UtechSmart Venus Gaming Mouse RGB Wired, 16400 DPI High Precision Laser Programmable MMO Computer Gaming Mice [IGNs Recommendation]

Mine eventually broke after like 3-4 years of very heavy use, but at the price it absolutely cannot be beaten for the quality you get. The driver software is also terrible, but thats common across most gaming mice and youll have to play with different versions of it in order to get a configuration that works for you.

So I have been a die-hard Logitech user for a very long time, but have come under the [strong] impression their quality has been tanking for quite a few years now. I have gone through three replacements of my G604 wireless gaming mouse now because there seems to be a persistent right-click anomaly where holding and depressing the right mouse button actually flutters that signal to the computer. Its not consistent, it can clear and come back, but when it happens I cannot even right-click and drag items in Windows because to the computer it looks like the right-mouse button is being rapidly clicked. Add to that the new G Hub software is very buggy, doesnt always properly detect games, AND that Logitech makes you jump through hoops for a warranty replacement, and I was on the hunt for something completely different. So that background is by way of saying that this is a replacement for my G604 and my comparisons are directly related to that idea. In that regard the mouse actually has a better quality feel. Its solidly-built, and all of the clicks are nicely damped, including the scroll wheel and all of the buttons. This gives the mouse itself a pretty high-quality feel to me, although if you prefer crisp clicks you may disagree. Its also nicely textured for excellent grip all over, and the slider pads on bottom are replaceable. They include a spare set. The battery is built-in, so no more swapping batteries. Battery life is dependent; the ON/OFF switch is actually 3-position, which I think is brilliant. You can turn it on with no lighting, or with the adjustable lighting enabled. This is great because I have my PC on for ~12 hours a day, often for work. When doing work I disable the illumination, so the batteries go quite a few weeks before they need to be recharged. Keep in mind this is ON half the day, every day. I imagine if you use the illumination constantly this would go way down, but I only do so when gaming after hours. The arch of this mouse is considerably smaller than most Logitech gaming mice. This may be a plus or minus depending on the size of your hands. I have very large hands so for me its a small minus, but not at a make-or-break level. The DPI adjustment buttons are dedicated also, meaning they cant be repurposed using the software. This I also consider a plus, due to how inconsistent G Hub was with detecting games. Now comes the mixed bag part. The SW is very clear, easy to use, and building a macro is 10x easier than Logitechs method. You can insert or add any number of events, name the macro, then assign to any of the 15 programmable buttons. HOWEVER, I have found that this software sometimes forgets parts of my macro. Not entire macros, but a step may intermittently disappear from a string I built, usually a delay function. If I add it back in it may remember it for a while, but forget it again next week, or the week after. I am using v3.0.0 of the software, but the support website is probably the worst part of the experience. It looks like it was made by teenagers, and many of the support files are in a zip format and are corrupted, so I honestly have no idea if theres even an update for the SW that will fix it. So there you have it, good, bad and the ugly. Get it at a discount and itll at worse make a good back-up mouse.

So I bought this mouse about a year ago (May 2021) and used it pretty heavily since then. Im always looking for the perfect mouse though, whether wired or wireless, and have tried a few others since then. Ultimately I keep going back to this Venus Pro RGB wireless. Its very comfortable, and I have a smallish hand and tend to use something close to a claw grip. It feels good under my hand, with all the buttons pretty easy to reach. Ill admit, I dont really use all the side buttons --- it has a ton (12 specifically, with feels like a ton to me) --- using just the lower front and lower back (the 1 and the 10) for home/end shortcuts. I also have to use it on a mousepad with a wrist rest, and still feels nice to use. The software took a bit to figure out, as before this I had used a wired version of this mouse. I forget now which version of the software I had to use to access all the features for lighting and DPI adjustments, but once I had the right version its worked well ever since. It has a good range of DPI settings, the ability to change just about every button function (macros, keyboard keys like Home, forward/back navigation, etc), and several lighting options with preset and choose-your-own colors. (The side 12 buttons dont change to match the chosen color though, but they do seem to change to complement your color). The battery life seems to be really good as well. I have forgotten a few times to turn it off at night and come back the next day to find that it must conserve power pretty well by going into lower power mode, even though the lighting remains on. Overall, this wireless mouse was definitely worth the money. Every other mouse Ive used seems to lack something that this one has. Logitech, Corsair, and Razer mice always give me problems, but this one by a less famous company does it right.

So my first impression looking at the box made me worried. It looked like a typical walmart offbrand design with bold arial font and red lettering like it was supposed to be some cool hi-tech product you could compare to Razer or Logitech. It didnt fool me in the least, and my heart sank because I depend on amount of reviews + star rating, and I know Amazon has some funny tricks when it comes to products being rated highly despite poor quality products. I opened the box, and immediately set the thing on my lap and - despite odd looks from my friend who was there - started clicking the buttons and getting a feel for them. From the get go, I was satisfied with the click feel and its responsiveness, the location of the buttons, and (most importantly) the size of the mouse. I have large hands, so Im not sure where some reviews are coming from by saying large hands arent recommended, but the mouse fit perfectly without me resorting to an uncomfortable grip. I wasnt quite convinced yet, so I plugged the puppy in and popped the CD in to install the driver (and eventually update it online). If youre a gamer, or anyone who has worked on a computer for at least a year, the software was easy to set up and understand. You should know how to unzip files, install basic programs, set your DPI, navigate basic menus, and understand basic terminology. Its not rocket science, and therefore the setup was a breeze. Its a basic program with little to question, and Ive already got it pulsating red like a black gaming setup should (in my opinion, heheh). I was worried the number pressing might be a problem for my big thumb. Its... not perfect, mainly because of my thumb, but with enough practice I have no doubt it should be as easy as any other mouse Ive had, and this is coming from a Logitech fanboy. Yes, yes, Razer is fine too, but for the price and the quality I cant deny that this is a quality mouse. The texture on the left and right click is satisfying as it allows for a good grip despite sweaty hands, and the fire button just to the left of the left click makes it an easy reach in case you want to program it as an ultimate ability in gaming (or an undo button in graphic design, for instance). Programming buttons, by the way, is very easily customizable, and with enough options to choose from Im satisfied that any need I have to satisfy can be done with this mouse. Even the DPI arrow buttons under the scroll wheel can be remapped, which is great when youre like me and like to have as many buttons mapped to your mouse as possible for ease of use. As far as the entire shape goes, its comfortable for my large hands and the thumb rest is a nice touch so youre not rubbing your mouse pad all the time. On the opposite side, theres a protrusion that allows you to rest your ring finger there so it allows you to have a stronger grip on the mouse itself, which should be an important feature in any gaming mouse. Overall, this mouse is one of the better mouses Ive had the pleasure of using. The weights came already installed and, again, as a big handed fellow, I like the heavier weight so it has some give to it. The material its made out of has a nice tactile feel so that it wont slip out of your grip, and while having color pulsating from the buttons isnt a necessary aspect to a gaming mouse, its still pretty cool. I write this review having had my heart drop with worry that this mouse wasnt going to cut it and Id have to return it like some cheap knockoff, but Im pleasantly surprised. The drivers were easy to find, and I have no doubt if I needed customer service to help out they would. I feel like I invested well into a cheap but quality product. Dont take my word for it though, if youre a gamer with a hunger to customize macros and assign functions to your mouse (or even a graphic designer who hates memorizing hotkeys) you should try it out yourself! You wont be disappointed.

Ive had THREE Razer products fail me within about a year of purchase, so I vowed to never buy another Razer product again. When it came time to buy a new mmo mouse, I knew I wanted it to be wireless as I was sick and tired of my braided mouse cables getting caught on everything. Also because I had heard that wireless tech has gotten much better over time and, for the most part, you no longer have to worry about new wireless mice being laggy or losing connectivity like back in the day. The difference between wired and wireless mice, at least to me, has become indistinguishable. Unfortunately, love or hate Razer, they were the only kids on the block with a wireless mmo mouse for a VERY long time. NO ONE else was doing it. NO ONE. But I was not about to pay close to $200 for shoddy, overpriced Razer junk. Instead, I waited patiently for some other company to come along and challenge Razer. Years went by. Decades. Millennia. Finally, UtechSmart came to my rescue. Ive been using this mouse for about 4 months now and am honestly very surprised at how much I enjoy it. Chinese brands have really been upping their game lately, at least from my experience. This mouse has a lot going for it. On the bottom theres a switch for On (Without Lighting), Off, and a second On option (With Lighting). When you stop using it for a bit, the lighting turns off and it goes to sleep to conserve battery, so you dont have to worry if you forget to turn it off. When the mouse detects movement, the lighting turns back on. If you dont use it too often, you can leave it there for days upon days (maybe even weeks) without having to charge it again. To charge it, just plug any ol USB-C cable to the front and youre set. The lighting turns white and flashes, or breathes, on and off to show that its connected and charging, which could be annoying if youre trying to sleep. The software appears basic, but it does everything I need it to, without any fluff. You dont need to create an account or any of that nonsense. You can change lighting color, effect, brightness, DPI (there are 5 speed settings), record macros and map all buttons (including the left and mouse clickers) to something else, with the exception of the two DPI adjustment buttons, which is unfortunate, but no huge loss for me, personally. In terms of size, weight and feel, Id say its definitely a wider mouse than most. Its lighter than youd expect, though. If you own a Logitech G600, its a bit wider in comparison. It also seems to be ever-so-slightly lighter, though that may just be because its larger so the weight is more spread out. Beneath the bottom row of the 12 side buttons, it flares out so you can rest your thumb; a feature I didnt think I needed, but that I actually find myself using more and more. The texture of the mouse is rough, as opposed the usual smooth, like most mice. Whether thats a good or a bad thing it up to you. It does seem to help with making all those greasy, oily, cheeto-dust stains not so obvious. Finally, one of my biggest gripes with a lot of mice is how hard it is to actuate the middle mouse button. On this one, it feels easier (and sounds softer) to press than a lot of other mice Ive tried. I do wish it were even easier, though. All in all, Im very happy that UtechSmart made this mouse and HIGHLY recommend it, especially since it looks like, at the time of writing this review, its the only wireless 12-button mouse on Amazon. I hope they consider making a newer edition with even MORE buttons. Maybe a 3rd clicker next to the right clicker, similar to the Logitech G600, and an additional button next to the left clicker. You can never have enough buttons! MORE BUTTONS!!!