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For a budget level gaming mouse and PNY's first entry into the peripheral game, the Riot-01 is an impressive little rodent. It is fast and accurate, with smooth movements and a comfortable feel. It is not the most feature-filled mouse and its back end software does leave something to be desired, but its overall package is a solid one – I just wish it did not have that weird disconnect bug. It makes it hard to recommend.
Putting that aside for a moment though, I was particularly fond of the Riot's ergonomic shape – which is high praise from someone who almost exclusively prefers ambidextrous mice. It offers good support for fingers and thumb, and supports the palm and finger grip styles. This is not a mouse for claw gamers however, as the thumb rest resides too close to the base of the mouse.
Additional features like the lighting are a nice touch, and I particularly liked the underside glow that this mouse has. It is something you can actually see while the mouse is in use – likewise with the scroll wheel. While it does also have the rather redundant palm-rest lighting the overall effect is good.
The software that comes with the Riot is rather basic and hints at PNY's greenness in the peripheral sphere. Presumably this will improve with time. As it stands it is functional, if a little ugly and lacks some of the features that other peripheral makers offer much more often.
The lift-off height could certainly do with being shortened and the available sensitivities range is limited compared to a lot of this mouse's contemporaries. Personally I would like a matt paint job on the red sections, as the overall look is not one I am a fan of, but that is a personal preference more than anything.
Where the basics are concerned however, the PNY Riot-01 nails them with flying colours. Because of that, I would love to give this a solid score. In most ways it is a surprisingly capable little peripheral, but that disconnect bug makes it very hard to at the moment. If PNY can address that, it will have quite a competitor on its hands.
You can buy the PNY Riot-01 on Amazon for £28.
Pros
- Accurate AVAGO optical sensor.
- Strong clicks with no rattle.
- Comfortable with palm and finger grip styles.
- Decent lighting for a budget mouse.
- Back end software is functional.
Cons
- Strange disconnect bug on reboot is a problem.
- Plastic shell invites perspiration.
- Lift of distance could be problematic in small spaces.
- No good with a claw grip style.
- DPI may be a little low for some people.
KitGuru Says: PNY's first effort at a gaming mouse is a solid one. The disconnect bug makes it hard to recommended right now, but if that can be addressed, this should offer an additional option for gamers on a budget.
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