SteelSeries Kinzu was developed in close cooperation with professional gamers to set new standards for performance in optical mice. SteelSeries Kinzu is compact, lightweight, optical and is in a league of its own when it comes to reliability and stability .SteelSeries announced the Kinzu optical and its Laser cousin Xai( 7% larger than kinzu), . Steel series has put a lot of thought into this compact product that boasts of new technology. As an owner/user of a variety of brands of mice (Razer copperhead, Razer deathadder, MS IE 1.1, MS IE 3.0, Logitech MX500 and Logitech MX518), I’ve developed a fairly decent understanding of gaming mice.
SteelSeries had two almost identical mice featuring two different types of sensors. The release of the Kinzu optical gaming mouse just proves that SteelSeries is still keen on pleasing the FPS gaming crowd that adores optical sensors. Some might think that optical sensors are obsolete compared to the newer high performance laser sensors, and to some degree they are. Even the most advanced optical sensors can only track up to about 50 inches per second and keep track at about 20 G acceleration, whereas laser mice should yield coherent tracking at upwards 150 inches per second and 30 G respectively. This relatively large gap is not the end of performance as many gamers still prefer the relatively cheap Logitech MX-518, Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 / 1.1 on a good mat. It seems that SteelSeries are trying to force themselves into this market with the Kinzu mouse, priced at 1700 Rs. this mouse costs about half as much as many of the new laser based gaming mice.
This mouse continues the simple design from the SteelSeries Xai, however, the Kinzu is quite a bit smaller(7 % less than Xai…Don’t ask how i calculate it ). In fact so much that I will recommend you saving up for the big Xai if you have a large hand and grip your mouse with your palm. Another thing that has been altered from the Xai to the Kinzu is the amount of buttons, the Kinzu completely lacks side buttons! This is a shame both for gaming and for regular desktop use. Even in very basic applications the lack of back / forward buttons makes navigation a lot slower.On the back side it is pretty similar to the Xai, however, the LCD display is omitted in the Kinzu design. The back side is dominated by the huge Teflon feet which are the best mouse feet on the market today. This mouse looks the business. The simple yet elegant design sets this mouse apart from the other LED ridden gaming mice on the market today.One of the major design changes between the Xai and Kinzu is the size. The fact that the Kinzu is about 1 cm shorter, shallower, and thinner makes a huge difference both when it comes to looks and the way it feels in your palm. The Xai is clearly intended for players with a palm type grip whereas the Kinzu is more for those who have a more nimble finger type
control.The weight difference between the two is noticeable in air, however, on the mat it seems largely irrelevant. Side buttons are non existant on the Kinzu which harms performance in many games and applications. Fortunately for gamers the overall shape is the same as that of the Xai which means you are able to get a very comfortable grip. Because SteelSeries have adopted a design which does not force you to grip the mouse in a certain way almost everyone will be able to achieve a firm and comfortable grip.
Size it not everything! As you can see the Kinzu is clearly the smallest of the bunch, which includes the SteelSeries Xai and Microsoft IntelliMouse
Performance The Kinzu is a proper gaming mouse clearly aimed at FPS gamers who do not demand a bunch of buttons or sophisticated light systems. The optical sensor in the Kinzu does a brilliant job both when it comes to tracking and lift off distance. On most surface the lift off distance is around 2 mm which is a little higher than what you can achieve with a modern laser sensor. For the price the Kinzu does a brilliant job, Button wise this mouse lacks a bit, since it has no side buttons you lack a button or two both to ease navigation in Windows, but also for those games where you control vehicles like for instance the Battlefield Series games. The scroll wheel is the same as that featured on the SteelSeries Xai mouse and it works just as well in the Kinzu as in the Xai. Sometimes the tactile feedback seems a little weak which is a little annoying especially in FPS games if you use the scroll wheel for weapons selection. The optical sensor in the Kinzu seems to yield coherent tracking under all circumstance, I tried it on pretty much all kinds of mats and I was never able to force it to do negative acceleration or any other oddities. . Ergonomics are really good, however, I personally enjoy the Xai a bit more due to the fact that I have long fingers and use a palm type grip. If you can live with the relatively small size and the lack of side buttons. One thing I did find a little annoying is that the Kinzu has a profile button on top, but no LED like on the Xai that lets you know what mode you are in.
The Kinzu is nothing remarkable as far as gaming mice goes but it does what it’s supposed to. It may not catch your eye, but it’s sensitivity and it’s certainly very accurate. It’s software is nice and simple, Still, it has a great price point and does it’s job well. For anyone who wants something without the bells and whistles, the Kinzu is an excellent choice. If you’re looking for a higher sensitivity mouse to work with discretely, this would be a good one to go for.
The build quality is superb. The scroll wheel tests were fairly satisfactory.
Yes, it doesn’t slip at all and that’s what I loved about the sides of the mouse too. I’d have hated any amount of gloss on an already compact mouse. I’d still have preferred a rubber grip on top for a more refined look/feel and grip.
I highly recommend cloth mouse mats with this mouse instead of the plastic ones for the most pleasurable experience.
Give sometime to it.You ll love it once you get used to it.
Specifications for SteelSeries Kinzu Optical
- Ambidextrous lightweight ergonomic finger-tip / palm design
- Slip-resistant coating for superior mouse grip and control
- Gaming Grade optimizations for pro gaming CPI values
- CPI toggle for on-the-fly high & low sensitivity adjustments
- Customizable report rate between 125hz-1000hz / 1 ms response time.
- Acceleration on/off toggle via software
- 50 Inches Per Second and 20G of acceleration
- Low-friction high-performance polyethylene feet
- Frames per second: 9375
- Megapixels per second: 375
- Counts Per Inch (CPI): 400 – 3200
- Buttons: 3
- Cord: 2 m / 7.9 ft (braided to improve durability)
- Polling: up to 1000 Hz
- Lift distance: ~2.0mm
- CPI high/low indicator
- Driverless, plug-and-play feature for LAN gamers
- Built-in memory for 3 profiles
- Measurements: 117 x 64 x 36 mm / 4.6 x 2.5 x 1.43 in
- Operating systems: Win XP / Vista / Win 2000 / Mac OS
Pros
+ Very comfortable
+ Simple
+ Plug \’n play
+ Extremely responsive
+ Great value for money
+Ability to hold three profile
Cons
- Could be too light for some
-Lack side buttons -No profile indicator
Conclusion
SteelSeries have turned back time by presenting us with a gaming mouse that endorses a simple design, by doing this you would think the performance of the mouse would be affected, but it hasn\’t. The visual design is simple, but the technology is sophisticated.The Kinzu reaches out to both right and left handed gamers because of its symmetrical design and this will appeal to a lot of people out there because most gaming mice on the market only cater for right handed individuals.The only complaint that I might mention are the absence of side buttons.
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