I recently purchased the Razer Moray earbuds. I was looking for something that would fit nicely in my ears and had an in-line microphone. I found what I was looking for, and I’ve loved my earbuds ever since. While on my way to an appointment at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I walked by the Razer room and decided to see what they were showing. I’m glad I did. The three things I got to check out were the Razer Onza, Razer Chimera and the Razer/Sixense motion sensing and gesture recognition controller.

Razer Onza

My favorite game series to play is definitely Halo. It was the first game I played on the Xbox, but it was a bit difficult for me with the original Xbox controller, which was so huge that I had a hard time wrapping my little hands around it. Then smaller controllers were introduced, and my hands rejoiced. And at the Consumer Electronic Show, I got to see another step in the evolution of Xbox 360 controllers: the Razer Onza.

The Onza was created for professional gamers, but I think anyone who enjoys 360 games will be excited to have one. I know I will be. The controller, which will be out sometime this year and will cost about $49.99, features analog sticks with customizable tension, Razer Hyperesponse buttons and a programmable multifunction button.

The customizable tension for the analog sticks is an awesome feature. A lot of professional gamers will lend new controllers to friends so that they will break them in for them. Razer hopes to eliminate the need for doing that. If you’re a first-person shooter gamer, you can make the tension looser; if you’re a racing gamer, make the sticks tighter. I could actually feel the difference when testing the controller and could see how nice it could be to adjust hardware instead of in-game options — or for those games that don’t have in-game sensitivity controls.

The other feature of Razer’s new Xbox 360 controller is the Razer Hyperesponse buttons. The technology is currently used in Razer’s professional gaming mice and is designed to make your actions faster and give a crisp feel. I liked this feature, too. OK, so I liked it because it made neat clicking noises when I hit each button, but I also liked it because I could tell I WAS hitting the buttons. They felt a bit cleaner than a regular controller.

The Razer Onza also will feature a multifunction button, which offers another layer of customization that will let you adjust your controller to your desire ... again without having to do so in-game. You’ll just use the sliding selector switch on the bottom of the controller to map which buttons (or analog sticks) you want to do what. Configuration options are always a good thing in my book.

Since the controller is meant for professional gamers and to be tournament quality, the cable is 15-feet long and braided. There will not be a wireless option for the Razer Onza. I’m OK with that. I don’t think wireless is all it’s cracked up to be all the time for everything. And if it means better control and better functionality, I’ll be happy with a braided and durable cable. I’m looking forward to the release of this peripheral.

Razor Chimera

Although I didn’t get a chance to try Razer’s new wireless headset for the Xbox 360, I did learn about it, and I’m happy there’s going to be another option on the market. The Razer Chimera will feature 5.1 virtual surround sound, a daisy-chain solution to allow multiple base stations to be connected for private communication, and a flip up microphone.

Sadly, the mic won’t be changeable. I rather prefer the ability to have my mic be either on my left or right side, but that option isn’t that common. Due out sometime this year, the Razer Chimera will be $129.99. I liked the look of the headphones, and I hope to see how comfortable they are once they come out. For pro-gaming use, I’m guessing they’ll be comfortable indeed.

Razer/Sixense

The final thing I saw in the Razer room was the Razer/Sixense motion sensing and gesture recognition controller for the PC. The controller works using electromagnetic fields to track precise movements along six axes rather than with a sensor bar, so you get a free range of motion. The movements on screen are based on your gestures with the controllers. I thought this was a cool concept and may one day eliminate the annoyance of having to make sure your controller is targeting a sensor bar just right.

At CES, Razer was showing this technology in development with Left 4 Dead 2. I wasn’t very good with the controls. It might have been a prototype issue, or it could have been my lack of skills. The controller felt good in my hands and seemed like it would be easy to use if I hadn’t already been indoctrinated in the world of using regular/old-school controllers. The way the others used it, though, was awesome. There was high precision with what they were doing, and the movements of their hands with the two-handed interface was mimicked and clean on screen.

I think the Razer/Sixense project is definition something you’ll want to follow if you’re into movement-based controls. And I can’t wait until I can play Halo online with the Razer Onza and Razer Chimera. For more information about Razer, visit www.razerzone.com.