By Meng Vang
Manufacturer: Thermaltake (USA) Technologies Co., Ltd.
Product Name: Nemesis Switch Optical RGB Gaming Mouse
Model Number: MO-NMS-WDOOBK-01
UPC: 841163066935
Price As Tested: $49.99 (Amazon | Newegg)Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Thermaltake.
It has been some time since we have seen an affordable gaming mice for FPS/RTS/MOBA/MMO games. With the Nemesis Switch RGB from Tt eSPORTS, it features a patented key switch system for customization to enhance gaming experience. A total of 12 side buttons are present, with eight being the most a user can have at one time. At the heart of the mouse lies the PixArt 3360 optical sensor, which is one of the best gaming grade optical sensors at the time of this review. On top of that, the mouse comes in at a surprisingly affordable price. In this article, Benchmark Reviews will be taking a look at the Nemesis Switch RGB optical gaming mouse.
- Patented Key Switch Design with 12 Pogrammable Buttons
- Dynamic 16.8M RGB Backlighting
- 12000 DPI Pixart PMW-3360 Optical Sensor
- 50 Million Click OMRON Switches
- Ergonomic Rest Plated Design
| COLOR | BLACK |
| SHAPE | ERGONOMIC SHAPE DESIGNED |
| NO. OF MACRO KEYS | 80 |
| NO. OF GAME PROFILES | 5 |
| USB CABLE LENGTH | 1.8M |
| OMRON SWITCHES | 50 MILLION CLICK LIFECYCLE |
| WEIGHT-IN DESIGN | NO |
| GRAPHICAL UI | TT ESPORTS COMMAND CENTER |
| GOLD-PLATED USB | YES |
| DIMENSION | 111.0 X 88.5 X 38.89 MM |
| LED COLOR | 16.8 MILLION RGB COLORS |
| LIGHTING EFFECT | STATIC, PULSE, SPECTRUM RUNNING, SNAKE MARQUEE, WAVE, REACTIVE, BLINK, SOUND CONTROL, SYSTEM TEMPERATURE. |
| NO. OF BUTTONS | 16 |
| SWITCH NAME | PIXART PMW-3360 |
| SENSOR TYPE | OPTICAL |
| DPI | UP TO 12000 DPI VIA OVERDRIVE MODE |
| DEFAULT DPI | 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 5000 |
| IPS | 250 |
| ACCELERATION | 50G |
| POLLING RATE | 2000HZ, 1000HZ, 500HZ, 250HZ, OR 125HZ (0.5MS, 1MS, 2MS, 4MS OR 8MS). |
As of February 2018, the Tt eSPORTS Nemesis Switch RGB gaming mouse is currently available online for $49.99 (Amazon | Newegg). The box has a picture of the product along with its features and specifications listed around it.
Once opened, we can see the Nemesis Switch nicely packaged underneath a plastic cover. This prevents any physical damage to the product during shipment. Over towards the left, there is information about the patented key switch system that comes equipped with the mouse.
In terms of accessories, we find a quick installation guide, a booklet that explains how to adjust the key switch system, and a warranty policy booklet. Like all Tt eSPORTS products, the Nemesis Switch also comes with two stickers.
Once the product is out of the box, we can see the top shell of the Nemesis Switch has a nice metallic-like surface similar to previous Tt eSPORTS mice products. The main left and right buttons of the mouse have a downward curve for better placement of the fingers, making it less likely for the fingers to slip off the buttons. Although lacking a ring finger rest, the overall body shape design should not be much of a problem for different hand sizes. The shape does favor palm grip users more as claw grippers may need extra time adjusting to the shape.
Now that we have seen a quick overview of the Nemesis Switch, let’s go into more details on what this product has to offer.
Taking a look at the top of the mouse, we can clearly see the metallic finish on the surface. There are two standard left and right buttons along with the rubberized scroll wheel. Above the scroll wheel is the profile toggle switch to cycle between the five profiles. The Nemesis Switch utilizes Japanese OMRON switches, which have a 50 million click life cycle. Finally towards the rear, we see just the company logo with RGB capabilities.
At the bottom of the Nemesis Switch, there are three large glide pads for smooth tacking. The mouse does not include a weight system as it weighs almost 111 grams on my scale. We can see the 12000 DPI 3360 optical sensor closer towards the right of the mouse. That rectangular thing in the center of the mouse is the key switch control system slider lock/unlock mechanism. Pinching the two ends towards the center and pulling the slider out will unlock the buttons, allowing us to move the side buttons around.
Speaking of the side buttons, there are a total of 12 programmable side buttons with eight being the most we can see. Each individual button gives us the option to change its color for maximum customization. As for the body shape, the center hump is much higher than a standard mouse, which can increase comfort and accommodate the extra side buttons and larger hands. Towards the bottom is the large rest plate to provide comfort on the thumb.
No additional side buttons are present on the opposite side aside from a textured plastic surface. Instead, the right side of the Nemesis Switch is much lower than the left to reduce fatigue on the wrist.
At the front of the Nemesis Switch, the braided USB cable is more biased towards the left side of the mouse. Here we can clearly see the curved shape of the front two main buttons. This will prevent the fingers from accidentally slipping off the buttons.
At the rear, we have just the company logo with RGB capabilities. The left side of the mouse is slightly higher than the right, resulting in better comfort for the wrist.
Let’s take a look at the Tt eSPORTS Command Center Pro software in the next section.
Unlike Corsair, Razer, or Gamdias software where one software controls all compatible peripherals, the Tt eSPORTS Command Center Pro software will only work on the Nemesis Switch. With the software up and running, we can see all the various options to go through to customize the Nemesis Switch. In the Mouse tab and under Customize, we can remap any button to a different button, a keyboard function, macro function, or to open an application.
In the Lighting section, we can select different colors and lighting effects for the scroll wheel, side buttons, and the rear logo. We can also create our own lighting patterns for greater flexibility. The Command Center Pro software does give the option to sync all lighting zones together. But if you are like me, I prefer not to sync them together.
In the drop down list for lighting effects, there are plenty of effects to choose from. Some lighting effects will allow for some pretty crazy customization options as shown towards the right of the image.
For the side buttons, each button can have their own color assignment. This allows for some unique color combinations.
Under the Performance section, the Nemesis Switch allows for up to four different DPI levels to cycle through. The 3360 optical sensor has a maximum DPI of 12000, so this should be more than enough for most users. There are options to adjust angle snapping, poling rate, and button response time. It is not common to see a gaming mouse in this price category with a 2000 Hz polling rate.
In the Calibration section, we can tune the lift-off distance of the mouse sensor to track more effectively on the surface. If you are using a Tt eSPORTS mouse mat, you may find it under the drop down menu to make calibration quicker and easier. The Command Center Pro software does allow for manual calibration, which is what most people may choose to use.
Finally in the Macro tab, we can record mouse and keyboard strokes and save them as a macro function. We can also adjust the delay time between each keystroke to perfectly tune the macro. Once we have created and saved the macro, we can assign it to any of the buttons to play it back.
In the next section, we will take a look at how this mouse performs.
Sensor Tracking Performance and Polling Rate
As expected, the Nemesis Switch performed very well and was able to handle very fast flicks across the surface thanks to the 12000 DPI 3360 optical sensor. No acceleration was present during testing and the average polling rate was around 2000 Hz as advertised. I played most of my games at 2000 DPI, which was right around the sweet spot for this optical sensor. At 2000 DPI, the mouse performed very similarly to the Kone AIMO and the Logitech G Pro, although they have slightly modified sensors. Some users may benefit from using a higher DPI setting, but more DPI does not mean better performance.
The 3360 optical sensor is one of the best sensors for gaming, hence the reason why it is equipped in many gaming mice, like the Corsair M65 Pro and SteelSeries Rival 700. It offers 1:1 tracking accuracy and no acceleration, making it ideal for games that require great precision. But some companies, like Roccat, Logitech, and even SteelSeries, have developed their own modified versions of the 3360 optical sensor to unlock higher performance. This allows for greater competition, which ultimately results in companies providing affordable products to the consumer. The fact that the Nemesis Switch utilizes the 3360 optical sensor at this price range makes it an incredibly competitive mouse for all game genres.
Button Response and Placement
I did not have too many problems with the placement of the buttons. Normally, I would be most concerned about the button above the scroll wheel as it would sometimes be easy to click on accident. Some mice use this button as the DPI toggle switch, but the Nemesis Switch has it mapped to profile cycling by default. On many gaming mice I tested previously, I would always hit the top buttons on accident. Luckily, I did not experience this frustration with the Nemesis Switch especially during stressful times in StarCraft: Remastered.
RGB Lighting Accuracy
Replicating a pure white color can be difficult for some RGB peripherals, but when it came to color reproduction, the Nemesis Switch did a good job. When set to white, the scroll wheel was a bit green, while the side buttons had a lot of blue and green around the edges. The rear logo was spot on when displaying white.
Other colors in between, like red, green, and blue, were displayed nicely. Mixing up the colors together did produce some good and accurate colors overall.
Key Switch Control System
Now onto the main attraction, the patented key switch system. To adjust the side buttons, you would have to go underneath the mouse to pinch both sides of the slider towards the center. This would unlock the slider allowing you to pull it out as shown in the picture.
With the slider unlocked, the side buttons could move around freely for some customization. One thing I thought was kind of an oversight was the lack of LEDs on the blank spots of the key switch system. Personally, I would have liked to see some LEDs there just to fill in the gap.
These side buttons had a nice tactile and audible feedback when pressed. I did not find myself accidentally pressing them on accident as the buttons did require some minor force to press them down.
Size Comparison with Other Mice
With the body shape being smaller than the Roccat Kone AIMO but slightly larger than the Logitech G Pro, the Nemesis Switch is suitable for small and large hands. Its hump is taller than most mice in order to accommodate larger hands. The wireless ASUS ROG Spatha does include a variety of side buttons as well, but it is much larger in size and weighs 175 grams. A heavier mouse may be a pro to some gamers, but the Nemesis Switch is significantly lighter weight at just around 111 grams.
Let’s go into my final thoughts and end this review with my conclusion in the next section.
I had a really great time playing with the Nemesis Switch over the last few weeks. The body shape design was comfortable, and I found the key switch system very functional for StarCraft: Remastered and a few other games. With the 3360 optical sensor, I experienced no tracking issues while gaming as this is one of the best optical sensors at the time of this review. It is amazing to see this kind of performance in a mouse at this price. This made the Nemesis Switch fun to use in fast paced FPS games, like Quake Live and Unreal Tournament III.
Performance wise, the Nemesis Switch does very well with its 3360 optical sensor. Tracking is great for any type of game or general purpose usage. The only thing I am concerned about is the placement of the sensor. Because the sensor is not directly centered beneath the mouse, I took some extra time readjusting my aim. Of course, the sensor had to be off centered to make room for the key switch slider mechanism. Its location reminds me of my old Logitech M705 wireless mouse where the sensor was far out towards the little finger. Once I overcame this minor obstacle, it was smooth sailing from there.
There is nothing overly flashy about the Nemesis Switch. Of course, it has RGB lighting, a metallic-like finish, and the additional side buttons. Appearance is subjective, but I personally have nothing to complain about the looks of this mouse. It looks clean, elegant, and the Command Center Pro software does allow for some fancy color combinations.
The Nemesis Switch feels very well-built with its plastic body construction. It is rather light weight at around 111 grams on my scale, and there was not a single rattle when shaking the mouse. Usually, rattles will come from the scroll wheel, but I did not experience any rattling from the scroll wheel or anywhere from inside the body.
In terms of functionality, the mouse works well for games of different genres and general purpose usage. I also used the Nemesis Switch to edit all of the photos in this review article without a problem. When custom lighting effects run off the hardware instead of the software, this is a big plus. The Nemesis Switch will store all custom lighting effects and will not require the software to animate them. Peripherals that require the software to animate their custom lighting effects are not portable. This means if you want your custom lighting effects to work, you have to install the software on every computer you plug the device into.
As of February 2018, the Tt eSPORTS Nemesis Switch RGB gaming mouse currently sells online for $49.99 (Amazon | Newegg). This is a very good value given the mouse comes with the 3360 optical sensor and the additional side buttons. The patented key switch system allows for greater customization, making the Nemesis Switch a great mouse to have for any type of game or productivity software.
+ Great value
+ Excellent build quality
+ Adjustable key switch system
+ Excellent 12000 DPI PixArt 3360 optical sensor
– Sensor is off-centered due to key switch slider
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Performance: 9.50
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Appearance: 9.00
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Construction: 9.25
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Functionality: 9.00
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Value: 9.00
