SteelSeries Ikari Laser Mouse Review

The Ikari’s unusual shape cradles and supports the entire hand in a natural way, and the textured surface reduces hand perspriation.   These two simple but practical design features make the Ikari more comfortable than even “super-ergonomic” mice, and is easily the most comfortable gaming mouse available.

Some of the features of the mouse seem to confuse me.  On one hand, SteelSeries provides an unheard of level of control by implementing ultra-fine DPI granularity, but doesn’t provide additional buttons that a serious gamer would use.  The Ikari’s low-key design is streamlined to allow extreme customization without sacrificing usability.

The whole idea of a “driverless” mouse is that you can take your custom mouse settings to any computer without any setup.  You can only switch profiles and assign macros using the Ikari software, so the point of this mouse being driverless is absolutely moot.  Ikari’s LCD display shows you the actual name of the current profile, but there’s no way to change it without the software.

Since gaming mice support on-board memory, why can’t there be a user-writable area where we can store the configuration program?  In lieu of a profile-switching button, at least allow users to take the configuration software with the mouse.

There are a few improvements that could be made, but these are minor gripes when compared with other gaming mice.  The fact of the matter is that the SteelSeries Ikari Laser mouse is streamlined to truly improve in-game reaction time and is the most comfortable gaming mouse available.

	REPORT CARD : SteelSeries Ikari Laser Professional Gaming Mouse category rating comments Quality 5 The build design is supurb, buttons have just enough resistance, and braided cord makes this mouse truly professional. Innovation 4 Minimalist two-step DPI and selector increases reflexes in games, and shape is better than even ergonomic mice. Control-freaks will want more buttons. Performance 5 Best ergonomics for a gaming mouse, laser tracks on surfaces that others won’t. Installation 4 Mouse is “driverless” but still requires software to change profiles? Value 5 Slightly more expensive than other gaming mice, but you get an ergonomic and excellent gaming mouse in one FINAL VERDICT: 5 out of 5 stars