INTRODUCTION

   By the time this review gets uploaded online our copy of Destiny one of the most highly anticipated games of 2014 made/released by Bungie/Activision will be here so naturally we plan on focusing quite a bit in testing several new gaming peripherals with it (aside the usual testing we do with our favorite Planetside 2 online MMOFPS by SONY). We've also been using the beta of The Crew by Ubisoft (racing) and the alpha of Star Citizen (space simulator) by Cloud Imperium (Chris Roberts) but a complete game like Destiny which combines several elements from both the Mass Effect series and Warframe should help us push many of these peripherals to their limits. The first of these gaming peripherals we will be looking at is also perhaps the most unique looking one and as the title of this review clearly states today with us we have the ZEUS Laser Gaming Mouse by GAMDIAS.

   GAMDIAS emphasizes on the fundamentals, complemented with creativity and service. GAMDIAS Technology was founded in 2012, with team of over 100 led by R.K. HAN, successfully creating the gaming brand known as GAMDIAS. Not only do we aim to set the bar for quality and practically, but also to go above and beyond in our designs. Further supplementing our motto: Gaming Art in Motion, we will continue to invest heavily on designs, transcending GAMDIAS products to an artistic pantheon. Our design team consists of a group of passionate gamers with limitless creative ideas. The design team' s mission is to highlight the special aspects of each product, just like the distinctive characteristic of the gods in Greek Mythology. Each of our gaming products is designed with a patented special feature; never ceasing to break the limitations of traditional thinking, and revolutionize the eSports industry. GAMDIAS aspires to offer its users a gaming experiences unparalleled to its predecessors. GAMDIAS will redefine the Electronic Sports (eSports) landscape for gamers worldwide. Backed by international award winning designers (Red Dot), innovative think tanks, and inspirational brand leaders, GAMDIAS will be the next generation of Gaming Gear.

   If you thought that the HERMES mechanical gaming keyboard by GAMDIAS was unique in design (or strange take your pick) then you will most certainly feel the same about the ZEUS laser gaming mouse since it pretty much follows the same design path (size-wise it's roughly the same as the El'Druin by Leetgion). Specifications and features however matter most (that is if the design of the mouse is good for use) and GAMDIAS has done a very good job there since they have equipped the ZEUS with the Avago ADNS-9800 8200DPI laser sensor, 3 adjustable side expansions, 11 buttons (9 programmable), 11 million clicks switches, adjustable weight system, 32MHz ARM Cortez processor and 512KB of onboard memory for storing your settings. Overall it seems that GAMDIAS has once again released a feature-rich product (just what you'd expect from something bearing the name of the father of the Greek Gods) but what really matters is how they work out in the end and whether or not the shape of the mouse is what it should be so once again the time has come for us to find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The GAMDIAS ZEUS laser gaming mouse gets packed inside a rather small box that has a product picture at the front, the company logo and some of the product features in the form of small triangles.

You can find most of the available features listed at the top of the box.

A few words about the HERA control software are present at the rear.

A product overview is printed at the bottom of the box in 10 languages right next to the bundle contents, features, specifications and OS compatibility lists.

The top of the box opens up to reveal the ZEUS laser gaming mouse through a clear plastic and once again its main features.

With the ZEUS laser gaming mouse GAMDIAS has also bundled a quick installation guide, a product card which talks about the Zeus and two case stickers (black and gold).

THE ZEUS

The rubberized body of the ZEUS laser gaming mouse looks a lot like a beetle (more like an troop carrier actually from a sci-fi movie) and measures 127mm in length, 84mm in width and 43mm in height while it weighs 150g.

Aside the adjustable side expansion piece (hard plastic) there are also 4 programmable thumb buttons on the left side of the mouse.

The profile selection button and current DPI LED indicator are both placed right above the primary button.

GAMDIAS has placed their logo on the lower rear end.

Three programmable DPI selection buttons are placed right over the scroll wheel.

The right pinky rest is not only following your finger thus giving you a better grip but it's also part of the side expansion system so it can extend outwards like the left piece.

I was quite surprised with the clickable scroll wheel of the ZEUS since it's not only rubberized but it's also nearly inaudible when used.

The GAMDIAS logo is also present beneath the scroll wheel right between two LEDs.

Moving at the base of the mouse we see one small, one medium and one large low-friction Teflon pad.

The Avago ADNS-9800 laser sensor is one of the most advanced ones currently in the market and offers 8200DPI (dots per inch), 12000FPS (frames per second), 150IPS (inches per second), 30G's acceleration and 10.8MP resolution.

Via these three wheels you can extend or retract the three side expansion pieces and although they don't extend the width of the ZEUS by much still we found quite very useful.

The weight system is placed on the lower end of the base and in there GAMDIAS has pre-mounted all of the weights (5 in number).

You can add up to 22.5g onto the ZEUS (172.5g total) if you use all 5 weights.

GAMDIAS has also used braided cable (they call it military grade) and a gold plated USB connector.

HERA CONTROL SOFTWARE

Since the ZEUS doesn't come with a bundled software CD you will need to download the latest version of the HERA control software from the official support page.

Once you connect the ZEUS with your system the illumination system will turn on and as you can see it's not half as bad even at default.

The HERA control software needs to be decompressed (zip) and launched in order to download all needed files (takes about 20-30s to complete).

Through here you can adjust pretty much everything you can imagine so you can program all 9 buttons, you can create macros, control the speed features of the ZEUS (including lift-off distance), select the desired color and level for each of the illumination zones, assign sounds and even a timer onto one of the buttons, record your own voice (and assign it afterwards), set a timer (quite useful if you have something to do and you don't want to miss it because you're playing), keep track of your mouse use (key presses and movement) and check for available updates.

CONCLUSION

   When i started using the ZEUS laser gaming mouse i can't say that i liked it much, not at first anyways since it's quite tall and its design is a lot different compared to most similar devices and the fact that I’ve been using the Sensei gaming mouse for over 3 years didn't really help much. Fortunately it took me roughly 2 days to get used to the ZEUS and now i actually like it although i have to admit that i did have to play around with the 3 expansion pieces and the weight system quite a bit prior to that happening. Still if you prefer normal sized gaming mice based on the typical design (for example like the SteelSeries Sensei and Zowie FK1) you should steer clear of the ZEUS. Performance-wise the Avago ADNS-9800 laser sensor is not new to us so as always it works as advertised and offers a good amount of accuracy although again the height/thickness of the ZEUS doesn't make things easy at first (so don't be disappointed if it takes time to get used to it). Thanks to the Teflon feet the ZEUS glides very easily and with good accuracy but you need to be extra careful not to press one of the thumb screws (although quite hard still if your finger is there it may happen). The HERA control panel once again offers many interesting options you can play around with but it does need a redesign just like we pointed out in our HERMES review since it's not very easy to navigate (not to mention that there's no real installer available).

   GAMDIAS may not have been around long but their products have a good track record thanks to their build quality and performance something which has allowed them to keep quite competitive prices so currently the ZEUS laser gaming mouse retails for USD79.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 80Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Of course even that may seem as too much for some people but let's not forget that there are other less impressive and in many cases worse performance gaming mice in the market that cost just as much if not more so the price is just about right. Bottom line since we have 6 of the latest gaming mice to hit the market i can't say with certainty that the ZEUS will end up being used with one of our test rigs, what i can say however is that it's a very good gaming mouse that delivers on every GAMDIAS advertises it for and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Speed & Accuracy (Avago ADNS-9800)
- 3 Adjustable Side Expansions
- 11 Buttons (9 programmable / 11 million clicks)
- Adjustable Weight System
- 32bit Cortex Processor With 512Kb Of Onboard Memory
- Illumination
- Braided Cable With Gold Plated USB Connector

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Height (For Some)
- HERA Control Software (Needs To Be More User Friendly)