Introduction

Over the years, many a company has made an attempt at reinventing the gaming controller. Some have been mildly accepted; others have been banished from gameports for all eternity. This is the first time that I have seen such a complete reinventing of the mouse for the purpose of gaming. Most will say that the Razer Boomslang series of mice was where the enthusiasm for gaming mice began. Since then, we have seen Microsoft's IntelliMouse Explorer and other optical mice become popular with gamers because of their precision. The Rotokiller RTR-720 returns us to the age of ball mice, but that's about all that's familiar.

Before I go into the more unique features on the Rotokiller, we must focus on what it is first and foremost a mouse. Its sensitivity is 968 PDI, less than what the Boomslang 1000 and 2000 were, but higher than the average mouse's sensitivity of around 400-450 DPI. It is USB 1.1 compliant through which it is polled at 100 Hz. Again, this is slightly lower than the Boomslang's USB speed of 125 Hz. However, from what I've seen, the Rotokiller outshines its competition when it comes to three other important factors: price, controls, and construction.

As of when I write this review, the Rotokiller is selling for an introductory price of $50. The Boomslang 1000 and 2000, having come back into production, are going for $70 and $100 respectively. Not a huge deal when you're going out of your way to purchase a mouse specifically for gaming in the first place, but certainly worth noting.

One item that plagued users of the Boomslang mice was their construction, being too fragile. Good Work Systems wanted to get it right the first time, building the Rotokiller by hand with polycarbonate cases and rubber gasket buttons to prevent dust and other crud from getting inside. The axles that track the movement of the ball are made of stainless steel and are held by strong polycarbonate bearings.

Design

Something that I have always blessed in my IntelliMouse Explorer is its ease of cleaning. Just wipe a cloth across the bottom a few times and you're finished, especially when using a fairly dust-free mousing surface. Cleaning ball mice has never been easy. Getting cloths or cotton swabs into the original IntelliMouse and removing hair and dust which had wrapped themselves around the axles was not an easy task by any measure. This is why I love what has been done to remedy the problem with the Rotokiller. You know when it's dirty because the bottom is clear and you can see the innards easily. The moving parts (axles and ball) are all bright yellow, making dust, dirt, hair, and so on stand out. You utilize the included Allen wrench to remove the three screws from the base, giving you easy access to these components. It may take a lot longer than with normal ball mice, but it only became the slightest bit dirty during the week and a half that I have been testing it, indicating that you shouldn't have to remove the bottom very often. And should you happen to lose any of the screws, two extras are provided in the package. Nice touch.

If buttons are what you are seeking, look no further than the Rotokiller. There are four membrane buttons on top, easily accessible to your index and middle fingers. Another two reside under the grip. Simply press on the general area of the rubber, and they'll be activated. Sadly, these areas are often hard to find with your ring and pinky fingers when your attention is focused on a game. Membrane switches mean that there are no moving parts to worry about and that controls can be triggered with just the slightest touch. Getting used to such sensitive buttons takes a while, but I never got past the point where once in a while I would inadvertently fire off my secondary weapon because while triggering my primary weapon. As expected, each button can be configured using the driver software.

Mouse cords do slightly hinder our games whether we like it our not, and thus some gamers are resorting to wireless solutions. Although the Rotokiller doesn't go quite that far, its cord protrudes from the top of the case, eventually touching your desk a few inches away. This, combined with the fact that you won't be moving the Rotokiller very far at all, eliminates the drag of the cord completely. You will have to find a new way to route the cord around your desk setup. If you have the cord come towards you after exiting the Rotokiller, you can either have it drop down off the desk or go back across your arm first. Having the cord go towards the monitor after exiting the mouse means that you won't have the worry about tangoing with it during the heat of a deathmatch.

Usage

The approach of the Rotokiller revolves around the concept of using the mouse with your fingers, not your arm. They emphasize how much more precise movements of the fingers are as opposed to movements of the entire arm. Being as sensitive and small as it is, you move the Rotokiller short distances in every directions with your fingers. Surprisingly, this motion didn't tire out my fingers even after prolonged use, but then again, my arm never got tired either. This did take days to adjust to, but I eventually became just as capable with it as I had been with my IntelliMouse Explorer. Our obligatory size comparison below depicts the Rotokiller next to my friend Ben Franklin, the original IntelliMouse, and the IntelliMouse Explorer.

No matter what mouse you're using, you have the problem of lifting the mouse and returning it to the center of your mousing surface in order to stay comfortable and/or not run right off the mousepad. Good Work Systems's solution to this difficulty is a function they refer to as The Clutch. The Clutch is bound to a control on the Rotokiller, and when activated, mouse movement is not registered so that you can easily move the mouse back to your desired location for more gaming.

So six buttons aren't sufficient for your needs? The Rotokiller's driver software enables shifted functions while one, the other, or both of the grip switches are pressed. This allows the user up to 16 different functions available during a game just from the mouse. Unfortunately, this is an aspect of the Rotokiller to which I never became accustomed. As if finding the zones on which to press the grip wasn't hard enough, holding them down while finding another of the four buttons on top was simply too much to manage. A valiant effort, but complication and game controllers don't go hand in hand.

Similar to other great pieces of game controller software, the drivers of the Rotokiller let you assign specific settings to be enabled when certain applications start, so you don't have to go into the console and reprogram everything when you switch from Quake III Arena over to Unreal Tournament. The same software permits binding of sounds, applications, and keystrokes to buttons on the Rotokiller.

But be warned. As I have found out the hard way in many other situations, the current version of the Rotokiller drivers do not include support for Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Under Windows XP, the Rotokiller lost functionality of three of its buttons, obviously making it much less appealing. Which means, you're restricted to only Windows 98 and Windows Me for its use. With so many gamers making the switch to the NT kernel, this seems like a big mistake to me, but hopefully the support will eventually come along.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Very precise
• Useful Clutch feature
• No cord drag
• Multitude of controls
• Good software
• Easy cleaning
• Extra screws and Allen wrench

Cons

• Questionable button placement
• Oversensitive buttons
• Ergonomics a little too radical
• No support for Windows 2000/Windows XP

Conclusion

Ergonomically, many would say that the Rotokiller leaves something to be desired. I can see the purpose for making the design so tiny, but at the same time they made it difficult to master for those with larger hands. Not to say that I have large hands, because I don't. The buttons are small and not separated by much at all. They tried to make the experience a little less painful by including an option for the buttons to flash codes when pressed or when shifted, but it still didn't ensure that I always hit the button I wanted to.

The RTR-720 has me split. Part of me is grateful for the design innovations that it has brought to the gaming mouse. Part of me is a tad bit frustrated by the shape and controls. I would have loved to test this out with games on my Windows XP machine. Any device that lacks support for Microsoft's new operating system has a major hurdle to jump. Good Work Systems's web site is very informative, but I still would've liked to see some printed documentation come with the Rotokiller. All that was said as far as installation is concerned is to run the installer on the CD before plugging in the mouse. The product is quite simplistic in nature, but some features will undoubtedly mystify users without a manual by their side.

SLRating: 6.5/10

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