If you are too lazy to read there is a video review here.

Let me start by saying I'm a very practical gamer, I believe strongly in having practical and functional gaming hardware. Gimmick toys can gtfo. When Tt eSPORTS released the original BLACK I thought "ehh, probably not for me." It's a practical mouse but it lacked functionality being stripped down to the basics, the single side button and lack of software support was a real deal breaker. So when the BLACK Element was unveiled I was immediately intrigued by nine reprogrammable buttons, including four side buttons. Maybe this BLACK 2.0 was a mouse more worthy of my interests.


It turns out I was wrong, not about its worth but about the Element being a BLACK 2.0, that assumption was quite naive. If you didn't like the regular BLACK I recommend you take a second look at the Element. Despite the name the Element is a completely redesigned mouse. It features a slimmer shape, more buttons, 128kb onboard memory, software support, and customisability. There's these days' gaming standards as well such as the braided cable, removable weights, and on the fly dpi control.

The Element is touted as a mouse for MMO gamers but honestly it's suitable for any type of gamer. From DC Universe, to Heroes of Newerth, to Counterstrike and Battlefield the Element felt and performed great. The thumb and ring finger buttons are well placed and easy to navigate and the scroll wheel feels nice and chunky. The rubber finish all over the mouse was particularly appreciated. If anyone's used a Microsoft Sidewinder they'll know despite being an excellent mouse mechanically it's made out of cheap plastic which really drags on the comfort factor.


The software allows for lots of customisation, anybody who likes their mouse just so will appreciate this. All nine keys are reprogrammable; dpi adjustment keys a waste of space for you? No problem change them to a personal macro. On the other hand if you prefer to fine tune your DPI just right the Element offers the ability to independently adjust the X and Y axis sensitivity between 100 and 6500 dpi.

There are a couple of drawbacks. Firstly it's not lefty friendly. If you game southpaw then the Element is unusable because the side buttons are awkwardly placed for a lefty. On the other hand that's because it's optimised for right hand players. An ambidextrous Lachesis suffers from sidebuttons that while usable by both styles, are slightly uncomfortable and awkward for everyone. As we all know anything slightly uncomfortable over an extended LAN session turns into finger breaking painful. In my opinion optimising for one style was the right choice so sorry, lefties, you took one for the team there.

Secondly I found the lack of a visible dpi indicator annoying. I play with multiple dpi settings so I had to fumble around and get the feel to make sure I was playing on the right one each time I switched. There's an overlay which displays current setting whenever you switch but unfortunately it only appears when you're alt-tabbed to the desktop. Hopefully this will get remedied in software updates.


Nitpicking aside the Element is definitely more than just an upgraded BLACK. I've seen a lot of people saying "It's just a Lachesis, won't buy," and I have to laugh at them. The Element is more comfortable, has equal specs, and on top of that it's cheaper than a Lachesis V2. The Element has an RRP of $69 so it's sitting on the upper end of mid range gaming mice prices but offers a lot of bang for buck.

Unless you play southpaw or stand 6'6"+ with matching ogre hands I recommend the BLACK Element as a solid buy. It performs great, feels great, and offers excellent functionality for a reasonable price. It's definitely a competitive entry by Tt in the gaming hardware market.

Features:

• 6500dpi laser
  
• 1000Hz polling rate
  
• 10 buttons, 9 reprogrammable.
  
• 128kb onboard memory with 5 user profiles.
  
• 5x4.5g removable weights
  
• Braided cord
  
• Smooth rubber coat finish
  
• Gold plated USB connector
  
• 3 five colour LED lights.
  

RRP: $69
Release: April
Approximate size: length 120mm x height 41mm x width 60mm.

EDIT:



Edited 3 times, last edited 6/5/11 - 12:14am.

Looks like a sick mouse may think of getting one

it's got to be better then there Black Gaming mouse. i had 1 and liked it but it didn't have enough mouse buttons, now this 1 has 2 extra on the side i wouldn't mind getting my hands on 1

6500dpi?

Christ all mighty.

more dpi halps you aim bettah

For those who don't see the top video link, I've embedded it here



Edited once, 10/3/11 - 10:00am.

Correcting some rather large mistakes printed by PCPP.