OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse

Introduction

Mice and Mouse pads are something most of us overlook greatly on our systems. A good mouse and mouse pad are essential ingredients for a good gaming and working experience. There are many myths surrounding efficiency of mice and many claims are made on how to increase the accuracy of mice by manufactures. These claims were recently put to rest by the popular gaming peripheral manufacturer SteelSeries. I won’t be going into detail on that article here, however here’s a link in case you missed it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised what they have to say.

OCZ is a company we all know for their high end memory solutions and power supplies. They are virtually a new comer to the gaming peripheral market and this is their first gaming mouse introduced to the gaming community. Whenever OCZ introduces a product into the market they like to go in with a big bang, so keeping up with their reputation the OCZ Equalizer mouse also comes with some unique features that will certainly attract the attention of most gamers out there.

Specifications

The Equalizer mouse comes in a very well designed box highlighting the key features offered. As you may have noticed the Equalizer mouse comes with a 2500DPI laser which can be adjusted between 6 different DPI settings through the DPI shift button.

The Equalizer mouse comes in two varieties, namely a desktop version and a mobile version. My personal preference is to use a desktop version even on a laptop; nevertheless both options are available for users. We’re looking at the desktop version today and the only difference in the mobile version is its size.

The total package comes with a manual, Equalware software CD, and an extra set of mouse feet all of which are enclosed in a plastic shell for shipping.

Taking a closer look at the mouse, it offers a total of 7 buttons of which you can program 4 of them. By default button 4 and 5 are set as backwards and forwards respectively. Since my preference was to have them the other way round, I was able to change it thanks to this feature.

The Orange button on the center is called the “Triple Threat Button” which performs 3 clicks for every single click you make. This is an ideal feature for FPS gamers. We tried this on a few games and it worked quite well but some weapons that required reloading didn’t work well with this feature. Nevertheless having 3 bursts of fire for each click is something a lot would really enjoy having.

The black button behind the scroll wheel is for you to change the DPI settings for the laser on the fly. You have the option of selecting the following DPI settings as shown on the underside of the mouse.

The scroll wheel changes color to the corresponding color set against the label shown above to give the user a visual indication of which DPI setting is currently been set. For example if the current DPI setting is 800 the scroll wheel will glow green. From a practical gaming point of view I don’t see much use of having to change the DPI settings on the fly as most gamers stick to one or two settings from the start.

Note that changing the DPI setting to the highest setting (2000dpi) does not mean it will increase your accuracy; it only increases the speed at which the mouse moves on your screen. Personally I find it hard to work if the setting is set to over 1200dpi and for most games I set the dpi setting to 800 as it gives me the best movement. Some of you out there however might be used to or will get used to higher dpi settings, so this is still a good feature to have regardless.

Going back to the underside of the mouse you will not see it in the picture; however there are actually two lasers for better accuracy. Most mice come with just one single laser but having two provides much better precision and control.
Conclusion

Having used the Equalizer for a few weeks it has replaced the MS laser mouse I have been using forever. The Equalizer gaming mouse is a lot more ergonomic, feels great to the touch and has features which you can’t live without once you get used to.

Some of the key features of this mouse are the Triple Threat Button, programmable keys, 6 DPI settings, and ergonomic design. The design and material used to build the mouse is second to none however the only concern I have with the Equalizer is that the cord used for the USB connection is quite thin which feels like it’ll snap in two if it receives some force by accident.

With a price tag of US$40 this is one of the most affordable gaming mice out there in the market with this level of features and quality. So if you’re on the hunt for a new gaming mouse, look no further, OCZ’s Equalizer Gaming Laser mouse will serve you well and with a 6 year warranty you simply cannot go wrong here.