Introduction
In the world of gaming peripherals, we've always focused on the fact that most products are split into two categories: high-end, and their budget counterparts. However, we've left out another special category. Μainly because there are actually only a sparse amount of these products to begin with. The category we're talking about is populated by gaming mice with affordable price tags, but that offer features and performance to rival the most expensive gaming peripherals on the market. The M908 Impact by Redragon is one of such peripherals and is the mouse we will be reviewing today. For those who don't know about ReDragon and are skeptical about the price, ReDragon is actually a respected gaming peripheral manufacturer that specializes in the low to mid-tier budgets. In fact, this US-based company has been around since 1996 and began making gaming peripherals since 2012. If you take a look at their Amazon sellers page, most of their products are highly rated with thousands of reviews. They even have a website with clear contact information, driver downloads, and manuals. If you are not a brand slave, you should totally read the Redragon M908 Impact gaming mouse review.
For a bit of a hint, let's take a look at those all important Technical Specifications shall we.
Packaging & Contents
The mouse comes in a plastic box. This box is compact and would be perfect for traveling.
The link in the insert that comes with the mouse takes you to a webpage that requires you to click one additional button to get to the correct page for the drivers.
The package contains the Redragon M908 Impact MMO Gaming Mouse, manual, and 8x 2.5g weights with carrying case.
A Closer Look
The Redragon M908 Impact is a large, wired mouse that's likely too big to easily fit in most laptop cases. Its wire will also be cumbersome when trying to use it in a tight space like on a plane or train. This mouse is designed to use with your gaming setup at home. Keeping in mind its price, the M908 Impact has an impressive build quality. Usually, the rodents in this price category feel like the plastic toys you find on sale at the grocery store, but that's not the case. The M908 Impact is covered with a matte finish. If you are a MMO enthusiast who employs a palm grip, you must be looking for a mouse that relieves the sweaty palm issue. In this regard, the M908 Impact does not disappoint. It is among the few mice I have tested that does not pick as many fingerprints as some of its rivals pretending for utmost sophistication.
Build quality is very good. While the mouse feels quite solid with no flex or wobble, the side buttons feel quite mushy. The mouse is also covered in a rough, gritty texture which may not be for everyone. The mouse wheel is pretty standard. It's not too clicky and has soft increments and a quiet overall scroll. Unfortunately, there's no horizontal scroll or L/T tilt buttons.
The first thing that captured my attention when I took the M908 Impact out of the box was the button grid on the left side. The presence of such a grid speaks volumes of its suitability for MMORPGs. You can literally have all character's skills and spells at your fingertips. The Redragon M908 Impact has a ton of programmable buttons. There are 12 programmable buttons on the left side. Every button can be reprogrammed except the 'Setting Switch' button on the underside of the mouse, which is used to switch between profiles. Apart from the mechanical button grid, the Redragon M908 Impact also sports the standard left, middle and right buttons as well as 3 additional buttons. The two arrow buttons are located right under the scroll wheel and their default setting is controlling the DPI. Next to the arrow buttons, you will find a LED bar that enables you to keep track of the DPI you are currently at. Next to the left mouse button, you will find a fire key. Its default setting is clicking three times, followed by a short delay. If you click it one more time, the process is repeated. It seems this button is designed to give you an edge in adrenaline-fueled FPS, but if you are primarily into MMOs you can remap it via the software. And here is a small and yet important difference that makes the M908 Impact a hundred times better than the competition. The button grid is comprised of 4 rows of 3 buttons each. The buttons are positioned in such a way that there is a valley between 1-3 and 4-6, another valley between 7-9 and 10-12, and a peak between 4-6 and 7-9. Once you build a good muscle memory, you will know exactly where your thumb is at all times.
The sensor is slightly off-centered, which might require time to get used to if you've never used a mouse with an off-centered sensor. Although it's a laser sensor, it does not suffer the same lift off problems other laser sensors do. I don't notice any jumping when lifting. For most users, the right gaming mouse should offer the opportunity to fine-tune the weight as you wish. This particular one is built with that necessity in mind. As such, it features up to 8 pre-installed 2.4-gram weights. But even with the weights on, this device is fairly light. However, to give you a balanced and symmetric use, it has a thumb rest below its buttons.
The braided cable is quite stiff. There's very little flex and it'll drag across your desk. This cable also comes with a USB connector plaited in gold to enhance its lasting and high-level performance.
Another thing you will come to love about M908 Impact is the 16 million LED colors. You can use the software to control these lights according to what you want. Better yet, you can disable them if you so wish.
Performance
Redragon has a software out for this mouse where you'll be able to change the different settings of the mouse and you'll also be able to set up the different macros of the mouse in the software as well. You'll have to go to the official Redragon website for the software download if the mouse doesn't already come with the software by default, it wouldn't be much of a hassle if you ended up having to do that anyway. The software is a very nice part of this mouse and it is kind of rare to see a nice dedicated software to go with a mouse at this cheap price point, Redragon is doing great things. Basically, you're going to want to download the software, it is optional but if you want the most out of your mouse then you'll have to get the software some how some way!
The software allows for all of the buttons on the mouse to be customized, even the left and right-click buttons. This mouse stored up to 5 profiles so you can access the button customization settings for the specific game you want to play. The mouse enables you to program it with any color in the visible spectrum. In addition, the software allows you to change the brightness level. If you are not a fan of blinking, pulsing, and breathing lighting patterns, you can simply turn the lighting effects off. You cannot apply the lighting features to the scroll wheel light. Still, you can adjust the blinking rate, the color, and brightness to the logo, the 12 thumb buttons, as well as the arrows in front of the mouse. You can also configure the X and Y axises individually or link them together, it is entirely up to you. The mouse has on-board memory so you can save your settings to the mouse and keep them if you switch PCs.
This mouse is very comfortable to use. The rough, gritty texture makes it more grippy and unlikely to slip around in your hand. There's a small thumb rest on the left side, making it more designed for right-handed use. Unfortunately, its CPI switch is a bit tough to reach, but it's unlikely you'll need to press this button very often. In palm grip, small hands will have a hard time reaching the side buttons that are positioned closer to the front of the mouse. The Redragon M908 Impact is widely promoted a MMO mouse, but I could not resist the temptation to check how well it performs in genres outside the MMO. I tested the mouse in Skyrim, Guild Wars 2, Diablo 3, and Counter Strike. In Guild Wars 2, the M908 Impact performed brilliantly. Once you establish a good muscle memory, the chance of misclicks is non-existent. The buttons are easy to reach and I did not have any issues whatsoever with reaching up to the number row and activating skills while hovering on the WASD keys. In Skyrim, I was able to map the favorites menu and switch between spells, weapons, and shouts without making a pause. It was so exciting to watch my hero swapping spells in the blink of an eye. Frankly, I don't know how I have played Skyrim without the side buttons of the smart M908 Impact up to now. In shooters, you need a lightweight mouse, so, you can simply take the additional weights off. I am not sure what is the exact weight of the mouse, but I assure you it is super lightweight. As mentioned earlier, the mouse has a 'fire' button, which is a nice addition for shooters but I have to admit that I did not use it. It just does not feel right to cheat and use a mechanical aid when you can accomplish something on your own. In Diablo, I changed the wheel settings via the software and spammed my primary/secondary spells for the Crusader and Monk I played. If you have larger hands, you may find yourself hitting the wrong button and blowing an essential cooldown at an inappropriate moment, for example. Still, when you get used to the M908 Impact layout, you will see that it performs admirably. The clicking and movement are beyond awesome. With this mouse having a pixart pmw3327, I did not face any problems whatsoever with any cutouts, or input lag. I even tried switching between DPI's very quickly, and the mouse did not seem to lag at all. Even at higher DPIs, I did not face any problems at all. The sensor performance is remarkable. It has a very wide CPI range, and its polling rate can be set to 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, or 1000Hz. The CPI error is very low and it's one of the most consistent sensors that we've tested to date, which is impressive.
Final Thoughts
The Redragon M908 Impact is a gaming mouse that possesses all features a MMO warrior would need. It is not only versatile but also comfortable and suitable for long gaming sessions. Despite being designed mainly with MMO players in mind, it does a wonderful job in fast-paced first-person shooters and competitive MOBAs. As far as the quality of life features are concerned, the mouse sports durable Omron switches, Teflon feet, a braided cable, and a weight tuning system. It has a ton of programmable buttons on the left side, great for MMOs, and its well-built, ergonomic design should be comfortable enough to get you through marathon gaming sessions. I love how this mouse has 12 thumb buttons. There are so many ways these can be used. This mouse is for those that are basically looking for a mouse with an adjustable weight system for the lowest price point possible. The 8 weights that come with the mouse have a nice amount of weight to them making each one contribute well to the weight of the mouse. The carrying case that came with the mouse was a huge plus. I do travel sometimes and its nice to know that my mouse travels safely with me. The gold plated tips on the usb connector is an added bit of value. The mouse and the software is easy to set up and i love the color changing lights. The Lights are customizable in the software that you can download, as well as the different settings you can customize for different types of games and how you play them. In terms of thumb button usage, the front buttons are easy to press because they are in the natural resting position of the thumb. I recommend mapping these buttons to actions you plan to use frequently. The back buttons are hard to reach and awkward to press. I recommend mapping these buttons to profiles or actions you don't plan to use frequently for the sake of your wrist and thumb. Unfortunately, its shape and size is best designed for palm or claw grip for people with medium or large hands.
It is a hidden gem that can be competitive to the most established brands out there and the best of all is that it carries quite a reasonable price tag($33). To sum up, the Redragon M908 Impact exceeded my expectations and I recommend it to every budget-conscious gamer, looking for a high-quality device.
https://www.redragonshop.com/products/impact-m908
https://www.amazon.com/Redragon-Impa.../dp/B07HC4NBQ8
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