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To test this gaming mouse, I put it through its paces in a number of different games and with more general office based tasks such as photo editing and web browsing. During testing I took into consideration aspects such as accuracy, additional features and comfort to come up with a well-rounded opinion of how it performs and whether it is worth the money.
When it comes to gaming, the Cougar 200M is a perfectly capable peripheral. Its tracking across a cloth mat is smooth and controlled and it is accurate too. I found it just as viable in fast paced shooters, as I did in slower paced puzzlers and turn based strategy titles. While not entirely ambidextrous (due to the forward back buttons), its near symmetrical body makes it comfortable to hold in a claw, palm or finger grip orientation, so all gamer types are catered for and if you do not mind playing without the side buttons, you could probably use this rodent in a left-handed configuration too.
It does lack some of the advanced features of other gaming mice, like the ability to remap buttons or create macros, so this is not going to be the mouse of choice for a serious MMO player – but for an affordable upgrade to a stock optical mouse or a laptop touchpad, it works wonderfully well.
Lighting is very orange in the dark, but with bright light on it, it tends to come through more red
Also, something that gamers may not like to hear is that the polling rate for this mouse is set to an unadjustable 125Hz, which means that the sensor is only ‘polled' by your PC every eight milliseconds. In practice, this is not noticeable if you are an average gamer like myself. If you are a professional, then chances are you will want something better, but if you are taking your gaming that seriously, you are going to be spending more than £20 anyway.
While it is always nicer to see mice supporting 500 and 1,000 Hz … as they tend to make mouse movements that bit smoother, for basic gaming needs, 125Hz is more than enough.
Likewise, in general office related tasks, the Cougar 200M was perfectly capable and with the ability to switch the DPI on the fly, it makes it much easier to perform finer corrections in programs like Photoshop by lowering the sensitivity. Personally I would prefer an up/down selector, rather than a single cycle button as it can take a few clicks just to figure out which DPI setting you are actually on.
I would also like to see the DPI switch be more solidly mounted, as at the moment it springs and rattles slightly every time you lift your finger off of it. It is a minor point, but one that is noticeable if you end up taking your hand off the mouse regularly for typing.
Comfort wise, the rubber coating over the mouse's entire body does a great job of cushioning the hand, whilst also providing enough grip that you never slip off when you lift off or during play. The side-mounted forward/back keys also work nicely and can even be pressed with a ‘rocking' of your thumb, rather than a lift off and press, which makes them much easier to use on the go.
The whole mouse feels pretty durable as well, with a solid construction and apart from the vibrations from the DPI switch, nothing creaks or groans when you grip it. On top of that, the left and right mouse buttons use OMRON switches, so should be good for a few million clicks a piece.
