Review: SteelSeries Diablo III Gaming Mouse And Headset.

Choosing the right mouse, keyboard and headset (if applicable) is similar to a handy many choosing the right tool. While you can do your job or task at hand with anything (if you are in fact talented), having “the” preferred tool results in the most productivity and performance. In the PC gaming world a myriad array of mice, keyboards and headsets are available to the eager gamer looking to step up their game. But not all accessories are created equal or designed for everyone. Take for example, left handed gamers. Finding a good, high-end mouse that caters to their alternate grip isn’t necessarily hard per say, but finding any of the big-name, popular mice that are often heavily sculpted in a left-handed form is all but impossible. Picking the right gaming accessory can form a tight bond with the player and their machine, not to mention the game and/or manufacturer of said accessory. Going one step further, branded accessories take that personal connection to an even higher level as they tug at your heart strings and personal likes such as favorite games.

All that said, when SteelSeries asked us to check out their Diablo III branded mouse and headset, we jumped at the chance. Not only are SteelSeries’ periphreals widely known in the PC gaming industry for being top notch, Diablo III itself is a big item of interest this year. What better way to celebrate then use both together?

The Mouse


Specs:

  • 100-5700 DPI
  • 12,000 Frames Per Second
  • 150 Inches Per Second
  • 30 G Acceleration
  • True 16-bit Data Path
  • ~2mm Lift Distance
  • 8 Buttons
  • 2m Braided Cable

Based off of the company’s popular Sensei mouse, the Diablo III themed edition is a great choice for any gamer. Right off the bat we have to give SteelSeries credit for making an ambidextrous mouse that feels just as good in our left hand as it does our right. As we said above, high-end mice catering to left-handed gamers are few and far between. But SteelSeries has made it a habit more often than not. While such designs don’t offer a heavily sculpted, more glove-like fit like some competitors, we don’t find the more general grip offered by such ambidextrous designs lacking in any way.

On the top of the Diablo III you’ll find some nice outlining design as well as Diablo III branding. Underneath the scroll wheel and on the palm of the mouse, red lighting illuminates the mouse from the inside, giving it that sweet sinister look. On the topic of the scroll wheel, we’ll note that it is a notchier one, meaning sweeping through weapons easier and more precise as opposed to a more free-er turning wheel which leaves you guessing how many small increments have been passed.

For the Diablo III edition mouse, SteelSeries choose to use double-braided cabling, which in our opinion, should be standard. It’s simply fantastic; it’s strong, resists tangles like a champ and seems like it will stand up to many years of gaming abuse.

If you’re the type of gamer who fantasizes about button-stuffed mice and heaps of macros hiding within your mouse, the Diablo III mouse might not be your best choice. There are the usual left/right mouse buttons, scroll wheel (which also acts as a button when pressed down on) and two side buttons on each side of the mouse. There is also a DPI-switching button located directly beneath the scroll wheel.

For us (we’re kind of FPS people), the number of buttons poses zero problems. For MMORPG aficionados, the button count may leave a bit to be desired. That said, the buttons, especially the side buttons, on the Diablo III Mouse are about as close to perfect as you can get. They’re not too hard to press or too mushy. They have a nice range of travel and solid click when the end is reached. All in all, a very comfortable mouse.

Software


With every great mid- to high-end gaming mouse comes high end software to manage it. Let’s face it. As simple as we’d like these things to be, truly customizing the mouse to your individual needs/games takes some work to get just right. SteelSeries’ software, while complex though easily traversable, is a bit overly-designed in our opinion. Then again, if you look at any of the various manufacturers’ gaming mouse software design, “over the top” is the name of the game. So we guess we won’t fault SteelSeries for trying to stand out.

On the first page of the software you’ll find your button assignments while the second page focuses more on the nitty gritty details of mouse sensitivity/DPI and LED brightness. The third page holds user/game profiles and can be configured to activate a certain profile whenever a certain game is launched — nice! The final and most unique page is that of the “Statistics” page. Here, users can check in on seemingly mundane details like the number of clicks and other basic usage stats. For the record, SteelSeries rates the Diable III mouse at 10 million clicks, so you’re got quite a bit of play-time to go with here.

***More photos of software in gallery on page 2

Conclusion

For $69.99, we think the Diablo III branded mouse is a pretty decent deal for the Diablo-loving gamers of the world. The custom design, great design and awesome performance of the mouse mean it’s a potent weapon in any gamers arsenal. That said, if Diablo III isn’t your cup of tea, there’s still plenty to love. Most importantly, however, the ambidextrous design means no gamer is left out this time — something we think the lefties of the world will more than appreciate considering the Diablo III’s Sensei roots.

Gadgetsteria’s Rating: 8/10

 

 

 

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