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

Good Mouse. Sturdy quality, built well. Ive had for awhile and no problems.

This is definitely not made with FPS in mind. I really like the availability of customizable buttons at thumbs length. The program is simple, options a plenty, and 5 profiles to cover all game types after you set them up. Basic but plenty of options for polling rate, DPI, double click speed. I really like the weighted pegs you can add or remove to your liking (I use half of total). The conventional mouse buttons are wide and have satisfying feedback when pressed, DPI buttons customizable for any DPI level or new functions all together. The side buttons give a soft feedback when pressed but are reliable, easily accessible with the thumb, although I assign important binds to the buttons in the corners of the panel because its easy to lose your place with the middle buttons without a little extra attention of a direct press with thumb tip. RGB is nice enough, could use more light designs than just breathing. Scroll wheel is smooth and functions as it should. Now here is my main issue, which is entirely based on my own situation. The sides of the body have a wing for the thumb and a third groove to rest either the ring or pinky finger. However in order to rest ring finger you have no place for the pinky, and if use it for the pinky then your forced to ADS with the ring finger, resting the middle on a tiny spot between mouse buttons and beyond the scroll. This grip feels horrible in that case most definitely not whats intended. So back to having a floating pinky you are forced to squeeze against the mouse body to avoid dragging it on your pad. Back to the thumb wing, its the perfect length to feel impractical, as if you have to balance or squeeze to keep it on the mouse. I have a moderate hand size (I feel) and in order to control my movements accurately under the entire design, I have to use a claw grip leaving the cup of my hand above the curve designed to support it. And in order to maintain the grip Im stuck using my pinky and thumb to keep it against the base of my palm, this frequently fatigues the muscles of my thumb in my palm. If I was to rest my entire hand against the mouse body then Id have to use the last knuckles/pads of my fingers (farthest from nails) which isnt as practical as striking with fingertips. This is an mmo mouse and not comfortable for what I need. However thats my issue between buying it for the wrong games and my hand size. That all said its dependable, sturdy, and functions amazing for $30. Thats the takeaway, its amazing for its price. I still perform very well using it in COD:MW but thats probably because Im so used to it. Definitely worth $30 if you know what you want it for.

Firstly I would like to say that this is an amazing mouse and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with or without a budget. Feel: The mouse has an incredible conformity to your hand. It feels natural, it fits all of the curves of your hand nicely and has good resting areas for all fingers. Its design fits in the palm nicely, and handles easily. Look: Its absolutely beautiful. It provides that nice amount of color that isnt incredibly flashy but just enough to make it look cool. Its breathing lights look incredible in the dark, and the color customization is quite mind blowing. DPI: The DPI is shown by 4 red lights on the top of the mouse, next to up and down buttons. Its very easy to change and easy to determine what DPI setting you are on. The DPI is quite insane, though, as the highest level will take you to the other side of the screen with a slight twitch of the hand. I dont know if its just me, but I feel like it could be too responsive. I generally use it on the first level, with one light on. Program: Its a bit confusing, the profiles are a bit weird, but its generally okay and just takes some messing around with. Changing Profiles: To change between 5 different possible profiles, there is a button on the bottom of the mouse that you push to change the coding for the buttons. This will also change the colors you have set for the profiles. I wish it was a bit easier to change profiles, but its not that big a deal. Weights + Extra Pads: Weights were incredibly useful in determining the right feel and weight for the mouse, and is definitely a good customization feature of the mouse. It comes with 8 weights, already inside of the mouse, and a case for the weights so you dont lose them. The company has also put in extra pads for the bottom of the mouse, when the current ones get worn out. Buttons: Not including the regular clicking buttons, the DPI settings, and the profile button, there are 13 other programmable buttons on this mouse. One of them is right next to the left click, on the outside/top of the mouse, and it is preset as a double click. The other buttons are on the side, numbered 1-12 and preset to 1-12. So if youre a Minecraft player such as me, this is a wonderful mouse. You can program these buttons with the program downloaded with the mouse, and store them in the profiles. Issues: I have very few of these, and I may have touched on some earlier. First off, the scroll wheel. Personally I like a mouse to have very clear notches in the wheel for gaming, so I can tell how many times I need to scroll to get to the certain weapon or tool I need. The scroll wheel for this mouse feels pretty loose, with no hugely defined notches. Theyre still there, but they arent quite as sharp as I like them to be. The next problem is one Ive mentioned, changing profiles. Its a bit tedious to have to turn over the mouse every time I want to change a profile, so an easier method would be nice, though its not a huge deal. Third: Sometimes when I jitter click (click very fast), the mouse squeaks a bit. Its just a bit annoying to hear. Lastly, the scroll wheel isnt fully customizable with colors like the other parts. It only has 5 presets of red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Compatibility: This mouse is meant for Windows, at least the program is. If you use it for a Mac, the buttons on the sides are still preset to 1-12, but you cannot program them without an external program, and you cannot get the full customization of colors. I believe other methods have been suggested like program the mouse and profiles on a Windows computer and then transfer the mouse to the Mac, but Im not sure how well that works or if it works at all. This is an excellent mouse, and I would recommend it to anyone whos looking for something incredible thats under $80. EDIT: Its been over 2 years since Ive had this mouse, and its finally starting to degrade a bit software wise. However, the only issue Im having right now is that it becomes a bit unresponsive with a couple buttons and tracking for a few seconds.

I normally use the Razer Naga but lately it just feels like Razer is upping their price points and going down on quality for some reason. Ive noticed a lot in the Razers that the mouse ends up hanging a lot which can be quite frustrating in the middle of games so when my mouse finally broke I opted not to pay 90+ bucks for the same mouse again that I would always fear would just end up having the same problem. So I scoured the internet for similar mice as Ive grown pretty fond of and cant live without, the side keypad, there were quite a few mice out there but I was looking to try something new for relatively cheap since I was switching to a mouse I had never tried before, there were a few and all had positive and negative reviews, the typical anxiety hit because I had no clue how to choose between them all, but I, on a whim, decided to go with this one. I overall love this mouse and have very few complaints. Its about the same size as a naga, maybe slightly bigger, or if not bigger the design makes it a little wider. I have small hands so its not ideal but its also not so big that its a problem and I can easily get used to it while Im getting used to the new structure of the mouse as I knew I would have to do anyway. The buttons are a little stiffer but I have to preface this with a right now, they might loosen up as I use them and I really dont think its a big deal and I think thats kind of where their price point difference starts to come in to play. The texture of the mouse is nice, it isnt smooth like the naga but it is matte, its a little rough but I kind of dig that texture XD and they include these little grips with the mouse that are smooth and a little gel-like which is really cool of them to provide. They also included a little card with a usb which included the software, which was pretty cool since I had read in several places where they had to go on to their website to download the software. The software did pop up for my anti-virus but I took a chance and downloaded it anyway as Ive seen nothing really harmful come from it from other users and after downloading it everything seemed fine, I ran several checks and nothing malicious seemed to be there. The software itself is awesome, its really easy to use and is extremely customizable from color to dpi to cursor sensitivity and scroll speed as well as several other things. The only thing I wish I could do is change the dpi light because it stands out like a sore thumb if you change the color of your mouse, also not a deal breaker for me though as its just an aesthetic and while I like being able to customize things I bought this mouse for functional purposes. I havent used it very long so I cant say if the mouse will have long term problems but right now it works incredibly, its everything I was looking for and my last complaint is I think one that many people have posted on here and its that the little button off to the left side doesnt work, it counts as a left mouse button click. Ive read that you can fix this yourself if you are handy with wires or know someone who is and at some point I might try to do so but I do think maybe its worth bumping the mouse up a couple of bucks to fix guys :P though still not a huge deal breaker for me, its just one keybind to adjust until I can fix it. However, again for the price point I was expecting the mouse to be a big flop, so its pretty great!

I bought this mouse March 2021 so its not 2 yrs old yet and the last few months I have noticed a loud clunk when I right click. It still works just fine, but the noise makes me think it will be dying soon. I dont ever use the lights and am not a gamer so there is no rage banging or throwing. I use this mouse for CAD. I dont use any of the other buttons other than R & L click. I just like the shape of the mouse. It is really comfortable, although sometimes my pinky is hanging off to the side and gets stiff. The battery lasts a long time. I shut it off when Im not using it to preserve battery as well as not use the lights as I stated above. I purchased the protection plan so I guess I will put that to use and get a new mouse. Would expect this mouse to last longer and not make funny noises even at the low price.

As a previous owner of two separate Razer mice, I am content to say that the Utech Venus is a fine alternative to the Naga. I bought two of these as a replacement for myself and my partner, and theyre working fine after about a month of owning them. Pros: + The programmable MMO side buttons are more comfortable and easier to identify without looking directly at them, due to their shape and curvature - at least compared to the Nagas less pronounced design + The adjustable weights are exactly as expected, with an overall weight that doesnt get too heavy with all of them or too heavy without any + The braided USB cable is sturdy and doesnt get frayed easily and collect dust/lint like my previous mouse + The mouse driver is fairly straightforward and mostly user-friendly. I havent had any issues in using it that other customers claim to have had + The color LED light looks great and is adjustable, meaning it isnt a distraction when playing movies on my computer + The adjustable DPI/acceleration and mouse wheel scroll speed is very handy and on-the-fly, making it less of a hassle to switch between settings if Im browsing websites vs. playing games + Comes with little coated stickers for the feet on the underside of the mouse, to prevent it from getting scratched (handy if you dont have a mousepad, or if your pad is worn out) Cons: - The underside lid for the adjustable weights is a little finicky; Im worried about breaking the mouse sometimes when trying to twist the lid loose to add/remove weights - The teflon material isnt my favorite to the touch (mostly if I accidentally slide my fingernails across it), but its far from a dealbreaker - The color LED doesnt change color automatically. When I read that it has a breathing light setting, I was under the impression that you could have the color LED both pulsate in brightness, as well as automatically rotate between colors (I wanted to have it match my keyboard); unfortunately, it only pulsates in brightness - Though the package I received the mouse in included a disposable USB drive with the driver software on it, the software is out-of-date compared to what the Utech website currently has. Not too big of a deal, considering how easy it is to get the new driver Overall, it does everything I want in a gaming mouse. I got two for the price of just one of my previous gaming mouse. Theres a little extra legwork in getting the driver going. As long as you dont handle your equipment poorly, theres no reason it should have any issues. Ill follow up if it starts to have issues like my previous mice (such as unintentional double/triple-inputs for macros or wheel clicks); I had that issue 1-2 years into owning my previous mice, so hopefully this one outlasts those!

I had to stop using the wired one after a couple years of use, not due to hardware failure but the drivers and software not being updated. Ive retried the g600 since then and the EVGA. EVGA has a trash scroll wheel and I tried a replacement as well. First one also started turning its self off after awhile. I decided to try the wireless version of this since I really liked the wired and the software is newer and seems to be updated. So far Im happy. Easy to program buttons and macros. Being wireless will take some getting used to since Im used to having to fight the wire and pull the wire around to move the mouse. Its great but muscle memory still wants to pull the cable. It came already charged and worked before even finding the software/drivers download link. The driver card failed but when I had the old one it worked so I consider that a fluke. I found the software/drivers through their sites FAQ page. Its a bit lighter than Im used to but its built well. Smooth clicking and the scroll wheel is smooth and no clicking or grinding or jumping around. Ill update again if anything changes but I expect it to last awhile. The g600 main button would always break after just a year, and EVGA scroll is trash, where as the old one of this held up physically. Old review: Ive used a Logitech G600 for many years and when it was finally time to get a replacement I decided to try this on a whim since it was cheap and had the full 12 side buttons. Normally I read lots of reviews and research an item first but I didnt this time. Short answer is its great and Im glad I got it. First one negative difference is the ring finger rest. On the G600 that is a button that I could program. Its not been a too big of a deal. I reset those to the trigger button in their profiles but it took some time for my my muscle memory to catch up. My ring finger would still like to do something sometimes. The G600 had clicks left and right on the scroll wheel that could also be programed. I never used this so dont miss it but its a difference to note. Software: Ive seen complaints about the software. Over all its pretty good. On the G600 I had to enter combo keys to do things like cntrl+W for sprint in a game or close window, and I had to set up a hot key combo for volume up and down with the g600. This allows me to just select the option to walk or close window, and even volume with no extra hot key combos needed to be added. The options are already in the software. I did enter a combo key for closing a tab and it worked fine, once I remembered to hit apply. So to me this seems a lot better as it can more easily do what I want. (this part is not relevant to the wireless pro)A little bug that seems to be a software issue. Sometimes the scroll wheel stops working but if I switch the profile to a different one and back it fixes it. This seems to happen after Ive turned the port off but not every time. I turn the port for the mouse off when I leave the room due to pets. So this might not be an issue for most. (this is the issue that got worse later it was either drivers being too old or maybe the cable wearing out) Another minor negative is the G600 could cycle colors as far as Ive found you can only select one color with this. (I just leave the lights off on he pro for longer time between charging. It lasts all day that way) Over all Im very pleased with my purchase(have had it a few months at this time). The roughened texture feels great, the weights help a lot(I have hand tremors and the weight allows for better control). The cable is even better, less stiff. The wheel feels better and looks better. The whole thing just feels and looks good and preforms well with the occasional minor glitch with the wheel. If I were buying today I would select this over the G600, its cheaper and better.

Purchased this mouse and I have been very happy with both the product and the seller. a few months into owning it a small problem cropped up but the seller was very fast to make it right. Otherwise, I have to say that I find this mouse an almost indispensable tool for working, and not so much gaming. it is really nice to have variable DPI when working over several monitors, so you can increase/decrease the pointer sensitivity at the touch of a button. The main thing though is the bindability of the buttons. On buttons 1-12 I have: 1. ctrl + x (Cut) 2. ctrl + c (Copy) 3. ctrl + v (Paste) 4. Delete 5. ctrl + a (Select all) 6. Forward (browser function) 7. Back (browser function) 8. New Tab 9. (ctrl +z)Undo 10. (ctrl +y) Redo 11. Win+ Right (snap window right) 12. Win + Left (snap window left) Being able to perform ALL of those functions without having to lift my hand from the mouse has been a real quality of life improvement. It seems like a small thing, but it is a huge convenience when you are at work and perform each of these functions dozens, if not hundreds of times per day.

Edit: 8 months later, I still love this mouse! The UtechSmart VENUS Pro wins my award for the Best Ergonomic Wireless Productivity Mouse of 2020. I am a mouse enthusiast, and this is my 9th and favorite mouse. PROs: 1. With 16 buttons, I have been able to program keyboard shortcuts to operate from my mouse, and I love it. My coworkers are jealous of my ability to mute and unmute our conference calls with a dedicated mouse button. 2. The ability to switch between wireless and corded is really cool. 3. The lights are cool. 4. Ergonomics are great. The ergonomics of this mouse are so good I almost forgot to mention it, because it feels so good I quit thinking about it. I have rejected other ergonomic mice because they werent big enough, but this mouse fills up my hand allowing me to hold a nice round shape and reach the buttons comfortably. Most ergonomic mice are too small or flat such that I have to distort or shrink my hand to grip them. Of the 12 side buttons, there are two buttons that I cant reach easily. I suppose I can reach them, but I have to adjust my grip enough that I usually dont bother. If you dont use those 2 buttons, you will still have a 14 button wireless ergonomic mouse, which is better than Ive been able to find anywhere else on the Internet. CONs: 1. The software to program this mouse is only available for Windows. No Mac Software. If you are rich enough to own a Mac, then you probably have an old windows laptop under your bed or in your closet. You can program your mouse on the windows computer and then use your newly programmed mouse, including shortcuts, on your mac. NOTE: The free mac software called Karabiner can act as a substitute for the missing mac software. After youve set it up with Karabiner, you can also use the mouse with the productivity software Better Touch Tool and Alfred. Karabiner and Better Touch Tool can make any mouse programmable. 2. This mouse does not work well on my dark, grey desk. Often it will not track motion smoothly on dark surfaces, as though the laser or light underneath is not strong enough to reflect off of a dark surface. The problem doesnt happen every day, but it happens often enough that I cant use it normally on my black desk. Since its not all the time, Ive tried to figure out what the trigger is for this problem kicking in. Ive decided its either when the battery is low, or else there is some kind of calibration where the mouse thinks its in a dark room and loses focus on my desk. If I use a colored mouse pad, or even a piece of paper under the mouse, it tracks motion great. I contacted the seller, and they were very quick to reply. They offered to send me a free mouse pad. I dont think that mousepad ever arrived, but it wasnt a big deal because I made my own mousepad. 3. The rechargeable battery life feels a little short to me. My other wireless mouse uses AA batteries, and they last at least a month. This mouse lasts about a week if I leave the lights off, or two days if I leave the lights on. Recharging this mouse is easy using the included USB cable, and I can keep using the mouse while its plugged in. Since this mouse can be used as a wired USB mouse, having the fancy lights on makes more sense when its plugged in. Less Important: I dont actually use this mouse for gaming, I use it to program productivity shortcuts (forward and backward in the browser, move between browser tabs, close windows, copy, paste, Ctrl, Command, Shift, Fn, zoom in and out). The scroll wheel on this mouse is the same as most gaming mice I have used: it scrolls with a bump or jump between lines. I actually would prefer a smooth scroll so that my page doesnt jump as I read. The only gaming mouse Ive used that does this is the wired Logitech G502, which could switch between bumpy and smooth scrolling. CONCLUSION: The battery life and lack of windows software have not been a major problem, but I am disappointed that it doesnt track well on a dark grey surface. I have fixed this by using a mousepad, but its the only thing keeping this from being my perfect productivity mouse. Ive spent years testing programmable mice for increased productivity. This is the only one Ive found that meets my 3 most important criteria: 1. Truly ergonomic 2. Wireless 3. More than 11 buttons. If you are ok with fewer buttons, or you arent as picky about ergonomics, then there a lot of other wireless mouse out there that will track on a black desk. You might enjoy the Logitech G602. But for me, the UtechSmart VENUS Pro wins my award for the Best Ergonomic Wireless Productivity Mouse of 2020.

TL;DR: Very useful, comfortable, durable and well built for the price (have dropped it on edge many times and cat tried eating the cord and still not a scratch) and not as obnoxious looking as other LED gaming mice. Thumb rest is a thumb saver too, wish other name brand numpad mice had them, I would consider them then. Updated 2018: After 3 years of use the side 6 button stopped working completely, and then the scroll click broke, doesnt even depress and make a sound, and I finally had to replace the mouse. Scroll click would work intermittently for about a year, sometimes just re-plugging fixed it, sometimes a reboot would not, but it would start working again few days later. Update 2021: 3 more years and no buttons have worn out or died, but the texture has started wearing under my fingers. Now the palm rest feels more textured than the front, the left click has a spot the size of a pin head worn down to the plastic, with the right click probably a year away from doing the same. Planning on having my new job pay for one though, becasue Id rather get something I know than an ergonomic mouse that may not feel right, and those are more expensive and usually wireless (I dont want to deal with batteries or the inevitable why wont my mouse connect?) Update 2022: made it almost 4 years this time, left click has started double clicking. Trying to do a hold click like drag-and-drop, or holding a click in a game it does an initial click, releases, then holds the click. Annoying, but worth $30 for another. The newer versions of this no longer have the smoother rubber-like coating and are now noticeably textured, likely because of complaints about the coating scratching or becoming slippery with use. It never scratched for me and it didnt get slippery even after gaming all day, but maybe mine happened to be a good one. Its only noticeable when you move your fingers across he surface and only feels slightly different during normal use. Update 2021: 3 more years and no buttons have worn out or died, but the texture has started wearing under my fingers. Now the palm rest feels more textured than the front, the left click has a spot the size of a pin head worn down to the plastic, with the right click probably a year away from doing the same. Planning on having my new job pay for one though, becasue Id rather get something I know than an ergonomic mouse that may not feel right, and those are more expensive and usually wireless (I dont want to deal with batteries or the inevitable why wont my mouse connect?) Initial Review: For two years of college I unplugged this, coiled it up, and put it in my backpack to use with my laptop. Every. Day. The plug never felt loose after so much plugging and unplugging, the cord has no kinks or frays, and never had any issues with the mouse disconnecting, so the cord is VERY durable. In fact, I hit the plug while it was in my laptop once and it broke the port: the plug didnt bend at all. The mouse buttons have a short travel, dont require a firm click, are a bit quieter than than the cheap $10 mouse I used to have, and have a more pleasant click tone than a normal mouse. The side buttons are very useful and are mechanical switches that require a bit more pressure than the left/right click but are very responsive: they do not travel until you apply enough pressure and then the response is instant. They have a more muted and lower pitched click sound. . The rows of buttons are angled in opposite directions to make them identifiable, however the back two rows are more awkward to use if you rest your hand to easily reach the front row becasue of how you have to bend your thumb. The 5 and 8 buttons have bumps that are supposed to distinguish them, but theyre hard to notice unless you rub the tip of your thumb back and forth. The double-click button Ive found very useful in several games, though it requires a slight grip alteration to reach it. Its also mechanical, requires barely more pressure to press than the left/right buttons, and makes a bit lower pitched click thats also a bit less pleasant sounding but is not louder. The thumb-rest is great and I would not go back to a mouse without one now, which brings me to a minor complaint of not much of a pinkie rest, as this mouse seems ergonomically designed for your middle finger to rest on the scroll wheel instead of the right mouse button, so my pinkie rests on the side, but does not drag on my desk (though I have below-average sized hands hands) and is still more comfortable than a normal mouse. The driver software is very functional and does everything it needs to well, with no useless gimmicks or half-functional features. The LEDs color and brightness are fully adjustable (three brightness options, but can make it dimmer using the custom color selector). The new driver version released this year (V 1.2) supposedly now allows changing the scroll wheel LED color, but only for the newer mouse version, which I keep forgetting to test. All buttons can be customized and can have macros assigned (my brother set his double-click button to the profile switch. I got him one too). From experience, its best to add probably 5-10ms delay between key inputs in a macro, or weird stuff can happen. In one game as soon as i used a macro of a click and key without delay I was unable to click on anything in the game, even menus, and had to force-close it. The really nice part is the profiles are saved to memory in the mouse, so it will be fully functional - DPI settings, macros, and all - on a computer without the drivers. Just be warned that installing the drivers on a new computer will not load the profiles from the mouse and will override the profiles saved on the mouse, so if you plan on putting the driver on more than one PC export the profile to a file with the driver software to copy over.