In an era when electronic sports are on a giant rise, many accessories have made themselves available to gamers, intending to more than just assist, but allow them to practice their art perfectly. From keyboards, joypads, mice and headsets, if you’re a pro gamer in the making, expect to invest time researching before putting down the dollar; these are not $20 price tags we’re dealing with, far from it. The average competitive mouse, for example, will run you anywhere from $80 to $160 depending on your preferences and needs.

Today I’ll be testing the SteelSeries’ Sensei Pro Gaming Laser Mouse. I swear these names keep getting more and more complex; remember when the hottest thing on the market was an optical mouse? Now it’s laser, has a specific name of its own AND is for pro gamers. Regardless, you are not buying the mouse for the naming or copy, you are buying it for the competitive edge it will grant you on your next frag fest / RTS massacre.

For the uninitiated, SteelSeries is a Danish manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories that has historically helped sponsor the growth of competitive gaming and electronic sports through professional team sponsorships and community support worldwide. Gamers under their sponsorship include Counter-Strike veterans and champions Fnatic and arguably the most famous RTS player, Grubby. If you haven’t heard of either of these too, I’d say your competitive future is bleak and this mouse is not for you; however, if you aim to be as good as they are, then this mouse comes as a no-brainer for you.

Packed with features and customization options, this mouse was designed with the pro gamer in mind. Not only are you given the freedom to customize it exactly according to your preferences, but it also comes with a built in CPU that can store up to five gaming profiles you may switch on the fly via an LCD screen at the bottom of the mouse, free from any software or computer restriction. Though it aims to attract all gamers with its ambidextrous design, I felt it lost some points in the comfort department that manufacturers like Razer have perfected, but this is a tiny stain in an otherwise majestic armor. The Sensei was designed with the direct involvement of competitive gamers like Fnatic, SK, EG, Na’Vi, EHOME, TyLoo. LoL, HoN, CS, SC2 and DotA; these people know what they’re doing and the end result is a mouse that will compliment your skill perfectly.

Its accompanying software, Engine, is a monster that grants you the keys to every vault inside the Sensei. Everything from speed, CPI, lighting to your gaming profiles can be customized fully, if you can navigate the options. There is so much on offer for the pro gamer who knows his/her stuff, but for an average user like myself, I found the features to be daunting and exasperating. This only means that they know who they’re catering to and they are doing it brilliantly.

- Weighty, more precise control

- In-built CPU

- Fully customizable

Cons

- Ambidextrous design loses some comfort points

- Not for everybody – exclusively tailored for competitive gamers