Razer TRON Gaming Peripherals

I was born in the early 1980s. Computers were new and the internet was something nobody understood and few people had heard of - the Matthew Broderick movie WarGames is a fine example of how things worked back then. All we knew was what we saw in the movies - that the inside of a computer contains lots of skyscrapers laid out like city blocks and information flies around between them like an emergency response helicopter.

But TRON, the 1982 Jeff Bridges movie, actually goes one step further than that and suggests computer programs are almost sentient beings, with their own personalities and ambitions. It's probably no coincidence that I've always named my computers - and even given separate names to separate hard drives - working on those kinds of influences. And it's probably not surprising to anyone who knows me that I'm pretty thrilled to see Razer's TRON: LEGACY Light Cycle mouse, matching mouse pad and keyboard go on sale after being announced back in the summer. The countdown to the release of TRON: LEGACY in the cinemas is well and truly on.

The Razer TRON: LEGACY Light Cycle Mouse

Look at it. Go on, it's right there. Isn't it beautiful? Doesn't it make you all nostalgic for your youth? Don't you wish it was an actual life-sized light cycle so you could hop on and take it for a spin? Those aren't coloured plastic bits on the side - it actually glows. It's ambidextrous, so lefties (like me) can use it just as well as the rest of you. Its laser sensor has a resolution of 5,600 dpi. Its USB cable is seven feet long. It lights up in response to the game you're playing. It plays TRON sound effects when you start up and shut down your PC.

The genius of this entire range is that I don't even need to review it. There's nothing I can say that can make these things sound better than they self-evidently are. The design - to make something look like a light cycle yet fit comfortably into the hand - is ingenious.

UPDATE: You can now buy the Razer TRON: LEGACY Gaming Mouse from Amazon UK.

The Razer TRON: LEGACY Gaming Keyboard

There's more. Of course there's more. You couldn't have an epic mouse like that with a beige keyboard, could you? Even if you had a fancy black and silver gaming keyboard, it'd look rubbish next to your glowing light cycle. Razer have this all figured out - and they've come up with something truly astonishing. Really. Click on the picture and load the high-res version - you need to see it up close. Here come the features:

Its light and sound effects match the mouse (obviously). Its keypad can be detached (subtly). It has media jacks so you can connect you microphone and headphones for in-game comms (easily). It has programmable gaming keys so you can cheat make those tricky combinations a little easier to pull off. Oh, and that keypad? You can attach it at either end. Lefties unite! But more importantly, just look at it. If it was a woman, I'd be afraid to talk to it. The lighting design, the ZX Spectrum-style rounded keys, even the typeface used to print the letters on. Look at the number '2' key. Not the number itself - that thing alongside it. That's a TRON speech mark. Could it get any better?

The Razer TRON: LEGACY Bundled Gaming Mouse and Mat

I know what you're thinking. You're right, mouse mats are rubbish. Half the time they don't work, half the time you're better off using the table, and half the time that stuff that looks like Nutella appears on them and you either have to clean them or throw them away. So imagine, if you will, that you've just bought the Razer TRON: LEGACY Gaming Mouse. With its 5,600 dpi laser sensor detecting your slightest move during play. Don't you wish you'd bought a performance gaming mat to use it on?

Don't be that person. Get the Razer TRON: LEGACY Gaming Mouse and Mat Bundle and use it to its full potential. And that mat? It glows blue as you move across it - your Light Cycle mouse can leave its own trail behind. This could finally be a mouse mat I can really care about.

Pricing and Availability

The good news - these things are out there now. You can buy them, if you can find them. Don't look on Amazon - at the time of writing, they haven't yet appeared on there in the UK.

The bad news - you're looking at the following prices (UK exchange rates are estimates):

Razer TRON: LEGACY Light Cycle Gaming Mouse: $99.99 (£65)
Razer TRON: LEGACY Gaming Keyboard: $149.99 (£95)
Razer TRON: LEGACY Light Cycle Gaming Mouse and Mat Bundle: $129.99 (£80)