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Posted by Chris Scott Barr on Mar 11, 2011

Review – Rude Gameware Fierce Gaming Laser Mouse v.2

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Rude Gameware isn’t the most well-known brand in PC gaming peripherals, but they are trying hard to make a name for themselves. They’ve recently released an update to their Fierce Gaming Mouse, dubbed v.2. When looking at the two, you can tell that they have made quite a few changes. So many, in fact, I hardly put the two in the same league.

Looks

Rude’s first foray into the world of gaming mice resulted in a rather generic and boring-looking product. This time around you can see that they’ve spend some more time on the presentation. Black plastic along the curves and silver buttons provide just the right accents to make it a little more noticeable. You’ll also find a braided cord and different colored LEDs under the middle button to indicate the current DPI settings. Overall, it isn’t the most flashy mouse, but certainly not one I’d be embarrassed to have next to my keyboard.

Feature List

Here’s a brief rundown of the features you’ll find in the Fierce Gaming Mouse v.2

  • 5000 DPI Laser Engine
  • 1000 Hz polling with 1 ms response time
  • Onboard memory to save your modifications
  • 7 independently programmable buttons and macro support
  • Adjustable Weights
  • Zero-Acoustic Ultra-smooth Teflon feet
  • Always-On mode
  • On-the-Fly Sensitivity DPI adjustment (no driver needed)
  • LED DPI Indicator
  • Gold plated USB connector for maximum conductivity
  • 7 foot, lightweight, non-tangle cord
  • Included customization software

Software

When I get a new piece of hardware, it always comes with a disc with software and drivers. This gets immediately tossed aside and forgotten. Why? Because generally speaking, by the time a piece of hardware enters your home, the associated software is out of date. So I’d much rather just head to the company site and download the latest version. Unfortunately that does not appear to be an option with this mouse (or any of Rude’s devices), as there is nowhere on their site to download software and drivers. Instead, you are forced to use the CD. I would recommend copying the software from it and backing it up, just in case something happens to the disc.

As for the software itself, it is pretty straightforward. You can control the DPI level on each of the four settings, so that you can switch it on the fly. The default settings are 400, 1600, 3600 and 5000. However, these can be changed to any number ranging from 0 to 5000. You can even adjust the DPI of the X and Y axis individually. Next, you can customize all of the buttons on the mouse (yes, even the regular left and right buttons) except for the DPI switch. These can be set to one of 27 different actions, one of which is to activate a macro. This level of customization can really come in handy. There are even 5 different game profiles that you can switch between.

Performance

The first thing that I really take into consideration with a mouse is how it feels. It can look great, have plenty of customizable features and a competitive price, but if it’s not comfortable in my hand, I won’t use it. Thankfully this isn’t the case with the Fierce v.2. The shape seems to fit my hand adequately, with its slight curves on each side. The four extra programmable buttons are located just far away enough from my fingers that they don’t get in the way, but close enough that they can be pressed with ease.  Since the mouse comes with a set of adjustable weights, I was able to make it as heavy as I liked, which added to the comfort level.

So how did it affect my gaming? Well I wouldn’t say that it improved my game by leaps and bounds, but few mice are going to do that. I will say that it did the job that I intend for most gaming mice. That is, it gave me the extra programmable buttons I needed, was comfortable, and didn’t negatively impact my performance.

Conclusion

In the end, I’d definitely say that I’m satisfied with the Fierce Laser Gaming Mouse v.2. It’s not going to bring the most features to the table, or the flashiest looks. It will, however, bring enough of each to satisfy most gamers. The best part is that you’ll find this one for under $50, which means you can save a little more cash to put towards the other components and games you need.

[ Rude ]

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