As all PC gaming cat homeowners know, mice cables in some way possess the identical tasty properties because the tails and innards of their actual life counterparts. I don’t know what it’s that’s so mouth-wateringly scrumptious about lengthy, skinny wires, however man alive did my cats like chewing them once they had been little. Thankfully, they’ve largely grown out of their cable-munching part (if solely as a result of they’ll not squeeze themselves around the again of my PC), however for many who have misplaced many a best gaming mouse to the jaws of our pets, assistance is at hand within the type of HP Omen’s metal-cabled Reactor mouse.
Admittedly, it might have been good if HP additionally had the foresight to bundle in some type of cable tidy to assist preserve its 2m metallic coil beneath management, however I’d prefer to see a cat try to sink their tooth into this pleasingly springy wire and are available away victorious. Of course, the Reactor’s metallic cable isn’t only for fending off ravenous pets. Its additional weight additionally helps the cable lie utterly flat in your desk and its metallic exterior prevents it from getting kinked as properly, permitting you to maneuver it round extra simply when enjoying games.
The solely draw back is that it does make the Reactor one of many heavier gaming mice I’ve utilized in latest months. Despite its considerably svelte dimensions of 122x80x42mm, the Reactor is available in at a hefty 160g, with the majority of that feeling prefer it’s coming from the entrance of the mouse the place it connects to the cable. In fact, I didn’t really discover its weight to be that a lot of a trouble throughout on a regular basis use. Although I are inclined to choose utilizing mice nearer the 100g mark, the Reactor was surprisingly nice for gaming and desktop duties alike, and it by no means as soon as felt like I used to be having to heave it throughout my mouse mat.
That’s in all probability as a result of the rear part of the Reactor has successfully been hollowed out, which works a good distance in serving to it really feel lighter than it really is. Turn the mouse on its facet, as an illustration, and all you’ll see is a beautiful purple spring sitting beneath its top adjustable palm relaxation.
The spring makes a pleasing change from different top adjustable mice I’ve seen prior to now, such because the Acer Predator Cestus 510, because it means you don’t must deal with becoming further bits of plastic to the mouse, or certainly remembering the place stated bits are should you fancy a change. Instead, the Reactor has all the things you want proper there within the mouse itself, making it really feel extra high-end and handy than its accessory-laden opponents.
Indeed, push again the lock button on the best hand facet of the mouse, and you may set the palm relaxation to sit down at nearly any angle you want. Fully prolonged, it comfortably supported my whole palm for after I was feeling lazy and simply needed to browse the net with it, whereas decrease angles felt higher for after I needed to make use of a barely extra agile fingertip grip.
Slide the lock button again and you may regulate the peak of the palm relaxation to no matter angle you want.
That stated, I fear that these with bigger palms might discover the palm relaxation’s interior edge a bit grating at occasions, as attempting to undertake a palm grip at decrease angles began to annoy that fleshy bit between my thumb and forefinger. It’s not so sharp it’s going to chop into your hand and make you bleed a la Alec’s expertise with the Logitech G603, nevertheless it’s a priority nonetheless – particularly after I felt no such irritation when the palm relaxation was totally prolonged.
Still, as high-end gaming mice options go, I’d a lot somewhat shell out for one thing like this than the flexibility so as to add additional weights into the underside of the mouse such because the Steelseries Rival 600 or Logitech G502 Hero.
The Omen Reactor additionally needs to be one of many quieter gaming mice I’ve examined in latest months, due to its optical mechanical switches. Instead of utilizing a number of shifting metallic elements to register a click on, HP have opted for mild beam detection right here, which they declare additionally makes the mouse’s response time as much as thrice faster than conventional mechanical switches.
Personally, I couldn’t see a jot of distinction between HP’s tremendous duper 0.2ms response time clickers and different common ones, however then I’m not a whippersnapper esporter with response occasions that may be outlined all the way down to hundredths of a second. Instead, I simply preferred that they’re good and simple on the ears, which might’t be stated for each gaming mouse that crosses my desk.
For all HP’s consideration to the Omen Reactor’s bodily particulars, nevertheless, the mouse nonetheless has some shocking omissions with regards to its accompanying software program. Its two facet buttons, as an illustration, could also be set to ahead and backwards out of the field, however load up HP’s Omen Command Centre (which might solely be downloaded through the official app on the Microsoft Store) and also you’ll discover a distinct lack of customisation choices.
Indeed, the one different factor you may assign to those buttons are recordable macro capabilities. Within that, you continue to admittedly get the choice of establishing conventional keyboard shortcuts and launching functions alongside extra game-orientated macros reminiscent of multi-key enter sequences with customisable delay choices and in-game textual content messaging, however that’s actually it. Media keys, additional DPI (or sensitivity) controls, even different mouse capabilities are all MIA in the mean time, making the Omen Reactor a lot much less sensible than nearly each different sort of gaming mouse on the market as we speak.
The similar goes for its central DPI button. Whereas different mice will typically allow you to set your personal handful of DPI profiles, the Omen Reactor merely cycles up by way of 12 pre-defined speeds starting from its lowest 400 DPI as much as the utmost 16,000. That’s in no way helpful if you wish to go down a notch or leap between a number of velocity settings at a time, and its colour-changing LED indicators are just about ineffective in really figuring out which DPI setting you’re at present on. It makes the Reactor really feel oddly unaccommodating, and significantly ill-suited to aggressive shooters, too, the place you may need to drop the mouse’s DPI to path somebody down your sniper sights, as an illustration, earlier than returning to regular to duck into cowl.
It’s a disgrace, actually, because the Reactor’s bodily flexibility is likely one of the issues I preferred most about it. To be let down by such restricted software program is a little bit of a black mark in my books, and whereas it’s totally potential HP might replace their Command Centre with extra choices sooner or later, that doesn’t change the truth that, proper now, this £70 / $80 gaming mouse has fewer customisation choices than the £25 / $30 Steelseries Rival 110.
An absence of DPI and button choices might not trouble some, after all, however these after a very premium gaming mouse will little doubt really feel a sting of disappointment right here. While there’s a lot to love about its overarching {hardware}, from its adjustable palm relaxation to cat-resistant metallic cable, its lacklustre software program prevents me from giving it a full seal of approval.
