OC3D Review Zowie EC1 Gaming Mouse

tinytomlogan · #1 28-09-10, 09:29 AM

Last year we looked at some products from Zowie, and today we see how their addition to the gaming mouse market fares.

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F-alienware · #2 28-09-10, 09:53 AM

Haha Zowie ! Shaggy's favourite saying in Scooby Doo

I shall read

Edit..

Well, I have to agree with Bryan. £50 for a mouse that offers nothing much is way too much money. If I hadn't had a look at it flipped over and the blatant MADE IN CHINA stuck underneath I wouldn't have thought about it as much, but it's obviously put together pretty cheaply and thus is woefully over priced.

Personally I don't like the velvet rubber coating. That's why both of my Razers are now back in the box..

On the DPI thing.. I don't really know the complete ins and outs but does 500 DPI just make it slower? or, does it also make it less accurate? (edit, by way of name dots per inch would indeeed indicate so, so 500 dpi may well be very useful for art programs)

The reason I ask is because in Photoshop for example when tracing edges and drawing lines 1000 DPI is so jittery it makes it near on impossible. It's like trying to hold onto a schizophrenic inpatient on caffiene and adrenaline.

I've always used my mice on the lowest possible DPI setting when editing or drawing with Photoshop. It's too easy to slip otherwise.

VonBlade · #3 28-09-10, 12:37 PM

I agree that in Photoshop the need for a slower responding mouse is vital. However considering that a basic pen and tablet arrangement can be had for about £50 if you really need that amount of precision and use it regularly enough, then I believe you'd purchase a tablet.

It's not poorly built at all. It's just.. featureless.

Stryker64 · #4 28-09-10, 12:47 PM

Well DPI is basically how many pixels the cursor will travel for every inch you move your mouse. That's assuming you have default sensitivity settings.

When you use a mouse with low DPI that means when your attempting to draw a straight line in Photoshop, your lines will be straighter since the mouse won't pick up slight tremors that you might have. This is oppose to having high dpi and low sensitivity where the mouse will pick up even the slightest movements.

So in a nutshell. High DPI means higher accuracy of what your hand is actually doing. Low DPI means lower accuracy since the computer plugs in the gaps between movements, so drawing straight lines are easier.

On the issue of this being a gaming mouse. The 1,000Hz refresh rate is good, the DPI is a bit lacking, but a lot of people, such as my friends use ~1,600 DPI when gaming because anything higher is too hard to control, even if they turn the computer sensitivities down a bit. I personally use a 5,000 DPI mouse and computer sensitivity are maxed out and i don't have issues, but realistically 2,000 is probably enough for your average gamer.

F-alienware · #5 28-09-10, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VonBlade

I agree that in Photoshop the need for a slower responding mouse is vital. However considering that a basic pen and tablet arrangement can be had for about £50 if you really need that amount of precision and use it regularly enough, then I believe you'd purchase a tablet.

Oh absolutely mate. Making it even more pointless (pardon the pun, pointers etc) than it already is. There are far better mice out there for that use, so it just affirms your views on it. Maybe had they left that function out they could have spent the extra pennies on making it into a proper gaming mouse.

The problem is the competition. Alienware's TACTX mouse for example is a rebranded slightly smaller Logitech. It has about 9 buttons and is completely programmable AND has a RGB lighting system.... For £45.

I know people are mostly 'no frills' but when you have no frills you don't really want to pay for them. TBH that mouse looks like a Razer Salmosa, has the same covering as a Razer Salmosa and about the same level of functions yet the Salmosa costs around £16.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VonBlade

It's not poorly built at all. It's just.. featureless.

Absolutely. And for £50 you can get a mouse that looks like the Blackpool illuminations with about ten buttons and all sorts of fancy stuff..

If they are aiming for a niche market then I think Steelseries have already beaten them to it

SiN · #6 28-09-10, 04:56 PM

Absolute waste of cash, it is lacking in features that people pay for in that price range.

I just see no reason when you can get some great mice for ~£32, because a lot of people will agree that the Deathadder or the G500 is the most anyone will ever need. That is true, seeing as most people don't have monitors at anything more than 1080p.

To be honest, I have been using a Microsoft Optical Wheel Mouse and actually prefer it over the Microsoft Sidewinder X5 and any OCZ mouse on the market. But, then again, OCZ makes horrible mice

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Stryker64 · #7 28-09-10, 05:44 PM

Well sensitivity wise it's actually reasonable for a 1280x1024 monitors; according to Steam this is the most popular resolution.

However I completely agree that the price they are asking for is unreasonable. Like AlienALX said these mice are comparable with Steelseries, however with a slightly lower prices people lose mouse sensitivity, a few features and the Steelseries brand. Whether or not it's worth saving a bit of money to get a clone is up to the consumer.

Tredaarsd · #8 28-09-10, 06:27 PM

I signed up just to post this guys?!?! you must be kidding me? You didn't even get across the revolutionary features developed just for this mouse. 1,5mm lift-off distance and 1000 Hz, not every mouse has these features you know? You say there's no features, but it seems like you didn't even bother to look on the features it does have

! Think we need a smarter reviewer here guys. Shame I normally pay attention to this site.

F-alienware · #9 28-09-10, 08:09 PM

Looks like some one has one then....

Steve-O- · #10 28-09-10, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tredaarsd

I signed up just to post this guys?!?! you must be kidding me? You didn't even get across the revolutionary features developed just for this mouse. 1,5mm lift-off distance and 1000 Hz, not every mouse has these features you know? You say there's no features, but it seems like you didn't even bother to look on the features it does have

! Think we need a smarter reviewer here guys. Shame I normally pay attention to this site.

While you might be a little correct, the SteelSeries allows for lift-off adjusting as well as the sensitivity, on-the-fly switching profiles and more. Althought the Ikari is plain and simple it still offers more than this mouse AND has a very high quality build.

EDIT: BTW 1000Hz is not revolutionary and most gaming mice have this these days.