The Saiph 3200 is one of the two mice first produced by new Swedish gaming company Mionix in 2008. It is the weightier of the two, and carries a slightly higher pricetag. The 3200 in the name refers to the DPI of its laser sensor, compared to the 1800 of its sister. It is primarily known in the UK for being a free gift with a subscription of PC Gamer.
Loved
Good Specifications: With a 3200 dpi laser sensor, the Saiph is right up there with the best. All of the other specifications are as on all premium gaming mice nowadays, and does not disappoint in precision performance. Use during regular gaming sessions was comparable to many similar premium gaming mice.
Impressive & Functional Lighting: The Saiph, unlike many gaming mice, is not bound to a single colour for its scroll light — instead, it changes as the user adjusts the sensitivity. With three lights inside (red, blue, green) combining to produce seven colours, it is very easy to see what sensitivity you are on a glance. However, the lights aren’t in a specific order and some are quite similar — 800 dpi is a green colour, while 3200 dpi is a barely lighter shade. A system wherein colors were ordered as in the rainbow or from dark to light would produce a more intuitive experience.
Comfortable Design: The Saiph is a comfortable, right handed mouse. Left and right mouse buttons are seamless and long, while the gripped alcove for the two side buttons provide an easy resting place for the thumb. Initially quite weighty, the mouse comes with a nine individually removable 3g weights that make it just slightly more weighted than its 1800 dpi sister. It is a simple but elegant shape.
Hated
Button Number & Form – Two additional buttons is the bare minimum for premium gaming mice nowadays, and the Saiph only barely makes the grade. With two button functionality wedded to a single bit of plastic (push forward for button 4, backword for button 5) the 3200 makes it difficult to quickly switch from pressing one to the pressing the other. A two-finger solution, such as that found in the venerable Microsoft Intellimouse, provides much quicker operation. For casual web browsing, it’s just fine, but for quick reflexive mouse use, it’s just too slow.
No Driver CD – While the drivers are not needed for basic functionality, it is still irksome that the package does not include a CD. There is certainly room for one in the substantive packaging, but for some reason it has been omitted. Downloading drivers off the Mionix site is easy enough, but prevents a quick “plug-in, pop-in, play” first use.
This is a solid first mouse from Mionix. While it is hardly revolutionary, it provides very good performance, similar to other premium gaming mice, with a few nice extras, namely the lights and adjustable weights. As a specific purchase, it’s a good deal, and for a freebie with a magazine subscription, it’s absolutely excellent.
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