Mice & Keyboards by stefan @ 2012-06-13
The Epic Gear Meduza Gaming Mouse features HDST (hybrid dual-sensor technology), an ergonomic shape and 6 fully programmable buttons. The mouse can be set to operate in three different modes (optical, HOST, laser), each with its own DPI settings. It can also store 5 different profiles thanks to the 128KB onboard memory and the LED light effects can be completely turned off via the software interface.
At first I would like to thank GeIL and Freaks 4U for offering a sample of their EPIC GEAR Meduza HOST Gaming Mouse for testing and reviewing.
"GeIL – Golden Emperor Int'l Ltd. – one of the worlds' leading IT (memory module & CE) manufacturers that concentrates in designing the most innovative product for consumers in a wide range of market segments.
Our business model is based on a lifelong commitment to customer satisfaction. GeIL is determined to produce the most advanced product with absolutely the lowest rate of return for every GeIL customer to receive the quality, performance and dependability they deserve.
Established in 1993, GeIL has soon become one of the most professional memory module manufactures in the industry. Since then GeIL has been concentrating in memory module design and manufacturing. As of today, our manufacturing facilities employ over 200 people and produce a wide variety of modules with distribution in over 50 countries worldwide. GeIL’s Global Headquarter resides in the heart of computer technology – Taipei with branches spreading over in Hong Kong, China and U.S.A.
GeIL understand in order to succeed in the DRAM industry, IC testing and sorting is one of the keys. 100% designed and made by GeIL's strategic R&D for production technology, the EVO III Fully Automatic IC Tester was born in 2006 to maximize the quality and performance of each IC used for GeIL memory module. GeILs' effort in further enhancing the reliability of memory products was realized with the Die-hard Burn-in Technology (DBT) introduced in 2008. The dynamic and efficient testing nature of the DBT Chamber is allowing such burn-in technology to be used on every GeIL memory module to ensure the highest possible reliability for user of all levels. This is just the beginning."
The Perfect Gaming-Ergonomic Design - Co-developed by pro gamers, every line, every curve and every concave on the Meduza was thoroughly studied and analyzed for the one purpose of extreme support and comfort for even the most hardcore gamers after long hours of play time. The gaming focused ergonomic design makes Meduza an extension of your hand forming an epic weapon against your opponents.
Extended Thumb Rest for extended support even after long play time
Ring finger support and enhanced pinkie grip for ultimate grip and comfort
Index finger rest with extra concavity for precise control and comfort
World's 1st HDST™ Hybrid Dual Sensor Technology Gaming Mouse
Meduza is equipped with not one, but two sensors, one being laser and the other being optical. EpicGear has managed to combine the advantages of the two types of sensor onto one platform, thus providing user with lightening fast laser speed (up to 6000dpi) and extremely stable optical precision (jitter-free). Meduza is ideal for all types of game and any sensor preference. Simply choose the desired type of sensing mode on the back of Meduza for Laser, Optical or HDST™.
Dare your opponents to aggravate MeduZa and she stares right back with HDST™, petrifying anyone who stands in your way!
Why fitting two types of sensor onto one mouse?
The HDST™ Difference.
The conventional gaming mouse is fitted with either a laser senor or an optical sensor and the two different sensor types are preferred by different groups of gamer who play different types of game such as first-person-shooting a.k.a. FPS or real-time-strategy a.k.a. RTS.
Such specific preference on sensor type when it comes to different types of game are for good reasons. These are the pros and cons of the two different sensor types.
Golden Emperor International Limited have sent us another interesting product, this time from their new series of gaming accessories and to be more specific, the Meduza mouse. This product comes packed inside a red/black themed cardboard enclosure, with a cutout in front, representing the medusa’s mouth through which we can see the mouse clearly:
On the back side of the box, we will see a small description and the mouse specifications; another cutout is present here too, which shows the back side of the mouse:
Logos of the supported OSes are to be found on a lateral, along with extra information about the manufacturer:
For extra security, the manufacturer has sealed the box on both ends:
After the removal of the outside packaging, we will discover that the mouse is further protected inside a transparent plastic mold:
The installation disk is not located inside the usual envelope, but is kept fixed in a reserved area on the back:
The initial button functions and the quick installation steps are mentioned on the back leaflet:
The mouse comes with an ergonomic shape and a combination of shiny plastic and rubberized surfaces:
The Epic Gear logo stands in the back and lights up when the mouse is connected:
A smaller Meduza product logo is found a little to the right, and is also LED lit, with the same color as the EG logo:
The left side features an “Extended Thumb Rest” for extended support during long gaming sessions; also here we will find 3 extra buttons and a LED bar, representing the current selected DPI level:
The right side does not have additional programmable buttons and has support for the ring finger and an enhanced pinkie grip:
The frontal scroll wheel is LED lighted on the sides and the left button features extra concavity for more comfort:
One extra programmable button is located near the scroll wheel:
The real magic begins when we flip the mouse on the side and discover that it features not one, but two sensors, something we haven’t seen at other products tested in the past. By using the switch on the back, we can cycle through the three available modes (Laser, Optical, HDST). The minimal lift-off distance is 1mm for extreme precision and the tracking speed is up to 200ips when in HDST mode. Thanks to the powerful ARM32-bit Cortex M3 CPU, an advanced algorithm logic is implemented for restraining common problems like jitter, skips or drifts:
The bottom side of the mouse is also equipped with “Ultra Swift Big-Size Teflon Feet”:
The cable is X-braided for extra durability:
The USB connector is gold plated for avoiding any contact issues:
When connected, the mouse lights up right away, in all zones we specified a little while ago:
When switching between profiles, the mouse scroll wheel will change its color accordingly:
GeIL has sent along with the Meduza another product from the gaming series, the Hybrid Pad, available in 3 different sizes and rated very well when using with HDST technologies. It comes packed inside a rather small cardboard enclosure, with a small opening through which we can feel the texture without the need to open up the entire package:
A product description and specifications can be found on the back side of the box:
The pad is all black and we can find only in the corners some product logos:
The top right corner houses the Epic Gear logo and the opposite one holds the product name:
The mouse pad is made from a composite fabric for providing an optimal mouse control feedback in all directions and the unique textured weave optimizes the surface for speed, but also for precision:
On the back side we have a rubberized texture which keeps the pad fixed on the surface we will sit it on:
For installing the software interface, we have two options: one of them would be to use the supplied disk and the other one to search on the manufacturers’ website for the last available version. We have chosen the second variant and downloaded the MeduZa GUI V1.01:
The installer is similar to the ones we have also seen with other mice:
Surprisingly, when starting up the GUI, the interface is not windowed, but full screen and this is not always optimal; the mouse controls will appear only after a splash animation finishes playing; an animation Skip button is also available:
The GUI looks like the options menu in some games, with the mouse animated in center and several features that we can customize on the side; the configuration tabs are on the top side and the saved settings can be allocated to different profiles (5 in total). Inside the Main Control menu, we are able to select different functions for the programmable buttons, but also to adjust the DPI levels:
Each button can have one of the pre-defined functions or we can also build a Macro:
Depending on the mode we are in (Optical, HOST, Laser), we will be able to select different values for the DPI levels:
Inside the Performance tab, we can choose the USB Report Rate, the speeds for the Scroll Wheel, Double Click and modify the Pointer Acceleration; a LED power save mode is available and we can also modify the Lift Off Distance (Laser & HOST only modes), along with Angle Snapping (Laser only):
It is clear what we can do inside the Macro menu: assign macros. Several macros can be defined on the left list and on the right we have the record button. The pressed buttons, along with the recorded delays will appear here:
Inside the Support screen, we can see the current available software/firmware version; by clicking on the “Go to Link” button, we are redirected to the respective download link pages for the updated versions. From here we can also navigate to the Epic Gear home page. You may want to ask why we did not say anything about light effects customization; well, the only thing that we can do is to disable completely the LED system, by pressing on the switch located on the right side named “Black Out”:
The Meduza features a design for right-handers and offers extra comfort by using an extended thumb rest, a ring finger support and an index finger rest. Thanks to the HDST (laser + optical) technology, we can be sure that we won’t have any problems with jittering, skips or drift or any type of surface.
Epic Gear recommends the mouse to be used in the HOST mode with their Hybrid Pad, which is made from composite fabric and an unique textured weave, but when trying it on another high-end pad, ModMyMachine SlamePad, the mouse was still in top shape.
Meduza also has software through which we can customize in detail its functionality; most of the settings seen here are also available on GUIs from other manufacturers; we would have preferred though to see a windowed GUI instead of Full Screen, but hopefully this feature will be added in the next driver revision. From the total of 7 buttons, 6 are fully programmable and by accessing the profile switcher, we will be able to navigate through the 5 gaming profiles. Because of the small number of programmable buttons for a single profile, we may be tempted to recommend other mice for MMORPG games, like the Razer Naga series.
With a start like this, GeIL have demonstrated that they can manufacture good quality products even in the gaming peripheral department and we are waiting with interest to see what other peripherals will be launched in the near future.
The Meduza can be found in online stores for about 68 Euros and the specially designed Hybrid Pad for about 16 Euros.
I would like to thank again to GeIL and Freaks 4U for making this review possible!