We often hear gamers bandying the expression “my mouse is an extension of my hand” in relation to their Razer mice. This pretty much sums up what we set out to achieve each and every time we approach the drawing board – a fine equilibrium between in-game performance and comfort that exists with Razer mice and with none other. This three-way (user-mouse-playstyle) optimization is the result of research-driven design, not by casual observation, and certainly not by chance. Through the validation sessions conducted with both “casual” and “hardcore” gamers over the years, we have identified three prevalent grip styles

Here, we present our findings on, established through years of both “casual” and “hardcore” gamer testing, that have informed—and continue to inform—the ergonomic development of our mice.

The fingertip grip is considered to be a subset of the claw grip, where the user grips the mouse solely with the tips of his fingers. While this grip style strictly speaking falls within the ambit of the claw grip subset, it is a popular grip, particularly amongst proponents of certain genres of games, thus elevating it to the status of a primary grip style for gameplay. Unlike the claw grip, the hand is moved away from the rear of the mouse as the user is not concerned with stabilizing the rear of the mouse in his hand and wants increased precision and control of the mouse on the mousing surface instead.

The fingertip grip is defined by the fact that there are five contact points made on the surface of the mouse. Note that the sixth contact point found in the claw grip is no longer present (i.e. contact with the pit of the hand), which is a defining factor of the fingertip grip.

Examples of progamers who use the fingertip grip:

• Gareth “GaRpY” Marshall, Unreal Tournament 3, Team Dignitas

• Florian "medic" Stern, TrackMania Nations, Dignitas
"Since I have huge hands, this is the only comfortable way to hold the mouse for me. I use medium sense in Windows and in shooters; about 20cm for a 360° turn."

• Martin "PuReBall" Rome, Real-time Strategy games, Dignitas
"I use a fingertip grip because you've got full control of the buttons if you have all your weight on them.”

• Robert "Moyes" Haxton, World in Conflict, Dignitas

• Pascal Pfefferle aka Dackel, Team Dignitas Command and Conquer
"Playing RTS games mainly, the fingertip grip seems the right grip for me to use. My play style requires not only fast mouse movement while scrolling, but also high precision in battles. Also, a solid mouse with corresponding mouse pad is essential. Because of that, I am using the Razer Lachesis."

Siebe '*nutec*' Huisman, Call of Duty, Team Serious Gaming
"I play with finger grip because i dont want to move my hand across the whole surface. With this grip my hand stays where it is and it gives me
full control of the mouse."

Niels '*zemme*' van Steenbergen, Call of Duty, Serious Gaming
/"From the day I started playing first person shooters I immediately used the palm grip. Its really comfortable for my arm and hand. With this grip I can easily move my mouse to aim really precise. With my fingers constantly on the mouse buttons I click very fast."

Examples of progamers who switch between grips:

• Hendry "jo3" Handisurya, Defense of the Ancients, Team Sanctuary
"IMO, a palm grip makes the mouse easier to control. But sometimes when I want to opt for reaction speed in-game, I will switch to a claw grip. Razer mice such as the Lachesis, which I use, open up both options to me."