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Posted November 26, 2016 by Dian Raval in Gaming
 
 

Steel Series Sensei[RAW] Heat Orange Review – FlipGeeks

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We look into the Sensei [RAW] Heat Orange by Steel Series, to see how well it fares based on design, utility, comfort, and reliability. So, how’s about we jump right to it, shall we?

OVERVIEW

Manufacturer: Steel Series

Price: P 3,600 ~ P 4,000

Pros: Orange glow compliments the sleek glossy finish really well. Ergonomic for both types of hand orientation. All buttons are remap-able. Supports macros.

Cons: Advanced features compromised by ambidextrous design. Glossy finish prone to smudge and is not hand-sweat resistant.

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They say orange is the new black. In this case, the new black goes really well with the old black.

Stylewise, the Heat Orange is a looker, albeit minimal. the  orange glow accents the glossy finish, like a sleek, black, luxury car sporting an orange undercarriage glow. It’s braided cord even sports the orange accent, which i’m quite fond of.

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Looks great, but also protects the cord really well.

The mouse is designed to be ambidextrous, this means that it’s designed to be ergonomic for both left and right handed users, but not without compromise. For instance, the mouse features two buttons on either side, both are situated perfectly for your thumb which means you pretty much can’t use the opposite thumb buttons with your pinky (well, you can, but it’s pretty awkward and your bound to fumble). The glossy finish is pretty stylish, sure, but when games get tense — specially if your like me and your hands tend to sweat — your mouse can get terribly uncomfortable terribly fast. It’s easy to just wipe it clean with a dry cloth every now and then but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.

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The rubber coat on the sides makes up for the gloss’ lack of hand-sweat resistance.

The rubberized coating along the sides is pretty resistant to hand-sweat, but it can quite easily get damaged if you aren’t careful. Say, you accidentally scratch it with your fingernail or if it hits an edgy corner you could leave an annoying mark. Speaking of annoying, the mouse wheel feels a bit loose, like the notches are few and far apart. Scrolling produces a pretty audible clicking sound, which tends to get louder the faster you scroll. It isn’t really all that distracting but let it be said that the Sensei [RAW] is no silent mouse.

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The Sensei [RAW] Heat Orange, oddly enough, can’t be found anywhere on the Steel Series webpage. It’s easy to think that the Heat Orange may have simply been categorized under the standard Sensei [RAW] but a quick google search reveals there’s a dedicated page for the product, though clicking the link only leads to a 404 error message. Regardless if whether or not this is a temporary issue, I found that the SteelSeries Engine 3 app supports and recognizes the mouse and it’s edition even when it doesn’t explicitly say so at it’s download page.

The mouse uses laser as opposed to optical, but I didn’t find anything wrong with it’s tracking and lift distance and most settings can be configured via the supported software. The SteelSeries Engine 3 allows you to fully reconfigure every button on the mouse, it also lets you map a macro onto a button. No acceleration and the software allows you to adjust your polling rate and set two sensitivity settings for you to toggle between with the CPI switch below the middle mouse button. The Sensei[RAW] can get up to 5670 dpi, though I personally don’t see anyone ever playing with sensitivities that high. The Sensei[RAW] may not have a dedicated profile switch, but it’s easy enough to switch profiles from within the Steel Series Engine 3 as it runs rather smoothly.

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VERDICT

The Steel Series Senseit[RAW] Heat Orange mouse is a good mouse, great even, but one that was always meant to prioritize ergonomic design for either hand orientations. If you’re only looking to get a gaming mouse for personal use at a similar price, you’re better of getting one that’s more specialized for your own hand orientation. Steel Series offers a multitude of good gaming mice, and the Sensei[RAW] is one that specializes in accessibility. There aren’t a lot of pro-gaming mice out there that are ambidextrous. But, then again, do we really need one?

Overall – 6.5/10

 

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Dian Raval

 
Dian is a writer for Flipgeeks who, in his spare time, stares at a wall in his basement. If you'd like to discuss music, video games, or the infinite wisdom of concrete, follow him on twitter @iburnandfume or subscribe to his YouTube channel @iburnandfume. He's pretty much iburnandfume in everything. Apparently he... burns and fumes.