By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Kingston Technology is best known for their computer memory products, and their foray into satisfying the needs of computer gamers began in 2012 with their HyperX branded product line. From blazing fast SSDs to longer lasting Flashdrives (I have a 4gb stick from 2008 which still works and recently picked up a pair of their MicroSDXC cards since I needed an upgrade), their reputation has certainly grown.
According to Prosettings.net, this line is neck in neck with other manufacturers, Steelseries and Razor. This benchmark is made with CS:GO (Counterstrike: Global Offensive). With intense games, players want a product that does not break down in the middle of competitive play. Even in regular everyday use, no one wants that key to get stuck or a mouse to stop working.
During the week-long holiday between Christmas and New Year’s, some people will be tearing into that latest game, and to have a new mouse and keyboard to test it with can only be exciting! Thanks to Kingston for providing their flagship products to evaluate. To put both through their paces in and outside of their intended demographic meant weeks of use than a few days (yes, I tore into the box when it first arrived than wait). Santa hates me; I’m sorry.
Pulsefire FPS
If only one computer mouse can rule them all, then to say which brand is better depends on how long it will last during long gaming sessions. The types of games I play is typically with shooters and strategy. HyperX’s Pulsefire is made for large hands and it works very nicely with Adobe products. When I’m not gaming, I’m editing documents, videos or audio files. Sometimes I think to have more buttons to activate specific tasks are needed.
Not every user really needs them. Programmable function key macros can do the job. But if a software equivalent is needed, the donation-ware program X-Mouse Button Control from Highresolution Enterprises gives this mouse (and any others) the customization needed. When this device is used for graphic design and word processing, the ability to set the side buttons to perform other functions becomes a godsend. To have the DPI button located at the top of the button makes navigating those precision shots nice and setting an element to down to the exact millimetre. Four presets are encoded to make toggling on the fly for either easy. When I do not have my graphics tablet nearby, the mouse is still my go-to device. One functionality I miss comes from what Logitech’s M510 offers: a scroll wheel which allows me to navigate sideways (left or right). Zooming in and out is sweet on both.
After weeks of use, a squeak can be heard from the scroll wheel when I push hard on it and repeated button mashing has not worn the Omron switches built into this mouse at all. I also play a lot of idle clickers and Diablo; after a few days, wear will either show or not. These buttons are typically the first to go and when I’m often on a budget for hardware upgrades, I do not always buy a gaming mouse out there. The Twelve Days of Christmas often has me wondering if there is a new mouse under the tree than a bigger graphic tablet.
PROS
- Long cable
- Comfortable big hand fit
- Large gliders & rubber grips
- Universal Mouse; can operate in Mac OS X
CONS
- No built-in customization with the side buttons
- Lack of left or right nudging ability with the scroll wheel.
