Review: The Razer Naga X sticks to what makes it the king of MMO mice

Razer still makes the best MMO mouse you can get your hands on.

Razer makes a ton of different mice, but one of its most iconic lines is the Naga. The range began life in 2009 as a dedicated mouse for MMORPG players, right in the middle of World of Warcraft's heyday. Its 17-button layout, with 12 side buttons gave your thumb access to keybinds for actions and abilities, was utterly unique at the time.

Fast forward to 2021, and Razer now has a quadruple threat of Naga mice, ranging from wired to wireless and even on for left-handed people. Two of the entries, the Razer Naga Pro and Razer Naga Trinity, cater to gamers outside of the MMO space with swappable side panels with different button layouts.

However, there's something to be said for sticking to the basics, and that's exactly what the Razer Naga X does best. The Naga X takes the formula of what made the original Naga great, and improves upon it with modern sensibilities. Here's how it stacks up to some of the best gaming mice out there.

Razer Naga X review:

• Price and availability
• What's good
• What's not good
• The competition
• Should you buy?

Razer Naga X

Bottom line: The Razer Naga X offers great value for dipping your toes into the MMO mouse space. This approach to the basics gives you the best of what makes a Naga a Naga without extra frills.

The Good

• New optical switches feel great
• Excellent build quality
• Lighter than other Naga mice
• Affordable entry point

The Bad

• No interchangable side panels
• 12-button layout not for everyone
• No wireless option

$80 at Amazon $80 at Razer

Razer Naga X: Price and availability

The Razer Naga X was released in early 2021 for $80. It's the most affordable Naga in the range, making it an excellent starting place if you're looking for a mouse that'll step up your MMO game.

You can currently buy the Naga X at Amazon and Razer online, or through Best Buy and other brick-and-mortar retailers both online and in-store. Razer is known for having some good sales throughout the year at its online store and via Amazon, so you may catch the Naga X at a lower price.

Razer Naga X: What's good

While the Naga X keeps things basic by Naga standards, Razer has made some improvements here that stand out. The biggest change is a move to Razer's second-gen optical mouse switches. These trigger using an infrared light beam, eliminating the need for a physical contact.

These switches have the effect of reducing response time to 0.2ms, according to Razer. Further, they should eliminate delay and accidental clicks. Both of these claims held up in my testing, though I should note I never noticed accidental clicks as much of a problem in previous mice, so your mileage may vary.

Regardless, the switches feel great to use. They're fast and responsive, and the clicking action is about as solid as you can get from a gaming mouse. That's great for a mouse with an additional 12 side buttons where click feel becomes even more important.

The Razer Naga X is fast, responsive, and as solid as you can get from a gaming mouse.

While Razer has improved the button feel over the years, those 12 side buttons are still just as great as ever in MMO settings, whether that's with World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, or whatever your game of choice is. You can easily bind all of your action buttons to the mouse, putting them within rach of your thumb at all times and freeing up your keyboard hand to focus on movement or your most important keybinds. Throw in keyboard modifiers, and you open up from 12 buttons to 24, 36, and even more.

The Naga X is also much lighter than its siblings in the Naga range, which is great for anyone who prefers keeping their mouse as light as possible. It weighs in at 85 grams, which is far below the 117 grams of the Naga Pro. It's also wired, which is still the gold standard for many PC gamers, even as wireless tech continues to get much better.

Finally, there's something to say for the action of the Naga X as well. The feet are incredibly smooth, offering a glide that won't slow you down. The sensor is top-notch as well, as we've come to expect from Razer, and you'll barely notice the cable is there unless you catch it in a snag.

Razer Naga X: What's not good

For all that the Naga X gets right, there are some downsides. The biggest thing to be aware of is that this is still very much a mouse targeted at MMO gamers. While you can certainly use the 12 side buttons in other games, they might be a bit over-the-top in most cases.

That's doubly true when it comes to day-to-day work, though you can get pretty creative with bindings if you want to. Still, unless you play MMOs, you're probably better served by a more standard mouse layout unless you have some unique workflows.

The lack of swappable side panels only drives this home further. Whereas the Naga Trinity and Naga Pro will let you change your side buttons out to other layouts when not embarking on your next raid, the Naga X is stuck with one option. This is a very basic entry to the Naga line, after all.

While there is a wireless option in the Naga range, it would also be nice to see a wireless approach to this more basic version of the mouse. As it stands, you either stick with the basic Naga design with a wire, or you have to step up in the range to get wireless at a much more expensive price.

Razer Naga X: Competition

When it comes to MMO mice, you're mostly going to look elsewhere within the Naga range for competition. The Naga Pro is the top of the line if you want to go wireless and get swappable side panels. However, it's much more expensive, coming in at nearly double the price of the Naga X.

A much more middle-of-the-road approach would be the Naga Trinity, which still gives you the three swappable side panels, but keeps the wire for just $20 more. If you play more than just MMOs or just want the convenience of being able to swap to a different button layout when not playing, then this is probably the way to go.

Among other gaming mouse makers, the Corsair Scimitar Pro and Logitech G600 are both excellent options. The Corsair mouse comes in quite a bit more expensive at $110, but it's the closest analogue to the Naga X. The Logitech model is a budget-range mouse, so you can still get an MMO-focused button layout for under $40.

If you'd rather skip "gaming" mice altogether, some of the best mice out there may be built for the office, but still feel great for getting the occasional game in.

Razer Naga X: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if ...

• You want the OG MMO gaming mouse
• You value the extra 12 side buttons
• You want a wired mouse

You shouldn't buy this if...

• You want a wireless mouse
• The extra buttons aren't appealing
• You need swappable side panels

For anyone looking for the best in MMO gaming mice, Razer is still the go-to. The layout of the Naga has been copied elsewhere, but Razer built the standard in MMO mice long ago and continues to iterate on the concept. However, the lack of a wireless Naga X could be a dealbreaker, and not everyone will be attracted to that 12-button layout on the side.

4.5 out of 5

The Naga X is the most basic take on the Naga available today, and at $80, it's a great entry point for anyone who hasn't given the Naga range a try. It's a good bit lighter than the rest of the Naga range while still being an accurate clicker with smooth action. If you have your heart set on a wireless mouse or need a different side-button layout, though, you may want to look elsewhere.

Razer Naga X

Bottom line: It may lack the frills of its sibling Naga mice, but the Naga X is a fantastic entry point to the lineup.

$80 at Amazon $80 at Razer