Speedlink Decus Gaming Mouse
Feature
Speedlink Decus Gaming Mouse
A couple of weeks ago we reviewed the Speedlink Kudos RS gaming mouse, which proved to be a very nice and stylish mouse. This time, we take a look at the slightly more affordable Decus gaming mouse.
Like its bigger brother, the Decus has a metallic red and black coating, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The mouse has a lower profile and it is wider than the Kudos RS, providing a wider grip for those who need it. Also, unlike the stylish bigger brother, Decus chooses to be flashy with sleek lighting effects.
Specs
The Speedlink Decus gaming mouse hosts an adjustable laser sensor with up to 5000 DPI and a polling rate of up to 1000Hz. The non-grip finish is excellent and the uniquely positioned extra button on the left side of the main button is a great idea.
Max. DPI: 5000
Buttons: 7
Form factor: right-handed
Size in mm (lxwxh): 128 x 90 x n/a mm
Weight min/max: n/a g
Price: c. 40.00€
Ergonomics
In our review system, ergonomics denote the comfort of the mouse when used, including its weight. The Speedlink Decus is designed for right-handed use and this design goes down to specially shaped right side with finger grooves for your little finger and ring finger. The thumb rest is similarly very pronounced, making the mouse very curvy and sleek. It is much wider than many mice I’ve encountered and I found this a very pleasant detail, given my large hands. The form allows for a relative wide grip without any need for you to clench your palm like you have to do with slimmer mice when you use fingertip grip instead of a full palm contact. I could do with an even wider grip, however.
The main issue with this mouse is that it is clearly designed for high-DPI gamers. If you use low DPI and wide movements where you need to pick up the mouse and move it around on the mousepad occasionally, this is not the mouse for you – the finger grooves do not provide a secure grip for lifting up the mouse and your grip is likely to slip, resulting in potential fatalities (in the game you are playing, that is). For a high-DPI gamer using small movements, this is no problem.
The buttons are very nicely positioned and easily found. Likewise, the non-slip rubber coating on the sides of the mouse feels very comfortable. Overall, this is a great mouse for someone with relatively large hands – both fingertip controllers and full-palm contact gamers.
Buttons and wheel
The Speedlink Decus has 7 programmable buttons (including the dpi switch and the so-called rapid-fire button), all of which are easy to reach. The main buttons provide excellent tactile feedback and click when you use them. They are not too sensitive and you will not click them by mistake. The thumb buttons are somewhat softer and thus the weakest point insofar as the buttons are concerned. They are by no means the worst I’ve witnessed, however.
The wheel is not as good as the one in the more expensive Speedlink mouse, but still a very good wheel to use with its wide, notched surface. It is somewhat loose in its setting, however, giving you somewhat less secure feel with it than one might hope. Also it does not have a side click capability. As a middle button, the wheel is excellent, requiring you to press on it before it clicks – no random accidental clicks with this one!
Customisability and drivers
The Speedlink Decus gaming mouse is accompanied by a good driver interface that allows you to customise all the functions of the mouse buttons and the wheel. You can set up five separate profiles that each hold different button settings, LED colours and four interchangeable DPI settings between 400 and 5000. There is no indicator for which DPI setting you have active, however, which forces you to either guess or check the driver window itself. Not the most convenient method, if you tend to switch the DPI very often.
As a positive point, the drivers offer the possibility to check and change the OS specific mouse settings, which allows you to use the single interface to perfect all your mouse settings. This is a very convenient characteristic that I’d like other mouse manufacturers to copy.
The LED lights can be set to solid or pulse and to rotate between several colours or stay the same. Naturally they can also be turned off completely, but why would anyone do this if they have already made the choice to purchase a Christmas tree? Even though I don't usually appreciate light shows on my mousepads, the Decus does manage to look pretty sleek with the lighted-up side grooves.
Rating
The following ratings are naturally affected by personal preference. My hands are large and I use fingertip-control (aka claw grip) with high DPI, so the Decus was a very comfortable mouse for me to use. Someone with smaller hands or those who use low DPI and lift up their mouse often, will probably not find the Decus as pleasant to use.
Ergonomics 9.0
Buttons 8.0
Wheel 8.5
Customisability 8.0
Drivers 7.5
Total 8.0
The Speedlink Decus is my favourite of the two Speedlink gaming mice that I tested, mainly because of its width. Neither of them offers the best combination of qualities that I’d like to have, however. With the form-factor of the Decus and the mouse wheel and the other qualities of the Kudos RS, Speedlink would be close to making my dream mouse. As it is, you still get to choose between two great options and, for the time being Speedlink Decus is clearly the definitive choice for those who like their mice sleek and/or wide.