UtechSmart Venus Gaming Mouse RGB Wired, 16400 DPI High Precision Laser Programmable MMO Computer Gaming Mice [IGNs Recommendation]

Update: I have purchased 3 of these gaming mice since 2004 and given away 2 of them as gifts. I still use my original gaming mouse 6-1/2 years later. I am now about to purchase 2 more. This time, however, I am buying the wireless version for portability. UtechSmart hit it out of the park with this thing! I bought my Venus MMO Gaming Mouse in December of 2014 and it has lasted me more than 5 years. This thing is built like a tank. None of the buttons have ever shown signs of wearing out, and the mouses RGB lighting has never failed. The sensor on the bottom of the mouse is still working just fine too. UtechSmart offers an 18 mo. Warranty from the date of purchase. If the company is dedicated to making a product this well, you wont need to worry about using it. Since 2014, I have purchased two more, one was given away as a gift, the other one has been waiting patiently in my closet to be unboxed and plugged in. This gaming mouse is anything but small and it fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. It has twelve buttons on the left side, perfectly positioned for your using your thumb. On top, next to the left mouse button is a small, bar-style button that protrudes just a bit from the top. It is extremely handy for cycling through in-game maps. The mapping software from UtechSmart makes the entire mouse completely unique as almost every button can be remapped and the list of options for each one is extensive. While this is a Gaming Mouse, the functionality of this thing in other programs is fantastic. On YouTube, the side buttons can be used to jump forward or backward in a video. Remapping the buttons for use in MS Office or Open Office programs allows for much faster productivity. The same goes for CAD programs and the like. Beyond the twelve side buttons and the top one next to the left-click are 2 buttons in the center of the mouse just behind the scrolling wheel... BTW, the wheel itself can be clicked like a regular button as well. The two buttons behind the wheel on the top of the mouse control the DPI Setting. I have never had to mess with this sensitivity setting but I can think of a few instances where it might come in handy. On the bottom of the mouse is a tiny, recessed button that changes the RGB color of the mouse depending on your taste or desire for everything in your setup to match. Even better yet, the included mapping software has a custom color palette included in it. Download and/or install (from the included flash drive) the UtechSmart Venus MMO Gaming Mouse Management Software. Go into the Color option and make the mouse glow in whatever color you desire. There are so many things to point out about this mouse that I know I am going to miss a few of them... This is a weighted mouse, designed for smoother control. The weight of the mouse can be adjusted by removing the weight pod underneath and either adding or removing the small weights that are included. Beyond the buttons, I have to mention the finger placement on this mouse was thought out in detail. This is a very comfortable tool to use for long periods of time. There is a platform on the left side for your thumb to rest on. Featured on the right side of the mouse is a small indent for your third (ring) finger to rest comfortably. While your pinky rests next to the mouse body on the surface of the mousepad. Unfortunately, I cannot compare this to any other gaming mouse. it is the only one I have used for the last 6+ years.

I have the wired version and love it. Im not a gamer though. The black speckled finish wore off with my old wired version so I hope this one is different. I had to scrub it off with a toothbrush. The wired one let you apply custom shortcuts to the DPI buttons which worked great for volume control, but the new software with this one doesnt let you change them. I couldnt get the old software to recognize the wireless version. You can connect to a 2nd machine by plugging in the USB-C charging cable. You just have to unplug the USB cable to reconnect to the machine with the wireless dongle

I have been playing and using this mouse for about a week now and honestly overall I love this mouse. To begin right out of the box my hand immediately got used to the placement of each finger and it was no problem adjusting from a normal mouse to this one. Each button works perfectly and are all re-programmable with the exception of the profile switch on the bottom of the mouse. However the buttons on the top give a pleasing clicky sound that allows me to ensure I hit the button while the buttons on the side are more squishy and less loud making it a bit harder to make sure I hit the button. It is however a very minor detail and I dont mind much. Secondly the mouse aesthetically is very pleasing, it looks complex but has a very clean and appealing look to it and I am talking about without having the glowing lights on. When the lights turn on they have a very appealing and nice touch to the mouse, they arent overly bright making the mouse look gawdy or harsh to the eye at all and even if they are there is an option to change the lighting in the software but I will get to that later. My only real complain about that mouses lights is the red lights that represent the current mouse DPI you are using. They are always red, it would have been nice if they would also change color based off of the profile like the lights on the mouse wheel and the front. Once again it isnt a deal breaker but it is a small detail that I dislike. Third the customization of the mouse varies. In the way of light choices it is a lot like any other mouse, the mouse has one light option for the buttons on the side and the logo per profile you can set up. There are 5 profiles one with a set color of the mouse wheel and the front: Pink, Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow. The buttons on the side and the logo however can be setup with any color to your liking. While this is great and all I really do wish that you could choose the profile lighting of the mouse wheel and the front lighting rather than them just being stuck with the default colors. I would like to be able to make all the profiles blue or perhaps even red as the color on the wheel and the front. I can understand they did this in order to make it easy to differentiate between the profiles but I would sure like it more if I could change that. My second complaint is an option that most mouses like this come with and that is a rainbow effect, where the colors of the buttons on the side and the logo change overtime making the mouse almost like a rainbow. These two complaints are probably two of my biggest problems with the mouse however I strongly believe that with an update to the software they could both be included and fixed with ease. Moving onto the button customization the buttons are fully customizable, you can choose from using simple actions such as copying and pasting to more complex things such as making button combinations like Ctrl+H to view browsing history to writing out long text speeches or button combinations in game with the macro manager. Moving onto the final guide, the software. I personally found the software was nice and easy to use. It was easy to set up different settings for profiles such as ones for gaming and ones for normal everyday use. The mouse allows you to change the DPI per each DPI Profile (There are 4 DPI profiles) and a lot of other things such as polling rate and double clicking speed. My one complaint for the software is that the Macro Manager is in the Macro Actions when it should be a seperate tab on the main menu. Other than that I found the software was quite simple and had no problem working it without having to read the manual. In conclusion I really enjoy using this mouse, it is quite customizable and overall a good mouse for gamers and people who are under a workload where they need to perform actions quickly. I overall love it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a customizable and easy to use mouse.

I am modifying this review a few days after I posted it. I have zero problems with the mouse, but the company (not the manufacturer) selling it left a bad taste. A few days after receiving the mouse I got a card in the mail offering me $12 in Amazon credit to review the mouse, even if it was a negative review. I posted the review you see below. The company gave me $10 in credit and asked if I could remove the disclaimer about being paid to do the review. I told them that this was unethical and that they owed me $2. They pretty much immediately coughed up the additional $2, but again asked me to remove the disclaimer. I am happy with the mouse, but I have serious doubts about a seller who clearly gives zero effs about ethically running a business. In other words: maybe buy this mouse from a different seller. My original review follows: I have used this mouse for several weeks and Im very happy with it. When I first started using it I noticed that the textured surface has a lot of relief. On day two I actually thought the grainy texture might be annoying, but by day three I simply wasnt noticing it any longer. The surface is grainy, but the rubber is forgiving, so it has the texture but not the feel of sandpaper. I hold my mouse with many differing grips and I always feel like I have a good grip on this one. Some mice have an unusual shape that just doesnt feel right -- not so here. The very many buttons all work fine and feel solid. The main right and left click buttons are just a tiny bit easier to click than I would like -- I click them once in awhile while just resting my fingers on them. If I could make them 10% more stiff, I would. I have owned two other mice with similar button layouts, one of them made by Razer. I think I prefer this mouses setup/macro software to either of the others. I regularly use some complex macros, and I sometimes have to use middleware, like Autohotkey, to get my mouse to do what I want it to do. I have not had that issue here, so far. As for durability, I simply havent owned the mouse long enough to tell you that it will last for years and years, but if it does, this will be one of my favorite mice ever, and Im a former IT guy who has literally used hundreds of mice. This mouse gets an easy four stars, and if it doesnt fall apart in the next two years, I think it will earn five stars from me. Disclaimer: Amazon offered me a gift card to write a review for this mouse, but they did not stipulate that it had to be a positive review.

I bought this mouse March 2021 so its not 2 yrs old yet and the last few months I have noticed a loud clunk when I right click. It still works just fine, but the noise makes me think it will be dying soon. I dont ever use the lights and am not a gamer so there is no rage banging or throwing. I use this mouse for CAD. I dont use any of the other buttons other than R & L click. I just like the shape of the mouse. It is really comfortable, although sometimes my pinky is hanging off to the side and gets stiff. The battery lasts a long time. I shut it off when Im not using it to preserve battery as well as not use the lights as I stated above. I purchased the protection plan so I guess I will put that to use and get a new mouse. Would expect this mouse to last longer and not make funny noises even at the low price.

I moved to this mouse from a Razer Naga 2014. I must say that I prefer the Venus for a variety of reasons. I like the Venus so much, I sold my Naga to a buddy for $45. This review will compare and contrast the two, as I was unable to find a review that discussed a few things I had questions about. Weight: I prefer a heavy mouse. With that in mind, the Naga felt surprisingly light in my hands, almost to the point of being cheap. It weighs only slightly more than the Naga with no weights inside the carrier. Surface: The surface of the Naga was very nice. I actually liked it quite a bit, though I must say I find the surface of the Venus to have more grip. The slick looking portion on actually grips quite well when my hand starts to heat up. The surface of the Venus does need to be cleaned much more frequently, though. It is quite convenient, then, that is much easier to clean than the Naga surface. Overall Construction: The plastic the Venus is made out of seems to be a bit thicker, but just may be slightly less rigid (in a good way). In addition to this, I prefer the shape of the Venus. The Naga felt good when I would first rest my hand on it, yet my hand would ache after extended gaming sessions. I think the Nagas palm rest just didnt quite fit me right. Also of note: the Naga is a $80 that does not even possess event the smallest amount of on-board memory for storing default button mappings (more on this point later). Buttons: This is the primary reason for this style of mouse. The side buttons on the Naga win... by far. A quick click, with just the right resistance. Middle row just slightly raised at one end or the other, to feel where your thumb is on the pad. This is the best feature of the Naga. The Venus side buttons are not bad, just not as good. Pressing the Venus side buttons results in a slightly muted, but satisfying click that requires more force than the Naga. I do like that the Venus has a button just to the left of the primary mouse button, but the Naga has a tilting scroll wheel. Both put the forward/back buttons behind the mouse wheel. Software/Button Mapping: This is where the Nagas feature set is absolutely unacceptable for me. Razer Synapse 2.0 requires you to register to utilize any functionality. This includes button mapping and even local backup of profiles created. As the Naga is recognized by OS and treated as a mouse, with the side buttons registering as 1 through = on the top row, not installing the drivers might be an option. An issue arises, though, because the default mapping (without drivers installed) maps the mouse wheel tilt left/right to scroll up/down, respectively. This eliminates 2 buttons on the mouse when Razer software is not used. This is why on-board memory would be useful. Razer requires you to login to their driver software with your registered account to access your profiles if you wish to use your Naga on another computer. It should also be noted that you have to login to the driver software and be online to backup and restore profiles saved to the local computer. Seriously. On top of all of this, Razer has no plans for Linux drivers. Needless to say, I was disappointed to find that I paid more for limited functionality. The Venus has simple driver software that looks a bit outdated, but works. The Venus also has on-board memory, for 5 profiles. This is important to me, because I was able to install the driver software, configure my preferred button mapping, save this button mapping to the mouse, back up the mouse config to my HDD, and then uninstall the driver software and have my mouse function consistently, regardless of the operating system I boot into. A final note on Lighting. The Venus has more options for lighting than the Naga. The emblem lighting can be on/off/pulse while the Naga only allows off/pulse. I believe it is the same for the side buttons and headlights, but dont quote me on that. I sold the Naga months ago. Colors for the emblem, side buttons, and headlights can be selected from a pallet, with varying shades of luminosity on the Venus. Naga says no, you get green. I was able to match the green on my Razer Tournament Edition very closely. The lighting on the mouse wheel is not configured in this way. There are 5 presets, for the 5 profiles stored on the mouse. These are accessed via software, or a button on the bottom of the mouse. This makes for a strong, consistent indication of the profile one is working in. It should also be noted that any button can be configured for the profile button, if one wishes, not just the bottom one.

As a previous owner of two separate Razer mice, I am content to say that the Utech Venus is a fine alternative to the Naga. I bought two of these as a replacement for myself and my partner, and theyre working fine after about a month of owning them. Pros: + The programmable MMO side buttons are more comfortable and easier to identify without looking directly at them, due to their shape and curvature - at least compared to the Nagas less pronounced design + The adjustable weights are exactly as expected, with an overall weight that doesnt get too heavy with all of them or too heavy without any + The braided USB cable is sturdy and doesnt get frayed easily and collect dust/lint like my previous mouse + The mouse driver is fairly straightforward and mostly user-friendly. I havent had any issues in using it that other customers claim to have had + The color LED light looks great and is adjustable, meaning it isnt a distraction when playing movies on my computer + The adjustable DPI/acceleration and mouse wheel scroll speed is very handy and on-the-fly, making it less of a hassle to switch between settings if Im browsing websites vs. playing games + Comes with little coated stickers for the feet on the underside of the mouse, to prevent it from getting scratched (handy if you dont have a mousepad, or if your pad is worn out) Cons: - The underside lid for the adjustable weights is a little finicky; Im worried about breaking the mouse sometimes when trying to twist the lid loose to add/remove weights - The teflon material isnt my favorite to the touch (mostly if I accidentally slide my fingernails across it), but its far from a dealbreaker - The color LED doesnt change color automatically. When I read that it has a breathing light setting, I was under the impression that you could have the color LED both pulsate in brightness, as well as automatically rotate between colors (I wanted to have it match my keyboard); unfortunately, it only pulsates in brightness - Though the package I received the mouse in included a disposable USB drive with the driver software on it, the software is out-of-date compared to what the Utech website currently has. Not too big of a deal, considering how easy it is to get the new driver Overall, it does everything I want in a gaming mouse. I got two for the price of just one of my previous gaming mouse. Theres a little extra legwork in getting the driver going. As long as you dont handle your equipment poorly, theres no reason it should have any issues. Ill follow up if it starts to have issues like my previous mice (such as unintentional double/triple-inputs for macros or wheel clicks); I had that issue 1-2 years into owning my previous mice, so hopefully this one outlasts those!

I love this mouse and when I saw they offered a wireless version of their wired MMO mouse that I had been using for years, I jumped at it, thinking it would be a clone of the wired version but wireless. BUT, I was wrong. Physically it is a clone(minus the weighting) and feels great in the hand. The give you a second set of sliders and a pouch, which is a nice touch. The mouse has a nice compartment to keep the little wireless dongle handy too. Where they dropped the ball is on the software. I have no idea why they though it was a good idea to... A. Lose the ability to reprogram the DPI buttons. Now this is only has 16 keys programmable instead of 18 like the wired version. B. Lose the ability to program the buttons with keys not on the keyboard, such as MOUSE4 or MOUSE5 and other similar keys. This is possible on the wired version(and just about ANY other mouse I have ever used). C. You are now restricted to switching, ONLY with the button on the bottom of the mouse(there is no longer way to assign profile switching to a button due to the issue listed under B above) between only TWO profiles instead of FIVE like on the wired version. These are some critical options what I used in the past on the wired version and are making me think about returning it. I have no idea why they couldnt have duplicated the SAME functionality between the wired and wireless software. Im hoping they update the software soon to enable these missing functions, but Im not holding my breath. Pros Solid construction Feels great in the hand light Cons SOFTWARE Id love to give this 5 stars but because they dropped the ball on the progammability of the thing, which is a main part of the mouse, I can only give it 3 stars till the software is brought up to the level of the wire version. **EDIT** 5/4/2020 - Please stop emailing me offers of gift cards to delete my review. My review is an honest review, which is supposed to be what is posted here. If you want my review to be better, update the software with better functionality. The software hasnt been updated in over a YEAR and is still the original version released. **EDIT** 11/5/2020 - So here we are almost to 2021, and NOT ONE single update to the drivers/software for this mouse, despite the promises earlier this year(when they kept bugging me to delete my review) that things were being worked on. The drivers listed are still the same 3.0 drivers from MARCH 2019.

Got this mouse after my old one was starting to fail and I wasnt sure what to expect, the mouse i moved from was a white redragon with the same number pad, this mouse honestly is a lot higher quality then that mouse, the rough surface feels nice when gaming and doesnt get sweaty, the software comes on the strangest flashdrive Ive seen but it was a charming addition, and lastly the software that it comes with is not only easy to use but could easily be just as good as a more expensive brand like corsair. I would highly recommend this mouse to anyone trying to get good performance on a tight budget.

This mouse is well worth the price. The buttons are just the right size to click with your thumb and the pressure needed to press them make them easy enough to press in tense moments while also making mistakes fairly rare. I use the back of my thumb to press the last column and this even works pretty well. The rapid fire button feels quite nice to press as well. The scroll wheel is segmented but also smooth. Minor complaints include the fact that I am not a huge fan of the sandpaper feel on the left/right buttons and on the edge. In particular, I found that my ring/pinky fingers started to feel chafed by it when first using it, though I believe use of the device quickly wore it in and I no longer get this feeling. I do also wish the thumb rest was extended a bit further out from the mouse. I do not use it that often, but it is not really wide enough to fit the entire thumb without it hanging off the edge. I love that the mouse is wireless, as I could never get used to the cord snag that occurs with wired models, though it can also be used with a wire if that is your preference. The battery life is superb. I can forget to charge it for days at a time and it will still have juice. The sleep mode activates pretty quickly after not using the mouse for a period of time and will automatically awaken after any movement/button presses and will register said input. The two DPI buttons are placed in a nice spot and there are four red lights, or the absence of light, which indicate five different profiles. These are set to 1000/2000/4000/8000/16000 by default, but you can set them to whatever your preference is. As I find any lights on my mouse/keyboard distracting, I set my preferred DPI on the lowest profile. That said, the RGB lights on the mouse are great. The thumb buttons look particularly cool when it is shining through them. If you want to show off a cool new mouse, this is the one for you. The program for this mouse is also pretty great and easy to understand. The default profile for the thumb buttons sets them to 1-0 on the number row and -/+ on the number pad. Im not sure why they decided to use the numpad rather than the number row for the last two, as I have played games which contain item slots on the latter number row keys, though they are easily remappable in the program or in-game. The program allows for importing/exporting profiles, which is necessary if using more than two. The profile switch button on the bottom can cycle between the default, which is itself remappable, and an imported profile. The program also allows the user to design macros which is very convenient for the sake of productivity. For gaming, the number row mapping already makes perfect sense for many games. Even though I do not really play MMO games, I found that being able to swap weapons in GTA and items/shouts in Skyrim with the touch of a button was quite an improvement over using the number row, which takes fingers that could be pressing other keys and has an inconveniently placed second half for the left hand to reach. Of course, you can feel free to map it to whichever buttons you want. I also personally use this for video editing and general productivity shortcuts on my PC and I can report that it is excellent for both. My left hand has to move around far less than what it used to, and overall things feel more balanced. Overall extremely pleased with my decision to purchase this mouse and recommend it to anyone who wants a versatile instrument for any of a multitude of computing needs. EDIT: I have dropped this review to four stars because of an issue with the scroll wheel. After having the mouse on for some time the scroll wheel takes two notches to start scrolling in the opposite direction (for instance, if I am scrolling down and I try to scroll up the first notch on the wheel that is scrolled up will do nothing). If I turn the mouse off and then on again it will return to normal, but will, in time, begin to act up again. It is rather minor, but is quite annoying. And I can see this being a detriment in games. I have reached out to Utechs support and have not gotten a response. I am trying again. If my issue is resolved I will return the review to five stars. EDIT: I managed to get in contact with them through the email for the gift inside the box. They were very nice and sent me a new one. While the second one was on the way, my original somehow started working again. I can only surmise that it has something to do with being kept on for a long enough period of time, rather than being turned off and on again after acting up. Anyhow, I am pleased that it has started working again and that I now have a backup in case it messes up once more, and am now raising it back to five stars!