INTRODUCTION

   The mouse has really come a long way since the first optical and laser units made their appearance roughly almost a decade ago and so today the entire market is flooded with both wired and wireless units targeted towards not only casual users but also enthusiasts and gamers alike. Compared to everyday mice the gaming variants tend to sport higher DPI resolutions for more speed and accuracy, faster polling rates, lighting effects and of course lots of buttons which sometimes also happen to be a lot more durable than the ones on normal units. What we don't usually see however are gaming mice manufactured with specific games in mind and also targeted towards specific gamer groups loyal to those titles. The Diablo III mouse is one such product and we have it here with us today to see what all of you Diablo fans can expect from it.

   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!

   With less than 2 months left until Diablo III by Blizzard is officially released it comes as little surprise that most stores are out of stock when it comes to the Diablo III line of products by SteelSeries. However sales are not something that actually tells whether or not a product is good especially when we are talking about a product based on a game anticipated by millions of people around the world for many years now. Still i don't really think that the name of the game is enough to boost sales at such a high level and so the SteelSeries name must also be responsible for that since we are talking about one of the top manufacturers in the field of gaming peripherals after all. Still you know me, i only believe what i see and hear so let's move ahead and see just how much effort SteelSeries has put into making the Diablo III mouse.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A background image with two demons, the Diablo III, Blizzard and SteelSeries logos and an large product image is what we see at the front of the box.

The left and right sides of the unit can be seen at the left and right side of the box right above a smaller picture showcasing the units lighting effects.

All of the unit’s specifications and features are listed and explained at the rear in 4 different languages.

Much like most gaming mice in the market the front of the box opens up like a book to reveal the unit itself and a few words about it in 4 languages.

Inside the box you will find the Diablo III Mouse, user's manual, case sticker and a product catalog.

THE DIABLO III MOUSE

The Diablo III mouse follows the typical design as with most SteelSeries units and features a nice rubber coating at the top (like the XAI) which actually also improves the grip of the unit.

Two programmable thumb buttons are present at the left side of the unit (much like most SteelSeries mice).

At the rear we see the Diablo III logo which lights up red when the unit is powered up.

The DPI selection switch and a small LED light are placed directly behind the mouse wheel.

Two more programmable pinky buttons are present at the right side of the unit. Just like most SteelSeries units the Diablo III is also an ambidextrous mouse so no need to worry if you are not right handed.

The scroll wheel feels a bit sturdier than the one of the XAI gaming mouse (it's certainly more accurate) while the rubber surface on it comes with a nice arrow like design.

At the bottom we see three large feet (perhaps Teflon ones) and the laser sensor.

SteelSeries has used a very fast and accurate 5700CPI/12000FPS gaming grade laser sensor and although that may sound as a bit overkill for an RPG title like Diablo III i am certain you will not be using it with only that title.

A golden USB connector may not add something to the performance of the unit but it does add to the overall quality of the product.

The 2 meter double-braided nylon cable features a nice red and black color theme.

Unfortunately you can't change the illumination color of the logo but red is obviously the best and perhaps only color Diablo III fans will need.

USING THE DIABLO III MOUSE

As always prior to using the unit i really suggest using the latest available software and firmware updates from the official SteelSeries support page.

What surprised me is that the latest firmware update program by SteelSeries includes a total of 6 product updates and not just the one for the Diablo III mouse. This is not a bad thing but I’d rather SteelSeries bundled it with their software update and not as a separate download.

Updating the firmware of the mouse is quite fast and took less than two minutes to complete.

The bundled software features a Diablo III skin and allows you to perform the usual actions such as remapping of the buttons, creating macros, disabling buttons you don't need, adjusting the sensitivity and polling rate of the unit, choosing LED lighting intensity and pulsation, setting profiles triggered by specific executable files and finally allows you to check how many times you have clicked each of the units buttons.

CONCLUSION

   Most buyers of the Diablo III mouse are sure to be fans of the highly anticipated title by Blizzard but that doesn't really matter for me since in the end i am not here to judge it based on its design nor its name. As always my sole interest is to see just how well a product performs in every possible aspect and whether or not it deserves your hard earned money. So after using the Diablo III mouse for almost 12 days i can say with certainty that it's a lot better than the XAI gaming mouse (which i had the chance to test a couple of years ago) and just a tad beneath the latest Sensei in terms of speed and accuracy. The buttons and the scroll wheel also feel somewhat improved/sturdier compared to the XAI something which should lengthen the life of the unit especially if you're a hardcore gamer. Of course the Sensei is an overall better gaming mouse but it costs more and for most users out there it doesn't really bring something extraordinary on the table compared to the Diablo III mouse. I would of course like to see a color illumination option but since it's manufactured under the Diablo III license it is somewhat natural for SteelSeries to not include any colors other than red (that way they can also keep a lower price).

   Diablo III fans will be happy to learn that currently they can purchase the SteelSeries Diablo III mouse for around USD65 inside the USA and 50Euros inside the EU from Amazon, a price tag which is considerably lower than what it was at launch a couple of months ago. As always you can add a few bucks and go for the slightly better Sensei gaming mouse but let's not forget that the Diablo III mouse is targeted towards fans of this particular RPG title (and trilogy all together) so i don't really think comparing it with the Sensei or any other gaming mouse in the market makes much sense. Besides the Diablo III mouse features a very fast and accurate gaming grade optical sensor, nice grip, durable buttons (up to 10.000.000 clicks) a very control panel and a killer design if you do happen to be a fan of the Blizzard game so what more can you ask? For all of the above the Diablo III mouse by SteelSeries wins our Platinum award and we really hope the same applies for the upcoming title.

PROS

- Build Quality
- 10 Million Clicks
- Design (Diablo III Inspired)
- 5700CPI/12000FPS Laser Sensor
- Control Panel (Diablo III Inspired)
- Double-Braided Cable
- Golden USB Connector
- Illuminated Diablo III Logo

CONS

- Single Color Illumination