With all of this talk about gaming mice recently it’s easy to forget that mice are only part of the package. A good mouse pad helps your mouse move smoothly and can help your mouse track more accurately. SteelSeries developed the 4HD along side of the Xai for best performance with the most current gaming mice. Considering the Xai's recent review I am excited to see what else Steel Series can do.
With a MSRP under $35 SteelSeries took a different approach to the Kinzu than with their other mice. At a price that is in direct competition to Microsoft’s X3 and Razer’s Salmosa the Kinzu could be a great entry level gaming mouse. But after you take all of the costly features off, is it still a gaming mouse? Or has it been watered down to a step above your basic ball mouse? Let’s find out.
SteelSeries was fairly new to the mouse scene when they introduced the Ikari in August of 2007. The Ikari was and still is an amazing mouse, when Steel Series told me that they have spent years perfecting their next mouse I definitely had to see what all the fuss was about. Today I will be taking a look at the Xai, SteelSeries' newest gaming mouse.
To be honest I've never used a gaming mouse before and I've never really understood why simply changing one's mouse can increase gaming performance and experience. Well that's how I felt until I tried out a hardcore gaming mouse. That mouse is the Cyber Snipa Silencer Superior Laser Gaming Mouse. I put it through the paces for a few weeks and here's what I thought.
With so many manufactures getting into the growing gaming mouse market some of the biggest manufactures like Razer must innovate and change what they are doing to stay competitive. An example of that was our review of their redesigned Deathadder mouse; today we have the chance to take a look of one of their newest mice, the Imperator.
Outside of the big names in the gaming peripheral business you can find many different manufactures fighting for even just a tiny piece of market share. A few of those names you may have even heard of. Cooler Master's Sentinel mouse for instance. Now Cooler Master isn't the only gaming case manufacturer who has a few ideas on what they think a gaming mouse should be. NZXT, has a 7 button gaming mouse called the Avatar that we have the chance to look at today. Can the little guys out-do the big names at their own game?
The Naos 5000 is Mionix's third entry into the gaming mouse line, holding true to the company's dedication to naming products after extraterrestrial beings. The Naos is one of the brightest stars in the Milky Way galaxy, whose trail is visible from Earth. It also has a peculiarly high rotation speed which comes from the interaction with other stars. In this brief history of the Naos 5000, similies to the mouse's performance are abundant. With a quick look over some of the features, it's clear why. Mionix has sent us a sample to test for ourselves, and today we sit down with the company's 'brightest' star.
This week we will be doing something new and interesting. We have a collection of mice from multiple manufactures sitting around for review. Enough in fact to fill an entire week. So to celebrate the most handled part of your PC we present our Rodent Week, we hope you enjoy it.
Confident newcomer to the American gaming peripheral industry Ozone has recently released their first model of a gaming mouse, the Smog. With several features that appeal to the gaming enthusiast, Ozone boasts that the Smog will 'give you the best gaming experience ever.' Of course, here at LanOC, we don't take a claim like that too lightly. Ozone has sent us a sample of the Smog to test for ourselves.
Microsoft's Sidewinder line, specialized gaming peripherals for the PC, is starting to see quite a few pieces in it's roster. You may recall the Sidewinder X6, their first keyboard made entirely themselves, with several great features that appeal to gamers. This month will see the launch of the new Sidewinder X4, and Microsoft has sent a sample to check out.
As gamers, competition is in our blood. Whether it's a quick match online, a neighborhood LAN party, or an official tournament, the desire to win is always present. No one is more familiar with this than SteelSeries, manufacturing professional-grade gaming equipment based on needs of gamers and less on fancy logos and slogans. In the PC realm, equipment is all the more important it takes a mix of preference and quality to allow for a player to gain an actual advantage. Today, I sit down with the new NP+ gaming surface to see how it helps gamers perform at their best.
For most PC gamers, the best part about playing on a PC over console is the added control and flexibility of using a mouse and keyboard. More specifically the mouse gives you the amazing control that just can't be found with a gamepad. The keyboard, although flexible, has always been used for typing first and gaming second. A few companies have brought out gameboards that replace the keyboard all together giving you access to all of the buttons needed without any of the extras. Logitech's G13 is their first attempt at a gamepad and with all of their experience with gaming accessories, I have high hopes.
In the past, I have compared some of the best mice in the industry to Razer's DeathAdder. No matter the competition, the DeathAdder always holds its own. Recently Razer decided to give the DeathAdder a slight renovation with a 3500DPI sensor update. Considering how much I've loved my DeathAdder let's hope they didn't mess with the winning formula!
Everyone's idea of a high-end gaming keyboard is different. Logitech has taken the LCD route for some time with their G15. The ability to have extra information showing while in a game can be helpful. Of course to follow up the G15 they had to really up their game, and because of that we have the G19. The smaller LCD screen of the G15 was given an upgrade to a larger full color screen and the ability to change the lighting to any color. Today I'll be taking a closer look at the G19: is it really the gaming monster Logitech makes it out to be?
When Cooler Master introduced their Storm product line at the start of this year they came out swinging with products designed specifically for gamers and LAN-goers. The one two punch they call the Sniper and Scout got everyone's attention and they are now backing them up with their first venture into the peripheral market; the Storm Sentinel. The secret behind the Sniper and Scout was Cooler Master working close with pro and enthusiast gamers to fine tune and tweak them until they were perfect. If that same process went into the Sentinel Razer and Logitech may want to listen.
When it comes to mice and keyboards gaming or otherwise there is one company everyone recognizes. Logitech is by far the largest peripheral manufacture in the world. In fact December of last year they produced their Billionth mouse, that's a lot of mice! They have also made a name for themselves with the G series of gaming peripherals including the popular g15 and g5. Today I have the chance to take a look at the G9x, Logitech's most recently released gaming mouse. I should have high hopes considering its family, but I can't help to be a little unsure. I was a big fan of the g5's shape and the G9x doesn't resemble the g5 at all, so who knows.
![RGTFFBclutchProduct800x600 [lr] [lrsm]](http://lanoc.org/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/RGTFFBclutchProduct800x600-lr-lrsm.jpg "RGTFFBclutchProduct800x600 [lr] [lrsm]")
A few weeks ago when I was getting ready to review the Evolution from Playseats I was on the hunt to find a Steering wheel to test with it. Thrustmaster was kind enough to send their RGT Force Feedback Clutch out to use with it. After a few weeks of pretending I'm the Stig I was finally able to pull myself away long enough to do some work. After all they didn't just send it to me for me to have fun.
![IMG_4715 [lr] [lrsm]](/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/IMG_4715-lr-lrsm.JPG "IMG_4715 [lr] [lrsm]")
Everyone has their own idea of what perfect is, this is why you see such a wide variety or products. Mouse pads are the same way, one pad may be the end all be all for one person, and another person could hate it. Because of that we have seen Razer produce hard and soft mouse pads in the past year. Today I will be taking a look at their newest design aim directly at people who don’t like using a mouse pad at all. The Razer Sphex claims to be the thinnest mouse pad on the market. Let’s hope performance isn’t figured by weight!
![IMG_4700 [lr] [lrsm]](http://lanoc.org/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/IMG_4700-lr-lrsm.JPG "IMG_4700 [lr] [lrsm]")
In the past I have reviewed multiple Microsoft Sidewinder products including the X5 and X8 mice. I was impressed with the performance and features of both specifically with the wireless X8. The only problem is not everyone can afford to throw down the money for the gaming mice that are coming out. Prices for some high end gaming mice are over $100 now, add that to the other costs of a gaming rig and you are talking to much money for most gamers. Microsoft recognized this with the x5 making a mouse with all of the great features and a better price. Of course to some the x5 is still out of range, this is where the new x3 comes in. Price a little higher than a basic mouse, but with almost all of the same features found on the x5 and x8 at a regular mouse price the x3 promises to be a great value for budget minded gamers.
Not long ago I had the chance to take a close look at Microsoft's Sidewinder X8. One of the X8's main features was the BlueTrack Technology used with its optical sensor that boasts the ability to work on virtually any surface. In my testing I found this to be true, but not really needed in a gaming mouse. BlueTrack Technology would be perfect for portable use in a laptop mouse where you never know what surface you will be using as a mouse pad. Today I have the chance to test out this theory because Microsoft's new Explorer Mini mouse using BlueTrack and I will be putting it to the test.
