KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
To test the Strix mouse and mat combo out, I put them through their paces in a number of different general usage and gaming scenarios. This involved me testing it in a wide variety of titles and many hours of daily usage performing office tasks and more precise ones like photo editing, to give a feel for how they perform in the real world.
While we consider this the best way to give you an idea of what they are like to use, if you get a chance, try before buying, as peripherals can be very subjective. That is not always easy, but a great time to do so are at events like Multiplay's iSeries LAN parties.
We are often in attendance too, so keep your eyes peeled for KG staffers.
The software is clean and easy to navigate, allowing comprehensive button remapping and DPI step adjustments
Strix Claw gaming mouse
For the most part, it is a very solid gaming mouse. Thanks to its high end sensor, it feels reliable and accurate at a number of different sensitivities and can scale up to 5,000 DPI if you need to move quickly. Better yet, it still offers a quick change to a lower setting thanks to the sniper button and all steps are customisable in the back end software.
While a sensor like the PixArt (formerly Avago) PMW3310 is best suited to FPS gaming, where accuracy is king, it is equally well suited to other games and I noticed very little if any jitter and there is absolutely no correction or angle snapping. This means that your movements are translated faithfully to the screen. You want a sensor like this if you are a serious MOBA or similar gamer.
It is also a very comfortable mouse to use, fitting snugly into your hand. It is easily usable in the Claw grip fashion that it was designed for and works just as well with my between-worlds finger tip grip style. Palm gripping does not feel quite as comfortable, as the high arch in the centre of the mouse means your fingers do not lie flush across the mouse buttons, but it is doable if needed.
The thumb buttons are well placed to cater to claw grippers too and the sniper button in particular feels just right when you want that extra level of accuracy.
As solid as the Strix Claw is though, there are some issues with it that I would like to see fixed if ASUS ever makes a Claw 2.0. Firstly, grip: it is insufficient as it stands. While I am a big fan of a nice, soft mouse body to rest your hand upon (the little things count when you spend 12+ hours a day at your PC) the non-textured coating used on the Strix Claw means that when you get sweaty, you can actually start to slip.
Most of the time it is fine, but once or twice it slipped from my grasp and I found myself having to grip harder than is usually necessary with my fingers, just to keep an adequate hold on it.
Lighting options are limited though macro creations is possible and saveable to internal memory
I am not saying that this mouse needs some rough textured surface all over, but when so many manufacturers add a little rubber pad for thumb and finger grips, I do not see why ASUS could not do something similar. Without any sort of texturing also, air movement on this mouse is minimal, so perspiration build up will happen if you are a sweaty gamer like me.
The only other minor complaint I had is that I felt that the scroll wheel did not have the same quality feel as the rest of the mouse. It has a loud click and a scroll that feels almost ‘loose.'
I was however a big fan of the angled cable. That seems like an excellent idea to avoid tangling and should be adopted by more manufacturers.
Strix Glide Speed mat
While overall a good performer, I was not quite as impressed with the Strix Glide Speed mat as I was with the mouse. It is a good size and the surface is lovely and smooth, making it good for gaming and all sorts of other tasks, whether you like a high DPI or a low one.
It also features an excellent idea that I want every cloth mat manufacturer to consider: stitched edging. This will ensure that over time the edges do not become frayed and sharp, as some mouse mats do.
However, this stitching also proves to be a downfall of the Glide Speed. Due to the raised edge it creates, I often found the join between my wrist and palm pressing against it and this in turn would occasionally shift the entire mat around. This is not the end of the world if you are just editing a photo, but if you are in mid-game, this is a big problem.
Unfortunately the combination of that, with quite sub-standard rubber grip on the underside means that this – albeit uncommon – phenomenon happened to be a few times during testing. It is something ASUS will need to fix before I can really recommend this mat over its competitors; especially at £16.
I will however say that it is very comfortable and cushions your hand nicely. I am not a massive fan of the sparkly orange theme, but that is 100 per cent personal preference and you do not need me to tell you whether you like the look of this mat or not.
