Funny that when I tried the Synapse based driver it demanded a user ID/password pair before it would let me continue. There was nothing optional about it.
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Which gaming mouce?
- Thread starter Dr FranknFurter
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Right. You have a choice whether to install Synapse at all. If you do, then it assumes (as a consumer of a gaming mouse) that you have an internet connection and wants you to set up your account. They're working on the case where that assumption fails for some reason.
The choice was install the Synapse based driver or find the older driver for the device. Eventually the older driver will break with OS upgrades.
Why should I need cloud storage for a keyboard or mouse attached to one computer? It's an extra dependency that seems like a waste to me.
To clarify/add what the previous person posted, Synapse is both the driver and the cloud storage software. The username/password is required to be able to use the software. This allows the software to store the user settings in the cloud. I can understand already why some may take issue with it. With that said, if you are playing offline or have no access to the internet for extended periods of time, Synapse won't prevent you from using your mouse or mouse settings, but you won't be able to save any changes to those settings either.
Like I said in an earlier post, I like the idea of Synapse, but the current version is just not ready for prime time yet. It's also unfortunate that the newer Razer mice do not have another driver option other than Synapse (not counting 3rd party software). I would really like to see improvements to Synapse, but even more so I would like to see standard drivers so users can choose not to use Synapse.
If I were to rank mice companies based on Mac support, this is how I would rank them right now.
1. Razer - Only the Ouroboros, Taipan, 2012 Naga (Not the Naga Epic), 2013 DeathAdder, and 2013 Orochi require Synapse. There are still 8 other mice that Razer are still actively selling that do not require it. Not to count the numerous other mice that are still available through other sites.
2. Steelseries - Most if not all of the mice now have Mac support, but they only have 1 or 2 wireless mice and both are WoW branded.
3. Madcatz - I put Madcatz above Logitech right now because their "gaming" mice have Mac support where Logitech gaming mice do not.
4. Logitech - Only their non-gaming line provides any type of Mac software support. There are ways to get the features of some of their gaming mice to work on Macs, but until they support Macs natively, I won't be wasting my time with them.
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I think the key word is "need"... You definitely don't need it, but I think they were aiming for the LAN gaming crowd. I can see the benefits of being able to use your mouse profile on any computer since the settings are saved in the cloud, but it's not something most people will "need". I hope Razer changes this in the future and makes it an option instead of a requirement.
The choice is to install Synapse to use Razer's mechanism of setting sensitivity, creating macros, programming buttons, etc. or to not install Synapse and use OS, in-game or other methods of setting sensitivity, creating macros, programming buttons, etc. Nothing in Synapse turns your device from a brick into a mouse. It's a mouse out of the box.
If you choose to use Synapse, the method allows your macros, button programs, etc. to follow you from computer to computer. LAN parties could make use of that, as would professional gamers; the average consumer would probably have this come up once every 18 months tops, but it's there.
The only possible negative to this is if you happen to be trying to set up your mouse for the very first time while you don't have an internet connection, or if a volcano is actively erupting underneath Razer's data center. They're fixing that. In the meantime, it hardly seems like an issue to me - it's such a bizarre, rare corner case, that when it comes up is only a minor inconvenience (you can still use your mouse) for a service that ultimately will add convenience to many users. If you don't have an internet connection or a volanco is actively erupting underneath Razer's data center the 2nd or later time you're using the mouse, all of your Synapse sensitivity settings, macros, and button programs will still be there, you can still change them, and your changes will be synced back up to the cloud whenever your computer can find a route to a non-charred data center.
The problem with Synapse is that it can be used to collect information about consumer habits in order to sell them to third parties as aggregate numbers (as stated in the user agreement).
The problem here is that Razer did not create Synapse as a result of customer demand, or in order to better serve their users. The best setup for macros would be to simply have them stored on a small amount of memory located inside the mouse (these would then be available wherever, and however, the mouse is used). This already exists, there was no need for Razer to introduce Synapse except to create an additional source of revenue.
The problem here is that Razer did not create Synapse as a result of customer demand, or in order to better serve their users. The best setup for macros would be to simply have them stored on a small amount of memory located inside the mouse (these would then be available wherever, and however, the mouse is used). This already exists, there was no need for Razer to introduce Synapse except to create an additional source of revenue.
That's fine for a mouse that doesn't require a driver. unfortunately the Naga has some issues without any Razer driver. Also, their keyboards now have Synapse based drivers. And unless you want to waste half the reason you bought a Razer keyboard, you need one of their drivers.
So it's not a choice of Synapse vs OS - it's a choice between Synapse or older drivers which will eventually stop working or not being able to use hardware fully.
This too is an issue.