COUGAR 600M Review

The COUGAR 600M is an exceptional gaming mouse that delivers on solid performance and a sleek aesthetic.

Product on Review: 600M Gaming Mouse
Manufacturer: COUGAR
Street Price: £40 GBP / $56 USD

Basing every product around the core philosophy of providing professional gamers with the highest level of quality within the market of gaming peripherals, COUGAR’s focus on design and engineering is certainly a trait that stands out amongst their intended audience. Ranging from mice and keyboards to power supplies and cases, COUGAR’s product line carries a very distinct aesthetic that’s easy to recognize.

Today we will be taking a look at the COUGAR 600M – a professional gaming mouse armed with a 8200 DPI sensor, and a variety of software customizability that allows gamers to cater the mouse to their own specific needs and preferences.

Overview by COUGAR

COUGAR 600M has been designed with the clear objective of offering gamers a mouse that can both provide state-of-the-art technology, all the features necessary to enhance the gaming experience and an aesthetically pleasing design. Its premium components (OMRON switches, ADNS-9800 Sensor, premium quality soft touch surface) guarantee a flawless performance during gameplay, and its 32-bit ARM processor and 512KB on-board storage provide virtually instantaneous responses and the possibility, without depending on any computer or external device, of keeping up to 3 full configuration profiles stored on board. Aesthetically, this mouse is very stylish and has a unique feature in that the left mouse button is a floating key with a big LED backlight that can display up to 16.8 million colors.

Technical Specifications

Sensor
ADNS-9800
Laser gaming sensor
Resolution
8200 DPI
Processor
32-bit ARM Cortex-M0
Game type
FPS / MMORPG /
MOBA / RTS
Polling rate
1000Hz / 1ms
On-board memory
512KB
Software
COUGAR UIX™ SYSTEM
Programmable buttons
8
Switching
OMRON gaming switch
Profile LED backlight
16.8 million colors
Frame rate
12000 FPS
Maximum tracking speed
150 IPS
Maximum acceleration
30G
Interface
Golden-plated USB plug
Cable length
1.8m Braided
Dimension
125(L) x 80(W) x 42(H) mm
4.92(L) x 3.15(W) x1.65(H) inch
Weight
90g

Closer Look

Packaged in fairly standard manner consisting of a cardboard flap revealing a clear plastic seal, displaying the mouse. COUGAR’S attention to design and presenting the features that matter most, is certainly one to appreciate. The front-side packaging tells the user everything they need and want to know about the 600M. Residing to the sides and rear of the box, users will find additional information on the 600M’s build and specifications, along with it’s UIX software which allows custom settings and macro functionality.

COUGAR provides very few items with 600M, primarily the essentials. These items consist of the following:

•User manual
•COUGAR sticker sheet

Available in two distinct colours of orange or black, the COUGAR 600M is clearly catered to a specific audience. For those who own other products within COUGAR’s range of gaming peripherals, the bold tone of orange would do well in pairing with COUGAR’s 600K or 700K keyboards. Colour scheme and build-matching is something that COUGAR emphasizes greatly, and this evident within their entire product line-up.

Where this becomes a limiting factor however, resides in the lack of colours available. While the bright aesthetics are certainly eye-catching and it carries a unique design trait paired amongst it’s black buttons, pairing such a product with any other peripheral or PC that’s not of a similar colour, could infact turn some people away. While it remains subjective as to which variation of the 600M is more visually pleasing, the choice of black as opposed to orange certainly opens up a broader range of possibilities for those who take pride in the styling of their PC.

The option for face-plates or additional colours such as red, white or perhaps even grey, would do well in COUGAR’s favour, and without being said it’s clear that this is a niche product. Where the 600M stands out within it’s design lies in the shape of the mouse itself. Sharing traits with COUGAR’s 600K keyboard, the dim LED glow which sits beneath it’s left switch, gives the appearance of being detached from the rest of the mouse. Almost as if it’s hovering.

One thing we found quite appealing about the 600M is the shape and angles that make up it’s body. Buttons and switches appear section off from one another, and the thin black plastic which runs through the center of the body, delivers an appearance that’s vaguely threatening. Despite COUGAR’s logo which is based on that of the animal itself, the 600M bears a slight resemblance to that of a shark. With sharp-angled buttons and protruding plastic, switches look more like rubberized fins. The 600M looks as if it should be gliding through water.

Closer Look (Continued)

In terms of actual functionality, the 600M comes equipped with 8 programmable buttons, a 32-bit ARM Cortex processor, a 1000Hz polling rate, and four levels of on-the-fly DPI adjustment. Built with gamers in mind, the 600M is designed for FPS, RTS, MMOR/PG, and MOBA based games. Guaranteed for 5 million clicks, the 600M uses a design called OMRON micro switches.

Whether or not these OMRON switches prove to be superior to alternative switch types, that may be used by other manufacturers remains to be seen. But since there’s no real information or any description of such provided on the switch type, it seems fair to say that this is purely a feature for marketing purposes. In practice however, the mouse is quite pleasing to use. Clicks prove to be responsive, and the build quality of the switches themselves to appear to premium.

Button layout is satisfactory and all is in reach, naturally tailored to the curve of the mouse, of which the owner’s hand will adhere to. For the Claw-Grip users out there, curvature and build of the 600M feels fairly natural to adopt to. And while we don’t particularly agree that certain mice are built and designed for specific styles of grip, we see no reason whatsoever as to why the 600M wouldn’t suit those who use their mice differently.

Additional hardware features of the 600M include an 8200 DPI sensor, a braided USB cable with a gold-plate plug, and a soft-touch rubber coating which encompasses the entire mouse. While the soft-touch feel provides comfort and plenty of grip, there is one issue we encountered quite early on when using the mouse.

Whether or not this particular problem is an issue with black model is unknown at this point, but due to the orange coating of the mouse we have on-hand, the attraction of dirt and fingerprints becomes quite apparent, and cleaning may prove to be a bigger problem as it brings up a risk of damaging the rubber finish.

Software & Performance

Practically identical to the UIX system included with the COUGAR 700M as well as COUGAR’S other products, the features on-hand provide ease-of-use functionality that gives the user complete control over their product. Sectioned across three different menus relating to Performance, Key Assignment, and Lighting Control, the UIX interface is fairly slick and is easy to navigate.

COUGAR allows up to three custom profiles for the user to configure, along with the ability to import and export custom profiles among them. Tied within the performance menu, users are given basic options for functionality of the mouse. Adjustable polling rates, sensor lift height, scroll speed, double-click speed, and the Windows pointer speed. The stand-out feature here lies within it’s DPI settings, of which there are four different configurations to set-up for on-the-fly adjustment.

Along with custom DPI profiles there’s also a Sniper DPI setting. This is designed to be used in-conjunction with the additional thumb-button, located to the left-side body of the mouse. As this button is reliant on the user’s thumb making the press however, some users may prefer to ignore this function and simply use the left switch as standard. While attempting to use this feature myself, I found it much more convenient not too. Muscle memory served more purpose in being more beneficial to gameplay, as opposed to adapting for change, which sadly provided none.

Second on the UIX system is a key assignment menu. This allows users to assign macro functions to any button on the mouse, such as launching software and applications as well as purposes in gaming. Assigned to the third menu, the backlit LED lighting control provides up to 16.8 million different colours for the user to choose from.

Conclusion

While the topic of gaming mice remains subjective within the user’s own experience with the product, the functionality of said device is one of primary importance. And this is primarily where the 600M delivers. COUGAR’s UIX software serves as a prime example of their unified aesthetics. The simplified nature of navigation and functionality when configuring profiles and deciding on macros is a pleasure to work with.

While we imagine most consumers taking a greater liking to black, the potential for a finely tuned set-up consisting of a COUGAR branded keyboard and the 600M in orange, is without a doubt tempting. The only real concern that users should be aware of when deciding to purchase the 600M, is the possibility of dirt and finger prints that come along with the model in orange. This small flaw isn’t particularly major, nor one that should turn consumers away. It’s just something to consider as cleaning the mouse proves to be a choir.

Build quality and functionality are justified, as is the level of comfort thanks to it’s soft-touch design. As far as killer-features go or bringing something new to the table, unfortunately, the 600M has nothing new in-terms of features or the latter, that’s of noteworthy discussion other than being an all-round performer. At the time of writing the 600M is currently not available for those in the UK. Should UK consumers consider the 600M through the means of import, it’s roughly priced at £40/$56.

Serving as it’s most prominent features, the soft-touch grip and software customization is where the 600M holds it’s greatest strengths.

Pros
+Exceptional levels of comfort
+RGB lighting
+Up to 8200 DPI
+Outstanding performance

Cons
– Rubber grip coating picks up dirt and finger prints