“Innovation is the fundamental flaw in 99% of new products.” Okay, so I pulled that figure, and actually that entire statement completely out of my arse, or “innovated”  as it were, to illustrate a point. My point is, I had nothing else to say to as an opener for this particular review, but maybe, if I’m lucky, by the end of this article, my above statement will make some sort of sense. So let’s get on with it!

The Product

  The Sandio 3D Game O’ (MSRP $79.99) doesn’t stray far from the tried and true curved shape and size offered by many manufacturers, from Logitech to Microsoft, with a few notable additions. The Game O’ includes three gamepad thumbstick-like appendages – one where the thumb typically rests, one where the pinky and/or ring finger rests, and one where the scroll-wheel is generally located (the scroll-wheel is just south of the middle stick). Just above the thumb errr… thumbstick, or “3D button”, are two additional buttons reserved for DPI settings (more on that in a bit) as well as your usual browser back and forward buttons. Of course the mouse includes a left and right mouse button and the scroll-wheel acts as a middle mouse button when pressed.

Included with the mouse are a detachable wrist rest and the software required to map the sticks to functions, and create game specific profiles. The software comes with a number of preset profiles that can be used as is or as the basis for your own custom settings. The Game O’ boasts “6 Degrees of Freedom”, meaning left/right, up/down, forward/back, and a twisting variation of each (see diagram below). A “video tutorial” as they are calling it, can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/2v2p5t

3D Sticks O’joy

The resolution or sensitivity of the mouse can be adjusted at the users’ whim by simultaneously pressing both browser buttons. Each successive sensitivity adjustment is vocally announced through the software as it switches between 400/800/1600/2000 dpi. A tray icon changes color with each setting which is useless when gaming as it’s obviously out of view. Unfortunately, there are no visual cues on the mouse itself, such as those found on both Creative and Logitech’s gaming mice that feature DPI adjustments, and there is no way to skip, alter, or cycle in reverse to any of the previous  settings, the latter of which I am sure could be addressed in a software update.

Aside from the rather peculiar name, other oddities include the positioning of the ‘3D’ sticks O’ joy – particularly the thumb-stick and pinky-stick.  While I can’t recommend a better location, their unfortunate existence provides for a highly awkward grip for lifting the mouse to reset back to the center of the ‘mousing area’ – which is a frequent event in the world of PC gaming, especially in first-person-shooters.  While the idea sounds great on paper, in reality it is far from choice. The middle”3D button” doesn’t suffer the same fate as the other two as far as being intrusive, though I never did get completely comfortable with keeping my middle finger placed on the stick. Having my first three fingers slammed next to each other made for a far from comfortable gaming experience.

And if it wasn’t clear in the above diagram, each stick, or “3D button” has less in common with a traditional gamepad than hoped. The sticks are 1) not analog and 2) not 8-directional. While the company doesn’t make this claim, it would be easy to assume this given the mouse’s gaming bent. Actually, it would probably make a lot more sense if they were analog and 8-directional! But I digress…

Another unfortunate deal is the inability to remap the browser back/forward/DPI buttons. While this is not a huge deal in light of the “16 additional independently programmable buttons”, it would be nice, as not all games recognize these keys as mouse button 4 and 5. I assume this could be remedied with a software update as well, but in its current state, gamers are just SOL for some games as far as these buttons go.

You Come Here Often?

I gave the mouse a pretty thorough ‘how-do-ya-do’, with daily PC tasks such as checking email, browsing the web, etc., to gaming on various fronts – primarily FPS type games. Right from the get-go, I removed the wrist rest as it almost completely locks out navigation using only fingers as opposed to the entire palm. I actually didn’t realize I used the mouse that way until I tried the 3D Game O’ with the wrist rest installed. Most may actually find the wrist rest comfortable and helpful though – it just wasn’t working for this gamer. Either way, it is easy and quick to install or remove.

I tried out the various presets for shooter type games, most of which had the 3D buttons mapped as such:
 

This setup in particular provides several issues, mostly due to the fact that, again, the 3D buttons are not 8-directional. What occurs as a result is, two actions adjacent to each other (such as Forward (W) and Up (Space) on ‘Left Button’ in the example above) cannot be performed simultaneously. The result is, in the case of say Half-Life 2, the player cannot jump and move forward using just the left 3D button. This is also why none of the presets have all four directional keys (WASD) mapped to a single 3D button, which would make the most sense. If WASD (the most commonly used keys for movement in FPS games) was mapped to a single 3D button, the result would be no diagonal movement.

Using the right 3D button for anything other than movement is essential, as a higher than adept level of pinky dexterity is required for just occasional flicks in any direction other than backward while still maintaining a tolerable grip on the mouse. Using the ring finger instead on the right 3D button forces the first finger over the top 3D button, which leaves mouse button 1 unattended.

Tired of Those Aches and Pains?

After a few hours of getting acclimated with moving my characters position and view using only my left hand (Half-Life 2), I frustratingly reverted back to my old ways after nursing a raging hand cramp. I’ve spent many years perfecting my mouse hand grip for accuracy and speed, even using the spacebar for shooting instead of the left mouse button in hopes of yielding a steadier aim (it actually worked – but it wasn’t as fun). Throwing these new tasks at my right hand seemed counter intuitive and against all odds of bettering my gaming performance, so I spent the rest of my testing figuring out what other ways I could use all these programmable keys.

While you generally don’t require many “hotkeys” in the average FPS, more mouse buttons are generally well received regardless of the game type – though 16 may be a bit overkill (actually, it’s more like 12, as in order to get the additional 4, users must perform finger gymnastics executing two opposite movements on opposing sides of the mouse). The extra buttons are more at home as hotkeys in RPGs and RTSs where easy access to several commands is beyond a leg-up on the competition.

One particular game where I found the extra programmable buttons helpful was in Iron Lore’s Titan Quest. After a bit of tinkering, I was able to move 95% of my in-game chores entirely to my right hand, leaving my left hand to shovel snacks down my throat. On the downside, I found myself frequently readjusting my grip after a few uses of the 3D buttons as each use somehow threw my hand of balance in relation to all other buttons. More annoying was the aforementioned inability to pick the mouse up without accidentally hitting one of the side buttons or dropping the mouse altogether.

Given the name of the mouse, it is clearly marketed at gamers. However, the box does include tales of how useful it is with apps such as Google Earth and Google SketchUp, as well as 3D modeling software. The only concurrence I can give is based on my use of the example program provided which mimics the movements used in such programs.  Based on this trial – I can only say that while it works as advertised, I found it highly uncomfortable.

In Summary

Given the overall familiar shape and feel of the Sandio Game O’, I found the extra buttons/thumbsticks/3D buttons – whatever you want to call them – more a hindrance than a help in the long run. The inability to firmly grasp this mouse when needed, to the slightly lacking software (game profiles must be run manually prior to launching the game/browser keys non-programmable/no DPI adjustable settings), to the overall cheap and slick feel of the plastic used to build the mouse as well as the thinner than usual mouse cable, add up to a less than adequate product with an actually novel idea. The mouse does track well and glide smoothly over most any usable surface (there is no mention of it, but the feet appear to be Teflon coated), and as I said, does work as advertised for the most part.

With better execution, this mouse could be a winner. Perhaps version 2 (due out soon) will address these concerns. Unless you need a good finger workout, I’d sit this round out. “Innovation is the fundamental flaw in 99% of new products.” You can quote me on that.

Score: 6/10

Features (as per Sandio’s documentation):
- PC Compatible
- USB Port
- System Requirement: Windows® XP, Windows® Vista
- Dimensions: 172 mm x 116 mm x 44.5mm
- Resolution: 400/800/1600/2000dpi
- Data Package: 16 ultra-throughput bits
- Cable Length: 80 inches

Official Site: Sandio