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, established through years of both “casual” and “hardcore” gamer testing, which have improved - and continue to improve - the ergonomic development of our mice.

The most commonly used method to hold a computer mouse is what is known as the “palm grip.” This method involves the user placing his entire hand onto the top of the mouse, resting his palm and the pit of his hand on the rear of the mouse’s shell. The mouse is held and controlled by the user pinching his hand together to hold the mouse between his thumb, the heel of his palm and his ring or pinkie fingers. The index and middle fingers are usually placed fully on the left and right mouse buttons respectively. A slight variation of the palm grip style is where the pinkie finger is used as the right side stabilizer to hold the mouse, with the index, middle and ring fingers placed on the left button, scroll wheel and right button respectively.

The palm grip is defined by the fact that the entire surface of the user’s fingers and palm make contact with the surface of the mouse and the contact points on the mouse are large and undefined.

Actuation of the left and right mouse button is achieved by clicking either button with the entire index or middle finger, essentially pressing the entire length of either finger down to actuate the respective button.

The palm grip is most commonly used with ergonomic mice; that is, mice with contours that match the shape and natural curvature of a human hand. Such ergonomic mice are also typically only able to be used in one specific hand – i.e. either the right hand or the left hand.

While this grip style is not used exclusively with ergonomic mice, the palm grip is most often used on ergonomic mice as the high-arched back common to ergonomic mice will allow the user’s palm and the entire length of his index and middle fingers to come in contact with the top of the mouse. Since the user’s hand almost entirely “rests” on the mouse, many users attest this to be the most comfortable way to hold a mouse.

Examples of progamers who use the palm grip:

• David “Zaccubus” Treacy, Unreal Tournament 3, Dignitas
“I'm a palmer. I like to get my hand around the mouse so it feels like an extension of my hand, which I feel the DeathAdder pwnz at.”

• Jonathan “raz” Baker, Call of Duty 4, Team Dignitas
“I find that when I'm holding my Razer DeathAdder, I like it to move with my hand as if it were attached. By holding the mouse with a palm grip with the fingers just laying onto the mouse buttons, I find it easier to maneuver and also tap fire, making my aim more precise and accurate.”

• Nico "senji" Sinning, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Team Dignitas
“[I use the palm grip] because I'm used to it and it's the most comfortable grip for me – the claw grip is a bit weird and too "stressful" for the hand."

• Ramesh ‘r2k’ Singh, Quake, Team Dignitas
“The palm grip is the best for me as I just have big hands. The Razer Deathadder is the perfect mouse for my right hand. With the base of my palm resting on the back of the Deathadder instead of dragging on my mousepad, I have full control of movement and accuracy which makes me a deadly opponent.”

• Suffian Arshad aka Suffz CS1.6 (Team Dignitas)
"I use the palm grip. I feel this is the most comfortable for me because my hand's are quiet big, it rest's perfectly on the mouse."

• Aaron Anton John Jones aka HELL, Quakelive, (Team Dignitas)
"I'm a palm player, my entire palm rests on the back of the mouse and my finger tips and wrist mainly control the mouse.   My wrist controls the actions more so, especially for flick rail shots and fast movement, my forearm rests along the desk giving my hand more control and precise actions."

• Hendrik Kinks aka Bulldozer Wolfenstein (Team Dignitas)
“I use the Palm Grip because I feel I have most control over my mouse without putting too much strain on my wrist, which is all important when playing hours in a row.”

• James Perrott aka PEZ CS:Source, Team Dignitas

"I'm a massive fan of the palm grip as it allows me to have optimum control over my aim in game . I only use my wrist when playing so this is the perfect grip for me. I don't even have to focus on my crosshair I focus on my mouse movement!"

• Johannes Wisby “tewic” Andersen, Unreal Tournament 3, Team Dignitas
“I have always palmed my mice simply because I have a fairly big palm and piano fingers. I prefer to have a good grip on my mouse and use my wrist for big movements. With the mouse within my palm, I can move the mouse a little bit with my fingers (so it might be a bit of a hybrid sometimes when I fine tune my aim) but I also use movement a lot for the fine tuning of aim. I don't know if there's any exact reason to why I use this grip; I've just used it ever since I got a computer and it comes naturally to me to palm a mouse.”

• Frederiek "Frantic" van Gammeren, Unreal Tournament, Team Dignitas

• Alvin "Matrix" Tan, Counter-Strike 1.6, Team ExsequoR
"I'm using the palm grip because it's naturally the most comfortable grip for me and I've been reluctant to change since I started gaming. The DeathAdder has the perfect shape for my hand so I can use my normal grip without having to make any adaptations."

• Hjalle '*DowaQ*' Hogberg Warcraft III, Team Serious Gaming
"I prefer using the palm grip, mainly because it gives me the feeling that I have more control this way. Also because my hand is pretty big, this grip gives me the best feeling."

• Dong Hwan '*viOlet*' Kim, Warcraft III, Team Serious Gaming
"I use the palm grip. With my hand totally covering the mouse it gives me the feeling to be maximum in control of my movements."

• Nick '*solz*' Schurink, Call of Duty, Team Serious Gaming
"I am using the palmgrip because it feels natural to me. It feels more like the mouse is a part of my arm instead of a object that I hold with my hand."

• Michiel '*rapz*' Kappen, Call of Duty, Team Serious Gaming
"I am using the palm grip. With this grip I feel I have control of the mouse. Another reason for me in using the palm grip is that i tend to play with my arm resting on the table, with the palmgrip my hand lies relaxed on my mouse and my aim //allround is// more accurate ."

• Fatih "mousesports.gob b" Dayik, Counter-Strike 1.6, Team mousesports
"Since i have smaller hands i use a combination of palm and claw grip. Especially in scenes were i need to burst single shots i m switching to claw, when using the spraying-shooting technique i always switch to palm"

• Navid "mousesports.Kapio" Javadi, Counter-Strike 1.6, Team mousesports
"I have the best control and feeling for my mouse when using the palm grip. "

• Antonio "mousesports.cyx" Daniloski, Counter-Strike 1.6, Team mousesports
"I am using mostly the palm grip when playing with rifles, but when i am playing with the AWP i m switching to the claw grip. Razer Salmosa`s ergonomic form suits my playing preferences and gives me profound aim feeling throughout the match"

• Dennis "mousesports.HasuObs" Schneider, Warcraft3, Team mousesports
"I am used to the palm grip since i ve started playing games having my fingers on the buttons and my palm on the back of my Razer Deathadder.
This way i have full control and being able to control my units during intense matches perfectly."

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."


Adrien "*burnedd*" Denis, Quakelive, Serious Gaming
"For me, the palm grip is the best for fast aim and fast movement. Sometimes when I am in tight situations, I use the clawgrip."

Kevin '*RotterdaM*' van der KooI, Warcraft III, Serious Gaming /
"Since Warcraft III games tend to go on for quite some time, I personally find it much more relaxing to use a palm mouse grip, even though during big fights I might switch to claw grip for a short amount of time which is possible with a Deathadder as well, but 98% of the time I use a palm grip which is very comfortable on a Deathadder."