Cyber Snipa Stinger mouse

Feature

We put Cyber Snipa's top gaming mouse, the Stinger, through the paces to see if it can measure up to the products of the established brands.

November 21st, 2008 by Patrick Steinmann

In the red corner�
The market for gaming mice is ever-changing. While established brands such as Microsoft or the pack leader Razer pump out new products at a steady rate, small upstarts are constantly trying to nab their share of customers. One such company, hailing from Australia, is Cyber Snipa. We put their top gaming mouse, the Stinger, through the paces to see if it can measure up to the products of the established brands.

Specs
The Cyber Snipa Stinger mouse comes with all the features found on other top gaming mice. A plethora of buttons, switchable DPI settings, an ergonomic shape, as well as a host of gaudy LEDs put the Stinger on the same level as any Razer or Saitek mouse.

Max. DPI 3200

Max. Polling 1000Hz
Buttons 9 (6 macro programmable)
Form factor right
Size in mm (LxWxH) 127 x 80 x 45 mm
Inches per second 45

Ergonomy

The Stinger mouse was definitely designed with �palm-grippers� in mind. The overall shape is reminiscent of the Logitech G5, but more pronounced. The �grooves� for thumb and pinkie are very deep, which makes holding the mouse very comfortable. The grooves themselves are finished in very grippy, perforated rubber. Additionally, there�s a small �shelf� for the pinkie to rest on, a feature we�ve always missed on the G5. The rest of the mouse, we were delighted to find, is finished in a Razer-esque matte rubber surface, which allows for a solid grip despite sweating hands. Another nice feature is that the mouse includes a weight cartridge, enabling the user to add up to 7 weights, each weighing about 5.8g, inside the mouse. While this system may not be as precise as, for example, the G5's system, it is more than sufficient. Overall, we see the Stinger's mix of Logitech ergonomy and Razer coating as a big plus.

Buttons
Cyber Snipa�s flagship mouse has all the necessary buttons. Left and right mouse buttons are naturally included, as are two thumb buttons, along with two buttons in line with the scroll wheel. These two are for switching macro modes and DPI settings respectively.

We�re not completely sold on the Stinger�s buttons though. While the left and right mouse buttons feel snappy and have good feedback, the two thumb buttons have too much travel in our opinion, which can make using them a bit annoying and slow. However, Cyber Snipa has done a fantastic job positioning the thumb button: they are exactly where they should be (which can�t be said of every mouse).

The DPI and Macro buttons, finally, aren�t quite what we expected either. They give very little feedback and feel a bit spongy, and they are somewhat hard to reach if you have longer fingers. But since these buttons are rarely used, this isn�t much of an issue.

Wheel
The mouse wheel on the Stinger is definitely oriented towards gamers. It is exceptionally wide and made out of rather grippy rubber, making it virtually impossible to miss or slip off from. Additionally, it is covered with small nubs to improve the tactility even more. As with any other high-end mouse, the mouse wheel cannot only be pressed down to function as another button, but also left and right for scrolling. Even with all of these features, the wheel does not wobble around or feel loose. In fact, it feels very nice, firm and easy to use. Our only complaint (and this really is a minor one) is that the left and right travel is a little long, and does not feel equal on both sides.