T_H_Schafer
terminally chill
Joined: Jul 20, 2010
Posts: 41
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Post Subject: SteelSeries Sensei
Posted on: Apr 28, 2012
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I don't know where to really start with this thing. The back of the box reads off so many features that an ordinary man is liable to get mad. "What are all these features?!", he might say. So, knowing that you are no ordinary man, and could likely be a woman as well, I'm now just going to list all these features, up front, without comment. Comments will follow shortly after.
Ergonomic, ambidextrous, optimized size for all gamer grips: palm, claw, swipe.
Programmable illumination with 16.8 (WTF?!) million color options in 3 zones.
Instant, effortless set-up via built in LCD menu (More on this later).
LCD supports user personalized bitmaps.
Double (x2) your mouse speed with DCPI: from 5,700 to 11,400 DCPI
Supported by SteelSeries Engine technology offering operation, configuration customization and advanced macros across SteelSeries peripherals.
Whew...
I'll just knock these out in order. First off, the ambidextrous design is probably nice for left handed individuals, or people who switch hands. I guess it is a mouse that anyone can use but I've used mice which were meant for people like me who use their right hand exclusively and they can be mighty comfortable. The sensei aint bad, but it seems more aligned for people who use the palm grip. Trying to use a claw grip can work, but the four side buttons can be too easy to accidentally press. Everything else works well. The metallic esque coating on top seems sufficiently grippy though sweatier individuals might cry foul at the lack of rubber on the thing. For me, it works. The side buttons do take some getting used to but everything is really responsive and satisfyingly clicky.
The Sensei is certainly one of the snazziest mice that I've owned. The metallic surface is eye catching but subtle. The three programmable illuminated zones (Wheel, DPI indicator, logo) mean that no matter what color you wish to conjure it will be able to deliver. Don't like lights on yo mouse? You can turn them off. Like them bright and blinking? You can do that too.
So, the LCD built into the mouse allows one to change between multiple setups where you are able to change sensitivity, button macros and a host of steel series variables, like how high off the surface your mouse will register. I did run into a problem here. When switching between profiles via the LCD, the macros that I had programmed would remain in another profile where I did not want them to be. If you switch between setups with the software this does not occur and honestly shouldn't be much of a problem for most players. And, with the steel series software, you can program literally any button combination you can think of. Everything else would change properly including sensitivity and color scheme, but the button macro stuff would not using the onboard LCD. It may be a problem that steelseries will address in the future, but for now it is rather annoying.
The sensei is one heck of a mouse. It is a bit steep, priced at 89.99, but the ability to adjust dpi to literally whatever you want is a feature that only the sensei offers. It does feel really really nice. The side buttons can take some adjustment, but it really isn't much. I feel like you have to adjust to every mouse. Perhaps the Sensei is a touch overpriced, but if you want a great feeling mouse you could go with the Sensei RAW, which is a nice option. But for those of you who want it all, the Sensei does have a quite a lot to offer.
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