Peripherals

OZONE RADON 5K and RADON Opto Review

vortez
November 27, 2012 6 Min Read
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Laser or optical? OZONE offer up both pro grade sensors with the 5K and Opto Radon gaming mice.




Product on Review: OZONE RADON opto Gaming Mouse
OZONE RADON 5k Gaming Mouse
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Ozone
Street Price: £33.98 & 29.99 (inc V.A.T)

Gaming peripherals are very much dictated by personal preference, perhaps none more so than the humble mouse yet the mouse is the key component in how well you will play a game. Having the fastest graphics card, the most powerful CPU and the biggest screen all help but they won’t get you those crucial kills and headshots – only a quality mouse will assist in that endeavour. With that in mind, many gamers will reach for the most advanced mouse available thinking this will give them the edge they need. Quite often however, it is not so much the features of a mouse that dictate how good it really is but the general feel of it. That’s where we come in – reviewers.

Nobody can really tell you how a mouse feels or which one will be best for them. Sure we can give advice on which offers the best features, which is technologically superior but when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of the mouse, only you can decide which mouse is best for YOU. I prefer palm grip, others prefer claw. I like a heavy mouse, others prefer a lighter rodent. Aesthetics don’t really concern me as my hand is covering it up most of the time whereas looks are a key component for many. The comparative likes and dislikes are so diverse that when choosing a mouse, read a few reviews and try to get a play with one before buying. You will know you have the right one when you hold it, not simply buy looking at it.

OCUK recently moved locations and their new store allows users to get a feel for a peripheral before buying. With this in mind they, along with OZONE, sent us a couple of mice: Both the same save for the sensor.

Optical mice have fallen by the wayside with the advent of higher definition laser mice but there are still many pro gamers who prefer the optical sensor. Throughout this review we will consider the pro’s and cons of both which will hopefully give you means to make an informed decision on which type of mouse, indeed whether an OZONE Radon mouse is the best for you.



About OZONE
OZONE Gaming Gear, is an European brand of gaming peripherals that revolves around the concept “It’s all about Evolution”. OZONE is a brand created by and for gamers, the evolution is part of our gaming life, we all want to improve and evolve into a better gaming contender. OZONE is committed to the development, engineering and evolution of innovative gaming peripherals with an unique style and the best performance, to allow gamers to exceed their limits and become the best.

OZONE provides customers a wide range of gaming peripherals. Everyone from the occasional user to the professional gamer is ensured to find a OZONE product at a reasonable price which will fit their requirements to enjoy their favourite games. OZONE Gaming Gear, “It’s all about Evolution”!!

Specification


OZONE Radon 5K
– Professional gaming laser sensor Philips PLN 2032
– 8 buttons (7 programmable)
– Adjustable resolution from 100 to 5600 dpi
– Accurate and predictable motion reporting up to 1m/s
– Macro and script functions
– USB full speed
– USB report rate with 4 selectable levels (1000 Hz Max.)
– Hardware data saving technology
– Software included for personal configuration (Windows only)
– Adjustable weight (includes 5x 4.5g weights)
– Includes weight bag
– Dimensions: 122.43 x 82.7 x 43.7 mm (length x width x height)
– Weight: 135 +/- 5 g (with cable and weights)
– Cable length: 2 m
– Power consumption: <100 mA




OZONE Radon Opto
– Professional gaming optical sensor Avago 3090
– 8 buttons (7 programmable)
– Adjustable resolution from 450 to 3500 dpi
– Accurate and predictable motion reporting up to 1m/s
– Macro and Script functions
– USB full speed
– USB report rate with 4 selectable levels (1000 Hz Max.)
– Hardware data saving technology
– Included Software for personal configuration (Windows only)
– Adjustable weight (includes 5x 4.5g weights).
– Dimensions: 122.43(L) x 82.7(W) x 43.7(H) mm
– Weight: 135 +/- 5 g (with cable and weights)
– Cable length: 2 m
– Power consumption: <100 mA
–


As you can see from the specifications above, the two mice are identical save the for professional gaming grade sensors which allows for differing ranges of DPI sensitivity.

Lets take a look at the packaging of the two mice…

Packaging & Accessories



The packaging of both products is slightly different. The Opto comes in a cardboard box while the 5K arrives in plastic box. Both products carry the OZONE theme of red scribbles and splatters which dominates both packages. While we prefer the plastic of the 5K, the Opto does have an extra option….


We do like it when manufacturers add an open cover to the product, especially for a mouse as it gives you a very good idea of what the product looks like with regard to size and at least gives some semblance to how it will actually feel when held.


The rear of both boxes describes the main feature sets of each product, which in our case are identical.


The accessory list again is near identical for both products. You get a driver/software CD although both products are plug’n’play through Microsoft Windows. The driver is however required to adjust profiles and other features which we will discuss later in the review.

Aside from a manual and product guide, the only difference between the two packages is that the 5K comes with a handy little carry pouch for your rodent.

Let’s take a look at the mice…

First Look



Aside from the ‘O’ logo, the two mice are aesthetically identical. The Laser mouse ‘5K’ has the red emblem while the Optical ‘Opto’ has the more discreet gloss black logo.


Again, the underbelly of the two mice appear identical. Both have 5 glide pads and feature a weight change wheel. The only difference being the all important sensor which is discussed below.


The front of the mice feature two moulded, rubberised plastic finger buttons which frame the wheel, DPI switch and profile buttons. To the rear of the mice you can see that these are specifically designed for right hand use. The moulded contours of the mouse make for an extremely comfortable experience, especially for those with a preference for the palm grip.


the left side of the mouse features two buttons which are a little on the stiff side to press but the flip side is that these shouldn’t be pressed when in battle by accident. To the right side of the mouse we see a continuation of the rubberised coating along with a slight ripple in the plastic which gives more grip and feel yet also serves to cradle the ring finger slightly.


Overall, the mice are good looking and certainly seem good value for money with the quality of plastics used which you would not expect to see on a mouse costing circa £30.

Closer Look



ere we see what will inevitably make you decide which OZONE Radon mouse to buy. Laser or optical? Both are pro grade. The laser sensor is a Philips PLN 2032 while the optical sensor is the Avago 3090. Don’t know if you have a Laser or Optical mouse at present? Simply lift it up and if there is a light underneath the odds are it is an optical mouse.


While we are examining the guts of the mice, let’s talk about weight. Both mice carry this feature.

A simple yet effective wheel twists away from the base to reveal 5 x 4.5 gram weights. Each weight can be removed to fine tune to your preference.


Back to the top of the mouse and here you can see the rubber texture of the thumb grip. I like this feature a lot which while simple to employ, makes a large impact on the comfort and perhaps the dexterity of the mouse.


The mouse wheel is also rubberised and has thick grooves to ensure no slippage is encountered when scrolling or more importantly, selecting your weapon. The button above the mouse is the DPI selector of which there are four, configurable levels. Above that is the profile buttons which illuminates red, blue purple or off depending on the profile chosen. All of these changes are made on the fly and are stored within the software.


Last of all we see that OZONE have opted for a gold USB connector. The cable length is 2m long and is braided for protection.

Software




The software for the OZONE mice is basic by today’s high standards however it does pretty much everything you would want.

Firstly, you can select one of 3 profiles and link these to your games preference so for example you could have an FPS setup and link that to Battlefield 3 and have profile 2 linked to RPG games and so on and so on. Each profile allows you to change 6 of the 8 mouse buttons to whatever your preference.



Choosing Macro or Script allows you to program a number of buttons presses and assign this to one single button. The macro settings are all there and will not present an issue to anyone who is familiar with creating their own settings however the procedure may be a little more complex for those unversed in such matters.



Once you have all of your buttons assigned and associated games to your profiles then you can move to the config tab. In the config area you get to choose 4 different DPI levels with which to adjust on the fly using the associated button on the mouse. The Opto has five levels ranging from 450-3500 whereas the 5K laser mouse has a wider range of 100-5600. The polling rate of the USB connection can also be adjusted here too with a range from 125-1000Hz.

Overall, the software is functional and quite complex in some areas. It does everything you ask of it without issue and while a few ‘bubble tips’ wouldn’t go amiss for the uninitiated in creating scripts, the software works well.

Performance Testing


Laser vs Optical
Before we commence testing the mice we thought it would be pertinent to discuss the attributes and pitfalls of both types of sensor.

So how do they work and whats the difference?

Laser and optical mice both use light as detection, a light emitter and a light detector are used in tandem to determine movement. A laser mouse will use light that is invisible to the human eye whereas the optical sensor uses an LED. Recent advances in optical sensors do however also now use light that is not within the visible spectrum making the distinction between the two even more difficult although optical mice with this feature are still quite rare.



For testing purposes, both mice will be used on OZONE’s own Ground Level L gaming surface. A large cloth based, rubber backed mouse mat.

Here are a breakdown of the differences between laser and optical mice:

Firstly, cost. Laser mice are typically more expensive than their optical counterparts. The Philips laser used in the 5k is not the most advanced on the market it is still a premium laser and not often seen in the sub £40 category of mice. The same can be said for the AVAGO optical sensor used in the Opto. The Avago sensor is however one of the best optical sensors available so to cram it into a sub £30 mouse is fantastic.

Your gaming surface may also affect the performance of the mouse. Some surfaces are better with an optical mouse whereas others are better with a laser. In general, you will find that a laser mice have a wider range of compatible surfaces although with advances in optical technology, such as the AVAGO sensor used in the Opto, the differences are minimal with both mice tested and working fine on all of the different surfaces I could find including shiny surfaces which used to be a problem for the optical sensor.

Finally DPI. DPI (Dots per Inch) or CPI (Counts per Inch) as some people refer to it, is in reference to the mouse scanning ability. The higher this ability, the more sensitive it is. Typically, a laser mouse has a much higher DPI range than an optical mouse. Some go higher than 11,000 which is outrageously fast but totally unusable in 99.9% of scenarios.

DPI is a bragging right of many mice and here is where a laser mouse’s popularity has grown while the optical sensor’s has faded. This popularity shift was based on old technology. Previously, an optical mouse would typically operate at between 400-800dpi whereas a laser would go up to 2000dpi. Today however, these values have increased massively. The Opto is capable of 3500dpi and the 5K a silly 5600dpi. Most gamers utilise a dpi of between 1000 and 2000dpi so the massive levels of sensitivity available in both mice are for the most part just that, figures because I very much doubt anyone could game consistently above 3000dpi yet both mice afford higher figures than this. Still, the option is there if you want to impress those who like to play the numbers game.

In short, there is very little difference between the two technologies. Sure the laser mouse has the advantage with a higher dpi but is there really a need for this huge range if only a small segment of that range will ever be used? Next time you are at a pro gaming event. Check out who uses optical and who uses laser. I would wage there are still those who use optical mice, such is the none nonsensical (pun intended) approach to playing the numbers game.

One of our own observations when testing the mice were that the Opto had a higher lift-off operation than the 5K (apx 1cm vs 5mm). This may or may not affect your style of play but we thought it was worth mentioning.

General Use
In General use, both mice performed precisely the same. Indeed I had to take my hand of the mice to recall which mouse I was testing at the time. Photoshop, Office and general browsing navigation was perfect with no issues found at all. My only regret is that the thumb buttons were a little stiff in operation and didn’t offer the same precise ‘click’ of the main mouse buttons.



Above, we see the three different profile colours along with the red LEDs which depict what DPI level is currently in use.

Gaming Performance
As expected, both mice performed very well in this arena. The contoured lines of the mouse made it a pleasure to use for hours of gaming fun and the rubberised texture ensured that even with my sweaty palms, the mice stayed within my grip. Again, I have little to complain about aside from the two side buttons which needed deliberate concentrated thought rather than a reactive thought to press which delayed using my knife or throwing a grenade by a millisecond or two. I don’t profess to be a pro gamer but this may meen the difference between life and death at the highest level. thankfully on the n00b servers I frequent I had no such problems :).

Overall, the Ozone Radon mice perform very well. They are comfortable for long gaming stints and equally at home doing the more menial tasks such as general navigation. the shape of the mouse is more suited to those with a preference to palm grip rather than claw however even using the claw grip the mouse was still fairly comfortable to use.

Conclusion


The Ozone Radon 5K and Opto mice offer different technologies in the same comfortable shell. For the most part, both mice are indistinguishable from one another. They both use the same rubberised plastic chassis and the same switch gear is used throughout. Aside from the ‘O’ moniker on the hind quarters, you would be forgiven for thinking they are the same mouse save for one key difference which will ultimately decide which one is best for you, or not as was the case with us.



Laser or Optical? If laser is your preference then the 5K mouse would be the way to go. Optical then the Opto is the one for you. Us? Well, we simply could not tell the difference. Setting each mouse up with as near as possible dpi we simply could not tell and doubt anyone could. Testing these mice I expected a Pepsi vs Coke scenario where each is easily identified by your own personal preference. Unfortunately, the differences between the two mice are so small they are simply insignificant.

Optical mice have caught up with their laser counterparts to such an extent that both now have extremely high sensitivity. While the laser still has the advantage of higher sensitivity, this is in our opinion well over the usable range so makes little difference in the greater scheme of things. If you like to brag about how fast your mouse is then that is your choice. To the educated though, anything above your playable range is surely a waste of good money so you would look rather foolish bragging that your mouse is capable of 10k+dpi when you only use a 5th of that range.



In short, it matters little whether you go for the optical or laser versions of the Radon range. Both do the job exactly as they should with minimal complaints from us. Best of all is the price because for less than £40, you are getting a great product, built from a manufacturer who is built on gaming with input from the best gamers around. With only a £5 difference between the two, the choice will ultimately come down to whether you want a pack of beer with your mouse or bragging rights on those dpi numbers.

Pros
+ Contoured shape
+ Rubberised texture
+ Macro functionality
+ 4 DPI levels
+ 3 Profiles

Cons
– No colour customisation
– Stiff Thumb buttons




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