There is a really good reason why no gamer should really touch this mouse - acceleration. The mouse has inbuilt unremoveable acceleration making the mouse primarily unsuitable for gamers.
If you had done a basic sensor test you would have determined this and been able to a give a useful review instead. At one time Anandtech was famous for its indepth technical reviews, these mouse reviews are embarrassing.
No, there's also inherent acceleration in the sensor in which if you are competitive in gaming your mouse movements may not always be 1:1 and instead may gradually move a bit faster as you try to flick shot. Some high level gamers can adapt and dominate using this mouse while others can't.
Oh, the elitism, I can not withstand it! Seriously now, to notice the acceleration innate to certain sensors, you have to be at the very top of twitch shooter competitive scene. And I bet most of the people commenting aren't there and wouldn't even notice it in a blind test. And also, stop pretending gaming grade mice are only for shooters. In RTS-es for example, acceleration is beneficial for certain playstyles, so much that the innate acceleration of the sensor is negligible even at the highest level.
He's simply right that acceleration you can't turn off is a no-no for gaming mouse. To try to argue such a thing is simply silly and shows you have a compulsive need to argue more than anything else.
Indeed, acceleration THAT YOU CAN NOTICE is a big no-no, but I doubt any of us can. I bet most of the elitists would be happily playing in their ignorance with "imperfect sensors" if it weren't for someone crazy enough to test this with the proper equipment. I must commend those enthusiasts for doing that, but I didn't expect those results to get so blown out of proportions. 120Hz monitors affect gaming performance in a much bigger way, but I don't think I saw anyone using one. I have a question for all the people fueling this "imperfect sensor" non-sense: If your reflexes and eye-to-hand coordination are so good that you can notice minuscule imperfections in sensor tracking, and those imperfections affect your performance your quake 2/CS 1.6 sessions, why don't you also go and buy a 120Hz monitor to go with your perfect sensor? Or even better, why don't you buy a CRT or whip out the one in your basement?
Both you STFU, the real problem here is the significant decline in anandtech journalism standards.... this like many other "articles" are blatant paid-for product advertisements under the guise of a "review". As these comments prove, a large majority of the readers here could have written a better review of this product, and are simply more informed than the person analyzing this product.... just sad Anand.
Sir, I have been using the damn Intellimouse Optical since it came out. I have gone through broken Intellimouse, intellimouse 1.1 etc. I have also bought numerous high end "gaming" laser mice. I did not know until very recently about the accelleration "problem". I have used a Razer Lachesis, some high end Logitech, a few others I don't even remember... I always went back to the Intellimouse Optical 1.1.
During the first 5-6 years using the intellimouse optical 1.1 etc, my headshots in games like counterstrike were amazing. Used to play CAL etc. But every time I tried the latest and greatest mouse (trying as well to find a similar shape to intellimouse 1.1), my accuracy sucked. Even when forcing myself to use it for months.
Plug in the intellimouse optical, and im back to 20-9, 15-6, etc much better K:D Ratios.
THIS IS VERY MADDENING. Any advice on a newer mouse that is accurate, preferably optical, in a symetrical shape similar to intellimouse 1.1 would be GREATLY appreciated. I AM DESPERATE for a new mouse, i have probably spent 300+ $ in the past 5 years trying desperately to replace this dinosaur...
Logitech G400/G400s and the Zowie AM/FK/EC line are the only mice that can compare to the Intellimouse sensor wise, been using my imo 1.1 since 2002 and I still use it over the G400 sometimes.
A few professional Counter-Strike players use acceleration. A lot of top Quake players use acceleration. This is personal preference, there are hundreds of mice with this exact same sensor in it. Go to each of those reviews and bash those as well. Thank you.
Because they're rugged and can withstand many hours of gaming without losing their capability. They're tested, tried, and true.
As for the acceleration, that's disappointing to hear. Maybe some people will find it useful. I have a feeling this review points to a mouse that's otherwise not the best example of why Steelseries is well known for their quality and appreciation by hardcore gamers.
And no gamer, hardcore or competition, would willingly choose a wireless mouse over wired. Let's make that point absolutely clear.
At what point in time has AnandTech been famous for indepth technical reviews, at best they're interesting. Tom's Hardware seem the only serious reviewers out there.
I'm pretty sure he was trying the sarcasm thingy. LOL. I laughed when THG picked iPhone 5s camera the overall-best. Maybe it's easiest to use, even a caveman can snap photos.
What a joke. I remember back in the day (About 14 or so years ago) when Toim's hardware was the premiere site and Anand was just a kid with a dream. Navigating that site (especially now) is a complete joke. Ads everywhere. And if you're being fair and look at all of this site's reviews, you'll see that many are very technical going on for 8+ full pages (granted, this one is not, but it's a mouse, so yea).
Tom's is great, I visit both and find your favortism for anand just because of toms advertising, hypocritical. This site also has ads. Toms has a few more but not overly so. Adblock plus counts 2 for anandtech, and 4 for toms. And Adblock is not even counting anand's dedicated AMD section or Daily Tech stuff
Uh, don't know anything about Adblock, but Tomshardware runs a lot more crap than 4 advertisements. It is one of the most heavily laden sites, one that will connect you to more servers for whatever reason than most.
I suggest you ditch Adblock and run NoScript if you want to know what's going on with your browser. (Only available for Mozilla browsers because all the rest have built-in mechanisms to prevent it from blocking sites.)
There are some good editors on Tomshardware, but it is far from the site it used to be.
if you like what Anandtech is doing in general you should disable ad blocking for anandtech.com. That's assuming the ads aren't too annoying (so far the ads on anandtech don't seem bad enough for me to reenable blocking).
Anandtech is actually pretty famous for in depth reviews. Just not particularly gamer centric ones. Tom's Hardware used to be one of my faves but it just got more and more gamer focused over the last few years. While Anandtech has gone from being kind of a nice blog to a serious resource. I always head to Anandtech when I am going to make a hard drive, monitor or other hardware purchase. They cover a good middle ground between consumer toys and enterprise tools.
Actually, according to both SteelSeries's engineers and my testing, the Sensei Wireless does not have any "inherent acceleration". The acceleration is adjustable via the software and does go down to 0. Avago's 9800 sensor, the one used in the Sensei Wireless, is "inherent acceleration-free". "Inherent acceleration" was a "problem" with earlier laser sensors, which SteelSeries hasn't used since the Ikari, Kinzu, and Kana.
Truth be told, every sensor has even a tiny bit of acceleration, including optical sensors, if you test them using actual lab equipment. People, of course, are not machines and there is a limit below which they will not discern any difference between 0 acceleration and just a tiny bit of it.
Oh, and I personally consider the "inherent acceleration" thing a silly excuse of "gamers" when they are losing. :) The default software acceleration in Windows is many times greater than the inherent acceleration of the worst laser sensor. It would take much greater levels of acceleration to defeat eye response than the inherent acceleration any laser sensor.
ADNS 9500/9800 do have inconsistent acceleration on the order of ~5%. This is a flaw with the sensor firmware, something only Pixart can fix. However, there are sensors that are acceleration free even when testing with machinery, such as MLT04 and Logitech's new 3366.
As for Windows' acceleration curve, most serious FPS players will turn that off...
Yet plenty on the link I provided say otherwise. I have no issues with laser sensors since the Logitech G500 was one my favorite mice to game with but there are those high level gamers that will complain (and yes they are at competition level)
Serious gamers disable the mouse acceleration in Windows completely - any that is re-introduced with a mouse makes it next to worthless for some gamers (Starcraft players will see the worst effects).
I lol'd at this 'inherent acceleration' myself. Considering the Sensei Raw (the wired version of this mouse in its most basic form) is the de-facto competition mouse (Dodo, WoW, even Battlefield) I highly doubt there are any characteristics of inconsistent behavior with its software or sensor.
You have no room to talk as you did literally zero empirical tests whatsoever on the mouse.
Parroting the reviewer's guide is a great way to go if you want maximum profit for effort.
It's not a great way to go if you want to do a proper review or even having a basic understanding of how something works.
Very few sensors approach perfection, and the sensor in the Sensei is very far away from that reality.
The G400 is the current gold standard mouse for people who actually give a damn.
Many other people swear by the varient of the G400 sensor that is deployed in several competing solutions.
I'm hearing good things about the Logitech G502 Proteus Core, and it seems (possibly) to be the best sensor currently, but I won't trust that until someone's done a full empirical review of the sensor.
The 9500 and 9800 sensors have acceleration built in that cannot be changed or disabled with software. Others have already mentioned this but your incredibly stupid reply here demands more replies calling you out on your ignorance.
I don't know if this mouse has it or not but why don't you do a test instead of trusting engineers or going on feel? ESReality did a real mouse review years ago and Anandtech still just does subjective testing of mice.
Not to mention that for any core gamer - the market for this mouse - 19 hours of battery is absolutely nothing. Logitech G602 can last through a month of heavy usage. Even the Razer Orochi lasts longer than 19 hours. Another pointless addition to the wireless gaming mice inventory.
I think you're right. They could have made the battery larger, changed the chemistry to Li-Po, and had either the same weight, or slightly more weight, which might have been a bonus since the common complaint seems to be their mice are too "light-weight"
Really 17h battery life is o.k. in 2014? That means I better put the mouse back every night, or I'm dead. I bought recently mice from Logitech and others that are bluetooth and last with a set of batteries for weeks, months even. I do not understand why I need a separate charging station, if I can use standard AAA or even AA rechargeables. That just drives the price up for little value, and with exchangeable standard battery sizes I can always have a loaded pair, or use non rechargeable while traveling (which I don't have to if it lasts for weeks).
It's to keep the weight down, the battery is probably the size of a pinhead. Which is why they made charging simple with a pad you just put it on whenever you don't use it.
I think they could actually use a capacitor instead of a battery. A capacitor has almost infinite lifetime and capacity does not degrade compared to a battery. It could be also charged very quickly, provided the dock had a high current source.
This isn't a RAT 9, where you need to charge up every half a day because of how inefficient it is. This has hardly any differences from a general consumer mouse. The biggest difference is the software and DPI capabilities.
This mouse was being marketed as having a wireless performance that rivaled wired performance in delay. I would have appreciated some words about this in the review.
The delay of this wireless technology is down to a few milliseconds; I am afraid I cannot possibly measure that in any given way. Even if I could and there is a measurable delay between it and the wired version, I strongly doubt that it would make any actual difference in terms of performance. Noticeable delays are a problem with bluetooth mice and other, older wireless protocols.
Well, that is actually what I would have liked to read on the review! Thanks for the feedback. I did not mean that you should test and give a totally exact figure, just how it felt in wireless vs. wired mode, and if it is as you say, then I think it is a very important improvement.
Also, is the range good enough to use in the sofa 2-3 meters away from the receiver?
It is more than 10 meters with a clear line of sight. I could not really test it for a distance greater than that (and I doubt that it would make any sense).
You strongly doubt there's a difference BUT you didn't measure and claim you can't measure. This sort of article belongs on some "vendor mouthpiece" mag/site not Anandtech. You can do better than this. You could at least compare the relative click latency with a few different mice. There are many ways you could do that- e.g. start a hires timer at the same time on two similar machines using the same type of input device, stop the timer at the same time using difference mice, do it a number of times, swap the mice (just in case the machines are different) repeat. Post the raw data somewhere. For bonus points - there's tracking accuracy and repeatability. You could fix the mouse and make a test surface move in a repeated circular fashion (or fix the surface and move the mouse) at a set speed- see if you get perfect circles and how perfect they are compared to other mice. Try for increasing speeds. Then we can see if this expensive mice is really measurably better than some cheap crap.
He was responding to a question in comments. He spelt out his subjective opinion as told you clearly it was subjective and not in the article. You can criticize that they left out a test but you're being overly critical jumping down his clear feelings as if it was in the article as a fact.
I KNOW he was responding to the question, but where is the evidence to back up his reply? He claims it is a few milliseconds but he does not actually do any tests before replying. Or writing his article for that matter. I expect better from Anandtech. If I want subjective impressions and speculation, and regurgitation of vendor specs I can get it from crappy websites/magazines like T3 for example.
Very disappointed in this review, I would expect to see these topics: -Actual sensor linearity (don't trust the software) -DPI adjustment options -Software overview, more than just screenshots -Polling rate options (how does this affect battery life?) -Input latency compared to wired mice -Wireless transmission distance
I would never consider a wireless mouse for gaming.
Check out the Logitech G502 with its 12000 DPI... It's a really good mouse though despite the over the top DPI count. Many of us that use the mouse just keep it around 400 - 800 DPI when it comes to CS.
And me. I have a been using Logitech's G9 and then G9X for years and the only suitable alternative I've found which supports horizontal buttons as part of the scroll wheel is the new Logitech G502 Proteus Core.
I have to agree with others that the mice reviews here could be so much more. On the subjective side, I don't think that most "hardcore" gamers actually care for weight systems, more than five buttons (including the wheel) and adjustable shapes. Also subjectively, the author doesn't talk about the grip at all or compare it to other mice. On the quantitative side, the measurements including size and weight aren't even present. There is no effort to measure tracking, latency, liftoff distance, perfect control speed, jitter, prediction or acceleration. Take a look at Takasta's reviews on overclock.net, the ESR Mousescore review, the utmalesoldiers.blogspot lag test and Enotus mousetest. These are the cutting edge of mouse testing just like benchmarking was the cutting edge of GPU testing circa 1997.
It looks nice and simple - but 159 EUR? Well I understand why - having lived 3yrs in Denmark full time, some of us paid 60% income tax, 25% VAT, and 80 to 110% tax on new vehicles, depending on whether it is for business or private use. Of course these rates my have adjusted slightly by now, but you get the picture.
So they have to charge a lot for the mouse, in order to make *some* money at all, given the above repressive tax environment.
I once heard a marketing man say, there is no such thing as bad products, just bad prices. :)
Yeah, Danish taxes are infuriating, and the money gets pissed up the wall.
However, I highly doubt these are actually made in Denmark. Unless someone knows otherwise, I'd bet these are made in the same cheap-ass factories in China as everyone else's mice.
Ok, I'll switch back to English... But really? Your Danish is quite good! I'm impressed.
I knew there was a relationship involved as soon as you said you were English. As the Danish say, 'nobody comes here for the weather, or the taxes'. Ha ha, how very true....
Does the wheel rattle when turning upwards as it did on Sensai RAW? This and "unstable" acceleration were two reasons for which I returned the mouse then.
I am long time optical user (Diamondbacks in different incarnations) and that there was something wrong with the movement was pretty obvious the first time I moved the mouse. Maybe today's gamers are already accustomed the laser sensor behavior but for me it was something hard to miss.
Hardly. Anyone with any intelligence knows to always get the latest drivers from the web and not use the pre-packaged CD or thumb drive which was made and then sat around for weeks or months waiting for the unit to be sold.
Someone else who misses the point entirely. Nobody is forced online to use a mouse. The drivers built into any OS will give you all the essential functionality required to use a mouse.
However this mouse isn't "basic"', It's a performance gaming mouse. The chances of someone buying this type of mouse for a machine which never goes online is virtually nil.
For machines which will never go online, a £5 OEM special will most likely meet all the requirements.
I need a wireless gaming mouse that works with a claw grip. The big sculpted ones like the Logitech G500 give my hand major cramps. This seems to be the first one that would actually work with a claw grip.
It does. I bought a Sensei Wired to replace my aging Intellimouse w/ Intellieye for work, which needed to come home and have some work done on it after 15 years of gaming and work. It's about the same shape and works great for my fingertip grip.
This is furthering the echo chamber here but man, that is a hell of a lot of money for a mouse. I use a Steelseries Sensai Pro and absolutely love the thing but have always had a soft spot for wireless mice, so when this was announced i was keenly interested. It's a huge ask to pay more than twice the price of their previous highest priced mouse just to cut the cord (and lose the kinda helpful on-board memory).
I prefer mice to be as light as possible, so i get the thinking behind using a proprietary, low-capacity battery to shave off grams. What i would really like is for someone to copy how Logitech did it with their old G7 Laser, by using thin hot-swappable battery cartridges which meant you could have one charging while the other was in use. That was a fantastic and light mouse. I've only seen Saitek do something similar with the R.A.T. 9, although that was a pretty hefty thing.
At least we've got a lot of variety out there. Reviews of mice are an interesting thing, personally i'm fine with a very basic "It works like a mouse should, here's the software" (although a list of sensors would be great). Purchasing a new mouse pretty much requires getting hands-on with them at the end of the day, everyone's a bit different in the shapes and contours they prefer.
Logitech G502 is vicious and cost half the price. When the word really gets out about how good its sensor really is, then people will either buy it or beg for other mice based on that sensor (which many have already started to do). I just wrecked a server several games in a row (HC snipers only) and this mouse feels beyond crisp. Its just perfection.
I'm still using my G7 as my mouse on my workstation. It wasn't the best gaming mouse but it is danged accurate and smooth for everything else. I sure would like a wireless replacement that is as good as it is. The batteries are showing their age and only good for a couple of days after many years of hard use.
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BrightCandle - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
There is a really good reason why no gamer should really touch this mouse - acceleration. The mouse has inbuilt unremoveable acceleration making the mouse primarily unsuitable for gamers.If you had done a basic sensor test you would have determined this and been able to a give a useful review instead. At one time Anandtech was famous for its indepth technical reviews, these mouse reviews are embarrassing.
Creig - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
According to the screenshot and the review itself, this mouse has adjustable acceleration.Omega215D - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
No, there's also inherent acceleration in the sensor in which if you are competitive in gaming your mouse movements may not always be 1:1 and instead may gradually move a bit faster as you try to flick shot. Some high level gamers can adapt and dominate using this mouse while others can't.You can find more info at overclock.net/f/375
Samus - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Why is steel series competition-issue hardware for most competitions then?F120 - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Because they sponsor a lot of teams. Even then, you'll find most people choose proven optical mice.geo2160 - Monday, May 5, 2014 - link
Oh, the elitism, I can not withstand it! Seriously now, to notice the acceleration innate to certain sensors, you have to be at the very top of twitch shooter competitive scene. And I bet most of the people commenting aren't there and wouldn't even notice it in a blind test. And also, stop pretending gaming grade mice are only for shooters. In RTS-es for example, acceleration is beneficial for certain playstyles, so much that the innate acceleration of the sensor is negligible even at the highest level.Wwhat - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
He's simply right that acceleration you can't turn off is a no-no for gaming mouse. To try to argue such a thing is simply silly and shows you have a compulsive need to argue more than anything else.geo2160 - Wednesday, May 7, 2014 - link
Indeed, acceleration THAT YOU CAN NOTICE is a big no-no, but I doubt any of us can. I bet most of the elitists would be happily playing in their ignorance with "imperfect sensors" if it weren't for someone crazy enough to test this with the proper equipment. I must commend those enthusiasts for doing that, but I didn't expect those results to get so blown out of proportions. 120Hz monitors affect gaming performance in a much bigger way, but I don't think I saw anyone using one. I have a question for all the people fueling this "imperfect sensor" non-sense:If your reflexes and eye-to-hand coordination are so good that you can notice minuscule imperfections in sensor tracking, and those imperfections affect your performance your quake 2/CS 1.6 sessions, why don't you also go and buy a 120Hz monitor to go with your perfect sensor? Or even better, why don't you buy a CRT or whip out the one in your basement?
nathanddrews - Wednesday, May 7, 2014 - link
The only thing worse than an elitist is a hater.dsumanik - Thursday, May 8, 2014 - link
Both you STFU, the real problem here is the significant decline in anandtech journalism standards.... this like many other "articles" are blatant paid-for product advertisements under the guise of a "review". As these comments prove, a large majority of the readers here could have written a better review of this product, and are simply more informed than the person analyzing this product.... just sad Anand.Hippiekiller - Thursday, May 8, 2014 - link
Sir, I have been using the damn Intellimouse Optical since it came out. I have gone through broken Intellimouse, intellimouse 1.1 etc. I have also bought numerous high end "gaming" laser mice. I did not know until very recently about the accelleration "problem". I have used a Razer Lachesis, some high end Logitech, a few others I don't even remember... I always went back to the Intellimouse Optical 1.1.During the first 5-6 years using the intellimouse optical 1.1 etc, my headshots in games like counterstrike were amazing. Used to play CAL etc. But every time I tried the latest and greatest mouse (trying as well to find a similar shape to intellimouse 1.1), my accuracy sucked. Even when forcing myself to use it for months.
Plug in the intellimouse optical, and im back to 20-9, 15-6, etc much better K:D Ratios.
THIS IS VERY MADDENING. Any advice on a newer mouse that is accurate, preferably optical, in a symetrical shape similar to intellimouse 1.1 would be GREATLY appreciated. I AM DESPERATE for a new mouse, i have probably spent 300+ $ in the past 5 years trying desperately to replace this dinosaur...
zeusyork - Monday, May 12, 2014 - link
Logitech G400/G400s and the Zowie AM/FK/EC line are the only mice that can compare to the Intellimouse sensor wise, been using my imo 1.1 since 2002 and I still use it over the G400 sometimes.AncientWisdom - Wednesday, May 14, 2014 - link
Mionix Naos 7000?BlaringMule - Saturday, May 17, 2014 - link
A few professional Counter-Strike players use acceleration. A lot of top Quake players use acceleration. This is personal preference, there are hundreds of mice with this exact same sensor in it. Go to each of those reviews and bash those as well. Thank you.pandemonium - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
Because they're rugged and can withstand many hours of gaming without losing their capability. They're tested, tried, and true.As for the acceleration, that's disappointing to hear. Maybe some people will find it useful. I have a feeling this review points to a mouse that's otherwise not the best example of why Steelseries is well known for their quality and appreciation by hardcore gamers.
And no gamer, hardcore or competition, would willingly choose a wireless mouse over wired. Let's make that point absolutely clear.
Satori756 - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
At what point in time has AnandTech been famous for indepth technical reviews, at best they're interesting. Tom's Hardware seem the only serious reviewers out there.Creig - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
You're joking, right? THG?hp79 - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
I'm pretty sure he was trying the sarcasm thingy. LOL.I laughed when THG picked iPhone 5s camera the overall-best. Maybe it's easiest to use, even a caveman can snap photos.
Arkive - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
What a joke. I remember back in the day (About 14 or so years ago) when Toim's hardware was the premiere site and Anand was just a kid with a dream. Navigating that site (especially now) is a complete joke. Ads everywhere. And if you're being fair and look at all of this site's reviews, you'll see that many are very technical going on for 8+ full pages (granted, this one is not, but it's a mouse, so yea).Morawka - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Tom's is great, I visit both and find your favortism for anand just because of toms advertising, hypocritical. This site also has ads. Toms has a few more but not overly so. Adblock plus counts 2 for anandtech, and 4 for toms. And Adblock is not even counting anand's dedicated AMD section or Daily Tech stuffSabresiberian - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Uh, don't know anything about Adblock, but Tomshardware runs a lot more crap than 4 advertisements. It is one of the most heavily laden sites, one that will connect you to more servers for whatever reason than most.I suggest you ditch Adblock and run NoScript if you want to know what's going on with your browser. (Only available for Mozilla browsers because all the rest have built-in mechanisms to prevent it from blocking sites.)
There are some good editors on Tomshardware, but it is far from the site it used to be.
The0ne - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
You are correct. Tom's has many, many adverts and advertising. Noscript will will eliminate most of these for easier management and viewing.lyeoh - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
if you like what Anandtech is doing in general you should disable ad blocking for anandtech.com. That's assuming the ads aren't too annoying (so far the ads on anandtech don't seem bad enough for me to reenable blocking).theduckofdeath - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
They're good at different things, though I agree that this here review was more of a product hands-on.CalaverasGrande - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Anandtech is actually pretty famous for in depth reviews. Just not particularly gamer centric ones.Tom's Hardware used to be one of my faves but it just got more and more gamer focused over the last few years. While Anandtech has gone from being kind of a nice blog to a serious resource.
I always head to Anandtech when I am going to make a hard drive, monitor or other hardware purchase. They cover a good middle ground between consumer toys and enterprise tools.
E.Fyll - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Actually, according to both SteelSeries's engineers and my testing, the Sensei Wireless does not have any "inherent acceleration". The acceleration is adjustable via the software and does go down to 0. Avago's 9800 sensor, the one used in the Sensei Wireless, is "inherent acceleration-free". "Inherent acceleration" was a "problem" with earlier laser sensors, which SteelSeries hasn't used since the Ikari, Kinzu, and Kana.Truth be told, every sensor has even a tiny bit of acceleration, including optical sensors, if you test them using actual lab equipment. People, of course, are not machines and there is a limit below which they will not discern any difference between 0 acceleration and just a tiny bit of it.
Oh, and I personally consider the "inherent acceleration" thing a silly excuse of "gamers" when they are losing. :) The default software acceleration in Windows is many times greater than the inherent acceleration of the worst laser sensor. It would take much greater levels of acceleration to defeat eye response than the inherent acceleration any laser sensor.
Nice try though. ;)
F120 - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
ADNS 9500/9800 do have inconsistent acceleration on the order of ~5%. This is a flaw with the sensor firmware, something only Pixart can fix. However, there are sensors that are acceleration free even when testing with machinery, such as MLT04 and Logitech's new 3366.As for Windows' acceleration curve, most serious FPS players will turn that off...
Omega215D - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Yes, apparently negative acceleration on cloth pads at certain DPI and positive on all other surfaces and certain DPI above 450.Omega215D - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Yet plenty on the link I provided say otherwise. I have no issues with laser sensors since the Logitech G500 was one my favorite mice to game with but there are those high level gamers that will complain (and yes they are at competition level)althaz - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Serious gamers disable the mouse acceleration in Windows completely - any that is re-introduced with a mouse makes it next to worthless for some gamers (Starcraft players will see the worst effects).Samus - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
I lol'd at this 'inherent acceleration' myself. Considering the Sensei Raw (the wired version of this mouse in its most basic form) is the de-facto competition mouse (Dodo, WoW, even Battlefield) I highly doubt there are any characteristics of inconsistent behavior with its software or sensor.Communism - Saturday, May 3, 2014 - link
You have no room to talk as you did literally zero empirical tests whatsoever on the mouse.Parroting the reviewer's guide is a great way to go if you want maximum profit for effort.
It's not a great way to go if you want to do a proper review or even having a basic understanding of how something works.
Very few sensors approach perfection, and the sensor in the Sensei is very far away from that reality.
The G400 is the current gold standard mouse for people who actually give a damn.
Many other people swear by the varient of the G400 sensor that is deployed in several competing solutions.
I'm hearing good things about the Logitech G502 Proteus Core, and it seems (possibly) to be the best sensor currently, but I won't trust that until someone's done a full empirical review of the sensor.
Still Salty - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
The 9500 and 9800 sensors have acceleration built in that cannot be changed or disabled with software. Others have already mentioned this but your incredibly stupid reply here demands more replies calling you out on your ignorance.dvinnen - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
I don't know if this mouse has it or not but why don't you do a test instead of trusting engineers or going on feel? ESReality did a real mouse review years ago and Anandtech still just does subjective testing of mice.lemongrabjo - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Not to mention that for any core gamer - the market for this mouse - 19 hours of battery is absolutely nothing. Logitech G602 can last through a month of heavy usage. Even the Razer Orochi lasts longer than 19 hours. Another pointless addition to the wireless gaming mice inventory.Samus - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
I think you're right. They could have made the battery larger, changed the chemistry to Li-Po, and had either the same weight, or slightly more weight, which might have been a bonus since the common complaint seems to be their mice are too "light-weight"BWMR - Friday, May 30, 2014 - link
SteelSeries Sensei Wireless Mouse seems like the best wireless mouse Logitech.piroroadkill - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Also, it's kind of cheap looking, and I prefer sculpted mice for one hand.Conficio - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Really 17h battery life is o.k. in 2014? That means I better put the mouse back every night, or I'm dead. I bought recently mice from Logitech and others that are bluetooth and last with a set of batteries for weeks, months even.I do not understand why I need a separate charging station, if I can use standard AAA or even AA rechargeables. That just drives the price up for little value, and with exchangeable standard battery sizes I can always have a loaded pair, or use non rechargeable while traveling (which I don't have to if it lasts for weeks).
MooseMuffin - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Yea, not sure how this didn't come up. I use a wireless mouse both at home and at work and they both go for months before needing new batteries.theduckofdeath - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
It's to keep the weight down, the battery is probably the size of a pinhead. Which is why they made charging simple with a pad you just put it on whenever you don't use it.shtldr - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
I think they could actually use a capacitor instead of a battery. A capacitor has almost infinite lifetime and capacity does not degrade compared to a battery.It could be also charged very quickly, provided the dock had a high current source.
Antronman - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
This isn't a RAT 9, where you need to charge up every half a day because of how inefficient it is.This has hardly any differences from a general consumer mouse.
The biggest difference is the software and DPI capabilities.
apertotes - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
This mouse was being marketed as having a wireless performance that rivaled wired performance in delay. I would have appreciated some words about this in the review.E.Fyll - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
The delay of this wireless technology is down to a few milliseconds; I am afraid I cannot possibly measure that in any given way. Even if I could and there is a measurable delay between it and the wired version, I strongly doubt that it would make any actual difference in terms of performance. Noticeable delays are a problem with bluetooth mice and other, older wireless protocols.apertotes - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Well, that is actually what I would have liked to read on the review! Thanks for the feedback. I did not mean that you should test and give a totally exact figure, just how it felt in wireless vs. wired mode, and if it is as you say, then I think it is a very important improvement.Also, is the range good enough to use in the sofa 2-3 meters away from the receiver?
E.Fyll - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
It is more than 10 meters with a clear line of sight. I could not really test it for a distance greater than that (and I doubt that it would make any sense).lyeoh - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
You strongly doubt there's a difference BUT you didn't measure and claim you can't measure. This sort of article belongs on some "vendor mouthpiece" mag/site not Anandtech. You can do better than this.You could at least compare the relative click latency with a few different mice. There are many ways you could do that- e.g. start a hires timer at the same time on two similar machines using the same type of input device, stop the timer at the same time using difference mice, do it a number of times, swap the mice (just in case the machines are different) repeat. Post the raw data somewhere.
For bonus points - there's tracking accuracy and repeatability. You could fix the mouse and make a test surface move in a repeated circular fashion (or fix the surface and move the mouse) at a set speed- see if you get perfect circles and how perfect they are compared to other mice. Try for increasing speeds. Then we can see if this expensive mice is really measurably better than some cheap crap.
hero4hire - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
He was responding to a question in comments. He spelt out his subjective opinion as told you clearly it was subjective and not in the article. You can criticize that they left out a test but you're being overly critical jumping down his clear feelings as if it was in the article as a fact.lyeoh - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
I KNOW he was responding to the question, but where is the evidence to back up his reply? He claims it is a few milliseconds but he does not actually do any tests before replying. Or writing his article for that matter. I expect better from Anandtech. If I want subjective impressions and speculation, and regurgitation of vendor specs I can get it from crappy websites/magazines like T3 for example.Qiasfah - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Very disappointed in this review, I would expect to see these topics:-Actual sensor linearity (don't trust the software)
-DPI adjustment options
-Software overview, more than just screenshots
-Polling rate options (how does this affect battery life?)
-Input latency compared to wired mice
-Wireless transmission distance
I would never consider a wireless mouse for gaming.
Antronman - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
DPI adjustment is present in the review.kamm2 - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Ah, so 8200 = ludicrous speed.Omega215D - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Check out the Logitech G502 with its 12000 DPI... It's a really good mouse though despite the over the top DPI count. Many of us that use the mouse just keep it around 400 - 800 DPI when it comes to CS.ltcommanderdata - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Does the scroll wheel do horizontal scrolling?E.Fyll - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
No, it does not.apertotes - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
That is a deal breaker for me. I have been using lateral wheel buttons to move between browser tabs for years.Coup27 - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
And me. I have a been using Logitech's G9 and then G9X for years and the only suitable alternative I've found which supports horizontal buttons as part of the scroll wheel is the new Logitech G502 Proteus Core.chill1221 - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
Skip this and drop your $80 on the new logitech G502 mouse. I got one and I'm loving it!!Morawka - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
This mouse probably cost them $45 to make. Construction is made out of cheap materials. This is like beats by dre. all hype, so expensive.Notmyusualid - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Indeed, I think I once paid less than $30 USD for a Razar Deathadder in Shanghai, in 2009.... and it was the real deal.Great mouse but I'd like one smaller than that really...
Egg - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
This looks just like my Kinzu V2 o.OOf course the sensor is worse, there are only 2 buttons + CPI adjustment, and it's wired. But for a fifth of the cost shipped, I can't complain.
Wall Street - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - link
I have to agree with others that the mice reviews here could be so much more. On the subjective side, I don't think that most "hardcore" gamers actually care for weight systems, more than five buttons (including the wheel) and adjustable shapes. Also subjectively, the author doesn't talk about the grip at all or compare it to other mice. On the quantitative side, the measurements including size and weight aren't even present. There is no effort to measure tracking, latency, liftoff distance, perfect control speed, jitter, prediction or acceleration. Take a look at Takasta's reviews on overclock.net, the ESR Mousescore review, the utmalesoldiers.blogspot lag test and Enotus mousetest. These are the cutting edge of mouse testing just like benchmarking was the cutting edge of GPU testing circa 1997.Notmyusualid - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
It looks nice and simple - but 159 EUR? Well I understand why - having lived 3yrs in Denmark full time, some of us paid 60% income tax, 25% VAT, and 80 to 110% tax on new vehicles, depending on whether it is for business or private use. Of course these rates my have adjusted slightly by now, but you get the picture.So they have to charge a lot for the mouse, in order to make *some* money at all, given the above repressive tax environment.
I once heard a marketing man say, there is no such thing as bad products, just bad prices. :)
piroroadkill - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Yeah, Danish taxes are infuriating, and the money gets pissed up the wall.However, I highly doubt these are actually made in Denmark. Unless someone knows otherwise, I'd bet these are made in the same cheap-ass factories in China as everyone else's mice.
Notmyusualid - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Hej, er du Dansk?piroroadkill - Saturday, May 3, 2014 - link
Nej, jeg er Engelsk, men min kæreste gennem 4 år er Dansk. (Jeg rejser til Danmark hver 2 måned).Min Dansk er ikke god, men jeg lærer en lidt.
Notmyusualid - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
Ok, I'll switch back to English... But really? Your Danish is quite good! I'm impressed.I knew there was a relationship involved as soon as you said you were English. As the Danish say, 'nobody comes here for the weather, or the taxes'. Ha ha, how very true....
Hej hej...
risa2000 - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Does the wheel rattle when turning upwards as it did on Sensai RAW?This and "unstable" acceleration were two reasons for which I returned the mouse then.
I am long time optical user (Diamondbacks in different incarnations) and that there was something wrong with the movement was pretty obvious the first time I moved the mouse. Maybe today's gamers are already accustomed the laser sensor behavior but for me it was something hard to miss.
JeffFlanagan - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
$160 for a mouse, and they can't even be bothered to pack in a thumb-drive with the drivers?Notmyusualid - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
Best comment here.Coup27 - Saturday, May 3, 2014 - link
Hardly. Anyone with any intelligence knows to always get the latest drivers from the web and not use the pre-packaged CD or thumb drive which was made and then sat around for weeks or months waiting for the unit to be sold.Notmyusualid - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
Shouldn't be forced online to use something as basic as a mouse. Should we register too? (I'm looking at YOU Razer)I know of a number of machine that will never, ever go online, in the role they perform.
Coup27 - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
Someone else who misses the point entirely. Nobody is forced online to use a mouse. The drivers built into any OS will give you all the essential functionality required to use a mouse.However this mouse isn't "basic"', It's a performance gaming mouse. The chances of someone buying this type of mouse for a machine which never goes online is virtually nil.
For machines which will never go online, a £5 OEM special will most likely meet all the requirements.
Coup27 - Sunday, May 4, 2014 - link
NB - Just seen you're the same user. When will we be allowed to edit posts? :@jigglywiggly - Friday, May 2, 2014 - link
why do you guys even post mouse reviews? You don't even list the sensor in the mouse or list he max tracking speed or anything.sonicmerlin - Saturday, May 3, 2014 - link
I need a wireless gaming mouse that works with a claw grip. The big sculpted ones like the Logitech G500 give my hand major cramps. This seems to be the first one that would actually work with a claw grip.dorekk - Friday, June 20, 2014 - link
It does. I bought a Sensei Wired to replace my aging Intellimouse w/ Intellieye for work, which needed to come home and have some work done on it after 15 years of gaming and work. It's about the same shape and works great for my fingertip grip.masterpine - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
This is furthering the echo chamber here but man, that is a hell of a lot of money for a mouse. I use a Steelseries Sensai Pro and absolutely love the thing but have always had a soft spot for wireless mice, so when this was announced i was keenly interested. It's a huge ask to pay more than twice the price of their previous highest priced mouse just to cut the cord (and lose the kinda helpful on-board memory).I prefer mice to be as light as possible, so i get the thinking behind using a proprietary, low-capacity battery to shave off grams. What i would really like is for someone to copy how Logitech did it with their old G7 Laser, by using thin hot-swappable battery cartridges which meant you could have one charging while the other was in use. That was a fantastic and light mouse. I've only seen Saitek do something similar with the R.A.T. 9, although that was a pretty hefty thing.
At least we've got a lot of variety out there. Reviews of mice are an interesting thing, personally i'm fine with a very basic "It works like a mouse should, here's the software" (although a list of sensors would be great). Purchasing a new mouse pretty much requires getting hands-on with them at the end of the day, everyone's a bit different in the shapes and contours they prefer.
moonbogg - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
Logitech G502 is vicious and cost half the price. When the word really gets out about how good its sensor really is, then people will either buy it or beg for other mice based on that sensor (which many have already started to do). I just wrecked a server several games in a row (HC snipers only) and this mouse feels beyond crisp. Its just perfection.nekoken - Friday, May 9, 2014 - link
I'm still using my G7 as my mouse on my workstation. It wasn't the best gaming mouse but it is danged accurate and smooth for everything else. I sure would like a wireless replacement that is as good as it is. The batteries are showing their age and only good for a couple of days after many years of hard use.leexgx - Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - link
last time I went on THG was 4-5 Years ago as they getting incorrect results or doing stupid thingsl_d_allan - Thursday, May 8, 2014 - link
Slow week for news? An article about a mouse is the head-line for almost a week?