The second mouse from CM Storm. Will it follow in the footsteps of the ever popular Sentinel and be a resounding success?
Product on Review: CM Storm Inferno
Manufacturer and Sponsor: CM Storm
RRP: £49.95
Going back a few months ago there were rumours surrounding the departure of many of the CM Storm staff to form a new brand named Bit Fenix, this was sad news. Personally I really liked the new product range from the Cooler Master division CM Storm, the Sentinel was a firm favourite of mine and of course there is the unforgettable Scout and Sniper gaming cases. With this news, many thought that CM Storm would certainly fold, but today this has been proved wrong.
Back in March we saw the prototype for the CM Storm Inferno and today marks the day of its launch. The Inferno was due to debut on August 12th but German and American review websites decided they would break the embargo and Cooler Master were forced to bring forward the date of release.
Nevertheless it is here, and today we bring you an exclusive review of this brand new gaming mouse. The Inferno takes advantage of a 4000 DPI twin laser sensor, 128kb of onboard Senintel-X memory and offers gamers a selection of buttons including a ‘Storm Tactics Multiplayer’ button.
CM Storm’s Take
| The CM Storm Inferno was designed from the ground up to be a gaming mouse with MMOs in mind. With no less than 11 buttons, nine of which are programmable, you have access to everything you need just a simple click away. In addition, with a lift-off distance of 2mm, 1000Hz polling, 1ms response time and a max speed of 115 inches per second and you have a well rounded gaming mouse. The Inferno has also been ergonomically designed for maximum comfort over extended periods of time. The CM Storm Inferno is built for winners, no matter the game. |
Specifications
• 4000 DPI Storm Tactical Laser Sensor
• 128kb Sentinel X Memory
• 11 Button Output
• 9 Programmable Buttons
• Rapid Fire Tactical Key
• Storm MacroPro Key
• Storm Tactics Key
• Max Speed of 115 Inches per Second
• Life-off Distance 2mm
• 1000 Hz Polling / 1ms Response Time
• Ergonomic Design
• Gold-plated USB Connection
• Full-Speed USB
Packaging and Bundle
Arriving in a typically gaming styled box, the Inferno has very inviting packaging. The front has imaginative imagery of the Inferno on the front, with key features. There are some further specifications on the reverse but what is interesting is that CM Storm have decided to go down the route that most companies seem to be doing these days by incorporating a movable door/window so that you can have a quick glimpse of the mouse inside, encased in plastic. On the inside of this door are further details revealing the true characteristics of this new gaming peripheral.
Inside the box there aren’t any added extras besides a software disc named “Storm Tactic Ap Software REV1.0”. This software allows you to customise the Inferno – a little later we will take a look at this software and see how capable it is.
CM Storm Inferno
This second gaming mouse from the brand CM Storm differs quite considerably from the first mouse they released, the Sentinel. It’s shorter, wider and follows different curvatures. The button configuration for managing sensitivity might be the only comparable visual feature of the Inferno, but whilst it looks completely different to the wonderful Sentinel this doesn’t detract from its illustrious craftsmanship.
Visually, it looks fantastic. The Inferno has matte and glossy panels, giving it a sense of definition and fierceness. Around the sides it has some interesting contours and it follows a similar shape to the notorious MX-518 from Logitech. Surely this has to be a bonus then. Along the inside we have three buttons, the two slimmer shaped buttons manage forward and backward movement in windows/browsers whilst the other button is customisable via the provided software.
Looking at the Inferno head on, at the bottom we can see some interesting mesh cut outs – when powered up this glows a strong red colour. Later on we will take a look at this.
On the topside of the Inferno we have a multitude of buttons, notably – the scrolling wheel is larger than the wheel found on the Sentinel. It has better grip also. Next to this as we have already mentioned the two sensitivity buttons – when used cause the – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 LED indicators to the left hand side to illuminate giving you on the fly control over speed. In the middle is a button that allows you to jump to different profiles stored on the 128kb onboard memory (you can store up to 3 profiles. You will also notice there are two buttons either side of the standard ‘left’ and ‘right’ mouse buttons. The one of the left hand side activates ‘Rapid Fire’ mode in game whilst the button on the right hand side allows you easy access to Macros and Scripts – a great feature for the MMO genre of games.
Lastly, on the underside of the Inferno we have the Twin Laser Sensor – up to 4000 DPI is available. Giving you the versatility between genres, although this mouse is geared towards MMO’s it still has brilliant FPS characteristics. So it isn’t solely a mouse for just MMO. A little later we will be putting it through its paces through a variety of different game types.
Inferno Vs Sentinel
I thought it would be a good idea to compare the Inferno to the Sentinel showing the difference in size, shape and button configuration. I also thought it would be a good idea to showcase the Inferno in darker atmosphere to illustrate its brilliant use of lighting and colour.
The Inferno appears taller, wider and shorter than the Sentinel gaming mouse. It differs quite significantly in its visual appearance and some internals, as the Inferno does not have a weight system, you cannot alter the weight of the mouse unlike the Sentinel. Personally I like the ability to be able to control this, I prefer a heavier peripheral and the Inferno does feel lighter than the Sentinel I use – which has 3x 4.5g weights in installed.
From a visual aspect, the Inferno looks stunning. On the palm area there is a CM Storm logo situated, and when the mouse is powered – this logo illuminates a dazzling red colour. As does the mouse wheel and front mesh vents.
So far I can certainly confirm that the Inferno looks and feels magnificent. Although these factors are important when choosing a mouse, the performance is also an vital aspect too and should not be overlooked. In the next section we will be testing the Inferno in a variety of environments.
Testing
Visual opinions to the side, we now have to consider the performance aspect of the Inferno. In some ways, establishing if a peripheral is a good performer is quite a hard thing to conclude. After all we all have our personal preferences; different shaped or sized hands and tastes. Nevertheless I will express my views on the Inferno as best I can. So the real question is: How does it fare across a assortment of platforms? In order to ascertain the performance of our gaming mouse, it is necessary to perform no less than 30 minutes experimentation in the following environments:
Games
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
In the games above, I played using the Inferno for over an hour in each instance and what I can say is the Inferno is a very accurate mouse. My wrist did ache a little due to the fact the mouse I use on a daily basis is lower in height and the height difference is something I’m not used to.
The feel and button placements on the Inferno are good. It helps that around the sides are a matte panels to aid gripping.
The 4000 DPI Twin Laser works perfectly with both hard plastic type mouse pads and cloth pads. Traction and glide are both extremely pleasing.
General Usage
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
Mozilla Firefox
The operating system is one of those elements in computing that we couldn’t do without, on a daily basis we have to use its interface. Whist the Inferno is primarily a gaming mouse its important for us to note its interaction whilst using Windows based applications.
Overall a pleasing response. Button placement may be an issue, it really depends on how big your hands are. The forward and backwards buttons (used to jump forward and backwards in folders or in your internet browser) are placed slightly further back than the Sentinel and MX-518 mice. This isn’t a massive difference, but it means I have to move my thumb further back to go backwards. At first this felt a little awkward but I soon got used to it. As I said, its only a fraction of a mm backwards. I like to use the ball of my thumb to click this, if you don’t use the ball of your thumb it won’t make a difference and of course, we all have different sized hands too.
Software
Bundled with the Inferno is a software disc that contains – Storm Tactic Ap Software. Working in direct collaboration with the 128kb onboard memory this software allows you to tweak just about everything on the Inferno.
Whether that is tweaking DPI, customising buttons or even managing profiles which of course can include a mixture of macros. It goes without saying this software provides you with a wealth of control over the features available with the Inferno. Below are some screenshots showing the different tabs within this software.
Conclusion
Being only their second gaming mouse, CM Storm has once again brought to the gaming community an admirable gaming mouse. It delivers on every level, its looks, its build, its performance and its range of features.
It\’s been a while since CM Storm announced any new product on the market, this is possibly due to disruption outlined in the introduction, but what I can say is if they continue to develop products such as the Inferno we have looked at today they can rest assured they have a firm footing in the gaming community and a promising future.
The Inferno is due out week 33 of this year which is the week beginning August 16th and will be priced approximately £49.95. There are quite a competitive range of gaming mice on the market in the £40-50 bracket. The Inferno is sure to have a battle on its hands, but with all of the above taken into consideration we have a great contender in our midst.
Pros
+ Looks stunning
+ Great construction
+ Plenty of buttons to take advantage of
+ Impressive performance in and out of game
+ 4000 DPI – great for all flavours of gaming
Cons
– No weight system
– Feels light
– Right handed only
Based upon my findings it is my pleasure to award the CM Storm Inferno the Silver Award.
