Mice & Keyboards by stefan @ 2012-12-31
The high-end Level 10 M Gaming Mouse from Tt eSPORTS was designed in cooperation with BMW Group Subsidiary DesignworksUSA and comes with an aluminum reinforced chassis, 11 programmable command keys and 128KB onboard for storing 5 different gaming profiles. The LED lighting system is present in 4 different areas and the mouse also comes with a laser-sensor engine maxing 8200DPI.
At first I would like to thank Thermaltake for offering a sample of their Tt eSPORTS Level 10 M Gaming Mouse for testing and reviewing.
““Challenge is the game” highlights the philosophy to bring out gamers’ addiction in gaming and the ambition of reaching to the extreme. Tt eSPORTS, a gaming obsessed division from Thermaltake, is uniting gamers from all over the world in a unique & fascinating eSPORTS culture, inherited the spirits of Thermaltake, is an energetic, powerful, bold and intelligent challenger who never says “no” to the extreme competition. we do not only provide gamers the ultimate gaming gears but also fulfills the passion to achieve the ultimate success.
Thermaltake has been a well-known brand in the gaming & DIY market for PC Chassis, Coolers and Power Supplies PSU for many years. The brand personality of unique, aggressive, vivid and stylish makes Thermaltake an expert in creating exciting things and fascinating environment for gamers and enthusiasts. Tt eSPORTS inherited the brand personality with unique and creative design by observing users’ behaviors and requirements. The fan cooling design on Tt eSPORTS Challerger keyboard demonstrate the brand spirit. It is the worldwide first keyboard with fan cooling function that could dry your hand sweats and blow tension away during cut-throat competition.”
Air-Through Ventilation
This ventilation solution strengthens the possibility of a better air and temperature exchange as a means of passive ventilation. Through the perforated surface, issues such as heavy use of the Level 10 M Mouse and the rise of temperatures of the hand are significantly reduced.
3D Steering
Level 10 M Mouse is designed with open structure in between top and base segments, and the space in between the mouse also serves to adjust the height and angle via steering axis, greatly enhance user comfort and convenience as well.
Intelligent Software
Level 10 M Mouse is a programmable gaming mouse capable of using the most comprehensive software application to customize settings based on gamer's needs. Specifically, the Z key can be programed to switch up to 5 gaming profiles. Other features such as the polling rate and the 7 lighting-effect colors are also customizable through software, making Level 10 M Mouse a truly amazing mouse for pro-gaming and creative needs.
Dynamic Color Range
Up to 7 colors to choose from, the Level 10 M Mouse allows gamers to build up personal gaming atmosphere. Notably, a breathing Battle Dragon can be found underneath the perforated surface!
Aluminum Base
Aluminum base is one of the toughest chemical materials with character of high resistance to corrosion, and commonly used in aerospace industry and architectural purpose. Level 10 M Mouse is designed with solid aluminum material to ensure both durability and tenaciousness are constantly experienced by the users over Level 10 M Mouse's quality and long-lasting durable experience.
Laser Sensor
Level 10 M Mouse is equipped with 8200 DPI, adjustable from 800, 1600, 3200 to 5000 (default setting), and customizable by software application up to 8200 DPI. With the LED indication on top of the mouse, gamer is constantly and visually informed with the current DPI status, and to make change wherever necessary.
The new gaming mouse from TT eSPORTS, the gaming brand of Thermaltake comes in no less than 4 different colors which are Diamond Black, Iron White, Military Green and Blazing Red. The version we are going to take a look on today is the Military Green, hence the color of the cardboard box with the same name. On the front side of the enclosure we can see a photo of the product, along with some icons which represent the products’ main features:
On one of the box sides we will find a small story of the Level 10 brand:
The opposite will also have a small story, now regarding the Level 10 M Mouse project:
On the back side of the box, the icons (product features) we were talking about earlier are described in a more explicit way and here we will also find a small product description (the mission of the Level 10 M Mouse):
The enclosure is sealed on both sides for additional security:
By removing the top layer, we will reveal the internal box, with a cover split in half and closed by a TT eSPORTS sticker:
The mouse is placed right in the middle, carefully secured with black cable ties:
The same pictograms are also present here:
Right after we have removed the mouse from the original box, we have seen that it is quite large, comes with a futuristic, military design and would definitely not recommend it to people with small hands. We can see one of the 3D Steering elements Thermaltake talks about, that can be adjusted with a special key. From the top we can adjust the mouse height. Also, on the top there is also a machined grill for ventilation purposes:
On the back side of the mouse we have some markings that will help us determine the mouse back angle:
With the LED lights embedded into the right click button, we can see the current DPI step we are in:
Not even the left button is left with a simple design, but has multi-colored rectangle-shaped LED lighting embedded:
The plastic scroll wheel is covered by rubber and we found during use that it is very silent and smooth:
Let’s look a little at the right side of the mouse, where we can see a part of the bottom aluminum chassis, two programmable buttons and the adjuster for the back side angle:
The left side comes with a similar shape, but we also have here an extra button which acts as a small joystick to which we can register 5 possible shortcuts:
On the bottom side of the mouse we will spot the central sticker with the sensor hole covered, but also Teflon feet on all sides:
After the sticker which covers the laser lens has been removed, some residue could still remain in the area:
Here is also a view on the front side of the mouse:
As we could see with most high-performance mice, the cable is braided for additional durability:
The USB connector is fully personalized with the brand logo, but also includes a cap for several reasons:
After we have covered the mouse looks, let’s look at its accessories which are a special adjustment key, the carry bag and additional documentation:
The adjustment key is held inside a foam material mold and it’s the key element for adjusting the height and the angle of the mouse, as we have explained before:
The supplied carry bag is quite handy when going to LAN parties and comes in a black color:
The inside is split into two sections, one which will hold the mouse and the other where we can place its USB cable:
The sealed plastic bag also contains a Warranty Policy leaflet, one CD with drivers and the manual in electronic format, but also three Level 10 M Mouse presentations, in 3 of the four available colors:
The mouse presentations are, in fact, postcards that we can send to our favorite hardware geek friends ?:
With the directional joystick on the left side of the mouse we can switch between profiles and with them, the outside lighting will be changed too. Optionally, for each profile we can choose between different colors for the left button LED, scroll wheel and the TT eSPORTS logo underside the grill. Here are some examples:
After plugging in the mouse, the standard drivers will be installed, but in order to gain full functionality, we will have to install the drivers (the ones on the CD or the latest versions from the website); besides the actual application, we also have available a firmware flasher update tool:
If the mouse is not updated to the latest firmware, the application will let us know:
After the firmware has been fully flashed, the utility will check it again and prompt the following message:
The GUI of the Level 10 M Gaming Mouse application sports a military look and is fairly easy to use; on the top left we’ve got the profile selector, a switch to change between Normal and Battle mode, and the other settings along with the key assignments can be chosen from the right side. For each button we can assign Macros, a single function, leave the default function or launch a specific program. “Air Through” and “3D Axis Movement” will launch some videos in our default player which will show some of the mouse advanced features:
Here are the “Single Key” functions that we can assign to the buttons:
The Macros must be first created in order to be selected for applying on a certain button:
In the Light Option menu, we can choose one of the pre-defined colors for the three LED zones; we would have preferred to have a wider selection choice in this menu:
The Performance section allows us to choose for each DPI level a value, the double click speed, cursor speed, scroll speed, the lift off adjust distance and also the polling rate:
Finally, we have an additional menu for working with the profiles:
The latest, high-end mouse from Thermaltake has a very interesting design, is built from high quality materials and can be ordered in different color flavors, as we have seen with the latest R.A.T. versions from Mad Catz. Even if the mouse does not come with replaceable body parts, the height and angle of the back side can be changed by using the “3D Steering” feature. Also, one of the programmable buttons on the side acts as a joystick and we can map a total of 5 functions to it (Thermaltake likes to call this button the Z key). Through the supplied software, we can adjust the button functions, save the settings to one of the 5 profiles and modify the colors of the LEDs to one of the pre-defined colors. It is quite curious why Thermaltake does not leave the users to choose from a more wide color palette for the LEDs but maybe this small issue will be fixed in the future software versions.
As we have seen with the M90 mouse from Corsair, the Level 10 M Mouse comes with a solid aluminum base for ensuring extra durability and also adds quite a bit of weight.
Lastly, the mouse comes with a high performance 8200DPI sensor, and the values can be set on our liking on different steps so we will be able to jump to a specific value on-the-fly while gaming.
The mouse chassis is quite big and people with smaller hands could have small difficulties working with it for extended periods of time.
For the quality of the build, unique design and possibility of customization, we will recommend this mouse which can be found online for about 90 Euros, with all taxes included.
I would like to thank again to Thermaltake for making this review possible!