SteelSeries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse

Testing
 
So the Ikari can talk the talk but does it have what it takes to walk the walk? After all, with at least three comparable mice with the same price tag, it must deliver as promised. Our test strategy consists of three tests in order to form an overall conclusion.
 
 
Test 1 – Polling Test
 
This test involves a number of mouse movements while running an application called dx_mouse_timer to verify the polling rate achieved by the mouse. Our testing showed that on average, the mouse met the rated specification of 500Hz at 2.0ms. Competitor mice are capable of 1000Hz at 1.0ms but this isn’t necessarily a disaster for the Ikari.
 
 
Test 2 – Tracking Test
 
As part of testing the mouse over a long period of time in both general and gaming usage, it was vital to make a note of it’s ability to perform smoothly.
 
In terms of general use, it performed exactly as expected. There was very little to report as far as this was concerned as all movements were as fluid as water and no abnormal behaviour such as twitching was noticed on either a mouse pad or grained wooden surface.
 
Playing games such as Counter Strike were an absolute breeze when using the Ikari. The rated response times paired with it’s 3200dpi and 500Hz polling rate clearly helped and at this point there was absolutely no technical factor that held back game play, leaving just myself and my (lack of?) skills to take a front seat and do everything within my reach to gun down those terrorists! Once again, as with general use the mouse behaved normally without any abnormal movement.
 
 
Test 3 – Comfort and Ergonomics
 
This is where the Ikari particularly excelled. The indentations to the left and right of the mouse, which offered resting points for the thumb and more noticeably the third and fourth finger certainly helped with grip and comfort. Even after hours of heavy usage, the mouse remained very easy to handle as mentioned previously, the placement of buttons were very convenient.