At $69.99, The GX-Gaming Maurus X Gaming Mouse isn’t overpriced compared to the rest of the market, but the adage, “You get what you pay for,” rings true. It’s not that the Maurus X is a bad mouse, not at all, it’s comfortable and comes with a boatload of options. The biggest issues facing it is the learning curve and the lack of additional buttons, two big problems.
To start positive though, let’s focus on how comfortable the Maurus X is. It’s symmetrical, so you left-handers will be comfortable, and it contours to your hand perfectly. There are rubber grips on the left and right side of it that do more than just prevent slipping, they’re actually quite soft. Those grips rest above slight “wings” that stick out, allowing a place for your thumb and pinky or ring finger to rest. It’s weighted well too, but there’s no option to add or remove additional weight, so if you find it not to your needs, sorry but you’re stuck with it.
The design is pretty rugged overall, too. The weight helps make it feel more than just a cheap piece of plastic, and it seems like it could take a drop or a slam, though I didn’t put my heart into it when I was testing the durability. It didn’t break with a few bangs, so that’s something. The cord is braided, as most are on higher end gaming mice, but I still feel the need to mention it because it’s just so damned awesome.
It’s advertised with six buttons, but the truth is that is has four, plus scroll wheel and DPI button. Dots per inch, or DPI, is what determines how fast the mouse moves across the screen when you move it, and on the Maurus X you can change it with the click of a button. Despite being at the top, middle of the device it doesn’t seem to get in your way, so there are no accidental clicks, which forces you to go through each of the five pre-set options (800 up to 4,000 DPI) to get back to your original setting. The two additional buttons rest above the rubberized grip, creating additional options but still falling short of some boasting eight to ten buttons.
The Maurus X also includes, via download, it’s own personal drivers settings that are completely customizable, though if you’re not familiar with this type of software it might look a little daunting. Inside the driver settings users can change the function of buttons or creating entire macros, complete with delays and custom names. There are five profile options, for those who play multiple games or different characters within one game, but for novices, you’ll enjoy knowing that you can adjust just about every setting individually. Mouse speed, sensitivity, double click speed, scroll speed, etc, it can all be adjusted from within the software. There was also listed a “light options,” for adjusting the GX Gaming symbol on the back, but I couldn’t get the damned thing to work at all. Not sure if the defect is the hardware or the user.
Again though, at $69.99 you could do a hell of a lot worse for a gaming mouse. The Maurus X is comfortable, weighted well, and has a boatload of customizations. The lack of additional buttons is certainly concerning, particularly for you hardcore gamers. And if you’re shopping for a gaming mouse, you’re already at a level beyond casual. Still, it’s inexpensive and provides a nice cornerstone for first-timers.
