Creative Sound BlasterX Siege M04 review - garaybrohn1967

At a Glint

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Beautiful light-ribbon around the edges
• Elongated shape comfortable for laurel wreath grippers
• Computer software well-designed and attractive

Cons

• A moment too long for hook Beaver State fingertip grips
• Software is weirdly granitic to find and download
• A mouse with the Legal Blaster name?

Our Verdict

Creative's launching sneak out is a delight, featuring a PWM3360 sensor, beautiful lighting, and an interesting material body. Just give the "Sound Chargeman" name tush next time.

You have intercourse that genuine saying, "Dress for the job you want, non the job you have"? The same can constitute said of product branding. Maybe, if you think there's even an infinitesimally puny bump you might branch out of your heart product centre in the proximo, preceptor't pick a make like "Sound Blaster" that in truth sole applies to…well, audio components.

Which is to say: Creative makes a mouse immediately, and for more or less reason decided to call it the Sound BlasterX Siege M04. Yes, a Wholesome Blaster mouse.

The other surprise? Aside from the name, information technology's pretty damn good.

Intent: X Marks the spot

In fact, considering that the Siege M04 (available for $80 on Virago)  is the first Sound Blaster mouse, it's shockingly bold. Past comparison, the Pulsefire is HyperX's first sneak away and it's more or less a clon of the evergreen plant Razer DeathAdder.

Most importantly? The thumb buttons. I'm always on the lookout for a better thumb-button layout, or at least a Sir Thomas More competent take an existent design. The Siege M04 has the benefit of being both unique and simple. IT takes a fairly standard three-button layout—two sitting above the thumb, one before—and lengthens every button by around half an column inch.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

It doesn't sound like much, but IT's one of the few times I've been able to casually exercise all three buttons at one time. The Logitech G502 I use regular technically has the assonant layout, merely the third button sits insofar forward it's hard to press both information technology and the rear button at the synoptical time. The Siege M04 brings that one additive button within reach without having to move my thumb all over creation.

Only if I palm grip, though. The Siege M04's determine is still well within the parameters of the traditional decent-turn over scoop, but it has an lengthened "pinched" mould that seems made-to-order for palm grippers, with a perceptive indentation for the third and quartern fingers and a bad hold that extends most of the way down the right side. I preceptor't think IT's "better" than other mice, per se—but it would be hard to recommend the Siege M04 to claw operating theatre fingertip grippers, or anyone with smaller hands. Within its field of study, nonetheless, it's comfortable and eye-catching.

Creative has also doubled lowered along aesthetics by including an RGB LED light ribbon that makes a full circuit around the fathom of the mouse, similar to Razer's Diamondback refresh, plus a lit-functioning mouse wheel and Sound off Blaster logo happening tip. It's beautiful—provided you like sporty lights—and mayhap the Sunday-go-to-meeting RGB implementation I've seen along a mouse. Information technology's bright, the colors are ringing, and it casts its light downwards onto your desktop, which is a neat touch.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

Enthusiasts bequeath make up happy to hear that the Siege M04 packs Pixart's beloved PWM3360 sensor—essentially the same one in my G502 and numerous other gaming mice nowadays. The PWM3360's popularity is in whopping part tied to its accuracy and fantabulous trailing.

Like other PWM3360 mice, the Military blockade M04 is rated up to 12,000 DPI. There's an on-the-fly DPI switch behind the mouse rack, with default values set to 800, 1,600, and 3,200. The thumb button is pre-programmed as a "Sniper" clitoris, which defaults to 200 and can be adjusted severally.

Computer software chops

Props to Yeasty on its software, too. Thanks to years of go through with audio peripherals, Ingenious already has a solid origination for its peripheral software package, titled Sound Blaster Relate, and IT's clean polished. No "reckoning this out on the rainfly" like other companies who've decided to enter the peripherals market late in the mettlesome.

IDG / Hayden Dingman

The biggest problem? Finding and downloading Sound Blaster Connect. The link is buried at the very bottom of the Siege M04's product page, which takes you to other Constructive support paginate that looks like it was made 2 decades ago, which prompts you to first install a microcode update before you download the Connect software.

So I did, and was then baffled when I installed Get in touch and the first thing IT wanted was for me to set up another firmware update for the Siege M04. Okay. A bit awkward.

But the software itself is great. I'd already used information technology a bit when reviewing the Sound BlasterX Katana earlier this year, and the Besieging M04 implementation is strikingly similar—IT even use dials for the DPI settings, as if you were adjusting audio effects. Unique, to sound out the to the lowest degree, but it's slow to understand and all of the lighting effects are quick to implement. Information technology's likewise caudate to re-assign or record macros to any clit, if you're fascinated.

Bottom line

SoundBlaster name aside, I think the Siege M04 is a surprisingly competent mouse for Notional's first attempt. It's pretty basic, nothing to a fault amazing, but lots to appreciate: The lighting is literally top-of-the-line arsenic far as mice we've reviewed at PCWorld; the PWM3360 sensor is always receive in my home; it's got passabl large and smooth skates on the bottom; it's unimportant; the cable is sheathed in fabric; and the material body is comfortable (at least for palm grippers).

There's not a great deal to complain about, real. I'd ilk to see Creative put out an double-tongued mouse next, or maybe one that's sized a moment smaller for the claw and fingertip grippers among us, only I came into this review expecting to realise jokes around audio companies delving into mouse design and instead came away thoroughly impressed.

And Creative did it without taking the sound route, a la HyperX, by mimicking a tried-and-true design. Doubly sensational.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/407140/creative-sound-blasterx-siege-m04-review.html

Posted by: garaybrohn1967.blogspot.com

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