OCZ Equalizer (OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse)

Member Name: _jlee

Product:	OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse
Date:	27/09/08 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 2500dpi, ergonomic feel, nice grip, forward/back buttons, triple click, dpi shift, precise laser

Disadvantages: Software not amazing, corded?

The OCZ Equalizer is a corded laser mouse designed for gaming, and uses a laser to get accurate and precise tracking. It goes up to 2500dpi and is switchable. It was packaged in the usual plastic mould pack and cardboard over that. It includes an install CD for the software, extra gliding pads and a manual. The manual gives basic instructions and usage help for their software The mouse connects via USB.

Specification:
OMRON Button: 8 000 000 times lifecycle
Mouse weight: 0.23 lb
Mouse cord diameter: 2.2mm
Mouse cord length: 1.8m
Mouse feet lifetime: 2.5 million meters

Look and feel:
It is a blue and black mouse which is shaped ergonomically. It has the OCZ logo and Equalizer on it and at the back OCZ Technology. It's sort of got a grip on it already so that it doesn't slip as much. Also there is a non slip grip on the left hand side as well as two buttons above that (back and forward). There is obviously the left and right mouse buttons which are good, responsive and don't need to be clicked hard.

To the left of the scroll wheel is a small orange pimpled rectangular button. This is the "triple threat" button, which clicks three times in one. This is supposed to be for a gaming advantage. Also, it doubles up as a button to double click in operating systems. The scroll wheel works as normal, and isn't extremely hard to press down as I've experienced in a previous mouse. Below the scroll wheel is the DPI shift button, denoted by an icon above.

The included "feet" are pretty good and help it to glide and move smoothly, and there are some extra pairs in the box. Although the mouse is corded, the mouse uses a thin cord, which doesn't feel like it has any resistance at all compared to mice with thicker cords, which have resistance when you're moving them back because the cord's hanging off the table.

DPI Settings:
The mouse has a button near the scroll wheel, which changes the DPI of the mouse. For those that don't know DPI stands for dots per inch and the switching allows you to go from a normalish mouse to extreme DPI for gaming. So that you know the DPI it is at, LEDs are turned on underneath the scroll wheel. No LED is 600dpi, green is 800dpi, yellow is 1200dpi, orange is 1600dpi, red and yellow alternating is 2000dpi and green and yellow alternating is 2500dpi.

Laser:
I have found the laser to be very accurate and good in games. It's smooth and doesn't feel laggy and makes smooth curves. It is advertised as a "gaming grade laser engine" and uses the Agilent 6010 chip and boasts high-speed 7080 frames per second with 6.4 mega pixels/second processing. It states the max speed as 45 inches per second depending on surface.. It works well on my desk which is wood effect and works well on other surfaces too.

Software:
The mouse comes ready working out of the box without needing to install and drivers or software, although you can install the matching named "Equalware" software, which allows for assigning of button's functions, pointer settings, and advanced DPI settings. It features "keystrokes" to simulate certain keyboard commands, for better gaming.

It doesn't feature as much functionality as some other mouse software, but it should satisfy most users. I did not use it myself but it seems like it could come of use for other users.

For a budget gaming mouse, this mouse has a decent amount of features. Notably the DPI and DPI shifting as well as the triple click button. This mouse could be improved with better software, but for me it feels great and plays great.

Summary: An amazing mouse for its price

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