| OCZ Technology Dominatrix Laser Gaming Mouse
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Software(continued):
The final screenshot below demonstrates the programming of a simple macro. The large white space on the left side of the software is called the "Command Editor." Click the "record" button in the bottom left hand corner of the program and start clicking your mouse or keyboard keys to create a custom macro. Once the macro is recorded you simply save the macro to one of the two side buttons (known as either "Button 5" or "Button 6"). Now save this macro to the mouse using the "right arrow" button located in the upper-right corner of the program.
Overall I found the Dominatrix software was difficult to use. It took me around ten minutes of trying things out before I got the hang of it. I think the OCZ Technology programmers could do a lot better. An automated tutorial for configuring the mouse the first time would help eliminate most of the setup confusion. If I was to rate only the Dominatrix software I would give it a score of 6/10.
Testing and Usage:
The OCZ Technology Dominatrix mouse was tested without a mouse pad on a wooden desk. Before jumping into games I tried the mouse for several days in a standard Windows environment. The mouse functioned properly throughout this test and never exhibited tracking issues or loss of function. I found the mouse to be rather comfortable for periods of several hours, however my hand would tire after using the mouse all day long. It's a matter of personal preference, but I would like the Dominatrix to be a little thinner.
When I decided it was time to test the Dominatrix in its intended environment, my game of choice was Activision's most recent hit, Call of Duty 4 (COD4). The game is a WWII first person shooter, which means accuracy and control are absolutely critical. I ended up finding the 2000 DPI setting on both the X and Y axes best suited for my gaming style. I was able to make quick turns if necessary, but I also had the ability to steady the mouse during sniping maneuvers. Occasionally I would try switching to a lower DPI setting to further steady my shots while I was sniping, but I found it annoying to continuously switch while in game. In fact, a few times it even got me killed!
After gaming for a while I decided to try mapping "button 5" and "button 6" to replace the standard keyboard binds. As I stated earlier, to do this you must go into the "dpi setting" window of the Dominatrix software and remove the checkmarks for the respective mode you will be using when you game. Now I could set "button 5" to "duck" and "button 6" to "zoom." Cool!
As I continued to evaluate the mouse I also realized games would not recognize the 4-way scroll wheel. I was hoping I could bind pushing the scroll wheel to the left to the "Q" key (making my character lean left) and similarly pushing the scroll wheel to the right to the "E" key (to lean right), a common task in first person shooters. It would be great if OCZ Technology could add this functionality with a later software release.
To finish up with my testing, I wrote a macro to quickly press and release the left-mouse button (the primary fire button) forty times to "button 5" of the mouse. Then I launched Call of Duty and proceeded to join a random server. As soon as I got into the game I pushed "button 5" and my character started shooting its pistol so quickly you would have thought it was an automatic weapon. This ended up working with sniper rifles too, however the way the game is programmed accuracy diminishes after the first shot is fired. Also be careful what servers you use macros in. I was kicked for "cheating" when other players started noticing my "competitive advantage."
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