Armaggeddon Alien IV G9x Gaming Mouse Review

11:18 AM armaggeddon , gaming , mouse , review 1 Comments

     Today, I have with me the Galactic Black variant of Armaggeddon's Alien IV G9x; a gaming mouse that is targeted at those who are perhaps looking to invest in a gaming mouse but aren't quite ready to throw in the big bucks yet. I'm running out of intros so let's just cut to the chase.


WHAT'S IN THE BOX?


TECH SPECS


REVIEW
     Taking a quick look at the box, we see a concealed window which we can open up to have a preview of what the G9X looks like. The flap to the preview window is held together with velcro, which is a bit harder to open compared to the normal magnet implementation. Retrieving the mouse from the enclosure is pretty easy without much resistance.


     Let's start this off by looking at the connectivity of the mouse. The G9x features a braided cable as well as a gold-plated USB. The gold-plated USB is no doubt a good addition, but for the braided cable, some might have a different opinion. I, for one, feel that the braided cable doesn't affect me from any aspect and value the added durability to the cable from braiding.


     The mouse as a whole is pretty small compared to gaming mice I have previously reviewed. From my usage experience, this mouse is suitable for both palm and claw grip. The top of the surface of the mouse is covered with smooth rubber while the side is finished with rougher feeling rubber. There is also a slight curvature that allows the user's thumb to rest comfortably when using the mouse. Generally, the mouse is quite comfortable to use.



     Looking at the left side of the mouse, we find two extra buttons that can be redefined by users. On the right side, we find an extra button as well. In my honest opinion, I find the buttons a bit too mushy. It is apparent that the switches featured under the extra buttons is of different quality compared to the left and right mouse buttons. In addition to that, the extra button on the right side feels very out of place for me. As someone who utilizes the palm grip more often, the button on the right is just too easy to misclick. The inclusion of this button also has me changing a bit of my grip as usually my pinky finger does not have to rest on the mouse while this mouse requires it to rest there; Even though it's just a matter of getting used to it, I would rather this button not exist at all.



     On the end of the mouse, we find a little hatch which can be opened by pressing the button on the side of it. Opening up the hatch, we are greeted with quite a rare sight to behold; a weight management system. Armaggeddon includes a little container for users to store their unused weights in. Each weight is labelled as 2.6g. Personally I find the need to use all seven weights included as the mouse feels too light without those weights installed. Anyhow, still neat to see that users are able to manage the weight of the mouse at such a price point.


     Let's now focus on some of the more technical aspects of the mouse. Flipping the mouse around, we see that the G9x has ample amount of mouse feet for a mouse of its size. The mouse is powered by a PixArt 3305 optical sensor; capable of driving the mouse from 400-6400 DPI. While not the usual Avago sensor we see in most gaming mice, the PixArt 3305 is still able to perform pretty well. For those who are used to using much more premium-ly priced gaming mice, you might notice a slight difference, but newcomers will not experience any game-breaking faults with this sensor.


     Mouse click switches wise, I have no information of the exact make and model of the switches, but I can tell it is much more "mushier" (for the lack of better term) than the usual Omron switches. Is this a deal-breaker? Personally, yes. However I'm not the target market for this mouse and I'm fairly certain those who find the price of this mouse to their liking to come to terms with this minor shortcoming.

     Software-wise, it is recommended that users install the software that comes in the mini-CD before plugging in the mouse. Here comes another problem, it seems that Armaggeddon has decided not to have the mouse driver up on their website so users without a CD drive are out of luck. However, if any of you come upon this post looking for the driver installer, here you go:Armaggeddon G9x Driver Download.






     Upon successful installation, users are able to configure sensitivity for different profiles as well as the usual macro programming options and button configuration. Again, while bare-bones, the software is able achieve what it was meant to do. Minor complaint with the software would be in the last tab where users are able to configure the lighting. Even with pulsation off, the mouse seems to just pulsate in a very slow manner instead of just NOT pulsating at all. Little nitpick, but still, some people can't stand pulsating lights.

CONCLUSION

     In conclusion, given its price point, the G9x is a gaming mouse that makes suitable compromises to some components in order to feature some much niche-er features like the weight management system. Coming at only MYR 139.00, it wouldn't be fair to compare it to much higher priced gaming mice from other name brands. The Armaggeddon G9x for me is like a sample tester for perfume; users get to experience almost everything a gaming mouse has to offer, albeit not the full experience. Other than freshies just wanting to get their first gaming mouse, I find it hard to recommend the mouse to anyone else.