Coth
10-04-2007, 10:59 PM
RTR-720 (http://gamingmouse.com) for the site. Visit it first if you want a good concept of this review!
I've owned many gaming mice starting with the Boomslang in 2000 ('99?) which was a ball mouse. Optical gave a very keen edge on ball mice due to the lack of the possible situation of the mouse ball sticking from dirt and mechanism cleaning, more so the former. Nothing was more irritating when your crosshair wouldn't move all the way to your target due to a clog from lint. Optical was a clear choice for this remedy but had nothing on a 2000dpi Boomslang ball mouse, as long as you kept it clean. Now we have laser mice reaching up to 2600dpi and above. The RTR-720 I am reviewing has a 1600dpi cap.
1600dpi is a very high resolution for a mouse for First Person Shooters. In fact 900dpi is good using an in-game stock pointer setting, generally speaking. What I like to do is set my mouse DPI at it's highest setting and tweak the pointer speed settings in the game that way I gain the smoothest tracking. Theoretically this should apply where you get the smoothest tracking available but I am unsure if a medium setting on a mouse with a medium setting ingame would give the same results.
Pros:
Separate X/Y DPI
Lightweight
Programable with onboard memory
No software/processes running when connected or on
Buttons will never wear out
Very customizable
Cool Factor: 10 out of 10
Ships from USA, EUR and Australia
LAN parties, "That's a MOUSE?!?! Let me try it!" though could be a con if your friends don't let you back on your machine
Cons:
No mouse wheel
Mouse wheel emulation scrolls too fast if using MW to change weapons (although there might be a way to slow down the scrolling speed, have to call Dave again)
Programming software learning curve could be steep for some users
Pal Builder is robust but intimidating (they are working on new software)
Not made for desktop, it's hard to double click unless you have a button designated for that
Cool/geek Factor: RTR-720 Utility will tell you stats about your mouse! My mouse has:
Been on for 693 hours and 50 minutes
Has moved for 183 hours and 47 minutes
Has moved 7,785 feet
Has 124,403 button presses
Though this may not be a reason to buy the mouse I know of no other program that tracks this kind of information.
My thoughts: I have tried many different brands of mice with the same shape and general size. I prefer this mouse for FPS games above any other I have owned. I kept this mouse tucked away while I bought many different mice only to have taken them back.
Conclusion: Pros outweigh the cons. Getting used to this mouse might take a little time but in the end proves worthwhile. If you play Strategy games I would suggest using a different USB mouse along with the RTR-720. As long as you have no software loaded for the other mouse things work fine and DPI is not affected on the RTR-720. The guys at http://gamingmouse.com (product website) are very helpful and tech support is good if not outstanding when it comes to resolving any issue.
I've owned many gaming mice starting with the Boomslang in 2000 ('99?) which was a ball mouse. Optical gave a very keen edge on ball mice due to the lack of the possible situation of the mouse ball sticking from dirt and mechanism cleaning, more so the former. Nothing was more irritating when your crosshair wouldn't move all the way to your target due to a clog from lint. Optical was a clear choice for this remedy but had nothing on a 2000dpi Boomslang ball mouse, as long as you kept it clean. Now we have laser mice reaching up to 2600dpi and above. The RTR-720 I am reviewing has a 1600dpi cap.
1600dpi is a very high resolution for a mouse for First Person Shooters. In fact 900dpi is good using an in-game stock pointer setting, generally speaking. What I like to do is set my mouse DPI at it's highest setting and tweak the pointer speed settings in the game that way I gain the smoothest tracking. Theoretically this should apply where you get the smoothest tracking available but I am unsure if a medium setting on a mouse with a medium setting ingame would give the same results.
Pros:
Separate X/Y DPI
Lightweight
Programable with onboard memory
No software/processes running when connected or on
Buttons will never wear out
Very customizable
Cool Factor: 10 out of 10
Ships from USA, EUR and Australia
LAN parties, "That's a MOUSE?!?! Let me try it!" though could be a con if your friends don't let you back on your machine
Cons:
No mouse wheel
Mouse wheel emulation scrolls too fast if using MW to change weapons (although there might be a way to slow down the scrolling speed, have to call Dave again)
Programming software learning curve could be steep for some users
Pal Builder is robust but intimidating (they are working on new software)
Not made for desktop, it's hard to double click unless you have a button designated for that
Cool/geek Factor: RTR-720 Utility will tell you stats about your mouse! My mouse has:
Been on for 693 hours and 50 minutes
Has moved for 183 hours and 47 minutes
Has moved 7,785 feet
Has 124,403 button presses
Though this may not be a reason to buy the mouse I know of no other program that tracks this kind of information.
My thoughts: I have tried many different brands of mice with the same shape and general size. I prefer this mouse for FPS games above any other I have owned. I kept this mouse tucked away while I bought many different mice only to have taken them back.
Conclusion: Pros outweigh the cons. Getting used to this mouse might take a little time but in the end proves worthwhile. If you play Strategy games I would suggest using a different USB mouse along with the RTR-720. As long as you have no software loaded for the other mouse things work fine and DPI is not affected on the RTR-720. The guys at http://gamingmouse.com (product website) are very helpful and tech support is good if not outstanding when it comes to resolving any issue.
