sensor with the enhanced technology made by Razer.

Another thing I quite baffling is that some people in gaming communities seem to argue that optical sensor based mice are superior to Laser based one. But most technical site and even gaming peripheral manufacturers seems to point otherwise.

Thats why I asked the question. I had earlier, already read from Razer's official site but it still does not explain what are Infrared sensor mouse, are they enhanced sensor based on either Optical or Laser sensor? or just an entirely new sensor technology used on mice altogether? because this is the first time I ever encounter a Infrared gaming mouse. You could say I'm really curious.


From what I recall, Optical mice utilize light to detect movement. The light is produced by a light emitting diode (LED). What happens when you operate an optical mouse is that the mouse itself uses that light to take "pictures" (similar to image sensors in cameras and similar imaging devices) of whatever it is "sitting on". It then tracks the location of the pointer on the screen based on the current position of the new image comparing it to the old one.

As for Laser mice, they produce beams that are much more concentrated and narrow with a higher frequency than that of an optical mice. Because of physics, the energy of a laser is much higher (concentrated) than the energy of light that is emitted by optical light, which serves further increases the precision of the laser mouse. So you could say in terms of performance a laser mouse is "better" than optical ones not to mention they based on a newer technology, that's putting the sensor in a general term mind you. However to this day people are still debating whatever Laser mice truly benefit most users especially in gaming.

It's because most optical mice use red light is because it the lowest wavelength in the visible spectrum. Higher wavelengths would consume more energy as well as produce extreme amounts of heat. This means the higher the frequency, the smaller the wavelength; thereby more exact the beam would be (accuracy).

Why do manufacturer's choose Red you ask? simply Red LED's have cheaper unit costs and lower turn on voltages. Basically, less power and more light. Though usually Blue and Red LED's produce the same brightness at a given drive (mA current). That's what I been told by engineers working in the field of optics. Better end my ranting here.

Also welcome to the New Year.