INTRODUCTION

   If you enjoy playing all the latest PC game titles like we do you should be very well aware that pretty much all serious gaming mice in the market currently are corded ones with very few exceptions such as the R.A.T.9 wireless gaming mouse by Mad Catz. Still since more and more people are looking to ditch the limitations of that extra cable by purchasing a wireless gaming mouse it's only natural for gaming peripherals manufacturers to follow close and offer such products. SteelSeries hasn't really focused in wireless gaming mice in the past since their main target group is hardcore gamers and professionals who much like i prefer wired gaming mice over wireless ones. Still a manufacturer of their caliber couldn't stand back and watch from the sidelines so with their latest World of Warcraft wireless MMO mouse (mists of pandaria version) they are aiming at one of the largest segments of the market, Warcraft fans.

   From day one, SteelSeries has been focused on making professional gaming gear that provide meaningful benefits to gamers of all skill-level, with the most demanding being those gamers whose lively hood depends on the performance of our products. We believe, as most gamers do, in winning, not trying! What originally began as a small two-person operation in Copenhagen back in 2001 has become a global leader in professional gaming products. SteelSeries recognized the need for superior, high-quality professional gaming gear that would give players a competitive edge. Fast-forward to today, and we've come a long way since our first glass mousepad. We have global offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, providing an integrated portfolio of products designed specifically for gaming. Fueling our growth is you, the gamer!

   My first contact with Warcraft saga was with the original 2D Warcraft RTS (MS-DOS game) back in late 1994 which was pretty much the only game i played (single and LAN) up until the moment Westwood Studios released the original Command And Conquer in late 1995 (we may see the free to play reboot by Victory Games by the end of the year). Since then based on the very good success of the original Warcraft Blizzard Entertainment has released several sequels including Warcraft II/III RTS and the massive online MMO called World Of Warcraft along with several expansion packs for all of them. SteelSeries has cooperated many times with Blizzard in the past to design their StarCraft, Diablo and Warcraft branded product lines but the WOW wireless MMO mouse is actually the very first wireless gaming mouse in all three so naturally we were quite skeptical when it got announced roughly a year ago. The design of the WOW wireless MMO mouse however is not new and so SteelSeries used the same housing as the one they did in the past with their WOW Legendary MMO Gaming mouse. As expected the on board laser sensor is massively different/improved and with numbers like 8200CPI/12000FPS/150IPS/30G it should be ideal even for fast pashed FPS games and not just RTS/MMO ones (as opposed to the 3200CPI/3600FPS/130IPS/30G of the Legendary version) something which we will find out soon.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Unlike most SteelSeries products the WOW MMO Wireless mouse comes inside a large box with a picture of the product at the front right between the Mists of Pandaria, Warcraft, Blizzard and SteelSeries logos.

Another product picture this time of both pieces is placed on the right side.

The features of the unit are placed at the rear of the box in 4 different languages.

As usual the front opens up to reveal part of the unit through a clear plastic section, a drawing showcasing its main features, a product image and a few words about it.

The bundle includes the WOW wireless MMO mouse, charging base, product catalog, quick start guide, case sticker and a piece of paper with driver installation instructions.

THE WOW WIRELESS MMO MOUSE

Exactly like the WOW Legendary the WOW wireless MMO mouse is made by plastic and measures 115mm in length, 81mm in width and 40mm in height with a weight of 115g.

The left side features a rubber coating along with 6 programmable buttons and the 2.4GHz wireless technology activity LED.

A large WOW logo is placed at the rear of the unit.

The right side is also rubber coated and has both a pinkie rest area and a programmable pinky button.

At the top we have a large DPI selection button which naturally is not programmable for anything else aside the DPI selection.

Two long adjustable buttons are placed around the rubber coated scroll wheel which is almost inaudible when used.

At the front of the mouse there’s a mini-USB port which can be used for corded use with the bundled cable.

The base of the unit has 3 very large Teflon feet which offer very good glide.

Right next to the 8200CPI high grade laser sensor we see the connect button (used to connect the device with the base if it's gone to sleep mode or has disconnected) and the on/off power switch.

The charging base looks a lot like a pedestal and has several glyphs and markings placed around it.

The mini-USB port is placed at the rear of the base.

The mouse feels right at home when on the charging base.

Once plugged into your system the illumination effects of both the mouse and the base turn on. However be aware that only if the mouse is not 100% in place do its lights stay on, if it's recharging they turn off.

STEELSERIES ENGINE

You can find all the latest driver/firmware updates on the official SteelSeries support page.

SteelSeries has been using a convenient unified firmware update package their products for quite sometime now. The update takes around one minute to finish.

Through the SteelSeries engine you can map the 11 adjustable buttons, set the two DPI presets, adjust the ExactLift sensitivity, toy around with the illumination effects (intensity/pulsation), create profiles (and if you want bind applications to each of them) and finally you can use the statistics tab which counts how many times you've used each of the buttons inside a certain amount of time.

CONCLUSION

   Although SteelSeries has designed the WOW Wireless MMO mouse with WOW players in mind resulting in an very convenient in-game menu we didn't actually test it with that particular title during the full 5 days we used it mainly because other game titles are in our crosshairs this period of time like the amazing (but small) METRO Last Light, Wargame AirLand Battle, Grid 2 (although not played with a mouse) and of course PlanetSide 2. So the WOW Wireless MMO Mouse has the same bulky design as the WOW Legendary so it will take some time to get used to it if you're using a smaller one but in the end the housing is quite ergonomic and offers good support for your thumb and pinky fingers. Gliding is also very good (no wonder with such large Teflon feet) but due to the rather low weight of the mouse (115g) this may just be too much for some hardcore gamers although i have to say that we had no problem with it. The new high grade laser sensor can easily go up to 8200CPI which coupled with the increased accuracy provided by the design and glide of the mouse means that you can easily use it for fast FPS game titles as well. My only concern is that while recharging the device its illumination effects die out while the ones on the base remain so i don't really know why that is. A tiny detail i know but it did come as a surprise so i just wanted to mention it. Moving to the battery after 3 full charges we were able to use the mouse for slightly over 13 hours which is not bad and should increase after 5-6 charges.

   Offering a gaming mouse with a state of the art high grade laser sensor that's also wireless is never cheap and neither is the WOW Wireless MMO mouse by SteelSeries which currently retails for USD129.99 inside the USA (Purchase Directly from Amazon.com) and for 140Euros inside the EU (Purchase Directly from Amazon.co.uk). For the same amount of money you can probably purchase any gaming mouse your heart desires currently in the market but there aren't many wireless ones around and while i do like the R.A.T.9 a lot the laser sensor used in the WOW Wireless MMO mouse is slightly faster and more accurate. Bottom line unless you want a heavy wireless gaming mouse and you like the entire Warcraft saga (or even one Warcraft title) then the WOW Wireless MMO mouse is the right one for you. We liked the design, we loved the charging base and we also enjoyed using it both thanks to its speed and accuracy and that's why it walks away with our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Lightning Fast High Grade Laser Sensor (8200CPI/12000FPS/150IPS/30G)
- Charging Base
- 2.4GHz Wireless And Wired Use
- Rechargeable Battery / Battery Life (Over 13 Hours When Tested)
- Special WOW In-Game Control Panel
- 10 Fully Programmable Buttons (11 with the DPI selection button)
- Illumination

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Weight (For Some)