Speedlink Kudos Z-9 Gaming Mouse Review

In my review for Speedlink’s Decus Gaming Mouse, I mentioned that my wife found it large and unwieldy in her grasp. Well, right off the bat I can confirm that Speedlink’s Kudos Z-9 Gaming Mouse is smaller, and more suitable for her hands.They both look similar, with the same black and red colour job, and a braided cable, but the buttons are different.

The Kudos mouse wheel can be moved sideways, which is a feature I like in a mouse, and will glow red whilst plugged into an active PC. The left and right buttons are sloped and flat, whereas the Decus had grooves for your fingers to sit in. There are two side buttons, which by default go forwards and backwards on a web browser, and sitting in the middle are two buttons, one for changing the mouse profile, the other for changing the sensitivity. On either side of the profile button are two which control the computer’s volume.

All buttons except the two on the side and the DPI

In the box, you get a quick install guide and a CD with the drivers on. Installation is painless, and the program it installs is much easier to use than the one which came with the Decus. You can set up macros and change what the buttons do for each profile, as well as a colour. It’s not as pretty as the pulsing from the Decus, but at least it changes to whatever colour you choose, instead of not switching from the rainbow setting.

Although I did like the hefty size of the Decus, the Kudos feels fine in my hand. It’s large, without filling my palm as the other did. The design is curved so that it fits your right hand very well, though you will regret it if you don’t have a mousepad, as your wrist will be left on the table. It works pretty well on woodgrain, though I imagine extended use will cause the pads on the underneath to become scratched.

The Kudos responds very well in-game, and the addition of the volume controls is great. I use them quite a bit, even though my keyboard also has them -- though they are more of a stretch than moving my index finger an inch or two.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I plugged the Kudos in. I expected it to be, or at least feel, cheaper than the Decus, but they’re actually about the same price and have the same excellent build quality. It is a little smaller and the buttons are different, so you should definitely consider which one suits your needs best from a button standpoint, as the Kudos is another excellent gaming mouse.