Will new startup Epic Gear's first gaming
mouse stand out?
Epic Gear is a relatively new start-up
division from Taiwanese firm Golden Emperor International Limited. Although its
parent company is best known for its memory products, Epic Gear is focused on
gaming peripherals, and the Meduza gaming mouse is its first foray into the
world of handheld rodents.
Epic
Gear Meduza
At $64, the Meduza finds itself in the
super competitive mid-range of the mouse market, where a balance of features,
comfort and price are crucial for success. It has seven buttons, six of which
are fully programmable. Enabling it to make use of performance enhancing
algorithms is an ARM 32-bit Cortex-M3 CPU and 128KB of memory. Finally, on the
underside, you'll find not one but two sensors. The 3200dpi optical sensor and
the 6000dpi laser sensor can be used separately or together in Hybrid Dual
Sensor Technology (HDST) mode.
A switch on the bottom allows you swap
between the three modes, and the bundled software lets you configure numerous
settings from dpi to pointer acceleration for each. As sensor technology is now
so good, there's little real-world difference between the modes, but HDST does
provide a nice balance of stability and accuracy. Two large teflon feet also
ensure that your experience with the Meduza is very smooth.
Visually, the Meduza looks pretty cool. The
matte-black finish is complemented by the rubber grip on each side of the
mouse, and the red LEDs that illuminate the logos and scroll wheel complement
the aesthetics rather than dominating or cheapening them.
A
switch on the bottom allows you swap between the three modes, and the bundled
software lets you configure numerous settings from dpi to pointer acceleration
for each.
The scroll wheel LED changes between five
colours depending on the current profile selected, so it's a shame the other
LEDs do not change too. Each profile is customisable within the software and
saves directly to the mouse. Although the software is very functional and comes
with numerous options and a lovely macro editor, it's full-screen only and
overloaded with flash animations and sounds. It's cumbersome to use as a
result, and needlessly complex. A well-placed button beneath the scroll wheel
changes profiles on the fly, although you can reprogram this if needed.
Four
LEDs indicate the currently selected dpi setting (four can be programmed for
each sensor mode in each profile).
Four LEDs indicate the currently selected
dpi setting (four can be programmed for each sensor mode in each profile).
These are placed just in front of your thumb, so it's easy to see your current
setting at a glance. Dpi is switched on the fly by a button in front of the
forward button, which is easy to reach with your thumb. This is the only button
on the mouse that cannot be programmed to a different function.
Comfort is one of the biggest selling
points of the Meduza. If you're right handed, you can't really go wrong unless
you have very large hands. Grooves for your thumb and three main fingers are
perfectly placed, especially the ring finger one. The rubber grip on the right
provides some support for your pinky too, although the tip of it may still drag
slightly on the mouse pad. The weight is unadjustable, but thankfully the 170g
is a nice weight and is very well balanced.
The
Meduza is a success for Epic Gear.
The Meduza is a success for Epic Gear.
Despite some irks with the software, it's not something you'll have to use very
often once you've set it all up. It's more customisable and well featured than
the similarly priced SteelSeries Kana, for example, but at the same time isn't
overloaded with features most people will never use. It's very comfortable in
use too, making it a fine choice for a new gaming mouse.
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Details
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Price: $64.75
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Manufacturer: Epic Gear
·
Website: www.epiggear.com
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Required spec: USB 2.0 port
Ratings
·
Quality: 9
·
Value: 9
·
Overall: 9
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