So I've been suffering with the same mouse for quite a while. A really small mini-mouse I might add. The ones that usually come free with other peripheral purchases. I never complained or desired another mouse because I didn't game much on PC. So none of advantages of a gaming mouse were relevant to me, simply because all I did was point and click. Until I got my hands on my own gaming mouse, courtesy of Geekay Games, the Black Ops 2 Gaming mouse.
I'm fully aware of the specifications and advantages gaming mice have, but I never really experienced it for myself. So, as soon as I plugged the Black Ops 2 gaming mouse in and did my first test scroll, I felt it. I wiggled the cursor around on the desktop just to see how it performed. Just by doing that, the difference was clear.
Let's start from the top. The Black Ops 2 gaming mouse is an ambidextrous mouse, for those of you who don't know, that means it's designed to work with both left and right handed players. Just by looking at the mouse, the shape of it seems redundant. It doesn't look as "cool" as the other mice, although a lot of them have some pretty ridiculous designs. The Black Ops 2 gaming mouse may look standard, but it has a perfect fit. The hump fits perfectly in your palm and your thumb lays out along the side gracefully. It's not too heavy or too light.
The mouse is sporting the signature Black Ops 2 color scheme. All out black with a bright orange trim. A rather large Black Ops 2 logo on the trigger and the illuminating "II" logo on the bottom. The mouse has 8 buttons total, 7 of which are programmable buttons. Four programmable buttons, two each side of the mouse which are spaced nicely to prevent any mis-clicks. You can also control the brightness of the illumination of the whole mouse, including the scroll wheel. The mouse can store several profiles, each with their own customizations.
The first thing I noticed immediately after I plugged it in was the smooth surfing. The thing glides with your arm. You won't have to put much pressure on it, it will move alongside your hand gracefully. The bottom of the Black Ops 2 gaming mouse is made with "high performance UPE material" for maximum glide. I don't know what that means, but it really does glide and I don't have a mousepad. It glided on raw wood. The mouse does track up to 150 inches per second, which is pretty impressive. The mouse itself has a matte finish which is great, assures you that there won't be any slip ups. Although, if you're the sweaty type, I don't think there is much of a solution for you guys, sorry.
In conclusion, the Black Ops 2 gaming mouse from Steelseries is a great one. I have generally no negative things to say except one thing. The cord. The cord is covered in some rubber thats supposed to be tangle-free. I haven't experienced any tangles, but there was some discomfort with that cord. Because it was tangle free, it was stiff. My setup is pretty intricate, so I had to maneuver this cord through a bunch of different crevices and slips to plug it into my PC. So there was a lot of tension on the cord and sequentially on the mouse. If I would leave it alone, it would sort of lift up and put itself in an awkward position until I laid my hands on it.
Now, this issue could just prove annoying to me and not to the general public, but the cord is not as flexible as others. It does beat having to untangle it though. If you're looking for a mouse at a reasonable price, the Steelseries Black Ops 2 mouse is your answer. A great mouse that will do everything you expect it to minus all those fancy gimmicks you'll see in other mice. Don't forget to check out our review of the Black Ops 2 Tango Headset.