StarMouse GS-502 - the MSI gaming weapon

Software, testing

The software basically is a macro editor. It has plenty buit-in functions, performs its task well enough, not much to say about it. The interesting thing about it is that if you use the mode button you can set 3 different modes for the side buttons.

It is time to test the mouse itself. We tested it with a Steelpad pad to be sure the surface is suitable and gives best performance. We tested the mouse on other common surfaces, which can be used with a laser mouse (including sheets of paper, transparent folio, varnished wood, etc.). It performed adequately, but reduction in precision was noticed, so we recommend you use an optical mouse pad.

Two obvious facts: first of all, the mouse is not symmetrical, it is not particularly comfortable for left-handed people, we tested it. Second – the mouse is big, which means it is not suitable for people, who like to hold the mouse with their fingertips only. It can be used that way, but if your preferences are such, better look away.

For everyone else, the mouse proved to be extremely comfortable, big, the whole palm lays good on it. The rubber sides turned out to be a shot right in the mark, providing very good friction with the fingers. After hours of playing we felt no fatigue in the hand. The grooves on the side provide very good grip, the thumb, ring and baby fingers rest comfortably, at the same time providing great levels of control. On the whole, for people who love mice with palm design and hold them with their right hand, StarMouse GS-502 proved to be a very good solution. It is both true for people with small and with big hands, clearly MSI put a lot of thought and efforts in the ergonomic and universality of the design:

As far as the extra buttons: the side buttons are comfortable and easy to reach with a thumb, exactly their purpose. The upper mode buttons are designed so that they don’t project much and don’t get in the way, they are hard to be pressed unintentionally. The grooves in the finger buttons are also very comfortable and fit well. The scroller is soft and with medium resistance – neither too light, neither too heavy. Concerning buttons, the star mouse provides enough comfortable ones. The only problem is for people, who like to have many extra buttons on their hand. On this point, with its 7 buttons, from which practically you can use 5, the mouse is a little behind. But to some point this is remedied by the 3 modes of the side buttons.

Some words for the friction with the horizontal plane. The big mouse supports mean bigger friction with the surface. But in reality, the mouse moved extremely lightly on the pad. On the other hand, their big surface provides very good and stable support which is not to be neglected lightly, especially in the heat of the game, accompanied with sudden movements and numerous clocks. In this situation, the mouse stays well fixed to the surface and respectively don’t lose its precission.

The different resolutions are also extremely useful, and the ease of changing them and the good light indication very much facilitate their use. For this point, with its maximum resolution of 2400 dpi, StarMouse GS-502 stands beside the more expensive modesl of the competition in this class, which utilize 1600-2000-2500 resolutions. The mouse’s sensor is in fact 1600 dpi, the last setting is software based. And truly, at it little of the precision was lost, but on the other hand it gained a lot of speed. In dynamic 3D action titles, this setting proved to be very suitable, because there fast reaction is crucial, and the precision loss is very hard to spot. For most other applications (RTS, graphic software, desktop) the 1600 resolution proved to be the best setting. The precision there is very high, the speed is suitable for work in big screen resolutions. For the rest settings we couldn’t find any application, they would ocme in handy when using monitors with low resolutions, but on the whole we prefer “fast” mice. For the rest of you – take advantage of them.

The cable issues proved to be true. The cable is sturdy, but also hard. It is not very easy to feel, but compared to wireless mouse it is noticeable. It is restraining and aple space must be provided for it to move freely, or else I t gets in the way.

As for the visual design: the flames look good and in reality look much better than on the pictures. For the time of the tests, as far as we saw, the paint is sturdy and won’t come off easily. The problem with them was, that however thin the color layer was, we could feel it with our fingertips. It is not as much noticeable, as to make the mouse uncomfortable, but you can feel their presence. The three backlist of the mouse are well made – not too bright, don’t irritate the eyes, are easy to see and provide good indication for the current settings, and the fluent blinking of the mode backlit and the color transition in the MSI logo create a very nice visual effect.

The only thing we could not test was to check how the mouse performs with sweaty hands – in the winter season even after continuous play we evidently didn’t heat up enough to check this performance, but the friction with the rubber finish is so good and comfortable, so we do not expect any slipping there.