Aptly named, the WoW Mouse by Steelseries streamlines the user experience, providing the speed and sensitivity needed for the most pulse-pounding Arena match, while at the same time giving players the ultimate in customizability with its WoW Mouse Gaming Software.
Sexy design, both Inside and Out
The first thing we have to say about this peripheral is, holy crap it’s sexy. We challenge you to find a better looking mouse out there on the market. Its sleek ergonomic shape is great on the wrist, the notched wheel gives great scrolling traction, and there’s even a set of nifty little thumb and finger rests to allow for full-hand movement while mousing. In the end though, it’s the looks that wow us (pun entirely intended). The brushed steel look screams hardcore, and for all those fans of mood lighting, this mouse glows with a pulsing light you can customize to your preferred speed and color.
We’re very impressed at how well this performs. The WoW Mouse provides excellent laser-driven sensitivity, great for those players who prefer to click on their abilities with a minimum of drag. If you’re more of a button masher though, there are fifteen customizable buttons you can set to all your favorite abilities for split-second reaction time. We put this baby through its paces in a whirlwind series of raiding events, and were pleasantly surprised to see it perform with flying colors. Beware the switch back to a normal mouse however, there may be signs of withdrawal. We know we had a case of the shakes for an hour or two.
As with all the most attractive people we know, the WoW Mouse is not a cheap date. Sitting at a pricepoint of $99.99, this isn’t the sort of thing you can expect as a stocking stuffer unless of course you happen to be Mike Morhaime himself.
Overly customizable for WoW, But leaves out the other games
Call us crazy, but we don’t just use our computer to play WoW. While the WoW Mouse software does allow for customizing your mouse for Internet use, the software is very WoW-centric. We found it difficult, if not ultimately impossible to bind keys for the other games we would like to play using this mouse. Knowing that Steelseries provides that sort of adaptability for their zBoard keyboards, perhaps they’ll release other software versions for the other PC titles in our library. Until then, this little guy sits firmly on the side of “only use me to play one game.”
When it comes to customizing the WoW Mouse to play World of Warcraft, things get a little sticky. Despite being designed in conjunction with Blizzard, the WoW Mouse Gaming Software allows players to bind macros and even scripts to buttons on the peripheral, stepping dangerously into exploit territory. Of course, Blizzard says simply don’t use that part of the software, and we agree, but then why have it in there at all?
Pros: Extreme sensitivity, Ergonomic shape, Easy-to-use customizing software, Fifteen buttons of pure pwning pleasure.
Cons: Too pricey for today’s average gamer, Despite being sanctioned by Blizzard the software can help players exploit the game, Not easily adaptable to other games.
Score: 4.50/5.00
