When it comes to serious gaming on your PC, there are only two things which gamers are really fussy about … and that’s the keyboard and mouse. These two underated peripherals, are what controls the game characters in their virtual universe, so only the best-suited keyboard and mouse will do the job.
It’s like being equipped with the correct gear before you set out to do anything outdoor activity. Take for example, climbing, wakeboarding, skating or any outdoor sport … would you use unbranded equipment that’s not specifically designed for that sport? The answer is NO, and neither would I …
Over the past few years we’ve seen a massive explosion in online and professional gaming, with big prizes up for grabs. At last year’s WCG (World Cyber Games) Finals sponsored by Samsung, the 1st prize was USD $80,500!! … and that’s just for the CounterStrike competition. This kind of e-sport is serious business, and requires professional gaming equipment that’s more than just your average keyboard and mouse.
Last month we looked at Steelseries’ XAI Laser Gaming mouse. It was an excellent gaming mouse with a lot of great programmable options, which are ideal for serious professional gamers like the guys from Team Fnatic. This week we take a look at two laser gaming mice … one from QPad 5K and the other from Sharkoon.
QPad 5K Gaming Laser Mouse
QPad is based Sweden, home of Dreamhack – World’s largest LAN event. They specialises in professional gaming peripherals such as laser gaming mouse, mouse pad and mouse feet (or glides). They’ve recently released the QPad 5K gaming laser mouse, which is designed specifically for the professional gamer or any hardcore gaming enthusiast. Our Funky Kit review team will be taking a closer look at this mouse. For those who’ve never heard of QPad until now … here’s a little something taken from their website.
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“QPAD built its success on a grassroots commitment to the gaming community. Like you, we thrive in the madness of competition and embrace the free spirit of gaming. Our sponsorship of the Q Tour, communities, cups, tournaments, teams and LAN parties reflects this commitment. The knowledge we’ve gained has fed into our development of high quality products that have a great performance and given many a winning edge.” |
Sharkoon FireGlider Laser Mouse
Sharkoon are based in Germany and comes from a slightly different background. They produce on all sorts of peripherals from keyboard/mouse to USD HDD docking stations. More recently, they’ve entered the gaming market and launched a new brand called RUSH … selling keyboards, mouse and headsets for gamers. We’ll be taking at a look at their FireGlider Laser Mouse. For those who’ve never heard of Sharkoon until now … here’s a little something taken from their website.
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“From a worldwide distribution network spanning more than 30 countries, we offer customers a portfolio of unrivalled products for all areas of the PC. Moreover, our selection of products is constantly developing and reaches the broadest possible group of customers. Since its inception in 2002, Sharkoon has shown consistent growth and set itself apart through steadily increasing sales. Our goal is the continued growth and expansion of our expertise, to be demonstrated in the establishment and development of successful and sustainable business relationships with our customers and partners. Some of our biggest strengths are our flexibility and rapid response capabilities and the ability to react to future market and technology” |
Both of these mice look very professional and offer high DPI customisation, as well as programmable buttons. It will be interesting to see how it performs in our tests. We’ll be testing it on a few popular games such as StarCraft II, Left for Dead, Aliens vs Predator and of course Counter Strike. It’s the battle of the mice … QPad K5 vs Sharkoon FireGlider. Who will come out on top? Read on and find out.
Right, let’s not waste any more time and take a closer look at the specifications of these laser gaming mice, starting with the QPad 5K …
QPad 5K Laser Mouse
Taken from QPad’s Website …
Specifications
- Sensor: Laser Gaming Grade
- Resolution: 90 – 5040 CPI (Counts per inch)
- Max Acceleration: 30 G
- Max Speed: 150 inches per second | 3,8m/sec
- Image processing: 10.8 MPS (Mega Pixels per second)
- USB polling rate: 1000 HZ (reports per second)
- USB Data path: 16 bits / axis
- Buttons: 7 (Programmable 5)
- Sensing pixels: 30×30 pixels
- Sampling rate: 12.000 FPS (Frames per second)
- Cable: Braided cable 2 meter.
- USB plug: Gold plated
- USB Response time: 1ms
- Warranty: 2 years
Dimensions:
- Length: 125mm
- Width left wing to right wing: 90mm
- Height: .42mm
- Left wing-to other side: 82mm
- Right wing to other side: 82mm
- Front side to side: 60mm
- Weight: 155 grams
- Box size: 250x200x60mm
- Box weight: 373g
Overview
QPAD ®|5K™ features a powerful navigation engine, adapted for high performance laser navigation. It has been specifically designed for high-end professional gamers, and enables extremely high-speed motion detection and high resolution to provide precise tracking capabilities which are required for many of today’s most popular gaming applications. QPAD®|5K™’s new laser sensor is ideal for gamers who require precise high-speed tracking on a variety of different surfaces.
QPad 5K Configuration Software
Once the configuration software is installed, everything is pretty self-explanatory. There are total of 5 tabs for configuration of button, wheel, movement, DPI and macros.
This page allows you to customise your buttons and adjust your double-click speed. There are a total of 5 buttons which are user programmable.
This page allows you to configure the wheel on the mouse, including the scroll speed and the wheel light on/off.
Adjust your cursor movement speed here. There’s also 3 selection for cursor movement acceleration.
This part is important for gamers. You can adjust your mouse’s DPI settings here. There are options for LOW and HIGH DPI, as well as lift distance.
The macro tab allows users to program macros using the keys on your keyboard
Sharkoon RUSH FireGlider
Taken from Sharkoon’s website …
Specifications
- Max. DPI/CPI: 3600
- DPI/CPI stepping: 600 – 800 – 1200 – 1600 – 2000 – 3600
- Max. acceleration: 20 G
- Mouse weight max.: 135 g
- Mouse weight min.: 118 g
- Laser sensor: Agilent ADNS-6010
- Connector: USB (cable length: 1.8 m)
- Power input: 5V – 60 mA
- frame rate in fps: 7080 fps
- sampling rate in ips: 45 ips
- USB report rate in Hz: 500 Hz (full speed)
- key response time in ms: 3 ms~16 ms
Overview
The FireGlider laser mouse from our Rush line-up has both the technical specifications and high quality looks to impress even the most demanding gamers. The ergonomically formed body of the FireGlider laser mouse fits pleasantly in the hand while the thumb pad provides a solid grip in even the most hectic gaming situations. With the Weight-Tuning-System in the bottom of the mouse, up to 19.5 grams can be added in 7 different configurations to maximize personal comfort and performance.
Six of the seven buttons can be programmed with various functions through the included software. The various programming options enable easier day-to-day operations as well improving performance in gaming applications. In addition, through the software users can save individual macros to the onboard memory.
Features
- Laser mouse with 7 buttons (6 of them freely programmable)
- DPI switch with color display (6 steps)
- Weight tuning system (max. 19.5 g)
- On-board memory for macros
- Smooth running and finely adjustable scroll wheel
- Ergonomic design for convenient handling
- Special grip areas offering maximum hold
- Ideal for professional applications and gaming
- Supported operating systems: Windows 2000, XP, VISTA and 7 (32-/64-bit)
Sharkoon FireGlider Configuration Software
The included configuration software is not as slick as I would have hoped. It’s a little confusing to say the least, but it does allow users to configure the necessary settings such as DPI, wheel speed, mouse buttons, as well as 2 programmable profiles.
On this page you can program all the 6 mouse buttons. You can also select between 2 profiles and check you DPI settings.
This is the page where you can adjust your DPI settings with color indicators.
This is a separate utility which you can access on the taskbar icon … it’s called a MMR (Mouse Report Rate) for monitoring the frequency response of the mouse.
Like above, this utility is separate from the “Mouse Editor” … again, you can access it via the taskbar. The 4D Wheel allow users to configure the wheel speed and scroll effect on the mouse.
Verdict and Conclusion
It’s amazing how far mice technology has come … seriously, who would have thought that professional e-sport, would one day take the humble mouse to where it is today. From rollerball to optical, and now laser … the mouse is now the most essential tool for any PC gaming. Who knows how long the mouse will continue to survive, especially with the onslaught of new Netbooks and Tablets … but for now, it’s a must-have for any PC gamer.
We’ve already seen from the Steelseries XAI, what to expect from a laser gaming mouse in terms of features, usability and smooth gameplay. Can the QPad 5K and the Sharkoon FireGlide compete against what Steelseries is offering? Will gamers go for an up-and-coming brand or just stick with what they know?
QPad 5K Laser Mouse
First off, the QPad 5K laser gaming mouse is packaged extremely well. It comes with the configuration software on CD, spare mouse feet (glides), instruction manual and the laser mouse itself. The construction of the mouse is solid and the build quality is excellent … it feels and looks very professional. What’s more, it comes with 2 meters of braided cable and a gold-plated USB connector. With 5 programmable buttons, a resolution of 90 – 5040 CPI (Counts per inch), sampling rate of 12.000 FPS (Frames per second) … it’s more than any gamer can ask for.
During gameplay, I found the QPad 5K to be smooth and fluid. Accuracy is also excellent. I’m sure my headshot increased … LOL! Software configuration was easy, with a wide range of options to adjust various settings. I love the way, the QPad 5K just slides across the screen after my “preferred” adjustments. All-in-all, the QPad 5K is an excellent alternative to any Steelseries or Razer laser mouse. Current prices for the QPad 5K is approximately USD $95.00 (GBP 60.00 or Eur 75.00), it’s a little more than I expected, but if you’re a hardcore professional gamer … price shouldn’t be an issue, right?
Sharkoon FireGlider Laser Mouse
When compared with the QPad 5K, the Sharkoon FireGlider isn’t as well packaged as I would have liked. However, you do get the confguration software on CD, spare mouse feet (glides), a carry pouch and of course the laser mouse itself. Build quality is good, but not perfect … you don’t get the braided cable, which is expected from most professional gaming laser mouse. Having said that, you do get a gold-plated USB connector and an unusal, but unique “ribbed” thumb-grip. The mouse feature a weight tuning system (max. 19.5 g), which is an added bonus for gamers who wish to fine tune the weight of the mouse for better control/accuracy. The configuration software isn’t the best I’ve seen, but allows you to adjust the DPI/CPI in steppings of 600 – 800 – 1200 – 1600 – 2000 – 3600.
As far as fluidity and smoothness is concerned, the FireGlider surprisingly performed better than I expected. Mouse movements were pretty smooth and the accuracy was good too. The only let down being the configuration software. They could have made it a little more integrated, rather than separated. The price of the Sharkoon FireGlider is the real attraction here … costing around USD $35.00 !! (that’s no more than GBP 23.00), it’s the best gaming laser mouse you can buy for that price.
| SCORE 8.5/10 |
SCORE 8/10 |
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| QPad 5K | Sharkoon FireGlider |
