Like most Alienware products, the TactX mouse impresses from the outset. I received my review unit along with the M11x gaming notebook (as, naturally, you can’t game with a touchpad), and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it.
Behold: peripheral perfection
It’s not just the appearance (although it certainly is imposing with its heavy, black design); the sheer feel of it in your hand communicates meticulous attention to ergonomics. The weight is significant, and yet it glides easily—albeit deliberately—across the surface. The cord is a braided nylon material as opposed to rubber to provide better flexibility. The buttons click with an effortless response that simultaneously provides a wonderful sense of tactile feedback. In fact, perhaps that’s the best word to describe the mouse as a whole: effortless. Everything is easy to access and comfortable to use, making gaming with it nothing short of pleasure.
Well, nearly everything. If I had to file a single complaint, it’d be that the scroll wheel’s click function is too difficult to activate. You really have to press this thing to get it to register. But if you aren’t clicking the wheel a lot, this obviously won’t bother you. Even if you do use the function on occasion, there are far too many positives elsewhere to let this affect your purchasing decision.
The money shot
For instance, the accuracy. There’s a 5000 DPI laser that is able to pick up even the slightest movement with the greatest of precision. The general behavior of the mouse, as well as the functions of its various buttons, can be tweaked via the included Alienware customization software and then toggled with a press of the “Profile” button on the bottom. Meanwhile, the scroll wheel, which typically clicks via divots at regular rotational intervals (as with most mice), can be adjusted via a second button on the bottom of the mouse (“Dual Mode Scroll”) which instantaneously removes all friction from its movement. Press it again and you’re back to normal.
One of the reasons the mouse itself glides so smoothly, in spite of its considerable weight, is the large size of the Teflon pads on the bottom. These pads occupy probably 20% of the entire bottom of the mouse, and the difference is immediately obvious. It isn’t a light movement, but it doesn’t take much to get it going. For lack of a better explanation, the large Teflon pads simply provide a highly frictionless gliding experience so that you don’t tire as quickly from the use of the mouse. This is wonderful while playing your favorite FPS or doing some heavy video editing.
A cord done right
You will find two buttons just above the thumb indention on the left side of the mouse for standard back/forward operations within any application, though, as with everything else, they can be customized to your liking. The pressure required to activate these buttons is perfectly tuned—again, as with nearly everything else. Two more buttons on the top of the mouse below the left-click button can be used to adjust the sensitivity of the mouse on-the-fly. It’s an extremely useful addition, especially for gamers or those who will be switching between specialized applications on a regular basis.
Finally, the included software (also usable with the TactX keyboard—not reviewed here), is intuitive and flexible. You can customize the lighting of the mouse with 20 different colors, and, as with the Alienware laptops and desktops, associate certain colors with system events, such as (everyone’s favorite) the receipt of an email.
Among all of the sweeping positives, there’s always a catch, of course. In this case, there’s the fact that the TactX mouse is specifically designed for right-handeded use. So you lefties… well, I suppose you’ll just have to go back to whatever planet it is from which you came. Sorry about that.
Truly, this is one versatile product. There is literally almost nothing wrong with it.