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Published in Reviews

OCZ's Dominatrix tested

by on06 September 2008

Index


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Review: A rodent with an attitude

After the success of its Equalizer mouse, OCZ Technology has decided to launch another one, the Dominatrix. Unlike the Equalizer, which was good but unfortunately not good enough to be labeled as a gaming mouse, the Dominatrix is much more serious.

The mouse is quite large and probably one of the largest mice we have seen lately (except Zalman's FPS gun mouse). This is mostly a question of preference, as a large mouse really works nicely for us. Some users just like when their entire hand rests comfortably on the mouse, and this is where the Dominatrix works well. The color scheme is black and blue, which was also the case with OCZ's previous Equalizer mouse.

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The new mouse has DPI settings ranging from 400 to 2000 in default mode and up to 3200 DPI with software custom settings. The X and Y axes can be set independently with included software, and the mouse comes with on-board memory for profile saving. It just wouldn't be a gaming mouse if OCZ didn't include the customizable weight cartridges up to 40 grams, DPI change button, 4-way tilt scroll wheel, three custom modes and two macro capable buttons.

The package includes the Dominatrix mouse, driver CD and user's manual. The mouse can be viewed from the front, whereas the back of the box contains all the features we mentioned. The package also contains the weight system, which is located in the small circular shaped plastic box. You get seven weights and up to 40 grams of weight can be added to the mouse.

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The mouse design is quite simple, and it can be easily compared to Logitech's G5. It has the logo printed on the rear side followed by the M button which is used for changing between three operating modes. Next in line is the DPI switch button, which, of course, cycles through 400, 800, 1600 and 2000 DPI settings.

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The next interesting thing on top is the 4-way scroll wheel which lights up in different colors depending on your DPI choice. The tilt function, or should we say scroll left/right function, works only if you install the drivers included on the CD.

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The only drawback of the design is the fact that it's asymmetrical, which makes this mouse suitable only for right-handed gamers. Both sides of the mouse have rubber pads so the grip should be perfect. The left side of the mouse also includes two buttons which are usually set to be back/forth navigation buttons, but can be also set to do macro functions.

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When you flip the mouse over, you get a general idea why it ended up so large. The main thing on the underside is the weight compartment. The good thing is that this mouse has four rather large slide pads on the bottom which should make sure that it gently slides over the mouse pad. The weight system is a nice add-on, as some users prefer their mouse to be heavy and some prefer it to be light as a feather.

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The additional weight makes the mouse usage a bit different, as it moves the weight center a bit to the back. Once again, this purely depends on the users' preference, but it works well for us. The USB connector is gold plated, which adds a nice touch to the overall quality of the mouse, but it should not make a difference in overall performance.

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Installing the software is as easy as it could be, OCZ wanted to keep thing as simple as possible. When you start the application it gets you a single window where you can set every last option that you can think of. The right side of the window is reserved for macro settings for three modes. In the upper right part of the screen you'll find the DPI settings.

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You can set the DPI for X and Y axis independently for each DPI level. The main part of the application window is the macro screen where you can set any macro function for those two buttons. The software even allows you to use delays between custom key presses if you want to do a lot of commands.

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We used the Dominatrix for some casual gaming and normal office work and it performs admirably. We had a slight doubt concerning this mouse, as its low price caught us off-guard. It works well in games, both FPS and RTS as you can set the DPI depending on your need. We tried it with and without the additional weight and it feels good both ways. It is quite comfortable and slides easy over any mouse pad that we have tried.

The best thing is that when you try it, you feel like you were born with. OCZ kept it simple enough to get easily accustomed to, yet gaming performance didn't suffer.

Conclusion

The new OCZ Dominatrix mouse is a great leap for OCZ. The Equalizer was a good mouse, but apparently OCZ has decided to be much more serious about this part of the market. As we wrote before, the price definitely caught us off-guard, as this one should sell at around €30 and the lowest listed price that we could find stands at an incredible €21.04. If you compare it to the lowest price of Logitech's G5 which stands at €45.53 or any other "gaming mouse" like Razer's Diamondback or Habu, the OCZ's Dominatrix is quite a deal.

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The only drawback that we could find is that this mouse is intended for right-handed users only. Some might consider it to be too large for them, but again that is purely subjective preference. We found it to be solid, comfortable, and quite a performer. Some might find the Dominatrix name a bit strange but it definitely dominates the market in its price range.

We can recommend this mouse without even looking at its price. Taking its price into account, this rodent  definitely deserves our Top Value award.

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Last modified on 08 September 2008
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