Game On: Steelseries Gaming Mouse “WoW's” User’s With Ultra Configurable High Res Device

steelseries, is best known for making devices to enhance your daily experience using your computer, whether it be for work or play, such as the Z-Board (with customized ‘keysets’) & Iron Lady branded devices.

But if you are one of the 11 million plus gamers addicted to…um…I mean, who occasionally play, World of Warcraft, then you are in for a special treat.

Blizzard teamed up with steelseries to offer an officially licensed and customized WoW MMO Gaming Mouse with ALL the bells and whistles you could ever want…and then some!

“The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse was designed specifically for World of Warcraft® by Blizzard® and steelseries,” claims the websites product description. “The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse provides remarkable benefits to all MMO gamers, regardless of level or play style. The mouse features incredible customization options to accommodate personal preferences. Seamless integration between software and hardware will provide an amazing in-game experience that provides superior performance, comfort and control. The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse is fully scalable to meet and exceed the requirements of even the most discerning World of Warcraft® gamer.”

Quick Overview

- Macros up to 160 characters
- A total of 15 programmable buttons
- Over 130 predefined commands for drag-and-drop macro creation
- 16 million illumination choices with 3 intensity and pulsation levels
- World’s first gaming mouse designed exclusively for World of Warcraft®

Once you’ve downloaded the most recent installation package from the website (a must for Windows Vista users, as instructed by a stand alone, can’t miss, post card inserted in the packaging) setting up pulsating wonder is not nearly as daunting a task as you would think it would be, as I was pleasantly surprised to discover.

The software setup interface is simple to understand, laid out simply and intuitively, and ready to reach out and download your character info from the Blizzard® authorized “WoW Armory” into one of the 10 provided customizable slots. (Note: Characters do not get picked up by the armory until they reach level 10, so if you’ve just started a toon, you can still use all the features of the MMO mouse, but you’ll need to get to work on your skill level before assigning to a slot.)

THE SOFTWARE INTERFACE

As you can see in the screen shot below, all 15 programmable buttons are clearly marked and its assigned action or function is labeled.

 Each button can then be programmed by simply selecting an action from the predefined drop-down list of WoW commands, change the dpi or character profiles on the fly, or even create custom macros by just “recording” the normal keystrokes you would use in-game and assigning a set of actions to a single button.

While having 15 buttons may seem like more than you can possibly remember, especially if you have multiple characters on multiple servers, all with different actions needed to complete a task, I found that using it on my primary and secondary toons becomes easier and more intuitive the longer I play them…and frankly I find that I use about 6 or 7 button frequently and with good results.

Of course you can always use the mouse for everyday left and right clicking, scrolling the wheel to your hearts content as needed; with up to 3200 dpi resolution available to you, pinpoint accuracy is assured in any game or desktop editing program.

GAME ON!

Technorati Tags: Cool Gadgets,Gaming,WoW,Mouse,Steelseries

Game On: Steelseries Gaming Devices

Got GEAR?

From headsets to gaming pads, game and gender specific accessories for every gamer, steelseries wants you to know that they’ve got the gear you want and need!

Their line of headsets is quite impressive and includes something for every gamers personal preferences in size, type and style of device…guys or gals! Like the iron.lady full sized headset is a fav for the gals; fully loaded AND awesomely pink!

And guys, the next time some orc you’ve just pwned with your vicious pyroblast accuses you of having ‘big brass ones,’ tell them “Aw-hells-no! I’ve got the steelseries World of Warcraft custom Zboard, keyset & gaming mouse*!”

* Look for a more in-depth review of the World of Warcraft set next!

The steelseries ZBoard is truly an innovative idea that has revolutionized and customized the gaming experience like nothing since the “mouse” was introduced decades ago! And steelseries notes: “With its ability to adapt for any game through removable keysets the steelseries Zboard is a completely unique gaming keyboard. The “anti-ghosting" feature allows for 7 simultaneous keystrokes opposed to the standard 2-4 on other keyboards.”

From the moment I unpacked the Zboard I knew I was about to a have truly unique experience AND expected to travel along a steep and arduous ‘leaning curve’ before I would be able to even use this new toy, let alone master its use…but when I opened the package I found a small folded sheet of paper, with a few paragraphs of simple instructions (in many languages) which included the words “Check for Keyset Updates” (This comes into play in a moment).

I inserted the included CD, which loaded the “ZEngine” software, onto my Vista Home Premium, Q6600 quad-core based gaming rig, and loaded the interface that assists in customizing the board to your personal wants and needs. (Side note: the Zboard comes with a fairly standard QWERTY ‘keyset’ insert AND an advanced gaming ‘keyset’)

Each keyset has its own ROM or ERROM chip so ‘programming’ can really be simply changing the keyset out from one pre-configured keyset (like the FPS keyset included) to another (like the WoW-WotLK keyset) and in and of itself is completely reprogrammable! Once you’ve got your keyset in place, you can customize every key to do whatever is possible in the game to do with a keystroke or set of keystrokes…and you can simply save your setup, naming it whatever you want (CoD4 set) and make another customized set for another favorite game (like Team Fortress 2). Once set up, this leaves the gamer to PLAY the game to his or her fullest potential, without having to remember key combinations for different games…awesome!

My only ‘hiccup’ was that as soon as I plugged in the Zboard, the interface started and failed! But please, don’t take that out on steelseries …the Zboard I reviewed says plainly on the box that it supports UP TO Windows XP…and the instructions plainly say “Check for Keyset Updates,” and a quick trip to the download section of the website and I had the latest, VISTA compatible ZEngine up and running without another hitch. (Darn you RTM folks out there! LOL)

So the next time you get PWND by “EZTarget” in Call of Duty or Team Fortress, you’ll know I’ve traded my ‘big brass ones’ in for pair of steelseries tools…the Zboard and MMO Gaming Mouse!

Game ON!