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Shogun Bros. Ballista MK-1 gaming mouse adjusts DPI like an abacus (hands-on)

Shogun Bros. Ballista MK-1 gaming mouse adjusts DPI like an abacus (hands-on)

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You're looking at the Ballista MK-1, a 5700dpi wired laser mouse that can independently adjust sensitivity on both the X and Y axes, on the fly, in fine increments, as well as its 1000Hz polling rate.

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Shogun Bros Ballista gaming mouse
Shogun Bros Ballista gaming mouse

Last year, Shogun Bros introduced a crazy mouse with a gamepad on the bottom. What could be crazier? How about a partnership with Ubisoft for an Assassin's Creed version with leather buttons? When we got to Shogun Bros' booth at CES 2012, though, it wasn't the new Chameleon that impressed: you're looking at the Ballista MK-1, a 5700dpi wired laser mouse that can independently adjust sensitivity on both the X and Y axes, on the fly, as well as dial down the 1000Hz polling rate to save power.

You hold down the config button for five seconds to edit settings, then spin the mouse wheel to adjust the sensitivity in 100dpi increments, while a tiny abacus of red and green LEDs keeps track of your chosen resolution. You can save four different sensitivity modes (and five different profiles, for 20 presets in total) and rapidly swap between them with an up-down rocker under your thumb, while another set of blue LEDs keeps track of your current mode. Oh, and there are six buttons (including two dedicated macro keys) and a tilt-button scroll wheel.

The prototype we tried definitely feels a little cheaper than your average Razer or Logitech gaming mouse, but the sensor felt pretty good in a brief test, with rapid accurate tracking and no major skipping when jumping or rapidly swiping across the surface. Shogun Bros. says it'll arrive this quarter for around $60. We'll be keeping an eye on this one. The Assassin's Creed Chameleon, meanwhile, will probably be closer to $70 when it arrives in March.

Adi Robertson contributed to this report.

Shogun Bros. Ballista MK-1 gaming mouse hands-on pictures

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Shogun Bros. Assassin's Creed Chameleon X-1 hands-on pictures

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