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.
After living with an HTPC as a main source of television for months now I quickly learned that a wired mouse and keyboard just weren't going to cut it. In the world of wireless keyboards and mice there is an almost endless selection, a quick search on Newegg turned up round 100 keyboards alone. Of those 100 most of them have limited or no media center controls that are key features for an HTPC. One of setups that stood out was Microsoft's Entertainment Desktop 7000 with Blue-tooth, a wireless mouse included, and media center controls. Today I will talk about my experience spending time with this setup, did it live up to my expectations?
Alright, it's time to come clean. You can't deny harboring some inner desire to fly. Unfortunately for humans as a species, we have all the the aerodynamics of a rock covered in silly string. We are resilient, however, determined if you will, to dominate the skies. Thus we fashioned great metal birds in order to pioneer yet another glorious frontier. This innate desire to fly, and by proxy, pilot aircraft has translated into our entertainment with the Flight Simulator franchise and games like Tom Clancy's HawX. Of course, on terms of reality, navigating a plane with any stock system controller is bunk. Real cockpits are a literal slew of devices and mechanism all used to prevent the craft from going nose down. So for a more interesting and realistic flight experience, manufacturers have been developing special controllers for quite some time, in an effort to simulate as true of a flight experience as best as possible. Thrustmaster, ever adept as they are at creating desirable peripherals, have a few such products and were kind enough to send us their T.Flight Hotas X to take for a spin.
Last week I looked at both Microsoft's Sidewinder X5 mouse and Sidewinder X6 keyboard. Both surprised me with their near perfect windows integration along with quality construction. To cap off our coverage of the current sidewinder lineup Microsoft provided us with their most recent mouse the X8. The Sidewinder X8 is Microsoft's first attempt at a wireless gaming mouse available just in time to battle it out with the Razer Mamba that is also wireless. With their new blue optical technology first seen in the new explorer mouse called BlueTrack along with learning from feedback from the X5 they hope to turn a lot of heads and finally garner attention from gamers the way Logitech, Steel Series, and Razer have been able too.
Earlier this week I looked at Microsoft's Sidewinder X5 Gaming Mouse, as it turns out they make more than just mice with the Sidewinder name. The Sidewinder X6 is the first gaming keyboard created from the ground up by Microsoft, there previous keyboard the Reclusa was a collaboration with our friends at Razer similar to what they did with the Habu mouse. Of course I'm always excided to take a look at new keyboards, I don't think I've ever found the perfect keyboard for me. With Microsoft's experience and quality, who knows this could be the one for me.
For years before I got into gaming I used my trusty ol mouse and keyboard, both being Microsoft products. The Intellimouse itself held up to multiple beatings without a hiccup. I know a lot of people who have stood by their Microsoft peripherals for everyday computing. It's no shock that with the gaming market growing that Microsoft followed suit with their Sidewinder Series. With their original sidewinder mouse it was always a love or hate reaction. Personally, I was never a fan, but keeping an open mind today I will be taking a closer look at their Sidewinder X5 mouse. Who knows they may win me over!
Last July i had the chance to take a look at Kensington's Si670m bluetooth mouse. I have been using that same mouse up until now, our friends over at Kensington sent me their Slim Blade Presenter Mouse to take a look at. A drastically different design than the Si670m that I enjoyed. How will it compare? Will this become my new laptop mouse?
Steelseries is well known for being a quality gaming peripheral company. Their headsets and mouse pads are seen all over any just about any lanpartys or tournament that you go to. Up until last year their mouse line was basically a Microsoft mouse with a paint job. Designing a mouse takes time, and designing a mouse of the caliber of their other products takes a lot of time, fifteen months in fact. A year later we finally have a chance to take a look at the Ikari Laser to see if the time they invested was worth it.
