Under the gun: TOP 5 great gaming mice with programmable keys

There is a toy for everyone in the assortment of Asus gaming gadgets. The ROG and ROG Strix series are stuffed to the hilt and designed for a gamer with a tight wallet, and in the TUF line, products are more affordable and practical, but much less fancy. The gaming model M3 belongs to the second case. It is equipped with a good, albeit not a top-end Pixart PMW3325 optical sensor, durable Omron switches for 20 million clicks, a comfortable shape and high-quality assembly. And all this for ridiculous $30 by the standards of this class.

As befits a gaming mouse, the M3 is literally littered with additional buttons. There are seven of them in total: a wheel, two main ones, two on the top panel, and two more on the left. The location of the side buttons and the shape of the mouse itself seem to hint that the mouse is exclusively for right-handers, left-handers do not belong here. Naturally, additional side buttons can be programmed in the ROG Armory 2 proprietary utility. There you can also configure many more parameters - from backlighting and assigning the main keys to sensor sensitivity, macros for specific games, and the speed of response to pressing a button. The setting is not as flexible as the top Asus mice, but for the money you don’t need more.

Despite its budget, the device looks high quality and neat, but not particularly striking. Put it next to any office mouse and try to guess who is who. To make it less boring, Asus added a backlit TUT logo on the back of the mouse. The logo is small, the backlighting is neat, so it does not stand out from the general tone. Even better, ASUS TUF Gaming M3 is not only attractive, but also ergonomic. The buttons are made as a single unit with the top panel, and they respond well to pressing over their entire area. Additional keys also did not let us down, and even the wheel here is made very high quality. I didn’t like it except that the cable is too dense, which does not want to take the desired shape and regularly catches something on the table.

A year after the release of the first Kingston / HyperX mouse called Pulsefire FPS, the company decided to release a second manipulator. Called the Pulsefire Surge RGB, the main improvements are in the accuracy and responsiveness of the sensor. Oh, and added lighting.

According to subjective sensations, the already excellent ergonomics have slightly improved.

The bulge on the “back” creates good support for any type of grip, and the weight of 100 grams is optimally distributed over the body, creating a sense of proper balance. The mouse is not too heavy, but not too light, suitable for both left-handers and right-handers. He took it in his hand and as if she had always been there. The quality is also in order: the assembly is monolithic, the plastic does not creak or play, and the grippy sidewalls and smooth coating fit nicely in the hand and are easily wiped from dirt. On board there are 6 buttons and a scroll wheel, while the buttons are programmable. Settings profiles can be written to the mouse's own memory.

The manipulator pleases even more when it comes to online. The Pixart 3389's optical sensor is good on its own, but it's been tested to the point where it can withstand accelerations of up to 50G and handle even the sharpest movements correctly. They did not skimp on the switches either, using classic Omron switches with a resource of more than 50 million clicks. All in all, it's no surprise that the Pulsefire Surge RGB is selling so well. On the one hand, there is nothing innovative in the mouse, on the other hand, it has absorbed all the best from Razer, Logitech and Roccat mice, but at the same time it costs an adequate $60. And she has no noticeable flaws. Only small things like the low landing of the cable (it can rub against the table) and a rare out of sync between the backlight of the logo and the side LEDs. But against the backdrop of all the pluses, this is a drop in the ocean.

Recently, Razer has given up and started producing wireless gaming mice. For the new Basilisk X Bluetooth model, we took the proven form of the usual Razer Basilisk and screwed into it the most advanced wireless technology, so it can be easily used simultaneously with a laptop and desktop PC, instantly switching from the receiver to Bluetooth and back. Despite the absence of a wired connection, you should not worry about the quality of signal transmission and autonomy, and Bluetooth and radio devices always work correctly and without delays (HyperSpeed wireless technology is used), and one good battery will last from 285 to 450 hours of battery life. It depends on the type of connection, Bluetooth consumes less energy.

Externally Basilisk X HyperSpeed noticeably echoes its predecessor and impresses with the right approach to the concept of “design for gamers”. The main body material is a rough matte plastic, which is both good for grip and practical. Acrylic inserts add some variety, and a comfortable rubberized thumb pad gives the manipulator an aggressive look. There are no RGB inserts, oh well. There are six customizable buttons with presets. The wheel is very responsive, and the rubberized material rolls just right—not too tight, not too light. The only pity is that there are no weighting agents in the kit, without them the mouse feels lighter than it should (only 83 grams), it just lacks balance.

The mouse uses a proprietary Razer 5G sensor with a maximum resolution of 16,000 DPI and acceleration up to 40G. It feels like the same well-established PixArt 3389. The switches are also their own with a resource of 50 million clicks. For debugging, Razer Synapse 3 is used, which allows you to configure 5 DPI levels and 5 different profiles, which are stored in the internal memory of the mouse. Summing up, the Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed left a really good impression, which is spoiled only by a slightly raised price. For $ 80, which are asked for it in stores, you can find more affordable and in some ways even more interesting options like the well-proven Logitech G304/G305 Lightspeed Gaming Mouse Price from 1 648 up to 3 821 ₴ or HyperX Pulsefire Surge RGB Price from 1 969 up to 2 899 ₴.

When looking at Logitech's range of gamepads, we quickly notice that most of them have a very simple and utilitarian approach to design. They look stylish, but moderately modest, thanks to which they can look equally appropriate both at a gaming tournament and in the office. And the gaming nature is usually given out by small visual trifles like a neat logo illumination, side buttons or a sensitivity switch. All this applies equally to the terribly popular Logitech G305 wireless mouse.

The weight distribution and balance are optimal here, and the “combat rodent” itself does not burden the hand not only during the game session, but throughout the whole day. At the bottom of the mouse are five Teflon feet, which significantly improve glide. The HERO sensor of our own production with a maximum resolution of 12000 DPI has a minimum response time, and the maximum acceleration rate is a decent 40 G. The higher it is, the less likely it is to accidentally stall the cursor when it flies somewhere into the sky, making a couple of turns around its axis.

Its other advantages include a strong and balanced case, optimal weight, high-quality keys and a scroll wheel, stable communication without lags (the proprietary Lightspeed transmitter is really good), long battery life (up to 250 hours from a single battery). Throw in Logitech Gaming Software's user-friendly customization suite and built-in memory (the mouse's settings can easily be transferred to another PC with it) and you'll have clear evidence that a professional gaming mouse doesn't have to cost like a good graphics card.

The SteelSeries Sensei Ten is a mid-sized symmetrical mouse with an unusual 7-button ambidextrous layout. Unlike other models with a symmetrical design, which still have additional programmable keys on one of the walls, the SteelSeries mouse has 2 buttons on each side. If left-handers and right-handers fought like Catholics and Protestants, then Sensei Ten could reconcile them. The very shape of the mouse has remained the same as that of the legendary predecessor Sensei. And rightly so, her balance was excellent, and the shape suited any type of grip, it was not in vain that she was so loved.

But the filling of the manipulator was redone to zero in full accordance with the requirements of the time. She received an excellent optical sensor TrueMove Pro with a sensitivity of 18000 DPI and a maximum acceleration of 50G. Purely in numbers, this is one of the most serious options in the sub-$100 category, and SteelSeries rightly claims that the capabilities of this sensor exceed the needs of any person in terms of speed and accuracy. And it's true, for all the time of the tests we did not manage to achieve at least some kind of breakdown or lag, even with the most abrupt movements.

Its other advantages include reinforced main switches, the ability to work on any surface, proprietary software with a bunch of settings and high-quality localization, and a rare feature associated with backlighting. In the SteelSeries Engine Utility, you can customize the RGB lighting to signal the current state of the player character or environment. The only bad thing is that the main LED is hidden under the logo, and it is usually closed by hand. Otherwise, this is a perfect reimagining of the famous frag machine without any weak points at all. Yes, the price is too high, so before buying we recommend to estimate whether you really need all these features or you can get by with excellent, but not so fancy Logitech G102 Prodigy or Razer DeathAdder Essential Price from 869 up to 2 241 ₴.