GGL received the Steelseries Ikari laser mouse many moons ago, but due to a review backlog, we were only able to open it up recently. Heidi Klum helped me with the review, and pardon the bad lighting, eh?
Upon its announcement, many dismissed the new Microsoft Sidewinder Mouse as an ugly, gimmick-ridden excuse for a pointing device. The mouse certainly has its quirks, but is it good enough to replace your current gaming mouse?
We put the Sidewinder through its paces to find out.
The Shape and Feel
Coming in at 2.98×5.07in (75.7×106.33mm), the Sidewinder is large and in charge. Its elongated body will pose a problem for wrist-mouse users, so let’s just come out and say this now: If you like to use your wrist (instead of your arm) to move your mouse around, and have average size hands, pass on the Sidewinder. You won’t be able to reach the mouse wheel or side buttons.
The back of the Sidewinder has a distinct hump that’s designed to fit into your palm. I find the palm grip uncomfortable to begin with, so whether or not the hump is good will depend on your definition of a good grip. I can’t give a mouse a bad review for something I just arbitrarily don’t like, after all… Continued…
Our friends at Razer sent me the latest and greatest gaming mouse straight from their headquarters. Say hello to the 4000 DPI Razer Lachesis!
I’ve yet to try out this beast, but it’s definitely be a child of the Boomslang, with the extra-long trademark Razer buttons. We’ll have a review of the Lachesis on Wire soon.
For now, check out these pictures of the Lachesis in its natural habitat. It’s hiding behind the box cover in one pose, while in the second, it finds cover behind some California vegetation.
P.S: Yes, a review of the Sidewinder mouse is also incoming, but has been on the backburner due to computer problems.
Competitive gamers are a rare breed. They demand performance, comfort and consistency above all else from their peripherals and systems, whether that’s an Xbox 360 or a PC. With that in mind, SteelSeries is readying the Ikari Laser Mouse, but before it comes out, the development squad wants you to know a few things.
In a vehement editorial at fragyou.net entitled “Don’t believe the hype – laser wasn’t meant for gaming (till now),” the development team laid bare the problems with conventional gaming mice. As with all marketing, they painted the new SteelSeries product in a favorable light. Check it:
All kinds of different manufacturers promise the Holy Grail when it comes to describing what their mice can do. Laser technology, 4.000 DPI, a high number of buttons, Burst-Fire-Button, glowing colors, gold-plated USB connectors and “always on hyper ultra something” are just some of the features that are offered to us, in the mouse manufacturers quest of making their potential customer one of the top gamers in the world. According to these companies every top gamer would be even better when using a 4.000 DPI laser mouse. “For gamers by gamers”, “created for gaming”, “the ultimate gaming mouse”, “hardcore gaming” – you’ll find all these statements, and many more, when browsing today’s gaming mice.
While I find myself agreeing with the development team on a few points, namely that the gaming mouse market has been overrun by ridiculous features, the editorial didn’t hit a bullseye with me. The answer lies in the first sentence of the second paragraph. Continued…
I wasn’t initially aware of the Logitech G9’s existence until GGL user lunkhead (fill out your profile, slacker!) dropped me a note about reviewing the mouse. A few e-mails later, I had the G9 in my grubby palms. Truthfully, I didn’t know what to expect from this mouse, which is the best way to be going into a review.
The test system:
AMD 64 4000+
Asus A8N-E Motherboard
GEForce 7800GT
2GB RAM Continued…
