Naos 500: The best ergonomic design in the industry

Design:

The Mionix Naos 500 has easily one of the best ergonomic designs in the industry. The mouse is bulky and gives enough space for all of your five fingers to get a grip on the mouse, which could be so crucial in case of third person action games where precision and timing are important. The packaging is impressive and it consists of the mouse and an innovative weight tuning system. But I was really surprised by the lack of a proper instruction manual. However a short note book is shipped with the package but really that can’t be called as an instruction manual.  There is a lot you can do with the mouse which actually warranted a manual to be included. One of the best things that I really liked about the mouse is you can adjust the pointer speed just by clicking the up-down buttons provided on the face of the mouse. You can also customize the various parameters of the mouse by downloading the software from the mionix.net. There a tons of parameters that you can customize, which are divided in to a number of categories. Some of them are below:

1. Color settings: This includes changing the effects of the LED of the mouse.
2. Sensor performance: This includes setting of Pointer Speed, Lift Distance and setting the XY axis.
3. Macro Settings: This is basically where you can store different settings of the mouse in terms of Profiles. This makes life easier while selecting a particular setting for a first person shooter or a third person action adventure game.

As I had stated earlier, the mouse also comes along with a weight box. The box consists of 8 units of 5g each and can be adjusted according to each user’s needs. I personally did not use this since I found the mouse to be just fine without the weights. However, for some users this might be a good option.

Innovative weight system can be a great option to some users

Functionality:

The design of mouse is indeed very innovative and well thought of. But how does it feel when we actually play a game using this mouse? For this section we decided to test the mouse on two different games. Alpha Protocol:  a third person action RPG and Crysis, one of the best shooters out there. Read on to know more.

1. Alpha Protocol:  Even though Alpha Protocol was an OK game, we decided to give it a test run (again) using Naos 500. I had some issues with the current mouse that I use for gaming, but with Naos 500 my life as a secret agent just got a bit easier. Now I can easily turn around, shoot and take cover. It’s not a drastic change but I must admit using this mouse made the game a bit more fun.
2. Crysis: One of the most amazing first person shooter games this generation just got better while playing with Naos 500. As I had mentioned earlier that the live tuning of pointer speed is a great feature, and so it did helped me when I had to quickly take down the enemies in the game.  Live tuning the pointer speed means you can have proper control over what and where you want to shoot.

I also think that if the two side buttons for right-left clicks could have been avoided. It was a bit of nuisance for me while testing out the games. Plus it would have done a world of good if the mouse was wireless.

The software system is great, but can confuse users due to the lack of an instruction manual

Usability:

The mouse is USB enabled, so you basically have to just plug and play. Advanced players can download the software and customize the mouse according to their needs. As I mentioned before, NAOS 500 would have been a stunning mouse if it was wireless. But again, it’s still an amazing mouse to stay the least. We did not checked the mouse on consoles, But I think the experience should be as good as on the PC, since its USB enabled.

Overall I think Mionix Naos 500 is a great buy. At $89.99, there are not too many better options then this one. We would recommend any PC gamer and especially fans of first person shooter to buy this. You can buy one right here.

The Good:

• Stunning sound quality
• Volume adjustment is easy and less hectic as compared to other headsets
• You become a part of the game rather than just playing it

The Bad:

• Too much hardware included
• Headset and volume adjustment blocks are heavy

A few days ago we got a complementary sample of Sharkoon X-tatic Digital Headset from CompuExpert. And we are pleased to inform you guys that this is a stunning piece of hardware. The voice quality is amazing and the user becomes a part of the game rather than only playing it. So let’s get in to the review.

Design:

The package consists of the digital headset, microphone, power supply, SCU unit and wires for compatibility with the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. As with any other headsets out there, Sharkoon X-tatic is pretty comfortable and is fully adjustable to be employed by any gamer of varying head sizes. The outer covering is made of high quality foam material and during my experience with the hardware I did not felt even a hitch of an issue with the headset from a design perspective. Having said that, the headset is pretty heavy and this might actually put off some users. The package consists of tons of hardware which might look daunting at first. It took me about half an hour understanding the basics of the set up, so yes its bit of a hassle when you get plan to get things attached. The first thing that you are going to observe when you plug in the headset is the amazing lighting effects in the form of green and blue colors on the SCU and headset. Rest assured this headset is indeed decorative but from a design perspective a few things could have been avoided. For example, the headset comes along with a power supply. Now why would the user need that since the headset is eventually going to get connected with console/pc and take power supply from there? Also the volume control was a bit of a hassle since it was a bit on the heavier side. All in all the design is very good for the individual headset but certainly the developers could look at decreasing the amount of wires needed for setting up the hardware.

This things sounds like a beast!

Functionality:

Even though the design is lagging at many places, but the headset makes it up by its stunning sound quality. We tested out the head set on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with the games below:

1. Prince of Persia (PlayStation 3): The sound quality was amazing to say the least. There was a large difference playing the game on my HDTV’s speakers and playing the game with the headsets. Water dripping from the fountain or the Prince running on the wall could be heard crystal clear on the head set. In this game the settings on the voice control (front, center, rear etc) did not made much of a difference. But all in all the game became a treat, just by playing it with this headset.
2. Alan Wake (Xbox 360): Alan Wake is one of the best games that has released on the 360 this year. It’s spooky atmosphere and scary background score can make you pants wet. Sharkoon X-tatic Digital Headset takes this experience to another level. Some of the sounds like something is running through the dense forest which were not audible on my television could now be clearly heard on the headset. Alan wake just got scarier!
3. FIFA: World Cup 2010 (PlayStation 3): So we wanted things to go wild and crazy and a game like FIFA had to fit the bill. Now let me just say that the experience of playing this game with the headset is like sitting in a stadium and cheering for your team. Chattering among players, the small pushes and slides now become more realistic due to the pin point accuracy of the headset.

So as per sound testing (Functionality) goes this headset is full of win.

The two of the most heaviest parts of the package

Usability:

The headset is supported by almost every console out there. We tested it on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but it’s also compatible with PC, Wii, Xbox and PlayStation 2. The really good thing about this headset is that unlike other products you won’t need extra accessories to get it up and running on different consoles. PlayStation, PC and Xbox compatible USB wires are already included. With various sound control options available, the user can adjust what settings and combinations the game will sound at it’s best.

Overall I think it’s a great headset. It’s surely not the most amazing headset out there, but at $159 it certainly is a great deal. For gamers who are looking to enhance their gaming experience regardless of what consoles they own, Sharkoon X-tatic Digital Headset is a must buy.

You can buy one from here.