Getting Into the Mouse Biz –

For years, Das Keyboard has been producing some premium mechanical keyboards designed to make typing more accurate, faster and actually sort of fun thanks to the tactical keystroke design. Branching off into the gaming sector, Das Keyboard has formed a new brand, Division Zero, which is designed specifically for gaming. The new Division Zero M50 Pro Gaming Mouse, while not as outlandish as other gaming mice on the market, is a solid first foray into the gaming market.

Here are the important specs and features to note:

• Ambidextrous design
• Adjustable 800/1600/3200/6400 dpi 4G laser sensor
• Dpi settings can be adjusted at any time and are indicated with 4-LED lights
• 4D tilt wheel for left/right/up/down scrolling
• Main left and right buttons are said to have a 20-million click life cycle
• Low friction Teflon feet
• 7 foot long braided USB 2.0 cable with gold connector
• Illumination = red LED on the scroll wheel, mouse body, bottom plate and dpi indicators
• Composed of hydrophobic coating of palm area with dry grip sides
• Bottom plate constructed of sleek aluminum
• Lift distance of 1-5mm
• 128kb of memory with 8-bit processor can save up to 6 game profiles with 9 programmable buttons

The biggest bullet point with this M50 unit is the ability to change dpi settings on the fly. The two buttons located at the top of the mouse will instantly increase or decrease the sensitivity of the cursor. Why is this ideal for gamers? Well, you might want to increase the speed of the mouse when aiming an automatic assault rifle but then might want to lower the speed when zoomed in with a sniper. The LED indicator on the top of the mouse lets the user know which of the four settings is currently selected: 800/1600/3200/6400. It is simple to use and can even be easily seen when playing in pitch dark rooms thanks to the red glow.

The shape of the M50 sort of looks like something the Forerunners would have built from the Halo universe. The angled edges and cut shape gives the unit an overall contemporary motif. Regarding the overall shape of the mouse, the M50 has a lower profile because of the ambidextrous/symmetrical design. Personally, I prefer a higher arch when it comes to mice, built specifically and ergonomically for right handed users. To be honest, I am not sure I understand the ambidextrous design as I have never once met anyone that uses a PC with their right hand and then suddenly feels the need to switch to a left handed operation, especially when it comes to competitive gaming.

The 6400 dpi setting is crazy fast and something you cannot really explain unless you feel it for yourself. But in order to accept that sort of speed, this mouse uses a wired USB design. The cord, however, is braided which makes it a little easier to slide in and out of tight spots underneath your desk. The cable is also long enough, at 7 feet, to work in pretty much all situations. This wired design also allows for 300 clicks per minute, more than enough for even the fastest gamers. The lift distance is also very small. This means you need to keep your mouse on the mouse pad or desk surface to register movement. For example, this can prevent moving the mouse in an unwanted direction when picking up and moving the mouse from the edge of the mouse pad back to the center. For competitive gamers, this is actually a very important feature.

The M50 is plug-and-play. However, to get the most out of this mouse the user will want to install the optional software. Using an easy-to-use interface, the user can mindlessly change the functionality of each button on the mouse, create different profiles, set up macros and much more. By default, the two extra buttons on the right side of the mouse will increase or decrease volume but this can easily be changed to copy and paste, open the calculator app, or even boot up your email despite being difficult to reach. The only aspect that is curiously missing is the ability to minimize and maximize the screen the user currently has activated. However, since this is a gaming mouse, an accidentally minimizing of the screen might not be the best idea.

Once the driver is installed, many options become available with one of them focusing on scrolling. The speed of the scroll can be adjusted and there is even a page-by-page option. Unfortunately, no matter which option I selected, I still preferred the smart scrolling feature found in my Logitech unit that provides the ability to freely scroll but then instantly stop at any desired point. At the same time, this feature is best used when scrolling through long webpages or giant Word documents, not necessarily for games. However, everyday non-gaming use is also important for basic Window navigation. The scroll in the M50 works perfectly fine and is suitable for gaming but there are some better options out there when non-gaming.

The mouse is supposedly made of a “hydrophobic coating on the palm area, dry-grip sides and fingerprint resistant coating of primary buttons.” As you can see from the picture below, the mouse buttons finger print rather easily.

This image was taken after using the mouse for the first couple of minutes of use… and no, I am not some major grease ball, the mouse just finger prints without any effort.

Complimenting their new mouse, Division Zero also has created three unique mouse pads: Control, Flex and Speed. For this article, I was able to test out the 47W-Flex mouse pad. Between all three types, Flex is probably the one middle of the road in terms of control versus speed.

Sitting about a foot wide, this mouse pad is made of a textured weave cloth to provide precise movements and smooth gliding. Built for any dpi use, this surface is versatile and will not slide around courtesy of the rubber underside. At just a couple millimeters thick, this mouse pad is rather portable as it can be rolled up and transported without a second thought. It immediately lays flat and will not crease or crinkle either. As an unrelated pro-tip, this mouse pad can also be helpful when opening stubborn jars or twist off beers. Alternatively, the 47W-Control pad is of microfiber material and designed for control and precision whereas the 47W-Speed pad is a hard polymer gears towards fast cursor movement. Each of these pads sell for approximately $20-$30.

As a gaming mouse, this new Division Zero M50 hits most of the bullet points gamers will appreciate. Having the ability to swap dpi with a quick tap is rather handy and going up to the speedy 6400 setting should please that hardcore audience. For around $90, there are other mice on the market that contain similar features with a similar price point. However, as their first entry into this crowded market, it will be interesting to see what Division Zero, with their Das Keyboard experience, will come up with next.

8/10

Not As Good As: the Logitech MX series
On Par With: the Mionix Avior 8200 ambidextrous mouse
Use With: no lights on

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz

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