Peripherals

Tt eSPORTS Azurues Gaming Mouse Review

vortez
April 18, 2011 17 Min Read
2 0

Designed for FPS, we take a look at the Azurues a 1600DPI optical gaming mouse from Thermaltake’s Tt eSPORTS.


Product on Review: Tt eSPORTS Azurues Gaming Mouse
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Tt eSPORTS
MSRP: US$39.99




As of late, many companies have jumped onto the bandwagon of gaming peripherals that consist of mice, keyboards, mouse pads and headsets. Given the fact that the industry of electronic sports is growing in popularity, it actually makes sense for companies such as Thermaltake to expand their product line-up to tend to this market.

Although Thermaltake has sponsored professional gamers in the past, in 2010, the company decided create a new brand under the name of Tt eSports. As it names suggests, Tt eSports’ specifically targets professional gamers, but home users can also acquire these gaming peripherals as well.

Tt eSports’ current portfolio of gaming mice includes the Black, the Azurues and the recently announced Black Element. Today, Vortez will be reviewing an inexpensive, no-frills ambidextrous mouse: the Azurues, which is not to be confused with Azureus, a BitTorrent client now known as Vuze (Link: Wikipedia).


Tt eSPORTS Azurues Gaming Mouse


TT eSPORTS’ take on the Azurues: Press Release Link
The Azurues is a sure hit. It has the option of switching between three different DPIs, 1600/800/400 providing superb gaming movement. It is the most ideal weapon for First-person shooting games. The specially designed Teflon feet on the bottom of the mouse maximize the movement activities. It is rubber coated to allow for easier hand grip control. The removable weights underneath the mouse add that extra touch that lets users customize the weight of their own mouse. All in all, the Azurues is the perfect choice for anyone looking for a no frills mouse that’s aimed to make any gamer come out on top.


Features: Link

• First-person-shooter: Extreme battle machine optical gaming mouse for First-Person-Shooter game
• Up to 1600 dpi Optical Engine: Up to 1600 dpi optical engine with 400/800 dpi switchable to provide superb gaming movement
• Full speed USB: Gaming mouse with performing gaming capability
• Weight-in design: Weight-in design to get a perfect hand feeling for movement
• Low friction movement: Provide low friction movement for mouse on most surface
• Rubber coating finished: Teflon feet provides rubber coating finished to enhance hand grip for rapidly gaming movement
• Braided cable: Braided cable to prevent tangle wire and provide extra flexibility
• Pause-break lightning system: Pause-break lighting system to engage to gaming atmosphere


Specifications: Link

• Interface: USB
• Operational systems: Windows®7/Vista/XP
• Number of buttons: 3
• Sensor engine: 1600 dpi
• Sensor Type: Optical
• Cable length: 1.8m braided
• Body dimension (LxWxH): 130x 70x 30mm

Packaging and Overall Look


Like many other products sold under the Tt eSports brand, the Azurues comes in ba lack and bright red coloured box. The art on the box itself is very attractive and tough-looking. The front of the box lists a few of the product’s features, such as “FPS battle-ready” and three dpi settings including 1600 dpi, 800 dpi and 400 dpi. The back of the product box explains the features previously shown at the front of the box in 15 different languages including English, French, Polish and Chinese.


The overall design of the packaging is attractive


Although not shown in any of the pictures, the front of the box can be opened to show the mouse through a plastic window. The back of the box flap also describes additional features of the product as well as its specifications as seen on Tt eSports website.

The product and its accessories are well packaged inside a plastic shell. As far as package contents go, they are the Azurues mouse, a carrying pouch with zipper, a multi-language quick installation guide, a multi-language warranty policy book, and a 5x5cm white sticker with a red crosshair.

Seeing as warranty was mentioned in the previous sentence, it is worth noting that the Azurues comes with a 2-year warranty, which is quite ordinary for a gaming mouse.


Package contents: the Azurues, a carrying pouch, a warranty policy guide, a red crosshair sticker and a quick installation guide,


Of all the included accessories, the sticker perplexes me the most. I have no idea why Tt eSports would decide to specifically include it. If it was the logo of the company, then I would understand, but a crosshair?

Onwards with the review, the second accessory that Tt eSports includes with the Azurues is a carrying pouch. It has a small layer of foam that should product the Azurues sufficiently during travel. The overall workmanship and quality of the zipper is good. The logo of the company is printed at the front of the bag.


The foamy carrying pouch included with the Azurues helps carrying the mouse to LAN parties


The carrying pouch isn’t very large at about 17x15cm. It is large enough, however, to carry the mouse with ease. Inside the pouch, there is some mesh that is divided into two different slots. These slots can hold the cable of the mouse as shown in the picture below. Although not an essential accessory, it is nice that Thermaltake decided to include the carrying pouch.


The carrying pouch can hold the Azurues with ease

Closer Look


The Azurues is Tt eSports’ second mouse in their portfolio. It is a black-coloured gaming mouse that has a rubber coating to ensure a strong grip. Currently, the retail price of the Azurues is US$39.99 (Link: Newegg), making it one of the cheaper gaming mouse on the market.

The Azurues was designed to be a no-frills gaming mouse. In other words, it is designed with the minimal features of a gaming mouse, such as dpi adjustment, a weight system and durable Teflon feet.


The Azurues is a basic gaming mouse


Like many other gaming mice currently on the market, the Azurues is an ambidextrous mouse. Although ambidextrous mice can be used by both right-handed and left-handed gamers, they are not optimized for either. I usually prefer right-handed mice over ambidextrous mice because they provide a more natural grip, enhancing the overall comfort.


The Azurues is an ambidextrous mouse with a black rubber coating


Although the majority of the surface of the Azurues is rubber-coated, the sides of this gaming mouse are glossy plastic. Like most glossy surfaces, the sides of the Azurues are great fingerprint magnets.

Seeing as the Azurues is a basic gaming mouse, there are only the three mouse buttons: the left button, the middle button and the right button. It is worth noting that the right and left buttons are slightly depressed from the rest of the mouse so that they can snuggle the tip of the fingers better.

Each button is very easy to depress and they give a quiet and dull click. The scroll wheel turns with a very smooth tactile feedback and the arrowed notches on the wheel help the grip. Even when spun very quickly, the scroll wheel did not squeal.


The left and right buttons curve to accommodate tip of the fingers


As like many other gaming mice, Tt eSports decided to put a clear plastic window of their logo on the back of the mouse. As it will be seen later this will glow red in an intermittent pattern (dim to glow).


The logo of Thermaltake is seen at the back of the mouse

Closer Look (Continued): Bottom


Onto the bottom of the Azurues, there are a few features worth mentioning: four Teflon feet for durability and smooth gliding, a dpi adjustment switch (400, 800 and 1600 dpi settings), a weight system and an optical sensor.


The bottom of the Azurues


Unlike many other gaming mice that use laser, the Azurues uses an optical engine. From my experience, laser mice provide more accurate but blockier tracking whereas optical mice provide accurate but smoother tracking. This varies from mouse to mouse, however.

Like most optical engines, there is a red glow when the mouse is powered. On the right bottom-side of the Azurues, there is a 3-setting switch that adjusts the dpi between 400, 800 and 1600. For most users, the 800 dpi setting will suffice, but some gamers might prefer the 1600 dpi for optimal mouse sensitivity. Even at 1600 dpi, the Azurues provided accurate tracking without skipping.


The Azurues uses an optical engine and features a dpi switch (400, 800 and 1600 dpi)


Although a basic gaming mouse, the Azurues also sports a feature seen on more expensive products: an adjustable weight system. The Azurues has three weights of 4.5 grams each. The total adjustable weight of the Azurues is 13.5 grams, which is very underwhelming compared to Logitech G500’s 27 gram adjustable weight system (Link: Logitech).

Without the weights, the Azurues is a fairly light gaming mouse. With the extra 13.5 grams, the Azurues does not have much heft, which might disappoint some gamers looking for a heavier mouse.

Other than the weight system, the Azurues has four large Teflon feet. They are well positioned at the four corners of the mouse and they glide very well over most surfaces such as cloth, plastic and wood.


The Azurues features a 13.5 grams adjustable weight system



The weight system is made of three 4.5 gram blocks. The lid and the rubber holder can be easily removed from the Azurues (fingernails optional).

Closer Look (Continued): Cable and Lighting


A new thing that is seen with more and more mice is a braided USB cable. Not only do they enhance the overall durability of the cable, the braiding gives the cable style. Also, for anyone that is thinking to carry their mouse around, a braided cable is less likely to get tangled.

Furthermore, the Azurues has a gold-plated USB connector, which should ensure proper USB connection. The cable length is 1.8 meters.


The Azurues has a 1.8m braided USB cable with a gold-plated connector


The USB cable is strongly reinforced at its insertion into the mouse. This will ensure that the cable will not break if the mouse is violently yanked, such as when a gamer loses an important match and places his anger onto the mouse.


The USB cable is strongly reinforced at its insertion into the mouse


Once powered up, the mouse will glow red from its Tt plastic window and the middle button. The glow is very dull and it is not strong enough to light the room, which is perfect in my book.

The Azurues features a “pause-break lighting system” according to Tt eSports. In layman’s terms, the “Tt” plastic window at the back of the Azurues will dim and glow intermittently. A cycle of dim-to-dim is about 10 seconds. Seeing as you will have your hand on the mouse most of the time and will thus hide the lighting system, it is kind of useless for Thermaltake to include such a feature.


The Tt logo glows intermittently



The optical engine glows red

Size Comparison with Other Mice


According to Tt eSports, the Azurues dimensions are: 130x70x30mm (LxWxH). This puts it at about the same size as the Logitech G7 gaming mouse and much bigger than the Dell.

Since the Azurues was probably designed with the palm-grip in mind, it makes sense that the Azurues’ dimensions are comparable to the Logitech G7.


From left to right: Dell 5-Button Bluetooth Travel Mouse, Tt eSports Azurues, Logitech G7


In terms of height, the Azurues is slightly shorter than the Logitech G7. Nevertheless, unlike the Logitech G7, the Azurues’ front buttons do not curve downwards as much. Therefore, when gripping the mouse, the Azurues feels much taller and this might actually be uncomfortable for the wrist after prolonged usage.


From left to right: Dell 5-Button Bluetooth Travel Mouse, Tt eSports Azurues, Logitech G7

Driver and Software, Testing Methodology and Test System


Driver and Software

Once plugged into a PC, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 will automatically install drivers required to use the Azurues. The Azurues comes with no software, probably because it has no configurable optional buttons.

Testing Methodology

The Azurues gaming mouse was tested for 4 weeks under different situations including general usage and gaming usage.

The sample rate of the mouse was measured with Mouse Rate Checker (Link: Softpedia).

Test Setup: Desktop
– CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5000+ Black Edition @ 2.6 GHz 1.15V
– Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H 780G
– RAM: Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 PC2-6400 2x2GB
– Video card: ASUS GeForce 9600GSO 384MB GDDR3 96SP (EN9600GSO/HTDP/384M)
– Case: Antec NSK3480 mATX
– Power supply: Antec EarthWatts 380W
– CPU cooler: Noctua NH-U12P with Noctua NF-P12 @ 5V
– Case fan: Noctua NF-P12 @ 5V
– Hard drive 1: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB
– Hard drive 2: Hitachi DeskStar T7K500 HDT725025VLAT80 250GB
– DVD Drive: LG GH22NS30 DVD Writer
– OS: Windows 7 Ultimate (x64)
– Mouse pad: QPAD|UC Large
– Monitor: Dell E207WFP 20” TN

Sample Rate


The sample rate or polling rate of a mouse is the number of time the cursor’s position is updated per second. By default, the sample rate for a USB device is 125 Hz or the cursor is updated every 8 ms by default in Windows. Some gamers advocate that a higher sample rate correlates with the higher overall responsiveness of a mouse. Sample rate becomes apparent in certain games such as Unreal Tournament, dubbed a twitch game where fast movements are a must.

For our testing purposes, Mouse Rate Checker is used to verify the polling rate. (Download Mouse Rate Checker: Softpedia)

Fortunately, the Azurues works at 500 Hz by default instead of 125 Hz, which should be good enough for most gamers.


Mouse Rate Checker confirms that the sample rate of the Azurues is 500 Hz

Mouse Surfaces, Ergonomics and Usage


Mouse surfaces

The Tt eSPORTS Azurues was tested on various surfaces including a cloth mousepad (QPAD|UC Large), wood, granite, carpet and glass.

The optical sensor tracked very well on all of the previously mentioned surfaces. Furthermore, the Teflon feet the Azurues provide smooth gliding across most of the surfaces except for the grainy surface of granite.


The Teflon feet provide good glide across most surfaces


Ergonomics, Grips and Buttons

There are three common ways to hold a mouse: the palm grip, the claw grip and the fingertip grip. Each of these grips has advantages and disadvantages in terms of comfort and overall control of the mouse’s movement. Palm grip is probably the most popular grip, mostly because it is highly comfortable even after long-term usage of the mouse. The claw grip provides great control over the mouse’s movement while sacrificing long-term comfort. The fingertip grip can be said to be a compromise between these two previously mentioned grips. In the fingertip grip, only the tip of the five fingers touches the mouse. Therefore, mouse movements are controlled by the fingers, giving a better control of the mouse. For more information on these grips, feel free to read Razer’s excellent explanation of this topic.

Razer’s Explanation of Mouse Grips: Palm Grip


The Azurues works best with a fingertip grip


The Azurues works best with the fingertip grip, but the mouse is also compatible with the palm grip. Unfortunately, seeing as the back of this mouse is fairly curved, the Azurues is very uncomfortable with a claw grip.

As it was mentioned previously, the left and right buttons of the Azurues are slightly inset compared to the rest of the mouse, allowing the tip of the fingers to better grip the buttons.

Because the front of the mouse does not curve downwards very much (unlike the Logitech G7), your index and middle finger stay fairly straight when palm gripping the mouse. After an hour of usage, my forearm became quite sore. This was not a problem when using the fingertip grip.


The Azurues is a fingerprint magnet


Gaming

Battlefield Bad Company 2: EA’s website

Battlefield Bad Company™ 2 brings the spectacular Battlefield gameplay to the forefront of next-gen consoles and PC, featuring best-in-class vehicular combat set across a wide range of huge sandbox maps each with a different tactical focus. New vehicles like the All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and the UH-60 transport helicopter allow for all-new multiplayer tactics in the warzone. Extensive fine-tuning ensures that this will be the most realistic vehicle combat experience to date. Tactical destruction is taken to new heights with the updated DICE Frostbite engine. Players can now take down entire buildings or create their own vantage points by blasting holes through cover, thereby delivering a unique dynamic experience in every match.


During gaming, the Azurues provided very smooth and accurate tracking. Even at its highest dpi setting of 1600, there was no skipping. Unfortunately, the dpi switch at the bottom of the mouse makes dpi adjustment inconvenient during gaming. A dpi button at the top of the mouse would have been preferred.

Again, the mouse was most comfortable with the fingertip grip, but the palm grip was also fairly adequate.

The scroll wheel spins very smoothly and gives off a dull thud with no squeaking. This allowed for accurate quick weapon switching. The mouse buttons have a fairly short travel distance and they give off a very quiet and dull click.

The lift-off distance is the minimum distance between the mouse and the mouse surface for mouse tracking to work.


The lift-off distance of the Azurues is very impressive at approximately 1 mm. Gamers that pick up their mouse and reposition it on their mouse surface will enjoy this very short lift-off distance.

Overall, the Azurues works very well as a gaming mouse.

Normal usage

The on-the-fly sensitivity control with the dpi switch at the bottom of the mouse was quite handy in situations such as image editing where small cursor movements were needed.

The Azurues is an ambidextrous mouse and it is quite comfortable for both left and right handed grips. Although it is not as well optimized as a right-handed mouse like the Logitech G7, even after prolonged usage, the Azurues was comfortable to hold with the fingertip grip. As it was mentioned earlier, prolonged palm grip did make my forearm quite sore. The front of the Azurues is not curved downwards enough to allow my index and middle finger to naturally curve with the shape of the mouse.

Conclusion


Tt eSports current portfolio includes three gaming mice: the Black, the Azurues and the Black Element. Like the Black Element, the Azurues is a large ambidextrous mouse that works with both the palm grip and the fingertip grip. Although being a fingerprint magnet, the rubber coating of the Azurues allows the hand to comfortably grip the mouse.

The optical sensor allows accurate and smooth tracking on common surfaces, and the Teflon feet lets the Azurues glide effortlessly across these surfaces.

The dpi setting of the Azurues can be adjusted between 400, 800 and 1600 dpi with the dpi switch at the bottom of the mouse. By default, the sample rate of the Azurues is 500 Hz, providing decent responsive tracking.

The three buttons of the Azurues (left, right and middle buttons) are very easy to depress and each click with a soft dull click. The scroll wheel spins very smoothly and doesn’t squeal at all.


The Azurues: a basic, inexpensive and accurate gaming mouse


In terms of cons, the dpi switcher is inconveniently located at the bottom of the mouse. There is also the useless “pause-break lightning system”. Furthermore, the mouse is not as comfortable as expected when using the palm grip. The front of the mouse is not curved downwards enough and this puts strain on the forearm.

In terms of pricing, the Azurues can be found for as low as US$39.99 (Link: Newegg). This puts the Azurues at a price range full of competition. A direct competitor of the Azurues is the Razer Abyssus (Link: Vortez). Both of these are ambidextrous gaming mice. Performance is comparable between the two, but the overall comfort of the Razer Abyssus is better. Nevertheless, the Azurues has an edge with its braided USB cable and its weight system.

When considering non-ambidextrous mice, there is a plethora of mice to choose from below US$40, such as the Gigabyte M6980 (Link: Vortez), the Microsoft SideWinder X3 (Link: Microsoft) and the legendary Logitech MX518 (Link: Logitech). The three previously mentioned products are respectable gaming mice that provide comparable value to the Tt eSports Azurues. It is worth remembering that an ambidextrous mouse does not usually provide as much comfort as a right-handed gaming mouse for right-handed gamers.

All-in-all, the Tt eSports Azurues is a good gaming mouse that works best with the fingertip grip. As such, it is awarded the Vortez Silver Award.



Pros
+ 1.8m braided cable
+ 2-year warranty
+ Ambidextrous
+ Comfortable with the fingertip grip and, a bit less, with the palm grip
+ Quiet sounding scroll wheel with smooth tactile feedback
+ Inexpensive
+ Low lift-off distance of 1 mm
+ On-the-fly dpi adjustment between 400, 800 and 1600 dpi
+ Rubber coating for good grip
+ Smooth tracking even at 1600 dpi
+ Subtle red LEDs
+ Weight system with 13.5 grams

Cons
– Inconveniently placed dpi switch
– Only the three basic buttons
– Too light even with its weights
– Uncomfortable with the palm grip after prolonged usage
– Useless pause-break lighting system

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