The first thing you’ll notice about the Gaming Mouse is the look. With the introduction of the Eclipse
Keyboard, Saitek gaming products have a black plastic mold with gun metallic
silver buttons and a patented blue LED as the signature of their gaming line.
Both the PC Gaming Mouse and Pro Gamer Command Unit follow this
standard.
On the Gaming Mouse,
the blue LED is visible through a band of semi-transparent plastic comprising
the upper half of the mouse shell just below the 5 programmable buttons. The
LED also acts as a backlight for the 1600 DPI button (when in 1600 DPI mode)
which I’ll get to a little later on.
The Gaming Mouse
doesn’t feel much different to the hand than most other mice on the market,
except that the additional buttons are placed in a way that they are just that
much easier to use. Reaching up with the thumb on the left of the mouse or the
first knuckle of the middle finger on the right of the mouse allows access to
all 3 side-mounted buttons.
The left and right mouse buttons, the application button, the
net search button, and the macros button of the PC Gaming Mouse be programmed for each game or into several
different standard configurations using Saiteks SST programming software. In
addition, the mouse wheel can be programmed to function as a 6th
button, or with a specific in game use.
The first game I played with this mouse with the SST
configuration software installed was Star Wars: Battlefront II. The 1600 DPI
button on the mouse was tremendously useful when using the rebel or imperial
sniper rifle. I’ve got jittery hands, and sometimes have a tough time lining up
my shots. Not so with the Saitek PC Gaming
Mouse, being accurate was suddenly a whole lot easier.
The next game I played was D-Day. One of the difficult parts
of playing D-Day is to get your units to follow a specific path, especially in
open areas under threat of attack. The 1600 DPI mode of the Gaming Mouse came in handy when I
needed to guide units through very specific areas of a map where I was looking
to avoid enemy detection. I was able to select the units I wanted to move, and
then click very accurately on the mini-map to get the units to move where I
wanted without having to zoom to them first.
Finally, I put the mouse to the test during a session of
Star Wars: Galaxies. Again, the 1600 DPI mode on the Gaming Mouse made a tremendous difference when using a sniper or
blaster rifle at long distances. Also, when shooting opponents at dusk or after
dark, accuracy is more difficult in SW:G due to reduced “vision” of the player.
I noticed drastically improved head shot accuracy because I was more precisely
position the cursor on my target.
As for flaws, there aren’t many. If I had to pick one, I’d
say it was that the buttons on the sides of the mouse might be a bit touchy. It
took me a good bit of time to learn not squeeze the Gaming Mouse too tightly,
for fear of accidentally pressing one of the buttons on either side of the
mouse.
In conclusion, The PC
Gaming Mouse is a terrific addition to any gamers repertoire of armaments,
and for those who specialize in FPS sniper play, it’s going to be a must have.
