This time we have the CM Storm Spawn gaming mouse. Some of you might know that the CM Storm Spawn is not new but since I picked this up at a bargain price... so why not do an unboxing and review right? The Storm Spawn originally retails for about RM129, at the time of review there should be some sweet deals here and there as the mouse is not actually a new product.
THE UNBOXING
The front of the overall black retail box with dashes of red and white, featuring the mouse itself and some highlights of the features such as the 3500 Dpi optical sensor and that it's designed for claw-grippers.
The specification and features of the Storm Spawn can be found at the back of the box. So far, everything looks promising.
Opening the flap in the front will reveal the Storm Spawn which is encased in a clear plastic shell for potential buyers to view the product (and probably feel it as well) before they make their decision whether to buy it or not. The opposite side just shows more of the features of the Storm Spawn.
Nothing much to say about the sides of the box so I proceeded to pry the Storm Spawn out of it's shell. Inside is a simple affair, just the mouse and a quick start guide. Users should download the latest drivers from the CM Storm website.
OUT OF THE BOX
The Storm Spawn is probably one of the most good looking mouse in the market to date; with it's brilliant red and black colour scheme it's easy to match any modern gaming systems. The logo and name is present but not excessive giving it a clean look. The cable is not sleeved but you do get that gold plating on the USB connector.
The Storm Spawn is shorter than most mice in the market but surprisingly it is quite comfortable to hold and use, kinda feels similar to the Ikari from Steel Series albeit the smaller size. The contour on the right fits the ring finger well enough to rest on the side of the mouse (sorry, it's not for the lefties). Ergonomics of the Storm Spawn works really well indeed for a claw grip mouse and the soft rubber pads on both sides makes handling and lifting the mouse easy.
All the buttons and scroll wheel are rubber coated and easily reachable. Quite the standard affair with Omron switches for the mouse buttons, a scroll wheel, DPI adjustment and side navigation buttons. Cooler Master highlighted that the scroll wheel is a Japanese-made ultra step wheel encoder that will ensure more accuracy, not too sure how true that is but it does feel solid and provides adequate feedback.
At the bottom is where you'll see the 3500 DPI sensor along with 2 large PTFE gliding feet that covered the front and back as opposed to the usual 4 piece on most gaming mice.
THE DRIVER SOFTWARE
I downloaded the driver off of Cooler Master Storm website since there is no driver cd included in the packaging. Installation is again a standard affair, just follow the wizard and the most you'll do is click next, next, next and finish.
The GUI design is synonymous with the CM Storm black & red theme and looks good in first glance. The first tab, Main Control, will allow button reassignments to any other mouse-clicks and/or keyboard strokes. You'll also find the adjustment sliders for double click speed, scroll speed, pointer acceleration and angle snapping, which is good since you don't have to go into the mouse setting in the OS menu separately to adjust these parameters. I also liked how they've allowed users to turn the acceleration and angle snapping on / off as well as a small box to test the double-clicking speed.
First thing I did was change the assignment of the side button as the forward button is essentially the back button when I was navigating the web. Not sure why Cooler Master had the mouse on default that way though.
The second tab will let users set macros for the Storm Spawn, particularly useful for those who would string combos from multiple key-press into one click.
Third tab is named the Custom tab where users get to adjust DPI settings, pointer speed and polling rate of the Storm Spawn. Here is where it would be most disappointing as there isn't a way to fully customise the DPI which is set to 800, 1800 and 3500 by default; rather pointless to have a separate tab to tell you what you can't do.
The final tab is the Support/Update tab. Pretty straightforward with two buttons that says Online Support and another saying Update.
USAGE
The short stature of the Storm Spawn is really a new experience for me as I'm used to full sized palm grip mouse. It's comfortable overall and glides quite well over my SS QCK, the Storm Spawn also doesn't seem to have any problems tracking on the table either but I'd recommend to use a proper mouse-pad anyway.
Alas no matter how comfy the Storm Spawn is, I couldn't use it for long due to fatigue of using a grip that I'm not too accustomed with. My wife, on the other hand, said that she liked the Storm Spawn for it's slightly elevated compared to the Ikari (the fact that she has smaller hands adds to the comfort level). The buttons are easily accessible and the mouse is responsive and accurate enough to get head-shots quite easily, I could sense no jittering while testing on normal usage and gaming alike.
CONCLUSION
The Storm Spawn is a great mice overall. The design is effective and bold colour scheme looks great. But I do not understand the implementation of a DPI adjustment tab on the software as you cannot adjust the stock DPI settings of 800, 1600 & 3500 anyway. Something Cooler Master should've really look into updating given that the Storm Spawn is not a new product in the market.
So if you're looking for a claw-grip styled mouse for your rig then the Storm Spawn might be the mouse for you; while it does have some limitations where you do not get other features such as lighting or LED display and profile switching like most modern gaming peripherals, the Storm Spawn is simply functional as a gaming mouse.
I would recommend this mouse under two conditions; One is that if you could get this mouse cheap, and the second one is if your a claw user.
Pros:
- Great design and colour
- Good Ergonomics
- Side grips works well
Cons:
- Lack of profile switching
- DPI adjustment is stagnant
