A Dedicated Gun Mouse With Recoil For FPS Fans

Popular mouse manufacturers are racing to deliver the best possible sensor, ergonomics, and customizability for gaming, but Ragnok has different plans. Instead of competing in the same category, the company is thinking out of the box to offer more “immersive” gaming experiences.

After releasing its first gun-mouse, the FireGrip, the company has debuted a brand new gaming mouse called “ErgoStrike 7“, which is drastically different from the previous one. Not only does it resemble an actual gun, but it also offers much more than the FireGrip.

In this post, we will go through the specs, features, and performance of the ErgoStrike 7 to conclude whether you should go for it or stick to regular gaming mice.

Technical Specifications

The ErgoStrike 7 uses the PixArt PAW 3395 optical sensor, a noticeably better one used on the FireGrip. Unlike the PAW 3335 on the FireGrip, the PAW 3395 is not only newer but is also deployed in high-end competitive gaming mice such as the Razer Viper V2 Pro and Glorious Model 2 Wireless. This sets a wider DPI range for the ErgoStrike 7, which can now go up to 26,000 DPI compared to 16,000 on the FireGrip. While such high DPI doesn’t matter much, the increase in the acceleration to 50G and the IPS speed to 650 IPS is a much bigger upgrade.

While the sensor could theoretically support up to 8000 Hz polling rate, the ErgoStrike 7 is limited to 1000 Hz. So, it won’t be competing with 8 KHz gaming mice, but it does fall in the same league as some modern mid-range gaming CPUs.

The mouse is also much heavier than the FireGrip, weighing in at 180 grams. This, once again, is far higher than modern competitive gaming mice, which can go even lower than 60 grams. However, there are some great gaming mice for FPS that weigh around 80-100 grams and do quite well. Nonetheless, due to a completely different design and ergonomics, the ErgoStrike 7 isn’t there to go against the regular gaming mice. With this much weight and dimensions of 113mm x 122mm x 78mm, the ErgoStrike 7 is quite big and not very portable.

Design, Build Quality, and Controls

The ErgoStrike 7 gun mouse is built using soft rubber, which feels a bit different from plastic mice. Due to its construction material, the junctions or the areas where two different rubber sections meet don’t make a perfect contact. However, the construction does feel solid and durable, but only time will test its durability.

ErgoStrike 7’s greatest achievement is its design, which resembles an actual gun. Even though the barrel is much smaller than an actual pistol, it’s Ragnok’s first gun mouse to actually feature one. The FireGrip completely misses that and looks more like a grip.

Ragnok has its ergonomics almost right, and it feels quite natural in the hand. Since it is for right-handed users, the mouse base extends a bit towards the right side, which supports your hand. Ragnok recommends a palm size of around 16-20 CM, and therefore, it’s ideal for most users.

The controls are simple and straightforward. The trigger is your left click, and there are several additional buttons located in different areas. The right click is right below the trigger and will be controlled by your middle finger. Then come the buttons on the side, which are similar to the thumb buttons you find on regular gaming mice.

There are two thumb buttons, a scroll wheel, and a fire button near it. The DPI button is located at the bottom, which is a weird location as you will have to lift your mouse to change the DPI settings. There is a single DPI button, which means you have to perform a complete cycle to reset it to the lowest or highest DPI setting. Of course, you can easily change these settings in the software, which we will talk about later.

Now, the best part is the top of the barrel, where you will find a dedicated recoil slider. The recoil is controlled via a switch near it that can set the recoil to either 1X or 2X, which means, with the former option, the slider will recoil once for a single shot and twice with the latter. That’s pretty much all you will find on the mouse.

User Experience and Performance

The ErgoStrike 7 is one of my first gun-mice ever, and it did offer a unique gaming experience. However, unlike how you would expect it to grab it, you have to keep your fingers with their tips on the buttons. If you wrap around the trigger too much, it will be hard to press the trigger. Similarly, to place your middle finger on the right-click button at the front properly, you need to ensure your palm is placed more on the back than on the side. It will feel different from actually grabbing a pistol, but it’s the only way you can have more control over both the triggers and other buttons.

The placement of the thumb buttons is also okay, but the scroll wheel can be a slight hindrance when reaching the fire button. The fire button won’t probably get used much, but in case you want to assign it some frequently performed action, it may result in an accidental scroll wheel button press.

Now, as far as the movement is concerned, there are a few things I want to talk about. The first one is gliding, which I found excellent. It’s buttery smooth on the mouse pad, but regarding the control, you won’t be able to flinch as easily and fluently as you would on a good gaming mouse. Since your hand placement is quite different from what you would have on a regular mouse, your shoulder will be engaged in almost every movement.

With regular gaming mice, such flinches can be made without having to use your whole arm, which is a deal breaker in competitive FPS matches. The ErgoStrike 7 will take more effort in such movements as you won’t be able to control its movement with your fingers, but have to use your hand and whole arm. Due to this, your accuracy will be hugely affected, and you won’t be able to aim as well as you would with a regular mouse.

Continuous practice and training will make your movement and accuracy better, but it won’t be as close as with a simple mouse. This is why the ErgoStrike 7 won’t replace competitive gaming mice for Counter-Strike and Valorant anytime soon. If you are playing deathmatch, casual, and stuff like that, it will be enjoyable and will be particularly pleasant in games where pinpoint accuracy is not needed.

App Support and Customizations

The ErgoStrike 7 also comes with a dedicated Ragnok app. After I downloaded the app, it offered a simple interface with a few tabs that allow various customizations. You can remap all the buttons on the mouse, or you can set the macros as per your requirements. For DPI, you can choose between several stages, starting from one all the way to seven. This basically allows a simplified operation where you can just keep a few stages to cycle between different DPI settings.

As far as RGB customization is concerned, there isn’t much. The mouse has small LED strips on both sides of the barrel, and you will only get five different effects, including Rainbow Stream, Single color breathing, Solid Rainbow, Neon, and Rainbow Flashing. The software doesn’t have advanced customizations like mouse lift-off distance or surface calibration.

Connectivity and Compatibility

The ErgoStrike 7 offers tri-mode connectivity, meaning you can connect it to your system wirelessly through Bluetooth or a 2.4 GHz dongle, or via a USB Type-C cable. This is highly versatile and allows compatibility with a wide range of devices such as PCs, tablets, and gaming consoles. The mouse has a dedicated compartment for storing the 2.4 GHz dongle, which is excellent, and there is a switch to toggle between different wireless modes.

The mouse offers a 1000 mAh battery, which, as per Ragnok, allows up to 70 hours of operation, but once the RGB light and recoil are turned on, the battery life greatly reduces to 10 hours. Without the recoil, I don’t think it will be fun using the mouse, but you will need to recharge it every few days.

The Verdict

ErgoStrike 7 is a good attempt at offering something unique, but it’s definitely not for professionals. The design is greatly improved over its predecessor and has excellent ergonomics for long gaming sessions. With ample buttons and customizations, the ErgoStrike 7 does feel complete, but the placement of the DPI button could have been better.

Ragnok did a good job overall, but the recoil mechanism needs to be a bit stronger for more immersion. As far as the value goes, the price is kinda high. The ErgoStrike 7 is officially priced at $189, which is ridiculously high, but the mouse is currently available at a $70 discount. Therefore, the price drops to $119. It’s a much suitable price tag and unless you aren’t very serious about your competitive rank, it will be a nice addition to your mouse inventory that will bring something unique to the desk.

7.5

WCCFTECH RATING