INTRODUCTION

   So far two great events have occurred inside October, first Chris Roberts (Wing Commander/Freelancer) announced his plans for a new single/multi-player space simulator called Squadron 42/Star Citizen (featuring breathtaking graphics and physics) and second we also reached the release date of the much awaited turn-based XCOM Enemy Unknown which is latest title in the XCOM saga (something that brought back many memories from the mid 90's). So naturally for the past 10 days or so I’ve been spending quite a bit of time playing XCOM Enemy Unknown and remembering the originals so it goes without saying that I’ve chosen to mostly test gaming peripherals (who said you can't mix business with pleasure?). of course since we use the all-time classic mouse to play turn-based strategy games the first of those peripherals could be none other than the latest Sensei [RAW] Glossy gaming mouse from SteelSeries.

   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!

   The way i see it SteelSeries probably developed the Sensei [RAW] to replace their excellent XAI gaming mouse since it might be slower and less feature-rich than the Sensei and the Sensei MLG but it's slightly faster than the previous generation XAI. For good or bad however in order to keep the cost of the unit inside reasonable levels SteelSeries removed both the 32bit ARM processor responsible for their ExactTech/double CPI features and the bottom LCD screen which can be used to check which of the stored profiles you are currently using. Still under the hood the new Sensei [RAW] sports an quite fast laser sensor capable of delivering 5670CPI (counts per inch), 10.8MP (Megapixels), 12000FPS (Frames Per Second) and 150IPS (Inches Per Second). The result (according to SteelSeries)is a "pure" performance gaming mouse targeted towards most gamers out there without the extra bells and whistles found in the other Sensei models.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The SteelSeries logo is as always placed at the front of the box along with two pictures of the Sensei [RAW] Glossy gaming mouse.

One large product picture taken from above and a smaller one showcasing the scroll wheel and the DPI selection button can be seen at the left side. 

A side picture and a smaller one with the SteelSeries illuminated logo placed at the rear of the unit are present at the right side of the box. 

The logos of all the professional gaming teams that assist SteelSeries with product development are placed at the top. 

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

Much like most gaming mice we've seen by SteelSeries the front of the box opens up to reveal the unit itself, a few words about the product in 4 languages and a comparison table between the Sensei [RAW] and the original Sensei.

Inside the box you will find the Sensei [RAW] Glossy gaming mouse, user's manual, case sticker and a product catalog.

THE SENSEI RAW GLOSSY

Although glossy may not be the most ideal coating (when it comes to grip) still the Sensei [RAW] Glossy looks and also feels great.

Size-wise the Sensei [RAW] gaming mouse is the same as the original Sensei, slightly larger than the ROCCAT Savu and a tad smaller than the ZOWIE EC1 eVo. 

Since the body is the same as the previous Sensei mice it also has two programmable thumb buttons at the left side. 

The SteelSeries logo placed at the rear comes with white illumination. 

As expected two pinky buttons are placed at the right side of the Sensei [RAW]. 

Moving over the logo we see the profile selection button and the power LED. 

The clickable scroll wheel is also the same as the one found in the Sensei and the Sensei MLG and so it's almost perfect thanks to its soft rubber coating. 

Turning the Sensei [RAW] over we see three large UPE feet which according to SteelSeries cover 16% of the total bottom surface and the 5670DPI, 10.8MP, 12000fps laser sensor.

The unit comes with a 2 meter long braided cable and a normal USB connector.

USING THE SENSEI RAW

Before doing anything i really suggest heading over to the official SteelSeries support page to download the latest available drivers and firmware updates for the Sensei [RAW]. 

Once again we see that the firmware update program is unified to contain most available products by SteelSeries. The entire procedure takes almost 2 minutes to complete. 

Once you install the latest drivers the SteelSeries logo, power/CPI LED and Scroll Wheel light up with a nice white color (which is also the only option). 

The control panel allows you to remap the 7 available buttons, create up to 5 profiles, adjust the CPI speed, set the polling rate, change the intensity and pulsation of the illumination effect, assign profiles to specific executables and finally use the statistics page to keep track of how many times you press buttons inside a specific time frame.

CONCLUSION

   The Sensei [RAW] Glossy was used from the when the delivery guy brought my copy of XCOM Enemy Unknown and up until the moment i finished it (seemed even faster to finish than the original only this time Mars is not involved. Sequel perhaps?). Aside playing games however (also played Blacklight Retribution, Planetside 2 Beta and Borderlands 2) the Sensei RAW Glossy was also used for everyday tasks such as surfing the web and while performing various storage and graphics related benchmarks. Now the good thing is that I’ve been using Sensei gaming mice ever since the original was released a while back (now i use the MLG version) and the [RAW] Glossy is basically identical to both, just slightly slower, doesn't feature an 32bit ARM processor (and thus their ExactTech technology) and comes without the bottom LCD screen (which i find little use for). So just like the previous Sensei gaming mice you can expect a very good glide factor, near-perfect grip (perhaps the textured version is better in that area compared to the glossy version), great accuracy and needless to say very good speed levels (although obviously not as much as the original Sensei and the Sensei MLG). However the lack of the ExactTech features and extra illumination colors for the rear SteelSeries logo are two drawbacks that some people will not like (in that case the slightly more expensive Sensei is the obvious solution).

   At the time of this review the SteelSeries Sensei [RAW] Glossy gaming mouse retails at USD62.28 inside the USA (Amazon) and AT 59.90Euros inside the EU (Caseking) while the rubberized/textured edition retails for USD59.99/54.90Euros at the same stores. Of course with just a few more bucks (specifically USD20/20Euros) you can get the original Sensei which is a more complete gaming mouse but having used the entire Sensei line i can say with certainty that the Sensei [RAW] is good enough to cover most if not every gamer out there. I could even go as far to say that it can be sufficient for hardcore and professional players but when you spend countless hours playing games (especially multiplayer ones) or you do that for a living you always want the best gaming mouse out there even if it offers just 5% better response times. However that does not change the fact which is that the Sensei [RAW] Glossy gaming mouse by SteelSeries is a very fast and accurate gaming mouse and that's why it walks with our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design/Grip
- Ambidextrous
- 5670CPI/10.8MP/12000FPS Laser Sensor
- Braided Cable
- Illumination
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No ExactTech Features
- Single Color Illumination