INTRODUCTION

   A few years ago when someone spoke about smart electronic devices the best thing the market had to offer were refrigerators, ovens and air conditioners which consumers could turn on and off from afar via their GSM cellular phones. Well today much like everything else in the electronics industry things have changed quite a bit so now people can not only control most of their home appliances by far via their internet enabled smartphones but they also have a wide range of smart wearables to choose from such as watches, headphones, sensors and even VR headsets. Well the gaming peripherals industry couldn't sit this one out so lately we've seen many keyboards and mice with extra "smart" features including built-in sensors that can collect gaming performance data which in turn can be used by gamers to further improve their typing and reaction times. Tt eSPORTS released the Theron Plus Smart Gaming Mouse not long ago and today we're checking it out.

   “Challenge is the game” highlights the philosophy to bring out gamers’ addiction in gaming and the ambition of reaching to the extreme. Tt eSPORTS, a gaming obsessed division from Thermaltake, is uniting gamers from all over the world in a unique & fascinating eSPORTS culture, inherited the spirits of Thermaltake, is an energetic, powerful, bold and intelligent challenger who never says “no” to the extreme competition. We do not only provide gamers the ultimate gaming gears but also fulfills the passion to achieve the ultimate success. Thermaltake has been a well-known brand in the gaming & DIY market for PC Chassis, Coolers and Power Supplies PSU for many years. The brand personality of unique, aggressive, vivid and stylish makes Thermaltake an expert in creating exciting things and fascinating environment for gamers and enthusiasts. Tt eSPORTS inherited the brand personality with unique and creative design by observing users’ behaviors and requirements. The fan cooling design on Tt eSPORTS Challenger keyboard demonstrate the brand spirit. It is the worldwide first keyboard with fan cooling function that could dry your hand sweats and blow tension away during cut-throat competition.

   For their brand new Theron Plus Smart gaming mouse Tt eSPORTS has once again used the ADNS-9800 laser gaming sensor by Pixart (former Avago) one of the most popular and used ones in the market which features a resolution of up to 8200CPI, frame rate up to 12000FPS, high speed motion detection up to 150IPS and acceleration up to 30g. The Theron Plus Smart also features an ARM based 32Bit microcontroller, 128Kb of onboard memory (for the 5 available onboard profiles), RGB lighting system, adjustable weight system, 8 programmable buttons and primary switches made by OMRON. The Theron Plus Smart gaming mouse can also collect performance data and transmit them to compatible smartphones (providing the Tt eSPORTS+ iOS/Android app is installed and running) via Bluetooth v4.0 connectivity. After that via the Tt eSPORTS+ iOS/Android app you can go through them yourself and share them with others friends or gamers. This is indeed an interesting feature but before that we need to check and see just how good this mouse really is so let's do that.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Printed at the front of the box are some of the primary mouse features which are showcased with the help of some pictures.

A product picture is used at the rear for the same purpose while right beneath it we see a product description printed in 15 languages.

As usual the front of the box opens up to reveal the mouse on one side and what you can expect from the smart feature on the other.

Contained inside the box are the Theron Plus Smart gaming mouse, carrying/storage pouch, two Tt eSPORTS stickers (black and white), warranty policy paper, quick start guide and a quick installation guide.

THE THERON PLUS SMART

The medium-sized glossy/polished body of the Theron Plus Smart gaming mouse measures 123.65mm in length, 73.8mm in width and 40.2mm in height.

Since we also happened to be testing the VentusX gaming mouse at the same time we thought it would be nice to place them right next to each other to compare their size (not much different really).

Tt eSPORTS has placed two long programmable buttons on the left side and their logo at the rear.

A single programmable button is placed on the right side of the mouse.

The DPI adjustment buttons are also fully programmable and placed at the top as usual.

The scroll wheel is rubber coated and almost inaudible when used.

As you can all see the mouse sits ontop of two very large PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) feet.

At the base of the Theron Plus Smart we also have the profile selection button, polling rate adjustment button, Pixart ADNS-9800 laser sensor and the weight compartment with its lock/unlock switch.

There are five 4.5g weights (22.5g total) placed in that compartment right from the factory so if the mouse feels heavy just remove some of them.

Tt eSPORTS has also used a 1.8 meter long braided cable and a gold plated USB plug with the Theron Plus Smart.

The lighting system lights up red once you plug the mouse into the computer.

CONTROL PANEL

Typically you should visit the official support page to download the latest drivers/software.

Through this control panel (layout has been used in the past) you have access to the programming of the buttons, battle mode which changes the illumination effects according to the frequency of your clicks, color illumination of the available LEDs, DPI, polling/double click/scroll speeds, lift-off distance and of course you can add/edit/remove Macro commands.

You can pick a different color for each of the available LEDs as seen above except for the DPI selection LEDs.

TT ESPORTS+ IOS/ANDROID APP

Once you install the iOS/android app and connect the Theron Plus Smart with your smartphone you will need to check the type/genre of game which you will be playing.

After that you can access various screens with your stats like clicks, distance travelled and number of lift-offs.

CONCLUSION

   Smart devices are here and are the future, we all know that and although some of us may not really care much right now it’s just how things are. With that out of the way although serious and eSports gamers will probably find a good use for the performance data collection feature of the Theron Plus Smart I personally found none (god knows I tried but I guess I’m old school so I mostly care about performance, grip and looks). Luckily the Theron Plus Smart is also a very good all-around mouse since its design doesn’t require lots of time to get used to like some other models, it’s very fast, very accurate and has a really nice lighting system although certainly not the best in the market (the ADNS-9800 sensor by Pixart needs no introductions since it’s one of the most popular ones to date). The glossy housing may not be something everyone will like (I know I was skeptical about it at first) but it doesn’t hinder grip much if at all (the weight system actually helps at that). As for the control software well we’ve seen it quite a few times in the past and although I have to admit that it could be better it’s still very easy to navigate and offers a very good number of settings with which the end user can play around until he finds the right ones for him.

   Right now the Theron Plus Smart Gaming Mouse by Tt eSPORTS retails for USD63 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 54Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price which is actually a lot less than what we were all expecting to see. Now I don’t know how many gamers are actually out in the market searching for a mouse that can collect data on their performance but what matters is that Tt eSPORTS has released the first “smart” gaming mouse so we have to take that into account as well. It is the mouse itself however that stands out with its performance, looks and design and that’s why we’re giving the Theron Plus Smart our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- 8200DPI Laser Sensor (ADNS-9800)
- 128kb Onboard Memory
- RGB Lighting System (16.8 Million Colors)
- Smart Feature (Performance Data Collection)
- Up To 40 Macros In 5 Profiles
- Weight Adjustment System
- Illumination Control (3 Different Zones)
- Braided Cable With Gold Plated USB Connector
- Price

CONS

- Glossy Exterior (For Some)