By Paul Philleo
Mice are not immune to the specifications race that shapes every other sector of
technology. More pixels, more gigahertz, more RAM, more of everything in a
smaller form factor. In the case of mice, the technological leaps are typically
measured in their resolution and the levels of customization the mouse can
deliver. In the case of SteelSeries,
this PC gaming peripherals company is keeping pace with this high-tech race, but
their representatives would also insist it isn’t as simple as that.
Consider, for example, the SteelSeries Xai Laser Mouse, which was highlighted at
the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo. I was introduced to the mouse by Cameron Taylor,
SteelSeries’ Director of Sales. Under the unassuming matte black exterior, it’s
apparently got quite an engine to power it. Think of the Xai like an
old-fashioned thoroughbred of a sports car: effective, impressive, speedy but
not focused on the flashy bells and whistles. The exterior sports eight buttons
and a curve-less body that makes it an ideal for left-handed users, too. The
processor driving the Xai is basically a 10.8 megapixel sensor, Taylor informed
me, which can process 12,000 frames per second. If you’ve got the
caffeine-fueled reflexes for it, the Xai can even handle movement at up to 150
inches per second, therefore allowing jitter-free mouse tracking during any game
one might play. The measuring stick that most definitively quantifies mouse
resolution is “CPI”, which is counts per inch. The Xai’s CPI can be adjusted
from 100 up to 5,001 CPI – or DPI, as some might define it. “That’s about as
good as it gets,” proclaimed Taylor. “It’s more power than most gamers would
need, but we offer it anyway.”
The outward look is unremarkable; the performance is ahead of the competition
for now; but what really stands out is the LCD read-out on the back of the Xai.
The extra “oomph” for this mouse is in the 2-line LCD display on the bottom of
the mouse that allows the user to configure most settings he or she might need
to, relying on the built-in firmware in the mouse. Through this configuration,
myriad settings like polling rates (frequency of reports sent from the mouse to
the PC) and anti-jitter aim correction can be adjusted without ever having to
look at a monitor. While the under-the-mouse positioning of the LCD display
seems a little inconvenient especially for on the fly access, it is manageable
and is a unique feature for any mouse.
The Kinzu mouse was also being shown, which is similar in size and shape to the
Xai, but is a bit smaller in size – and retails for less than half what the Xai
is offered for. It’s a starter pro mouse that on paper compromises little in
performance in comparison to the Xai. As an optical mouse, the Kinzu delivers
3,200 CPI, 9,375 frames per second and 50 inches per second speed of movement.
In fact, according to Taylor, some pro gamers actually prefer the Kinzu compared
to the Xai. Both mice were designed with the assistance of pro gamers in
creating the mice.
Lastly, at the SteelSeries booth was the jelly to the mouse’s peanut butter: the
new SteelSeries 9HD mouse surface. To most people, a mouse pad is just a mouse
pad. This is definitely not the case for a hardcore gamer. The dense plastic
surface, said Taylor, is a composite of densely packed reflectors, which don’t
scatter light from the mice but reflect it back 180 degrees to the mouse so as
to assist in the accurate tracking of the mouse. Who’d have guessed so much
thought could go into a simple rectangle of plastic?
So what does it mean for online gamers? SteelSeries seems to have the current
cutting edge when it comes to mice. For those who want the best in
specifications, SteelSeries delivers with the Xai and the Kinzu. These specs
might translate into greater control when carrying out a frantic WoW raid and
more accuracy you’re targeting the competition in Combat Arms, for example. The
Xai and Kinzu were both released in August 2009 and retail for $89.99 and $34.99
respectively.
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