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

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!!!

I really liked the wired version of this mouse and it lasted over 3 and a half years of hard intense use before the left clicker finally started acting up and for some reasons I couldnt get macros to work anymore. So I decided to buy the wireless version. I tried to review it separately but the review button just brings me up to edit the wired versions review I wrote ages ago... So with that confusion cleared up, lets talk about this new tail-less mouse in my house! FREEDOOOOOM!!!!! After a few days of use I gotta say I LOVE IT! No more wire in the way, or always causing drag on the mouse. I can aim better in games and the freedom from wires is a big deal to me. With the leds disabled the battery drops less then 20% even after gaming like 12 hours and recharges very fast when I need to. I cant notice any lag or delay at all vs a wired mouse (all actions and movement are instant), so all those fears of a latency filled experience can be put to rest. This venus mouse is a seriously good deal at the $40 bucks I got it at, considering the naga pro is $150. Youd think you are getting some cheap plastic junk, but you would be very wrong. This is a very good mouse just like the wired version is. And like the wired version not only is it great for gaming, but for productivity I like it even more. Having the numpad is amazing for doing work and I think the name of the mouse should be renamed. It is MORE THEN JUST A MMO MOUSE! The only real negatives I can think of are- No wheel side buttons. Some folks might want even more buttons (like wheel left ight). Having the LED lights on will drain battery much faster (true for any wireless device). Macro functions are not as robust as razors synapse program. But to me the most major negative is worth of its own large title to emphasize this problem- NO YOU CAN NOT REPROGRAM THE DPI BUTTONS! Unfortunately despite it saying you can in the instructionsoxonline product information, you actually can not. And no there isnt a more recent update that fixes this as of feb 2021. I have held off for YEARS buying this mouse because I noticed reviews saying you cant reprogram them, but a dying mouse forced my hand. I had hoped they updated the software by now, sadly they havent. It isnt unique to this mouse either, the red dragon wireless mmo mouse has the exact same shortcoming. I think you CAN on the razor naga pro, but it costs 3 times as much and a number of people report serious clicking issues with it which kinda scared me off especially considering the high price. I also hate that razor synapse runs all the time and requires internet, and I also hate snakes which is the entire theme of their mice for some reason. I aint want no got dang snakes on my plane! Soo why in the world does the venus mmo mouse product information say you can reprogram the dpi buttons? Translation issues maybe? Dunno, I just know that this is not only misleading but also disappointing. And Why does this matter to me enough to drone on about it? well... I loved using those buttons as my page up and page down on the wired version of this same mouse, a real time saver for browsing pages, or working through various textadobe documents, or even scrolling up and down in video game chat boxes to see messages I missed. I will truly miss those handy buttons. I tried to find a 3rd party app that lets me do this, but I cant find any. The ones out there only let you change basic buttons like right, left, middle click. So I am stuck with useless DPI buttons... seriously who uses those for dpi changing on the fly? I never find a need for that in any game or task. I think vastly more people would use these as page up and down, seems like the PERFECT use for them *shrugs*. Its not easy to accidentally bump these 2 buttons but it will happen now n then which is a little annoying when your mouse is suddenly too sensitive and flying all over the screen. Not a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind. Overall its a good wireless mouse and is ridiculously cheap. There is not enough of these numpad wireless mouse out there, and thats a shame because I dont see why youd want anything else. Ive been using numpad mice for almost a decade now and I cant go back to regular mice now. You will likely find through the years ever more uses for them, which means its a growing convenience that ages very well. Today you buy one thinking its JUST FOR MMOs but in 5 years you will find yourself using the numpad for soo much more and wondering how you ever lived with a normal mouse. I have no doubts that wireless mice are the future, I just hope the numpad mice dont all disappear in time as mmos become a thing of the past (warcraft is sooo lame now). 4 stars. I am docking a star because of the DPI button liemiscommunication. That is really unfortunate because otherwise its such a solid product. I will gladly add that star if Utech gives us an update that actually lets us reprogram those buttons, but Id say this is unlikely given how old this model is already. Their coders are likely onto new projects. NAGA PRO- well... maybe some snakes arent bad? I do suspect that if you get a healthy naga pro that doesnt have the clicking issues people report about, it very likely would be the better wireless numpad mouse, It just costs 3 times as much and synapse wants to always be online which is annoying. If you need robust macro options or even more buttons and you can afford it, it might be your only real option, there isnt enough models of these wireless numpad mice out there so our options are quite limited.

The mouse is on the larger size to accommodate the num pad on the side, but it feels great in the hand. The num pad can at first be a little hard to use without looking, but the different sizes and slants of the keys help you quickly catch on. Ive been using this mouse for the last 5 days and I only charged it once when I got it and its only 50% down as of now. After about 30 seconds with no use, the lights turn off and the mouse appears to enter a low power mode as it doesn’t lose charge when left on overnight. Sadly the only way to check the power level is through the software, but the software is really quick to load, so its fine. The mouse arrived almost fully charged. The charging cable is a nice braided cable. I was pleasantly surprised to see the mouse came with a nice carrying case. Note that the wireless version doesn’t have an option to adjust the weight, but I think it has a pretty good weight already. The software comes on a USB stick that will open a download link to the software. I can confirm that the software is not running in the background taking up any precious processing power, all the macros and key data are stored on the mouse itself. As far as the software itself, it can a first seem confusing, but after you get the hang of it, it works great and has so many great customization options. At first, I didn’t expect to use this for non-gaming purposes, but with the ability to add profiles, and so many customization options that allow you to add tons of macros and key shortcuts I have found it comes in handy for general everyday use as well. I have one profile set up for gaming that includes inventory hotkeys and more for gaming, then I have a different profile with quick keys for copy, paste, enter, and other keys to quickly open/close applications. The process for adding new profiles could be improved as I believe it includes going up to the red arrow in the top right corner and exporting then importing a profile, from there you can easily switch between the profiles with the button on the bottom of the mouse and the software will update accordingly. Once you have the different profiles you can still always change both in the software the same as normal. The window of the software can sadly not be adjusted in size, though its fine. the DPI can be quickly adjusted with the on mouse buttons, and the different levels can also be changed. The mouse can be set to ridiculously high DPI, as if you would ever need it to be that high, which is why I turned my DPI levels way down. The mouse can get some good lighting colors, but I will say that the color on the mouse is not always identical to the color look in the software, and with some colors, the lighting section colors dont completely match each other. The lighting color sections CANT be controlled separately, though Im personally fine with this, and there is an option to completely turn off the lights, which I assume should result in better battery life. All the lighting modes look good, my favorite being Neon which cycles through every color, I use the neon mode on my gaming profile, and a solid color for my everyday profile to help easily distinguish between the two profiles I have. Overall this is a great product and is a great alternative to a ridiculously expensive gaming mouse.

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.

Honestly the first time I bought this I didnt expect it to last long because I took it with me to a deployment. The second one I bought in September 2022 and randomly died last month (April 2023). The wired one at home is still going strong but thats probably because it doesnt get shoved into my backpack and dropped of my table from time to time. Other than that I love the weight and the programmable buttons.

I bought this mouse initially because I wanted one that would work well on most surfaces and was rated to have a good response. Cant figure out why computer manufacturers only put USB ports on the left side of laptops when the mouse is always used on the right. I did up using the programable buttons on the mouse, not all of them, I am not a gamer. I needed to set one of the buttons to send a spacebar, in MultiCommander this shows you the space a folder is taking. It makes it a lot easier to hit the button on the mouse then to have to hit the space bar every time I need the folder size. I am on the second of these mice, dropped the first one a few too many times and it became very skippy.

Far better for gaming than your regular, generic, 2 clicker and wheel. The number buttons on the side are convenient, but also not. It takes time to get used to using this mouse, while not pressing those buttons on the side. Could be fixed by making them more ridged, or by removing 1 row, making room for your thumb to grip the edge of the mouse. That is my only real issue for now.

Works as advertised, not my favorite mouse but still good.

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.

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.