















UtechSmart Venus Gaming Mouse RGB Wired, 16400 DPI High Precision Laser Programmable MMO Computer Gaming Mice [IGNs Recommendation]
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ApathyCurve
> 3 dayI recently built a new box and was grudgingly forced to switch to Windows 10. When I did so, I found that the new G-Hub program with which Logitech has replaced the old Logitech Gaming Software is unspeakably horrible. It does not support my beloved G700 mouse -- or even the G602 -- and also dropped support for the G13 keypad, for which Logitech offers no replacement in their current line-up of products. I swear Logitechs current leadership is deliberately sabotaging the company... Anyway, after 20 years of steadfast loyalty to Logitech, I was forced to abandon them and look elsewhere for my peripheral needs. I came across this little gem of a mouse quite by accident. While several manufacturers have offered mice with numeric thumb keypads in the past, theyve always been wired. This one is dual mode (wired/wireless), which is a requirement for me. At a price of fifty bucks, I snapped it up without hesitation. I am pleasantly surprised at how good it turned out to be, since I wasnt expecting much of it. Let me say this up front, however: No, the programming software is not as good as Logitech (or LGS, at least; anything is better than G-Hub). But it is quite adequate for what I do with it. You can easily program any mouse key to emulate any keyboard key and a small variety of multimedia commands. The only thing it cant do (that I can see; someone correct me if Im wrong), is remove bindings and allow games to see the mouse keys as digital buttons, i.e. - mousebutton4, mousebutton5, etc. This is a little disappointing, but nothing I cant work around. The ergonomics are quite nice, but understand that Im coming from years of using the Logitech 600/700 series, which are high hump palm mice similar to this one. I prefer that feel and find that flat mice, which encourage a claw hold, tend to be very uncomfortable for me. The numeric thumb buttons are set up so that there are two vertical channels -- 123,456 and 789,0-=. This design is so that you can easily feel which channel your thumb is in and quickly press the button you want without looking at it. This is a real boon in MMOs. Mind you, it will take a while to train your muscle memory, but once youve got it down it is surprisingly intuitive. The buttons have a slight resistance to them, so that you can move your thumb around without accidentally triggering one. They arent hard to press by any means, but you cant activate them by simply dragging your thumb across them; you must consciously press a button. It lights up in pretty colors. I dont give two shakes of a wet cat about such things, but yes it lights up in pretty colors and yes you can change them. Whatever. Enough about that silliness. The cord is a nice cloth braid and is easy to plug/unplug, (the G700 was notoriously fickle in this area). The programming software is obtained via a Dropbox link which is supplied on a little cardboard USB drive. Unconventional perhaps, but it got the job done. The wireless dongle is... well, a wireless dongle. You plug it in and it does wireless dongle things for you. Id definitely recommend this mouse to gamers. Its an absolute steal at fifty bucks. If I were still doing CAD work Id buy one for the office, as all those thumb buttons would make wonderful shortcuts for design software -- similar to the old 18-button digitizer puck I used back when dinosaurs roamed the engineering offices. Or perhaps if youre a digital artist you could use it in your painting software. Whatever your use might be, if you like lots of buttons on your mice, you should definitely pick one up.
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Lisa Ladd
> 3 dayI 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.
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Endri
> 3 dayPurpose: The reason that I originally bought this mouse was for gaming. And on that front the mouse has been great. Having all of those side keys on the single mouse has made gaming a lot easier. Now, I tend to use those keys while also using the computer for non gaming relater purposes. How the mouse feels in the hand: I think this comes down to everyones hand size but,for me the mouse is really comfortable and can use it to play games or work for many hours and not have an issue. The only thing I am not fond of on this topic is that at the top there is two types of finishes. Most of the mouse is this sandy plastic which feels really nice. put then there is this little smooth section right at the top. Definitely not a fan of that. Side Keys: The side keys was the main reason that I purchased this mouse. Just having the ability to 12 additional keys on a mouse is great. And there is also an additional key on the right side of the right clicker. Just from looking at the pictures I thought that the keys were going to be too small when purchasing the mouse but, the are actually quite large and I am able to use all of them while gaming. However, it does take a little getting used to and memorizing where all the keys on the mouse are with your hand from numbers 1-2. Again as these side keys were the main reason that I purchased the mouse, and I have been very happy with it. Battery: Battery lasts a fairly long time, and you can just charge it and use it at the same time. I dont know how many hours it actually lasts but seems long enough. Just keep in mind that while charging the mouse and using it does add a little bit of extra weight but should be an issue. Also keep in mind that battery drain rate will vary if you leave it on with the lights or turn them off while using the mouse. This is easily done on the bottom of the mouse where there is an option to turn ON or turn ON With Lights. Software: The software is really easy to use. It is really easy to assign the mouse keys to any key you want them to be. You can also create multiple key binding lists for differing purposes. And you can record macros and have a list of them as well. You are also able to see how much battery you have left as well. And you can configure the lighting on the mouse and change the speed settings. I personally never have the lights on the mouse on. Conclusion: I have had this mouse for a little over three months now and it has been great. As stated above I bought it because of the side Keys and because it was wireless. Iam not a fan of a wired mouse. So far the mouse has been working great. The keys are responsive when clicking them and you can change the DPI of the mouse depending on what your are doing and what game you are playing. Which the two arrows at the top of the mouse let you change the DPI easily. Personally I think this is a great product and would buy it again.
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Mafalda Bosco
> 3 dayHonestly, the battery lasts forever, it can be used wirelessly or via USB. The software.... Works. And its got decent comfort and weight. Really, my only complaint is that the programmable buttons cant be programmed to use the mouse 3 and 4 buttons. (You know the traditional 2 side buttons). Instead, you need to program it to any other keyboard button. It just means you have to edit your games keyboard commands to reflect that. Otherwise, solid design, weighty, smooth, good button design and placement, versatile, gripy, and long lasting. I recommend.
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Caitlynn
> 3 dayIm giving this a 5 star review but really its at maybe 4.5 only because the driver installation made me nervous. When you open the packaging and finally manage to open the USB (it flips out by the way, doesnt pull out but I do love the card shape and having it hold the drive software), it links to a google drive where you can download the software. My antivirus software flagged it as potential malware. A company like this could at a minimum make sure there certifications are verified so that anti-virus software doesnt flag it. I installed anyway and so far everything works great. The mouse can be super sensitive (as intended) so I personally like the sensitivity to be at 2 out of 4 bars. I like that you can control the sensitivity with a button on the mouse. All the buttons are easily programmable and the software (once installed) is easy to use. I like that you can change the light color and so far everything works well and feels really durable. Its a great mouse at a great price point. Just fix the certificate on the software please. downloading from a google drive form already feels sketchy and then having my antivirus flag it made me very uneasy.
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RonnieBlaz3
> 3 dayWas skeptical at first, but gave it a shot bc of the price and I was extremely surprised. I use it for gaming. Mainly Elder scrolls online .Able to make several different Loadouts like loadout one for gaming. Loadout two for video editing etc. It’s is bulky but even I with small hands had no problem using this. Definitely recommend.
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megan
> 3 dayI 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!
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Dale R. Sines III
> 3 dayI own two of the previous wired model of this mouse (work & home). I love it. My wife bough the wireless version recently and loved it as well. I then bought the wireless version for work so I wouldnt have to have my go to meetings mouse in addition to my main wired mouse. The pricing (on both versions) is also very reasonable. There are good & bad between the models. There are aspects to the new software that I like and some that I dislike. The wired version was hampered by having to use older software to get all the functionality. This one can use the new software. Lighting: There are additional lighting effects that were not available on the wired version. These features are still lacking in variety and options, but that is a minor complaint. Specifically, while plugged in it pulses a color (based on battery charge) rather than the light setting chosen. Id love to just use it wired when at my desk and wireless when off to meetings and such. I love the light color cycling and miss that when it is plugged in. Weight Compartment: The wired version had the bottom compartment with additional weights. This version is lacking that and thus a bit lighter than I am used to. While I liked the heavier weight it isnt a deal breaker for me. Software: The software, while newer, has fewer options for programming the keys compared to the older version. The older version had a ton of pre-made keys that were easy and available. You can get to the same functionality, but you have to add them as key combinations. An example was the old software had a pre-done entry for copy, paste, and other basic functions. On this one I had to manually create a ctrl + c hotkey. Again, not a huge issue for me, but I could see it being less useful for others who may not have an idea of what to put on all the keys. It certainly felt like a step backwards on that aspect. I suspect this has to do with them storing the profile on the mouse directly rather than in a file. Profiles: The software not having the profiles or way to toggle between them was odd. There is no indicator for which profile you are on. The button on the bottom to toggle profiles just felt odd as well. This might be worth the trade-off for having the two profiles on the mouse though. I absolutely hated that I couldnt convert my current profile onto the new mouse (.pdf profile in older version vs .jmk in this one). This forced me to re-create all my macros and re-assign them. Again, not a deal breaker as it is a one time setup and only impacts people with prior versions. Note, the software is PC only. You can set the mouse up on a Windows machine, it stores the profiles on the mouse, then you can use the mouse without issue on a Mac. Misc: The slot for the dongle on the bottom of the mouse is a bit odd. It sticks out just far enough that you cant use the mouse with the wired charger while the dongle is put in the mouse for storage. I dont understand why they didnt do the recessed tabs on top/bottom of it so you could grip it to pull the dongle out (like most other dongle storage layouts are). I suspect it is mostly a non-issue since you dont remove the dongle while you have it plugged in, it just seemed like an odd design choice (maybe something they can fix in the next hardware revision/version). The Good: Good size that fits hand very comfortably with the nice textured finish Good quantity of buttons to program High precision with adjustable DPI to get mouse movements just right Multiple profiles for different tasks Better lighting options compared to prior versions profiles stored on mouse (limit 2) The Less Good: no additional weight compartment in wireless version (wired version has it) lighting options, while better, are still underwhelming lighting option when plugged in is not existent less pre-created macro/key options in software compared to earlier versions (can manually create for functionality, just lose the ease of it) The Bad nothing that would sway my purchase decision Summary: This is a great mouse for the price. It is very comfortable to use and ticks off all the quality items needed for a functional mouse for gaming or customization of buttons. The software is its greatest weakness, but not detrimental to the point where it has a functional impact (just the area they should focus more effort on). I back this up with this wireless mouse version being my third of this style/brand of mouse for my own use (2 wired, 1 wireless) plus my wifes use of both the wired and wireless version too. Mac users need to be aware of the software limitation so they can get it setup on a Windows machine first, then theyll be ready to go.
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Charles Murphy
> 3 dayThis 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.
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AB
> 3 dayIve had this for over a year and it its been great. Good fit for small to large size hands, buttons feel good, rubberized plastic feels nice, the overall build quality feels better than some premium mice. Batter life is great, wheel has a nice soft rubber. I bought this mouse to play MMOs and because I really wanted a mouse with a side button next to the left click, this is the only MMO mouse that has that. Cons: the software does the job, but feels very basic, having to download it from Google Drive is basically a leap of faith because you dont really know if its a virus or not until you install it (its not a virus), I wish they would update it to give more options, like adding different game profiles.