The Best Gaming Mouse in the World Review - Prestigio PMSG1, Aliencraft G11 Review

When I was younger I wanted to be a professional gamer. I took this very seriously and was never discouraged despite the best efforts of my parents, friends and others to dissuade me and pursue more reasonable career choices. Unreal Tournament was my game of choice, I always preferred it to Quake III and still do. Unfortunately my pro-gamer ambitions were not realised, largely because of the shift to quasi-realistic, team based shooters and there was also the small matter of my skill level.

One thing I spent a lot of time tweaking when I was an aspiring pro, was my mouse. I would change the config and calculate the optimal polling rate based on the frequency of the USB port, I would play around with the in-game mouse settings such as mouse acceleration and mouse smoothing and try various other settings to get the perfect feel. It never really helped. I couldn't beat the pros and probably suffered from analysis-paralysis.

Armageddon Aliencraft G11 mouse in grey

Moving along, a few years back my mouse (the very reasonably priced and solid performing Genius Ergo 525) broke. I decided not to spend too much money and just get something functional but still suited to occasional gaming. The Prestigio PMSG1 caught my eye – mainly because it was bright red but also because of its price and features. I had never heard of Prestigio and only found about three reviews of this mouse online. I was a little apprehensive about buying this mouse because it seemed to have everything a mouse costing twice as much had but for a bargain price of about $30.

Ozone Smog mouse

 

In trying to save money and not obsess about technical details, I found the best mouse in the world. The stand out feature was the interchangeable grips on the right hand side, one of which was shaped to comfortably allow your pinky and ring finger to rest. Aside from this though, I was astounded by how well designed the mouse was. It is supremely comfortable and a delight to use. The left and right click buttons are slightly concave which allows the index and middle fingers to rest securely and comfortably. The curve of the body is gentle but defined to allow a relaxed palm grip. The left side has a supportive and grippy, rubber covered recess. The same material also applied on the 4-way scroll wheel. The friction pads are ceramic and glide effortlessly.

Revoltech RE122 Fightmouse Elite

The software included allows for the programming of macros to the various buttons. The on-the-fly sensitivity increments are also customisable and the X and Y axis sensitivities can be independently changed – a nice feature. The software allows different profiles to be configured and adjusted on-the-fly. So you could setup one profile for Quake and another for UT (each profile will have its own macros and LED colour) and switch between them as needed.

When I did buy the mouse, I wrote a review a few months later (which was never published) and said that it was a superb mouse and that it was inconceivable that it costed so little. At that time I toyed with buying another mouse to use as a backup in case mine broke. I should of done this because about three years later, my beloved mouse broke.

This is the Aliencraft software, not the Prestigio one. The mouse is the red version.

So I thought that I'd just go online and buy another Prestigio PMSG1. As if it could be that easy. The mouse had since been discontinued and was not in stock anywhere. I was devastated. I couldn't believe how this humble, $30 peripheral changed my computing experience. I looked at loads of alternatives, specifically other mice with pinky rests but I could not find what I wanted.

Eventually I struck gold. I stumbled upon and online forum where someone had the EXACT same problem as I had. He had a Prestigio PMSG1, it broke, he loved it and wanted another one. One of the users responded and said that the Prestigio had the exact same shape as the Cyber Snipa Silencer and many other mouse brands. Now we're getting somewhere! The more I researched, the more mice I discovered which had the exact same shape. I don't quite know what the story is but a reasonable guess is that the design is probably a Chinese OEM one which has been licensed by other manufacturers. Another thing I noticed was that each (rebranded) design seemed to originate and sell in specific regions.

Despite seemingly having many options to choose from, not all these mice were available for sale. Some no longer had active websites (that I could find), others wouldn't deliver to me and others would but at an exorbitant cost. I was still considering shelling out the equivalent of $140 to buy one (a Cyber Snipa from Amazon) when I found the Armageddon Aliencraft G11 at a pricey but much more reasonable $80.

The Cyber Snipa Silencer mouse

Armageddon are really going all out to try and market this as a serious rival to a high end Logitech or Razer product, something I think previous rebrands should of done. The packaging is really impressive, they've got a neat website and they are trying to get pro-gamers to use their products. All of this is great but it has driven the price up - a lot. At $80 it's close to three times as much as my Prestigio, which I thought was too cheap. I suspect that many gamers ignored this mouse because they thought it was cheap and nasty. The same can be said for many professional reviewers. So I do think that by pricing the mouse so high, they hope to be seen as a serious alternative.

Same mouse, different brand and packaging

The fact that I know this mouse should cost a lot less does leave a slightly unpleasant taste in my mouth. It's virtually identical to the Prestigio aside from having a different look and unique software. The included software has a neater interface but is functionally the same. Maybe a little worse; the Prestigio had the option to change the LED colour to white in addition to red, blue, cyan, purple and green as well as the option to switch the lights off altogether. 

The LEDs can change colour. Ceramic friction pads.

  

The mouse isn't perfect. On my Prestigio; the wheel became stiff and the left thumb grip became loose. The back and forward buttons are not easy to reach and the DPI adjustment switch placement requires the thumb to be curled inwards in order for it to be used. The back of the mouse is slightly angular which can be uncomfortable when it pushes into the palm during quick, flick adjustments. Time will tell if the newer Aliencraft does have better build quality.

Ace Edge 3200 mouse

Quite often reviewers assume that everyone reading their reviews have exactly the same size hands as them. Other times they obsess about technical details, ignoring the fact that the shape of the mouse is the most important thing for effective usage. You can't expect someone who spent his life playing a Gibson Les Paul guitar to be happy with a Gibson Flying V. For me, the Aliencraft G11, Prestigio PMSG1 or whatever name it goes by, is the perfectly shaped mouse. It allows me to focus on the game while ignoring the physical input. This feeling of liberation cannot be overstated. I no longer feel compelled to tweak my mouse to improve my gaming. I can concentrate solely on doing things better within the game, and that's how it should be.

If you are looking for a new gaming mouse, give the Aliencraft G11 (or any of the other mice pictured in this review) a “hands-on” test. It might delight you as much as it has delighted me. Now to stock up on these.

Pros:

Glorious, comfortable shape

Ceramic feet = smooth gliding

Responsive buttons

Cons:

Pricey (depending on the variant)

Hard to reach back/forward buttons and DPI switch

Can't switch off LEDs (this was possible with the Prestigio PMSG1)

Technical:

5040 dpi laser sensor

6 x 4.1g weight adjustment

10 programmable buttons

64kb on-board memory

Ceramic friction pads

4-way mouse wheel scrolling

On the fly sensitivity and profile change

Braided USB cable, gold plated connector

Extra:

While the mouse received fairly lukewarm reviews from mainstream sites, it has garnered many adoring reviews from users. Many have said similar things to me and also love the mouse to the extent that they'd buy extras just in case. Take a look at these Amazon UK Reviews. 

I mentioned that the mouse and its variants were sold almost regionally. This could have something to do with the licensing as well. Here is what I've found out.

The Cyber Snipa Silencer. An Australian company but this models was widely available worldwide and popular in the US and UK.

The Revoltec RE122 Fightmouse Elite. Very popular in Germany judging by the glowing Amazon reviews. This guy also mentions the other rebrands of the mouse.

The Ozone Smog. Apparently a Spanish company. A strange choice of name!

The Ace of Sweden Edge 3200. Like the name suggests, this mouse was sold in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries. For some reason I could not find their official website despite visiting it in the past.

The Prestigio PMSG1. The company that made this mouse started in Eastern Europe and serves markets there and abroad.

The Aliencraft G11, produced by Armageddon. They seem to distribute in many Asian countries and emerging markets. The brand is part of Leapfroglobal which is based in Singapore.