After several years of playing video games and testing the best gaming peripherals on the market, I have come to the following conclusion. There are two types of rodents – high-end models you need to spend a weekly paycheck on, and cheapos that do not differ from the bare-bones office mice save for the availability of a few more buttons. Every time I find something “in-between” I buy a lottery ticket that same day. Luckily, the UtechSmart Venus falls exactly into the “in-between” category. 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. If you are a novice player or you are not a brand slave, you should totally read the UtechSmart Venus gaming mouse review.
- 『SENSITIVE DPI MMO MOUSE』This professional MMO gaming mouse built-in up to 16400 DPI, 12000 FPS, 1000 Hz polling rate, 30G acceleration, 100-150in/s cursor speed, and a high precision Avago sensor.
- 『PROGRAMMABLE MOUSE BUTTONS』All the macro buttons allow you to customize the functions to your specific needs
- 『PRECISE CONTROL IN YOUR HAND』Venus MMO mouse has 12 angled buttons on the side and can be positioned faster by touch alone.
- 『COMFORTABLE SHAPE & TEXTURED GRIP』 The shape and texture on the mouse are extremely comfortable in the hand and the size is suited for most.
- UtechSmart Venus Button Layout
- UtechSmart Venus Sensor and Tracking Capabilities
- UtechSmart Venus Software
- UtechSmart Venus Build Quality
- Venus Gaming Mouse Lighting
- Venus’ Adjustable Weight Tuning System
- UtechSmart Venus In-Game Performance
- Is the UtechSmart Venus Worth the Purchase?
- UtechSmart Venus vs Logitech G600 vs Razer Naga Chroma
- UtechSmart Venus Frequently Asked Questions
The UtechSmart Venus is a mid-range gaming mouse that possesses all features a MMO warrior would need. In terms of performance and design, the mouse bears a striking resemblance to the top-notch Razer Naga and the Logitech G600, considered the jewels in the crown of the best gaming mouse for MMO.
Every practical person would ask how come a gaming mouse from a relatively unknown manufacturer is compared to giants like Razer and Logitech? Isn’t it better to play it safe and spend a couple more bucks on a well-known peripheral? I am pretty sure you must have experienced the “Buy cheap, buy twice” consequences but I assure you that the Venus is a happy exception.
The UtechSmart Venus 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.
UtechSmart Venus Button Layout
The first thing that captured my attention when I took the Venus 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.
If you have done some research about the best gaming mouse for MMO, you must have noticed that all rodents promoted as strictly MMO feature such a grid – the Razer Naga, the G600, the Redragon M901 Perdition. The latter is yet another awesome budget-friendly alternative to the expensive genre specific mice.
Apart from the mechanical button grid, the UtechSmart Venus 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 Venus 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 mouse buttons are not mechanical, which is probably the most distinctive difference between the Venus and the Naga. Let’s put the record straight, mech is life but mechanical keyboards are not easy on the pocket. So are the mechanical buttons of mice.
The twelve thumb buttons are definitely among the biggest selling points of the Venus as they enable you to activate even more game functions. You must be aware that it takes a bit of a learning curve to get used to a new gaming mouse but believe it or not, the 12-button grid was easily reachable and it did not take me ages to relearn from the Razer Naga. I tested both mice in World of Warcraft, and I did not find any significant issues when switching between them.
UtechSmart Venus Sensor and Tracking Capabilities
The Venus provides a stunning accuracy. It is equipped with a powerful Avago ADNS-9800 sensor that ensures brilliant tracking on almost all surfaces. If you are planning to use the mouse on a glass surface, you’d better have a look at the best gaming mouse pads, though.
The Venus offers the whopping 16,400 max DPI. I have no idea who would need such an absurdly high sensitivity level, but this is a nice feature to have anyways.
The lowest DPI setting of the Venus is 50. The arrow keys behind the scroll wheel let you switch between five custom DPI settings – 1000, 2000, 4000, 8,200(native sensor DPI), and 16,400, respectively.
UtechSmart Venus Software
To squeeze out the full potential of the Venus, you should spend some time customizing the mouse via the software. The customization options include polling rate adjustments, macro creation, button assignment, lighting options, and even scroll wheel behavior modifications. The “general” tab allows you to remap any of the 18 mouse buttons, assign up to five profiles, change the pointer speed, scroll speed, acceleration, polling rate, etc.
The software itself is pretty straightforward. The mouse comes with five pretty detailed profiles. The LED color on the scroll wheel “lets you know” which profile you are on.
You can customize every mouse button save for the profile selector found on the bottom. The remaining buttons are totally bindable. You can adjust them to perform not only single key presses, but also combo keys, clicks, and macros. The macro manager is a nice addition for all RTS enthusiasts out there.
As a matter of fact, I was a bit worried if the software of the Venus would be on par with the Razer Synapse or the Logitech software and whether it would give me a headache when it comes to remapping a whole lot of buttons. Luckily, the Venus passed the macro management test with flying colors.
The macro manager enables you to record different key presses to the macro, create new macro names and program any type of macro that would come in handy during a game.
You can also configure the X and Y axises individually or link them together, it is entirely up to you.
It is important to note that the configurations you make are saved per profile basis. In other words, you need to fiddle with the settings of each profile and adjust them to your preferences.
UtechSmart Venus Build Quality
Keeping in mind its price, the Venus 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 UtechSmart Venus 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 Venus 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.
Venus Gaming Mouse Lighting
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.
Venus’ Adjustable Weight Tuning System
The adjustable weight cartridge is on the bottom of the mouse. You have to flip the mouse upside down and twist the access panel. The mouse ships with eight 2.4g weights that allow you to add up to 19.2 g to its weight.
UtechSmart Venus In-Game Performance
I have no idea why most UtechSmart Venus reviews put such a little emphasis on the gaming performance of the mouse but anyway, here are my impressions.
The Venus 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 Venus 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 Venus 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 Venus layout, you will see that it performs admirably. The clicking and movement are beyond awesome.
Is the UtechSmart Venus Worth the Purchase?
To sum up, the UtechSmart Venus exceeded my expectations and I recommend it to every budget-conscious gamer, looking for a high-quality device. Although the manufacturer has made some compromises in order to keep the price low, the Venus is a nice upgrade indeed. If you currently use a no-frills mouse in the same price range, you will not go wrong with the UtechSmart purchase.
UtechSmart Venus vs Logitech G600 vs Razer Naga Chroma
UtechSmart Venus Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Venus suitable for tiny hands?
Yes, the mouse shape makes it suitable for both tiny and larger hands. It is equipped with a ring finger rest where you can put your pinky and keep your ring finger on the right click, your index on the left click, and the middle finger on the wheel.
How does the software work?
You don’t necessarily have to use the software included on the CD. However, you will have to install it in order to untap the full potential of the Venus.
The mouse keypad keys are bound to keyboard keys 0-9, + and –, and you need to use the software to change the bindings. It is essential to note that the software is not a “driver” per se. In other words, it is needed solely for programming the mouse. Once you plug the mouse into your PC, it automatically downloads the necessary driver you need for editing the hotkeys. Once you make the necessary tweaks, the bindings are saved and you can uninstall the software if you wish.
Another thing worthy of mentioning is that the mouse keypad keys can only be mapped bound to keyboard, and not mouse operations. You can assign a “shift+Q” command to button 1, but the latter cannot be assigned a “left mouse click” function.
How does the Venus work in FPS?
The UtechSmart Venus is not strictly a MMO mouse. It is totally capable of elevating your Overwatch, Battlefield 4, or CS: GO game. The adjustable weight tuning system enables you to tweak the weight and make the Venus compatible with your individual FPS gaming style.
Are the thumb buttons mechanical or membrane?
The buttons on the side do not feel mechanical. There is a lot to be desired in terms of tactile feedback. However, the top buttons are definitely mechanical.
Is the mouse a good pick for League of Legends?
In League of Legends, you don’t need all the buttons the UtechSmart Venus possesses. Still, they can be useful if you want to use potions or items in the game faster. In all cases, you will not go wrong with using the mouse in LoL.
Does the UtechSmart Venus have a visible red laser for movement tracking or it is an invisible one?
It is invisible
Does the mouse work with Windows 10? How can I find a driver?
The Venus is compatible with Windows 10, as well as the older versions. You don’t need to search for a “driver”. For further reference, go back to question 2.
Is the Venus compatible with Mac?
The manufacturer manual does not state that the Venus works with a mac but if you program it on Windows, you might be able to use some of its functions on a Mac.
Does it work with Linux?
Yes, it does
Is the scroll wheel tilting?
No, it isn’t
What is the m/s response time?
150ips
Is there a separate adjustment for the lift off distance?
The lift-off distance is already pretty short. It is probably 5mm or so. There is not a separate adjustment for the LoD.
- 『SENSITIVE DPI MMO MOUSE』This professional MMO gaming mouse built-in up to 16400 DPI, 12000 FPS, 1000 Hz polling rate, 30G acceleration, 100-150in/s cursor speed, and a high precision Avago sensor.
- 『PROGRAMMABLE MOUSE BUTTONS』All the macro buttons allow you to customize the functions to your specific needs
- 『PRECISE CONTROL IN YOUR HAND』Venus MMO mouse has 12 angled buttons on the side and can be positioned faster by touch alone.
- 『COMFORTABLE SHAPE & TEXTURED GRIP』 The shape and texture on the mouse are extremely comfortable in the hand and the size is suited for most.
Excellent product and brilliant quality. I used a couple of these to destruction (lasting a couple years each time) before pushing the boat out for a Corsair Scimitar RGB Pro – which promptly cr*pped out within 4 months of purchase, as did it’s replacement. Lesson learnt, back to utech. Fantastic mouse.