Summary: Ozone is a somewhat new manufacturer of PC hardware peripherals. Today I will be reviewing their “Smog” gaming mouse which has exceptional technical specifications and is sold at an interesting price level.

INTRODUCTION

A couple of months ago I reviewed one of Ozone’s mouse pads, the Ground Level S and I was very impressed. I am very intrigued to be able to do a review of the Smog gaming mouse because the specifications are just over the top for this mouse. Still, specifications are one thing and real life performance another, read on and find out how it performs.

I guess most users never really think about things like the “performance” of the mouse they are using, they simple accept it as it is. I am not one of those users however; I want my gear to be top notch. I think once you have gotten the chance to work with a high quality laser mouse, it’s really hard to go back to using anything else. Ozone have acknowledged this demand from high end users and created a very advanced mouse, mainly directed towards the gaming market. Enough rambling, here are the specifications:

Naturally, the above specifications will raise the attention of any real gamer, especially the extremely high sensor resolution of 5040 dpi. It at least caught my attention.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

One thing I noticed about Ozone when I reviewed one of their mousepads a couple of months back was their excellent presentation of their products. The Smog comes in a cardboard box which has an aggressive touch to it with the red and black colors. The front of the package holds a detailed image of the mouse as you can see from the images below.

The backside of the box holds an illustration of the mouse with written explanations of all the buttons and extra features. I was positively surprised to see the extra effort that Ozone has put into the packaging. Inside the box I found the mouse itself; the extra side cover; a small box with weights; a manual and a CD with drivers.

OZONE SMOG IN DETAIL

As you can probably grasp from the detailed images below, the Ozone Smog is quite big. The aesthetics of this mouse is really something extra; I just love the black and red colors which make me feel like I’m in a sports car.

The sides of the Smog are made of rubber to increase the grip. The left side of the mouse also has some lines integrated in the rubber which increase the grip even more. The point of swapping side grips (right side) is of course to make the mouse fit more users. I personally like the”spare part” cover best.

The Smog has no less than nine buttons of which seven are configurable via the software. It is possible to create “presets” with the software and the easily change between those preset modes with one of the buttons on the top (Mode)

Without a doubt the Smog is a very customizable mouse. In addition to the features I have showed you so far, the Smog has an advanced system for adjusting the weight. You reach the compartment which holds the weights by releasing the right side panel. The box can hold up to six weights of 5g each.

The USB cable is 3m which is good when using it with a desktop computer.

The underside of the mouse is interesting. It holds the high resolution sensor (naturally) and the ceramic pads on which the mouse glides.

INSTALLATION AND TESTS

The installation of the drivers and the software was easy; I just inserted the CD and more or less clicked on “Next” until the installation was completed. Once the software is installed there is a lot of configuring to do for those who like. The interface is simple but includes all setting you can think of.

In the first configuration tab we can create a total of 5 different profiles, each one holding all the unique settings of buttons and sensor sensitivity of your choice. This is ideal for anyone using the mouse for diverse tasks like gaming, ordinary use and desktop publishing. It is possible to set different vertical and horizontal resolutions, both can be set up to 5040 dpi.

It is also possible to setup macros which you can use in games. The macros are then executed by clicking to any of the assigned buttons. I found the macro function to be easy to understand setup and use in real life gaming situations.

I used the Smog with Far Cry 2 and Brothers in Arms, my two favorite FPS games. In those games you are dependent on the speed and exactness of the mouse you are using to succeed.

Normally when playing FPS games I am most comfortable with a resolution of 1800 dpi, which I used during the test together with the 3600 dpi setting. In both resolutions the handling of the mouse was nothing short of impeccable. I actually found the 3600 dpi setting the most comfortable in action scenes but when I tried the 5040 dpi everything became uncontrollable.

I also tested the mouse in a high resolution office scenario (1920×1200) and thanks to the high resolution (3600 dpi) this worked flawlessly.

Overall, the ergonomics of the Smog is great. All the buttons are located where I could reach them easily with my fingers without having to change the position of my hand.

The “Lift” feature controls the distance to the laser sensor, when you click it, the distance is measured and the sensor adapts to give you the best performance possible for the surface you are using. It should be clicked each time you change the surface. This worked pretty well even though it was hard to detect any bigger difference.

Take a look at the images above to get an idea of what the mouse looks like in action.

CONCLUSIONS

The Ozone Smog has many qualities. It is in fact the best mouse I have ever laid my hands upon and I have tried a few. The price level is very interesting at around 40€ (US price unknown). I think it’s a real bargain considering the quality, features and performance of this mouse.

Pros:

• High resolution, up to 5040 dpi
• Nice looks and design
• Good ergonomics and easy access to the buttons
• Powerful yet easy software
• Low price

Cons:

• Will not work with left-handed people

The final score is 100 out of 100 owls, and we give the “Ozone Smog” our Editor’s Choice Award.

Thanks goes out to Ozone for letting me review this mouse.

Author: Manuel González Fernández

Translator: Vince Emiloz Sanderson