First thing’s first, let’s get the bullet points out of the way:

• Superb design, complements any home/office environment
• 4-mode, touch-sensitive scroll function
• Recharge cradle with wireless transmitter storage and spare battery recharge
• 5 buttons
• 1000 dpi resolution minimum
• Interference-free 2.4GHz wireless technology
• Smooth glide action
• 24/7 recharge solution using 2 x Li-ion battery packs
• Plug and play; ease of use and set-up

Now let’s focus on the technical aspects:

• 4-mode, touch-sensitive scroll function
• Recharge cradle with wireless transmitter storage and spare battery recharge
• 5 buttons
• 1000 dpi resolution minimum
• Interference-free 2.4GHz wireless technology
• 24/7 recharge solution using 2 x Li-ion battery packs
• Plug and play; ease of use and set-up

If you’re a gamer, the fourth point really sticks out at you. The dpi stands for dots per inch, and let's just say that it’s an easy measure of accuracy: the higher the number, the more accurate the mouse is. A mouse is a mouse, right? Well, not really. The CPL (Cyberathlete Professional League) sells Razer’s Copperhead, a gaming mouse that sports a 2,000 dpi resolution. The higher resolution of the Copperhead means that your cursor will find its mark with less effort and with more precision than with Saitek’s Obsidian mouse. But there is also a cost difference: the Copperhead is a wired mouse that costs at or around $10 higher than the Obsidian.

Then again, the Obsidian isn’t a gaming mouse.

Since this is a gaming site, the mouse’s performance in games has to come into question. Maybe the lower resolution isn’t a big deal. I mean, how precise do you need to be for Word?

Regardless of which avenue of usage you intend with the mouse, it has problems. For starters, the lower resolution does make a difference. We do very little image editing here - as you may have noticed from all of our fine logos and clipart – but the mouse still had problems with trying to do very basic image editing, inferior to a $15 generic wired MS mouse that I often use. It did work well in Excel and Word though … most of the time.

One of the big selling points of the Obsidian is its style. In a futuristic shiny black shell, the mouse is extremely slick in design, and that look is achieved through the lack of a mouse wheel. Instead of a wheel, there is an indention in the front of the mouse that is a touch-sensitive scroller, which, in theory, is cool. When you want to scroll down a little, just tap the indention; if you want to go down a bit more, just hold your finger down on the scroller. Gamers will recognize how much of a bad call this is right away: selecting weapons, moving maps, etc. is pretty much out of the question. The problem is that doing something as simple as checking out websites or a large document is also a pain because the scroller just doesn’t work well. The best results come from scrolling down, which can still be problematic, but going up? Don’t bother. This alone limits the functionality quite a bit.

The mouse also sports two rechargeable Li-ion batteries, each holding a charge that lasts around 10 hours, with a cradle. One problem with the mouse is that it is completely wireless, so that if your batteries are dead or whathaveyou, there is no way of doing an emergency USB hookup. That’s not too big a problem; you are looking to buy a wireless mouse, after all. But for a gamer, the battery life is pretty short - a few sessions of World of Warcraft would eat those up in no time. So while the mouse is technically wireless, gamers will have more of a hybrid mouse, with the cradle, recharging the battery at the end and holding the removable USB receiver in the middle, sitting a few feet away plugged in while the mouse itself is wireless.

By this point, you are now fully aware that Saitek’s Obsidian is not the proper choice for your gaming mouse. It’ll certainly function as one, but you will have an inferior experience with your games while using it. Not all is lost, though; the Obsidian does make a decent general use mouse. The five buttons, two batteries, 1000 dpi resolution, and cradle do make it a viable alternative for a space-confined worker who is finding that their current set-up is too stifling. It is also extremely easy to set up and use, exemplifying the term ‘plug and play.’ The removable USB receiver did come in handy when I switched from desktop to laptop, though the cradle is a bit alien in appearance. Regardless of what it does right, none of that can take away from the fact that the touch-sensitive scroller just isn’t a good solution. For those needing a form-fitting general use map, the situation can easily be adapted to, but it shouldn’t have to be. The idea is great … the execution, not so much.

Me? I’m going back to my wired option. I game too much.