The Basics (Continued):

On the underside of the Arctic M571 there are four pads, as well as a keyhole shaped laser tracking hole. Also, there is a compartment cover that can be opened by using your fingers, a coin or something similar. Once opened, we find four weights that are held in place by slots in a foam insert. They can be removed as needed for more comfortable game play. If you like a lighter mouse, all the weights can be removed. If you need something with a bit more substance, you could leave all the weights in place.



In Use:

While in use the Arctic M571 DPI light changes color depending on what setting is selected. If it is kept on the default setting (800 DPI) the light isn't active. At 1600 DPI the light turns green as seen in the below left image, and it turns red when set to 2400 DPI, as seen in the below right image.



To test the Arctic M571, I hooked it up to my PC and found no issues what so ever with the install. When on the web, the backward and forward buttons did what they were designed for. When clicking the rapid fire button it selects the whole paragraph where the mouse pointer is located. I did remove all the weights from the mouse and used it for a while. It didn't affect the accuracy at all, but without the weights it felt like there really wasn't much to the mouse and I preferred having all the weights installed.



Crysis Wars was the game I used to test the M571 further. The mouse performed very well, and it seemed the gliding of the mouse was much smoother and that my game play became more accurate. While playing, I noticed the rapid fire/continuous shooting button made my single shot pistol a new automatic weapon! When pressed it fired continuously until the ammo was depleted.

Luckily the DPI settings button is readily accessible, for on the fly changes while in games. I found it difficult to steer vehicles, among other things, with the mouse set to the highest DPI setting due to the sensitivity of the tracking laser. I was all over the place especially if I ran out of room and had to pick the mouse up to reposition it. It would continue tracking, causing my view on the screen to also move. I also noticed, even when I wasn't in a vehicle, that if I didn't lift the mouse the appropriate distance off my playing surface I found myself spinning and looking like the noob of the group. For situations where you needed less accuracy, you can easily lower the DPI setting and maintain control and your cool.

Another nice feature on the M571, like the Arctic M551, is that the cable is around six feet long. That length helps when connecting to your gaming rig that's underneath your desk and not right under your monitor.

Lastly, the Arctic M571 mouse is made for a right handed person. Unlike the M551 mouse, this one does not fit comfortably in your left hand. The shape really doesn't allow that.