INTRODUCTION

   I may not have lots of free time in my hands due to heavy workload but the little i do have i enjoy spending playing PC games, especially online ones (just like many of you i imagine). Obviously, many times i tend to combine that in order to test/review gaming peripherals at the same time and let's face it, the best way to do that is while truly enjoying what you do. Lately many gaming keyboards and mice have made their way to the lab but out of all of those there was one model in particular that i wanted to test ever since i got contacted by its manufacturer. I am of course referring to the brand new (and already making waves in the market with its grip and performance) Makalu 67 Light-Weight RGB Gaming Mouse by Mountain.

   With user-centric design at heart, Mountain creates innovative, premium gaming peripherals that can be customized to suit your needs. “Reach Your Summit” is the mantra of Mountain. We are dedicated to providing you with modularity and features that create an unparalleled personalized experience. Our vision is for gamers to have what they need to perform, through uncompromising innovation, pioneering design, supreme quality, and customizable style. The #1 goal is front-and-centre in everything we do: to design and launch the absolute best products in the market. Some of us are old school gamers, starting out with Quakeworld on PC and Samurai Showdown on the Neo Geo. Others battled through the World of Warcraft or climbed the ranks in Counter-Strike. We think that, like the ever-evolving PC hardware industry, competitive and recreational gaming is as much about the journey as it is about the destination.

   Mountain is one of the most recent manufacturers to popup out of nowhere so you may be surprised to hear that their Makalu 67 light-weight RGB gaming mouse is based on the latest PAW3370 optical sensor by Pixart. The PAW3370 is actually Pixart's current top of the line sensor and features a resolution of 19.000DPI (dots per inch), 400IPS (inches per second) tracking speed, 50G acceleration, 1000Hz polling rate, 1-2mm lift-off-distance and a 0.5% error rate. Mountain has also equipped the Makalu 67 with a ribcage design for reduced weight (without compromising durability since the Makalu 67 can withstand up to 5kg of force), water-repellent PCB coating, OMRON switches for the two primary buttons (up to 50 million clicks), 8 individually addressable RGB LEDs with 4 effects, ALPS encoder for the clickable wheel, 6 programmable buttons and a 1.8 meter long lifeline cable (shoelace type). This is the very first gaming mouse by Mountain so let's see just how good it is (or not).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Makalu 67 is shipped inside a black box that has a motto at the front pointing to the company name (Mountain).

Both the bundle contents and the specifications of the product are listed on the left side.

Mountain has formed a partnership with plasticbank as mentioned on the right side.

A few words about the product are printed at the base of the box in 8 languages.

A total of 5 pictures located at the rear of the box are used to showcase its main features.

The mouse is placed inside a thick piece of foam covered with cardboard.

Along with the Makalu 67 you'll also get several Mountain stickers, replacement PTFE feet and the quick start guide.

THE MAKALU 67

Measuring 127mm in length, 70.2mm in width and 42.2mm in height the 67g heavy ABS body of the Makalu 67 falls in the medium sized area.

Two long programmable buttons are located on the left side of the mouse.

Thanks to the ribcage design the Makalu 67 is not only light-weight but it should also help keep your hands cool.

Just like most gaming mice of its size the Makalu 67 doesn't have a pinky grip.

At the top we find the DPI preset switch along with the 8 RGB and 4 DPI selection LEDs.

The clickable scroll wheel features a nice rubber coating.

Turning the mouse over we see the 2 large PTFE feet, several perforated sections and the optical sensor lens.

At the end of the 1.8 meter long lifeline cable we see a gold plated USB plug.

The 4 DPI preset LEDs turn on clockwise depending to what setting you use.

BASE CAMP SOFTWARE

You can download the Base Camp software directly from the product page.

Once launched the software will detect any compatible peripherals and also check for a firmware update.

The very first tab allows you to load one of the 5 available onboard profiles (only 1 is loaded by default however).

The second tab is all about RGB illumination so from here you can switch between effects, use your very own and of course set the brightness levels, speed and direction.

You can program all 6 keys from the next tab as seen above.

Using macro commands is very easy and may be useful to some.

The performance options of the Makalu 67 are as you can all see accessible from the very last tab.

It goes without saying but from the settings screen you can choose for the app to start automatically with Windows and check for updates.

Above you can see two of the available effects (unfortunately my Nikon camera stopped working and my Olympus backup camera doesn't do well with dark shots).

CONCLUSION

   The Makalu 67 is not only very light (exactly as advertised) but it’s amongst the fastest gaming mice I’ve ever used since at 19k I honestly couldn’t even see the cursor, let alone used it efficiently. Speed however is not something new, we’ve had similar numbers for years now. Accuracy however is a whole different story and there is where many previous generation optical sensors lacked in comparison to the PAW3370. That’s not to say that they weren’t good (for example the PMW3389 is still one of the best ever made) but this actually feels better and so did the experience when playing games like World Of Warships, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Serious Sam 4. The ribcage design on the other hand is not something I expect every gamer out there to like. Sure, it reduces weight and it helps keep your hands cool but it did feel odd at times and on top of that it does leave interior components more exposed compared to regular designs. That being said this is probably something most people can easily get used to but if you’d rather use something with a good amount of rubber coating the Makalu 67 might disappoint you. As for the lifeline cable and the RGB illumination I wish I could say they are features we haven’t seen in the past but that’s not the case. Especially when It comes to the RGB illumination I was really hoping for more than just a ring around the DPI preset button and LEDs.

   If you’re interested In the Makalu 67 light-weight RGB gaming mouse by Mountain you can get it directly from their online page for 59.99Euros (mountainggshop.com) a very appealing price tag. Overall, even though the Makalu 67 might not be the best gaming mouse to ever pass through the lab it’s without doubt a very good gaming mouse and one of the very first to feature Pixart’s latest flagship sensor which is also why it deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Primary OMRON Switches (50 Million Clicks)
- Very Good Grip (Ribcage Design)
- Very Accurate & Fast (Pixart PAW3370 Sensor)
- 8 Individually Addressable RGB LEDs (4 Effects)
- 5 Available DPI Presets
- Lifeline Cable with Gold Plated USB Plug
- Base Camp Control Software
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Current Availability
- Ribcage Design (Exposed Interior)