Budget gaming mice can be tricky, not only because there are so many, but it can also be hard to find which one offers the best performance. To stand out from the crowd, budget models usually feature a number of unique features, outlandish designs and more to try and attract buyers; the Speedlink Z-DW which I am reviewing today is no exception. The mouse features not one, but two scroll wheels, as well as a range of extra buttons that should appeal to a wide range of gamers; is this a worthless gimmick, or could Speedlink be onto a cool and practical idea?
Being a budget friendly model, I’m not expecting earth shattering performance from this mouse; it would be unfair to do so. What I am looking for is decent build quality, a good range of practical features, reasonable performance and all round value for money. There are countless gaming mice available on the market for a similar price, so I’m eager to find out how the Speedlink Prime Z-DW compares.
As you can see, we’ve got a 3200 DPI optical sensor, right hand ergonomics, eight programmable buttons, two scroll wheels, internal memory for profiles and macros, colour customisation and more. At least on the features side of things, this mouse does sound fairly exciting and competitive.
Features
As a side note, I’ll be testing this mouse out on the new Speedlink Invictus Core Gaming Mousepad. I don’t normally review gaming surfaces as I find them to be very subjective, but Speedlink were kind enough to ship it along side the mouse and it would be a shame to waste it.
The Prime comes equipped with a very nice quality two-tone braided cable. This looks great and should also provide some extended protection for the cables.
The overall design of the mouse is very nice. There’s a matte red rubber finish to the top section that should provide extended grip and there are some deep ergonomic curves down the side; perfect for claw grip play-styles.
There are the usual two toggle buttons on the left side, but Speedlink have snuck in one more near the base of the mouse; this could come in handy for a profile switch button or an extra macro launcher.
The ergonomic shape does mean the mouse is right-hand use only; sorry lefties, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Both scroll wheels have a soft rubber grip coating, and a slight “bump” on the rotation for extra control and they’re both clickable. They’re both fully functional normal scroll wheels, with the only difference being that the top one is smaller and slightly more recessed so not to cause conflicts with the front one.
The underside is pretty straight forward, but there are four large Teflon slipmats, this is good news as they should provide plenty of glide on a wide range of surfaces.
The Invictus mouse mat I’m using is quite unique in that it has a separate rubber grip base and a reversible top section. The grip base provides a small wrist rest, while the top section offers a choice of smooth and lightly textured sides. If you’re a fan of hard mouse surfaces, it’s certainly worth checking out.
All powered up and ready to go, the Prime certainly looks the part of a gaming mouse.
The customisable LED lighting is fairly subtle, but adds just enough flair for you to customise it to your liking; although the bright red chassis does clash with pretty much everything other than red.
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