Gigabyte, Razer & Steelseries Gaming Mouse Reviews

Gaming Gear!

Hope you guys like your gaming gear because today I have more reviews dedicated to some funky gaming gear from the biggest brands like Gigabyte, SteelSeries & Razer.

First up though, it’s the Gigabyte M8600
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/m8600-gigabyte-m8600-p-55349.html?sort=2a

Let’s take a quick look over its main features,

Interface: USB
Tracking system: Twin-eye Laser
Resolution: 100 ~ 6500dpi ( Hardware: up to 5600dpi)
Onboard memory: 32KB
Maximum acceleration: 50g
Maximum speed: 150 inches/ second
Cable Length: 1.8m nylon braided / Gold-plated USB connector to mini USB
Dimension: (L)134.3*(W)72.7*(H)42.7 mm
Weight: 148g with battery; 110g without battery
Accessory: Charging dock, Li-ion battery*2, USB to mini USB cable*2, Driver CD, Quick guide, Spare feet pad 

The mouse looks like something ET bought down with him on an un-Hollywoodized visit. It’s got sharp corners with lines cutting into parts, different materials on different sections and a DPI control panel that looks like a launch pad for a space ship (explains the ET thing). Basically, it looks funky.

The packaging it comes in is no less fancy. If the mouse is something ET bought down, the packaging would be the ship. It comes in unconventional cylinder tubing that breaks off into 2 parts. The mouse itself sits on the top section in a cheaply made plastic mould (the ships seating). The bottom section contains all the accessories which come in one tight zip up bag which contain 2 USB Cables, a docking station and a backup rechargeable Li-ion battery. Very appealing set of accessories.

The mouse itself is quite large and people who like to grip their mouse may find it uncomfortable as the middle is quite sharp and sticks up. Claw users like me will find it very comfortable to use. The rear end of the unit has the battery pack which is replaceable, with a simple click on the bottom, the battery just pops out. Gigabyte has rated the battery to last up to 50 hours of use before a charge is needed, with which the 2^nd battery pack, makes for 100 hours of gaming. Enough for any hardcore dedicated gamer. The spare battery back can be placed into the docking station to recharge. The station is also a cradle and charging mount for the mouse itself. However when you place the mouse onto the cradle, it does feel quite wobbly and doesn’t sit in entirely snug. The cradle must be connected to your PC via one of the supplied cables. Another extra feature is the ability to plug the USB cable straight into the front of the mouse as well. It locks in for secure wired usability. All the buttons are programmable to suite your needs as well.

Using the mouse was interesting, at times the cursor would just start moving by itself without me having to move the mouse, which is a bit annoying and disappointing. The side of the mouse where extra buttons are have a plastic lining to it, which feels ridiculously cheap. While gaming, I just could not get used to this mouse, there’s just something about it that makes it not up there with other mice which are cheaper than the M8600.

Overall, I think Gigabyte put a lot of effort into the fancy packaging, filling it with accessories and features but lost focus when it came to how the mouse actually worked and felt. I want to love this mouse, but for the time being I can only like it.

Next up I have the SteelSeries Sensei Pro Grade Laser Mouse
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/62150mssensei-steelseries-sensei-p-53951.html?sort=2a

Let me just start off by saying, it looks like one of those old-school ball mouses except this has shiny top with lights and screens over it and it feels 1000 times better. It’s as simple as a gaming mouse can be but with the Engine software (which you need to download separately) it lets you tweak and personalise the mouse till your heart’s content. The rear end of the mouse has an illuminated Steel Series logo which can be customized within the Engine software. The scroll wheel is also illuminated and can be changed. In front of the scroll wheel we have a simple button which allows you to change DPI settings on the fly. On the underneath of the unit, there is a small LCD screen (yes, it has a LCD screen under it) which can be customized to display what you like. The top shell part of the mouse does leave smudge marks and it looks like the perfect material that welcomes scratches. It’s so shiny and has blurry reflections all over, scratching this would be inevitable. It’s also not so friendly with sweaty palms.

The mouse has two buttons on each side and has a symmetrical design which is useful for our left handed friends out there. People who like to grip their mouse I think will find this unit welcoming, it is nicely and evenly shaped and rounded which allows your palm to comfortably sit over it.

Using it felt quite nice, I got used to it very quickly and movements became very natural. The two buttons on the right hand side of the unit did bother me though. I kept accidently clicking on the buttons because it is perfectly positioned where my ring finger rests. I guess that’s one of the downsides when you have a mouse that is symmetrical and is accustomed to both handed users. Gaming was very comfortable and easy to use. The programmable buttons made it easy to shorten a lot of keystrokes.

Overall, though it’s a solid performing mouse, there are a few design flaws which can be blamed on the mid 1990’s design of the unit but I think many users will be happy with it.

Last up we have the Razer Abyssus – Mirror Edition
http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/rz01-00360500-r3m1-razer-abyssus-mirror-edtion-p-46523.html?sort=2a

For $53, you don’t get much of a mouse to be honest. When Razer labelled it with ‘Back to the Basics’, they really weren’t kidding. 2 buttons and a scroll wheel, that’s all you get. Unpacking it was quite ordinary and is as simple as plugging it in and you got yourself a Razer mouse. The rear end of the mouse has an illuminated Razer logo in blue…. Not sure why they didn’t make it green considering their logo is branded as green. On the bottom of the unit you’ll find two switches, one for polling rate switch from 125Hz to 1000Hz (quite a big jump there) and one for DPI with options 450, 1800 and 3500. The mouse is suitable for those who like to claw their mouse and is perfectly suited for left handed users as there are no extra features to the unit.

The scroll wheel is quite heavy to use and isn’t as smooth as what I would like it to be. Gaming however was quite comfortable and fun to use with. Was very responsive and all of the 3 buttons seem to have worked very well. My palm sits nicely on the unit and sweaty palms don’t seem to be an issue as the glossy shell just deflects it all.

Overall though, for the price tag the mouse doesn’t offer enough features or functionality. It looks and feels good but lacks in performance and though it did well with gaming, I can’t picture somebody using a mouse solely for gaming.

sahin.s@centrecom.com.au

Thermaltake Gaming Gear!

Thermaltake Gaming Gear
Gaming Mice & Pad Combo’s

TteSports by Thermaltake Ladon Gaming Mouse pad - http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/emp0002sms-ttesports-thermaltake-ladon-gaming-mouse-p-54451.html?sort=2a

TteSports by Thermaltake Black Gaming Mouse – http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/moblk002dt-ttesports-thermaltake-black-p-48113.html?sort=2a

TteSports by Thermaltake Dasher Mini Mouse pad – Promotional item only!

Features    

                  

Today I have a special treat for you all. I have for reviewing today 2 mouse pads and a gaming mouse, all thanks to Thermaltake! The three products we have on hand are:

Black Gaming Mouse
DPI : 400/800/2000/4000
USB data format : 16 bits
Max Acceleration : 50G
Max Speed : 90IPS
Report rate : 500 reports per second
Tuning Weight : Yes (4.5gx5)
On the move DPI : Yes/4 levels (400/800/2000/4000)
Buttons (Left / Right) : 5 million clicks
Cable length : 1.8 m braided
Feet material : Teflon
USB connector : Gold-plated

Ladon Gaming Mouse pad
Durable surface: for long term gaming session
Solid sewing edge: prevents peeling or warping problem
Unique sensor reflection: high content of micro fibre with superior density gives excellent control
Sturdy non-slip design: unique pattern creates effective gaming precision
Gaming profiles optimize: optimal surface for any type of mouse and is specifically geared for RTS and MMOPRG gamers
Dimension (LxWxH): 360x300x3mm
Ultra-Thin Fiber and Nature Rubber Base, ensuring Mouse Pad Stays in Place.
Ideal for MMORPG Game Genre’s Demands in Précised Control and Movement.
Perfect Match with Tt eSPORTS AZURUES or AZURUES Mini mouse.

Dasher Mini Mouse pad
Size 235mm x 190mm x 3mm
Material: Cloth weave & natural rubber

Let’s start off with the Dasher Mini. As its name would suggest.. It is quite mini. However, let’s not forget some things come better in smaller packages. This pad is a sample product of the full sized dasher. The small size is beneficial for those looking at a mouse pad to use in confined places. If you have a small desk, then a mini mouse pad would be quite useful for you. The pad comes in a little thin book like fold out piece of cardboard which in all honesty, is one of those things where I would love to keep the packaging because it’s just so frigging cool.  It is totally travel-friendly. If your one who attends LAN events or move your computer around, simply pop the pad back into its sleeve and chuck it in your LAN bag with all your other goodies! The stiffness of the packaging will help keep your pad snug and safe.

Though its small, I didn’t find myself falling off the edges, even with my mid-range mouse sensitivity, the size was enough for movements across dual monitors quite comfortably. The pad’s adhesive underneath was quite good and kept the pad nicely planted on my desk without any movements or the corners curling up.

The pad itself feels real good. Mouse movements on it are very smooth regardless of it being a $10 quality mouse or a $100 gaming mice, this makes your mice, feel good!

During gameplay the mouse pad was very responsive, I didn’t get any speed issues or discomfort by the size of it, it all seemed to work quite well.

Next up, we have the much bigger and more badass brother of the Dasher Mini, the Ladon Gaming Mouse Pad. First things first, this is a big ass mouse pad. You’re going to need an ultimate uber-desk to use this thing. It’s a big and thick mouse pad to ordinary standards. The unique material of the mouse pad makes it thicker than your normal pads which sit almost flat along your desk. Once you have one of these, everybody is going to notice the massive pad under your mice. A feature I did however like about this mouse pad, was the solid sewing around the edges. This helps prevent the curling problem sometimes come across by moving your hand over the edges or the mice falling off the edge. I can brush my hand comfortable over the pad and my fingers just smoothly roll over the pad with no curling what so ever.

 

The pad sits quite well on the table, very sturdy and steady. It’s called the ‘speed edition’ for a reason, it’s super-fast. My mouse just glides over the pad with ease and is very responsive. Gaming was quite fun on this mouse pad, it took a few headshots (receiving end) for me to get used to the smoothness and speed of the mouse pad. The size of the pad I found to be quite welcoming when it comes to gaming. Not sure why but the knowledge of having a massive pad to play gives my game character a good ego boost in-game.

Last but not least, we have the Black Gaming Mouse. This mouse was on the WCG’s 2010 Official Hardware list of products and proudly displays the sticker on the front of box. Opening it up, the mouse sits in a perfectly moulded plastic housing. Underneath the multiple layers of plastic we have the user’s manual, which is one of the thickest manual I have seen, and it’s for a mouse. Not sure about others, but I have never found myself to read the manual of a mouse, I just want to plug it in and fiddle around with it and find the features of the mice by luck. Within the packaging you also get a mouse pocket, which is fantastic, again for people who regularly LAN, put your mouse in the zip pocket and keep it safe and secure!

The design of the mouse is nice and smooth, my hand fits nicely over the mice and all buttons are very comfortable to use. The mouse will favour those who use their mice in a claw manner. The scroll wheel is clear plastic around the sides which help radiate the red light from underneath it, it feels very strong and responds very well to scrolls and even clicks. Up behind the wheel we have sensitivity controls which let your instantly control the DPI of the mouse. The level of the mice’s sensitivity shows up on three illuminated bars running along the left hand side of the mouse, although you do have to look almost directly over it to actually see the lights. At the rear end of the mouse there is the Tt logo which contains the same red light throughout the entire unit. Now the cool bit, the light brightens and darkens randomly and it looks awesome! Very cool bit of extra feature.

 

Beneath the mouse we have a little housing that holds the 4.5g weights. If you like lighter mice just take out to your desired level and put the excess weights in the pocket! The thumb side of the mouse has an extra button and has a patch of bumpy rubber for those times your thumb needs a good grip! The mouse is designed more for right handed users, with the thumb rubber pad and button on the one side only. Though left hand users may find it comfortable, the awkward positioning of the button may cause issues.

Overall the 3 items I had a look today offer gamers good options for mice and mouse pads. Thermaltake’s signature black and red designs make it look like a nice complete set on your desk, get a keyboard and complete the look. I’ve always been one who is quite fond of Thermaltake with myself owning a fair few of their products and it’s good to see even in different product areas, they’ve been able to keep up their consistency in the look and feel of Thermaltake.
These Thermaltake products offer great performance at very competitive pricing.

sahin.s@centrecom.com.au