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Have some fancy Razer devices? Need help managing them on Linux? OpenRazer 3.2.0 is out now and it's looking good.

Much like many other bigger vendors, Razer don't officially support Linux with their proprietary applications so it's up to the community to work around that and get all features working. This is what OpenRazer does and it manages to do it very well too. When paired up with a GUI app like Polychromatic, it's easy!

The latest release adds support for:

  • Razer Blade 14 (2021)
  • Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini Hyperspeed
  • Razer Blade Pro 17 (Early 2020)
  • Razer Blade 17 Pro (Mid 2021)
  • Razer BlackWidow V3
  • Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma
  • Razer Viper 8KHz
  • Razer Blade 15 Base (Early 2021)
  • Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro (Wired)
  • Razer DeathAdder Essential (2021)

You will also find a few improvements and bug fixes across the drivers.

See more on the official site.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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ripper81358 Dec 13, 2021
The support of gamingperipherals is clearly something where linux as a desktop OS needs to improve. For someone switching over from Windows it is just not acceptable that changing the OS leaves most if not all the equipment you own nonfunctional.

However choosing one of the supported razer devices for linuxgaming is actually a good choise. Thanks to openrazer and the polychromatic frontend i have my gear running well on my system. While not all features of my devices are supported like they would be on Windows it is good enough for my needs.

I hope that openrazer will be mainlined into the linuxkernel one day. It might also be a good idea to develope only one GUI frontend for it. While i am generally for individual solutions i don't like the useless fragmentation happening in many areas of opensource developement.


Last edited by ripper81358 on 13 December 2021 at 11:52 am UTC
cere4l Dec 13, 2021
Quoting: ripper81358The support of gamingperipherals is clearly something where linux as a desktop OS needs to improve. For someone switching over from Windows it is just not acceptable that changing the OS leaves most if not all the equipment you own nonfunctional.

However choosing one of the supported razer devices for linuxgaming is actually a good choise. Thanks to openrazer and the polychromatic frontend i have my gear running well on my system. While not all features of my devices are supported like they would be on Windows it is good enough for my needs.

I hope that openrazer will be mainlined into the linuxkernel one day. It might also be a good idea to develope only one GUI frontend for it. While i am generally for individual solutions i don't like the useless fragmentation happening in many areas of opensource developement.

Most of that is because things people class as "gaming peripherals" are.. plain shit with 3 extra buttons and a few lights. Take razer for example, it doesn't just not work on linux, under windows there are also often problems because they always try to do stuff differently. And I'm not just talking I walk right you left differently. Bad solutions for bad problems, it's exactly why I very much doubt this would ever become part of the kernel, granted it is technically possible that openrazer is properly made.

Back when I still worked in a store that sold razer as "the gaming brand" it had absolutely mind boggling return rates. Granted it wasn't "trust/sweex/canyon etc" levels of bad.
Mountain Man Dec 13, 2021
Razer products are trash. I suppose it's nice that someone is going to the effort to try and support them in Linux, but why bother for such low quality peripherals when there are much better options that "just work" out of the box?
samurro Dec 13, 2021
Quoting: Mountain ManRazer products are trash. I suppose it's nice that someone is going to the effort to try and support them in Linux, but why bother for such low quality peripherals when there are much better options that "just work" out of the box?

I am looking for a wireless mouse, any recommendations?
DebianUser Dec 13, 2021
I'm using LogiTech with piper. So far so good.
https://github.com/libratbag/piper
ripper81358 Dec 13, 2021
Quoting: Mountain ManRazer products are trash. I suppose it's nice that someone is going to the effort to try and support them in Linux, but why bother for such low quality peripherals when there are much better options that "just work" out of the box?

Sorry but i don't know any gaming hardware vendor that has official linux support for their products. So razer hardware + openrazer is a good solution in my opinion. I could buy from other vendors but it is very hard to find information on which hardware is supported. Most devices won't work aside from the standard function.

With openrazer you can look for compatible razer devices, buy the device and you have a working solution. It might not be perfect but it is better than the support offered for other brands. I have one configuration frontend (polychromatic) with all my devices in place, and i can configure them according to my needs.
awesam Dec 13, 2021
Quoting: samurro
Quoting: Mountain ManRazer products are trash. I suppose it's nice that someone is going to the effort to try and support them in Linux, but why bother for such low quality peripherals when there are much better options that "just work" out of the box?

I am looking for a wireless mouse, any recommendations?

For a wireless mouse with official Linux support I recommend Ninjutso Origin One X (driverless, DPI is configured with a button and battery indicated with a LED).

I can't think of any other wireless gaming mouse that works fully out of the box without needing some third-party software on Linux. When it comes to wired mice there are much more options available.
samurro Dec 13, 2021
Never heard of that company before. Why should it be better than any Razer or Logitech product?
awesam Dec 13, 2021
Quoting: samurroNever heard of that company before. Why should it be better than any Razer or Logitech product?

Yea it is a small brand, from a software/compatibility point of view better because all functionality works out of the box. Unlike with Razer and Logitech products where you have to install third-party software to change settings.

But if only taking the hardware into consideration that is subjective and up for debate. There is no mouse that universally is perfect for everyone, shape, size, weight, tactile feel is all a matter of taste. Personally I don't like Razer because of past experiences with their products breaking, but maybe they have changed or I just had bad luck.


Last edited by awesam on 13 December 2021 at 10:43 pm UTC
Purple Library Guy Dec 13, 2021
Quoting: samurroNever heard of that company before. Why should it be better than any Razer or Logitech product?
'cause it's made by ninjas, obviously.
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