Tt ePSORTS Theron Community Testing - TESTERS FEEDBACK THREAD
Hey guys,
This is the thread for everyone to post their user reviews, I ask kindly for NOONE bar the testers to post until all tester reviews are completed (I'll make a post then).
This is so we can keep the thread clean and all of the legitimate testing responses at the top of the pile.
Once again I remind testers that we require:
- Minimum 2 paragraphs on testing/thoughts of the product
- A list of pro's and con's of the mouse
- Honesty in your opinions
I hope you all had fun with your mice, please have your responses in by Thursday (26th January 2012) at midnight by the latest.
The approved testers list is as follows:
Quote:
1522 - 16JAN2011
I'd like to announce the winners:
1. Thomas Sung-Jun Cho aka. JazBas
2. Linden aka. Eldrid
3. Vaughn Lester aka. Hydroid
4. Alex Walker aka. Dippa
5. Nicolas Russo aka. ChadMann
Thanks!
Note: Can I please ask moderators to remove any posts that are not made by the testers until I give the all clear? Thank you
When I received an e-mail congratulating me on winning a chance to receive, test and review the Theron Gaming Mouse from Tt eSports I was reduced to an overly excited little kid again. I enjoy acquiring and playing around with new peripherals and have begun a keyboard collection in addition to purchasing several mice in the past couple of years. Enough of my rambling though, let us get down to business. The Tt eSports Theron gaming mouse is a new mouse on the market that was designed in collaboration with "Softball", a professional Starcraft 2 player for the team Tt Apollos, and as such has the RTS gamer in mind.
The packaging is stylishly designed to meet the standards of modern gaming mice with an open-able front flap for previewing the mouse and a wide array of information alongside glossy pictures. Inside and included with the mouse is a sleek, black cardboard folder bearing a logo and the slogan "Challenge is the Game". Inside the folder one can expect to find a warranty booklet, quick installation guide, 2x Tt eSports logo stickers and a driver disk. While having the driver disk provided is convenient it is highly recommended to always download and install the latest drivers from the manufacturer's website instead. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a soft carry pouch included for transporting the mouse safely to lans. This is a nice touch for those of you who regularly move around with your gear.
Aesthetically the mouse is pleasing and features an aggressive style with sharp corners and edges. It has 7 different colour options in addition to a battle mode that changes the colour of the lights based on how fast you are clicking. The scroll wheel is illuminated in a solid colour while the logo slowly pulsates and the lights around the edges of the mouse cast a neon-like glow onto your mouse pad. The shape of the mouse is ergonomic and would be well suited to a palm grip player, however for those RTS players who use the fingertip and claw grips I would caution you to take note of the shape and width. I use a fingertip grip and personally found it to be a touch wider than I like, this is however purely a personal idiosyncrasy of mine. It is unlikely to affect most others as when I use it in a palm grip the mouse is very comfortable. The buttons have a very nice click that is neither too hard nor too easy to mistakenly press and return sharply upon release. For those of you that like a heavier mouse you are in luck as the Theron includes 22.5 grams in adjustable weights. With all the weight removed it is still heavier than the Razer Abyssus and compares to the Razer Mamba. The glides are large and function very well giving the mouse a much easier run across your chosen surface.
When it comes to performance this mouse is no joker. It has a laser sensor that allows you to set your dpi profiles anywhere from 100-5600dpi for on the fly switching. Sensor responsiveness and accuracy are solid across the board no matter what sensitivity you prefer. There is no apparent acceleration despite vigorous testing and running the mouse at 1800dpi and 125Hz felt no different than my Abyssus or Mamba on the same settings meaning I was easily able to jump right into Starcraft 2 and play at my best. The laser sensor does suffer the same fate as all other laser mice when put on a soft mouse pad in that for slower, extremely small and precise movements it tends to stutter or skip around a bit. However on a hard surface this issue is non-existent and tracking is perfect. Even on a soft mouse pad it is impossible to notice unless you are trying to set the volume slider on windows media player to exactly 35% rather than 36% for example. The driver software was an absolute pleasure to use with easy installation, slick looks and simple configuration. However you are unable to link a specific profile to become active upon the launch of a program for those of you who run a large variety of settings and macros for different games.
In conclusion I would highly recommend this mouse on the key notes that you first take into consideration your preferences in size, shape and weight in conjunction with choosing a hard mouse pad to compliment it. Over the past week since I received the mouse I used it for an excess of 100 hours including nearly 40 hours of Starcraft 2 as well as some Photoshop and desktop work. I think it would perform greatly as a cross over mouse for those who would seek to play RTS and FPS games without needing to buy two mice. Last of all I would like to thank Tt eSports for providing me with this opportunity to review this wonderful product.
Pros:
Comfortable for long gaming sessions
Feature rich
Excellent performance
Affordable for what you get
Cons:
Still somewhat heavy with all weight removed
Soft mouse pads disagree with laser sensors
Claw and fingertip grip doesn't suit the ergonomics
No automatic profile switching on program launch
When I think of specialised PC gaming gear a few things come to mind for me. Firstly they need to perform, obviously. This is the most important part of any piece of gear for me. Secondly, the gear must look good - I will be going to LANS, and people will be seeing the equipment I am using. Clearly I dont want it to look bad, I want it to look badass!! The third important thing is ease of use. Its great to have 20 different settings, and some people i'm sure have their own exact setting for every single one - but most people, and I am certainly like this, want to be able to unpackage their new product and use it, and be able to expect it to work optimally straight away without any fiddling.
All of the above 3 points for me are met 100%
Recently I purchased (or was given for Xmas, actually) the razer Spectre (another gaming mouse), excitedly I unwrapped my present and played a game or 3. To be honest, I did not enjoy it at all. I knew I did not like the spectre within 20 minutes, I did try to play a little longer to make sure I was not just "set in my ways" about a new mouse, as I had the same mouse for a very, very long time. It didnt sit well in my hand, and it didnt feel natural to use. I am not saying it is a bad mouse, just for me - I did not like it at all. When I received the Theron, this was completely the opposite. The Theron fit in my hand nicely, felt good straight away, and there was very little "break in" time (what I mean by this is I could play at my best with the mouse almost straight away). I was self conscious before I received the Theron I wouldnt like it, and that I would have wasted Tt Esports time & money entering the competition because of the Razer fiasco. I could not have been more wrong. The Theron is weighted, and heavier than I am used to with previous mice, but this is a welcome change. I have not, and probably never will need to fiddle / change any of the settings, because to be honest - the default settings of the mouse were basically perfect for me, including the weighting, out of the packaging.
From the moment I saw this mouse on the forums in a picture, and entered the competition to hopefully win the chance to test this product, I thought the Tt Theron was a cool looking mouse. When I finally received it in the post the packaging was slick and sharp - if I was paying for the mouse I would already feel like I was buying a "gaming" mouse before I even took it out of the box, just by the sharp design of the packaging. The contents, most noticeably, contained a carry pouch to take the Theron to LAN's and tournaments - again, a mouse clearly designed for gaming at a competition level, and this thought process has been carried the whole way through from the design & manufacturing to the packaging of the Theron.
As for versatility and ease of use, my general PC/gaming sessions can go from 1hr to 4 or 5hr's on a weekend, (just played at SGL this sat/sun, 30 hr's of LAN time, 3 hr's sleep, hand is not cramped -at all-, only slightly fatigued but this is due to the absolutely huge amount of hr's played without break. very impressed with the ergonomics of the Theron over the last 2 days). An important note is that the Theron is a medium - large mouse. If you are well suited to smaller mice, or have quite small hands, the Theron may feel quite big in your hands. This is not a bad thing, just a key point to note before diving in and purchasing this mouse.
In conclusion, I would absolutely recommend this mouse to anyone who asked (or not ) It feels great, plays great great, there are only a very few, small downfalls which I will mention in a moment in the pro's/con's, and these may even be user error on my behalf...
Pro's:
Extremely easy to adapt to, playing at 100% nearly within just 1-2 games.
Feels great in hand. Weighted nicely, and to be blunt is a sexy slick beast of a mouse (-especially- when plugged in with its lights)
Tracks great
Lots of funcionality - I can change the mouse sensitivity in game with literally the click of a button on the mouse (no alt tab or anything)
Lots of macro keys, although I dont use these, could be good for other gamers / other general use.
Buttons are easy to click, but not so easy that you accidentally press them without meaning to (I know Hydroid said almost exactly this, but I remember mentally nodding my head while reading it)
Con's:
The sensitivity button is where the palm of your hand sits, and if you put your hand on your mouse too hard/firmly you can press it, sometimes without knowing, so when you get into a game your mouse doesnt move as fast as you are expecting and this can ruin your worker split. I believe this is my user error though, as I think you can "lock" the mouse using the program for the Theron (there is a lock key on the bottom of the Theron, though this is only for macro's, not this particular button I am referencing). I went to the Tt Esports website and tried to DL the program (to change settings etc) for the Theron, but I couldnt find it. I dont -think- it came with the packaging, but I could be wrong, so please dont hold me to this. I'm sure Mayo will clear me up on this one and when he does I will edit my post to let you know it is fixed !! (TLDR; Tiny issue which im sure can be fixed, probably my fault anyway) This honestly is the only con I have with the mouse... No other issues!
I've sent my review via email and looking at this, my review seems VERY short and less detailed.. but tbh, my english skill is not at a good level and I can assure you I didn't take writing the review lightly.
But if its not to the satisfactory of the review level you wanted, I can try to do better. I'll wait for the reply thanks.
Being a fairly passionate and paranoid gamer, I’ve developed an expensive and frustrating complex where mice function as my double-edged sword of destruction.
I suppose it comes from spending several years playing FPS games competitively. Changing from one mouse to another can have a massive effect. I remember when Microsoft released the first optical mice. Playing with one of the original Intellimouse mice and its top-notch sensor, as opposed to a clunky, antiquated ball mouse, was like manna from heaven.
I’m always wary of boxes like this. It reminds me a little of the covers of FPS games, with soldiers walking into the foreground amid destruction and doom in the background.
Nevertheless, the contents within should satisfy everyone. Along with the mouse, Thermaltake has included a driver disk, some stickers, a soft carry pouch (nice alternative to using a sock) and, most importantly, a little velcro strap for the mouse cord.
(I don’t have a good surface for photography at home, so I used someone else’s. So I used Hydroid’s. Sue me.)
Besides the Theron, and its lovely, slippery surface (which is very similar, if not identical to that used by Razer) which covers the entirety of the mouse, the most important factor here is the drivers.
Having used Razer, Microsoft, Logitech and Steelseries’ drivers, I’m fairly confident in saying that the Theron’s supplied software is really quite ordinary.
Any mouse that uses side buttons - which is basically every mice produced by Steelseries, Microsoft, Logitech, Razer et al. that costs more than $60 - has always dictated that mouse4 and mouse5 act as the forward and back buttons in web browser. I’ve always found plenty of use for these keys - throwing grenades in FPS games, using them as a push-to-talk button in TeamSpeak, Ventrilo and Mumble, binding them to the 9 and 0 keys in Starcraft 2 - so you can imagine my chagrin when my FPS dropped to 10 and a massive red arrow appeared at the bottom of my screen.
What is this horror, I wondered? Changing the DPI via the underneath brings up a notification too, as does the use of any of the underside of the buttons. This wouldn’t be a problem if there was an option in the drivers to disable notifications, but there isn’t. The only alternative is to close the drivers altogether, which isn’t much of an issue, but it’s a glaring design oversight, especially since anyone that tried to change something in-game would have noticed immediately.
Compared to the drivers of my current mouse of choice - the Steelseries Sensei - the range of functions are quite lacking too. (By the way Thermaltake, Marco isn’t the correct spelling of Macro, maxmize is spelt with two i’s and delete isn’t spelt Delet, but that’s for another day.) Assigning macro keys is an easy task, and you can save multiple profiles for macro keys, so credit where credit’s due. Given Blizzard’s stance against macro keys, I’m not tempted to use them, although there’s nothing wrong with assigning the right-side button to a single key and then rebinding that in-game to something more useful.
Anyone that’s attended a substantial amount of LANs, however, will know the futility of drivers: they’re great to have at home, but utterly useless once you plug into a PC at a netcafe. There’s five modifiable profiles on the Theron, which is fantastic. You can modify the DPI anywhere up to 5200, while the four DPI settings on the mouse can also be preset. Changing the polling rate is a breeze as well; you can choose from 125hz, 500hz and 1000hz, although since nobody still games on a Pentium 90 it’s unimaginable that 1000hz would cause any issues in this day and age.
The more critical facet is whether or not the sensor will remain consistent. This is where Mouse Rate Checker comes in, a cute little program that reports back on your mouse’s polling rate. Ideally you want the average to be as close to your setting of choice; inconsistency in the polling rate can lead to a lack of accuracy in your cursor movements. There was no major issues with my Theron at 500hz, although every now and again it would drop to around 400hz or so when set at 1000hz. This is the reason why I usually set all my mice to use 500hz - not because they can’t handle 1000hz (and I doubt anyone would be able to tell the difference in-game anyway) but because I’m a bit of a freak who gets pissed if my FPS drops below 100.
That’s just how it is, you see.
Even more essential is what should be the number one test of any product that you use for a long period of time - how it feels.
I’m really amazed at how comfortable the Theron is. The curvatures built into the front, sides and the top of the mouse are cleverly positioned. As other people might have noted, the Theron’s not a massive mouse either: it’s smaller than most of Razer’s high-end offerings, like the Mamba, Imperator and the Deathadder, but larger than smaller-frame mice like the Logitech G9x and the Steelseries Sensei.
I used to prefer larger size mice - the Intellimouse v3 was my go-to accessory for the better part of a decade - but having a job where I end up writing tens of thousands of words a week has made smaller mice, well, less painful for me on a daily basis. I can use the same grip for the Theron as I do for the Sensei; it’s built in what I guess you could call almost that sweet-spot between not too big and not to small.
There hasn’t been any problems in-game: the sensor can easily track a straight line (you’d be surprised how many can’t) and it doesn’t have any qualms being flung around like a ragdoll in shooters like Call of Duty or Counter-Strike. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want your mouse carking out when you’re trying to do a 180 on low sensitivity to dodge the fifth flashbang being flung your way. The Theron passed this test with flying colours, a massive brownie point in Thermaltake’s favour.
Another bonus is the fact that you can modify the weight of the mouse, ala the Logitech G5 (the first mouse as far as I know to include the feature) by opening a flap on the underside of the Theron. Inside there are a series of weights that you can remove, although for me it’s either a case of removing them all entirely or not. I like my mouse as light as possible, so I instantly took out the weights as well as the rubber insert (because that contributes to weight, even though most people discount it), but the fact that you have this feature on a $80 mouse, as opposed to a $100-plus device as it used to be, is a lovely touch.
So where do I stand on the Theron? It’s clearly adequate enough for any possible use you could have for it. The drivers, as ordinary as they are, are certainly functional, albeit skint compared to some of their competitors. But the biggest test, and the greatest positive in Thermaltake’s armory, is that it is really a dream to hold in your hand. It’s comfortable. It feels good to game with. I actually enjoy having this in my hand, regardless of the temperature (although you will want to be careful wiping any spills off the Theron - you don’t want to damage that lovely, sweet surface).
I honestly didn’t expect I’d be saying this when I received the mouse a couple of weeks ago, but it’s a keeper. The Theron is really a nice piece of hardware. I just wish I could turn the bloody lights off. There’s an option of course - it just doesn’t work properly. But that’s nothing a patch couldn’t fix, and after all, Thermaltake clearly nailed all the stuff that matters.
Last edited by dippa; Mon, 30th-Jan-2012 at 1:44 PM.
Over the past week, I've had the pleasure of testing out Tt eSports latest mouse - the Theron.
My first impressions
At first, I saw the mouse and thought its styling and angles looked boss. But would it be uncomfortable or impracticle?
The colour Highlights and the ever changing and pusating Dragon logo is also, a boss-like athestetic feature. This mouse is surely capable of looking good and giving you that badass edge at lans.
However, as with my first impression, its got the looks like jagger but angular and impractical jawline like Pinder. Okay, maybe just angular and a look unlike any other mouse around.
The high edges either side of the buttons and pointed end seemed like the feel would be uncomfortable but, proof was in the pudding.
My reveiw and opinion
I'd written a bit on drivers and the support functionality of the mouse. But dippa said it well, the drivers are the let down for this - though that is easy to patch and tweek. I'm sure after a few versions of the drivers this mouse will perform exceptionally
On the the feel of the mouse while using it. It has a similar feel to most Razer mouse (I've previously been using a Razer Mamba). However, the once thought hard edges and angular shape fits amazingly well into my hand, especially for the grip I use on the mouse. Additionally, when browsing or in FPS or places I want to use the mouse wheel, I've taught myself to place three fingers on the mouse with my middle finger using the mouse wheel and ring finger on the right click. With this mouse that method is amazingly easy, the wide and acomodating mouse and button positions allows various grip styles with a high level of comfort. Also adjustable weights make it even more customisable to the individual as to how they hold and how the mouse feels when your using it.
The buttons press with ease and spring back instantly and give off a satisfying click (unless its a misclick). All the buttons are placed in sensible positions and the mouse sits on the surface completely stable. Also, the build of the mouse seems sturdy and solid, with the ability to last through various rage quits where the mouse is thrown around or smashed against the table (though this is not recommended :P)
All in all this is a high quality mouse, everything that can be said about this mouse has been in the above reviews, its great - it functions great (albeit with average drivers), feels amazing and looks baller.
Previously I have used a Razer Mamba, however the Theron has recently replaced it and I will not be switching back.
I was a gamer who did not care about gear much, and used just casual “cheapest price keyboard and mouse from the shop” for a long time (I used the netcafe’s keyboard and Benji’s mouse at SEA invitational as my gears were MUCH worse). When I received mouse and opened the package, which was very nicely packed, looked neat and also looked very “a lot of things in this”, it looked and also felt a bit big and heavy compared to the ones I used to use which was one the cheapest one from the shop, and my very last one which is the razer spectre.
I quickly set it up and tried it in a custom game of Starcraft II (which is the only game one of the VERY few activities I do on computer) and very surprisingly, unlike the one I used to use, it almost felt so natural instantly. Razer spectre (for me) took me almost about a week to get used to. This mouse’s shape I feel is REALLY well designed for RTS gaming. It looked very weirdly shaped when I first saw it, but the places you can put your fingers makes it feel really natural. It fits really well to the hand like all the reviews here says.
For a very long time I’ve been looking for a mouse that suits me as I know after performing well in SEA Blizzcon invitational with “better” equipments, how important it is to have good gears. This mouse will certainly be the mouse I’ll be using for a very long term and I guess the only homework left for me with gears is to find a keyboard that suits me now. It’s a mouse that you can get used to and feel comfortable within very short amount of time and a great mouse to get if you haven’t had a mouse that made you 100% comfortable yet.
As I do not know much about “hardwares” and “gears”, this was the best I could describe and review the mouse. But the bottom line is, it’s a mouse that will be my “what mouse do you use? I use Theron Gaming mouse”.
Pros: Very well shaped. Fits perfectly to the hand
High accuracy
Took very short time to get used to
Cons: I didn’t know what the logo until about now which I think? Is a dragon?
yes i would like to know about the saphira as well, i plan on getting a new mouse very soon but its hard to find good reviews on ttesports gear even though it seems to always review well.
Am also interested in the 'black gaming mouse', so maybe some sort of comparative review between the 3?
___________________________________
Previously known as ToREchoFive
ToREchoFive.923
Even the smallest donations help keep sc2sea running! All donations go towards helping our site run including our monthly server hosting fees and sc2sea sponsored community tournaments we host. Find out more here.