HyperX Pulsefire FPS Pro review

Adam Mathew

Posted: 21 August 2018 9:51 am News

Pop heads with the best moderately priced mouse around.

Let's be honest here: first-person shooters are not just the most popular gaming genre going right now, they're also the most frustrating one if you're trying to pop heads with a sub-par mouse. That said, if you do wish to "git gud-er" by buying a gaming-focused pointing device, you should know that the deep end can get quite expensive.

However, every once in a while you'll find the odd gem that sits perfectly in the middle of the price range while also offering the features every gamer needs. A bit of flashiness and performance in a svelte package. I'm happy to report that you're looking at that gem today.

Looks and features

For a mere $89.95 you're getting a damn stylish looking mouse with the HyperX Pulsefire FPS Pro. HyperX has gone for a smooth, single-shell design that's unlike the aggressive, heavily segmented, cyberpunk looks you'll see on many other gaming mice (I'm looking at you, Logitech G500+ series). Basically, this is the sort of device that wouldn't get you weird looks if you took it off your gaming rig and used it on an office PC.

HyperX's line of gaming mice is relatively young when compared to the Logitechs and Razers of this world. That said, the company really turned my head with the two progenitors of this model: the basic yet reliable Pulsefire FPS ($79.95) and the more expensive and feature-rich Pulsefire Surge RGB ($109.95).

Honestly, you'd be hard pressed to spot any physical changes between the shells of the two Pulsefires. Both are easy on the eye, are lightly weighted at 130 grams (including cord) and their cross-hatched side grips make them supremely comfortable to hold even for a weirdo user like myself who alternates between palm and claw grip in the heat of online battle.

Sadly the ergonomics do not cater to southpaws particularly well. But as a righty with modest-sized mitts I found the spacing of the thumb buttons to be perfectly placed. The same can be said of the middle button and DPI toggle which can be cranked up to a very decent 16,000 (the old Pulsefire maxed out at 3,200).

Last but not least, you can peacock a little thanks to the RGB lighting that illuminates the outer rims of your mousewheel and the palm-position HyperX logo. If somebody in your LAN party is packing a Surge, you're not going to be the brightest belle at the ball – HyperX has pulled back on the lighting zones with the Pulsefire FPS Pro. Even still, I think what we have here is a nice mix of subdued and stylish, but whether that's for you depends on what sort of statement you're trying to make.

Performance

The innards of the Pulsefire FPS Pro are more advanced than its predecessor thanks to some technology being borrowed from the Surge. You're getting the always accurate and reliable Pixart 3389 sensor (a step up from the 3310 in the Pulsefire FPS), and the Omron switches for all of the 6 programmable buttons feel super crisp.

I threw every modern first-person shooter I could think of at my Pulsefire FPS Pro. It didn't skip a beat during an intense demon-slaying session on Nightmare difficulty in Doom (2016) nor could I fault the performance in the battle royale intensity of PUBG and Fortnite. At all times the Pulsefire FPS Pro proved to be responsive and its extra-large mouse skates made for smooth, controlled gliding. Basically it became an extension of my hand in no time at all.

I was also mighty appreciative of the onboard memory that allowed me to store and easily recall game-specific customisations. And tinkering around with the macro option proved to be handy while reviewing the latest World of Warcraft expansion. Clearly that's not an FPS game, but what can I say? I've always been a rebel who defies conventions.

Software

Behind the scenes of this great gaming experience is HyperX's NGenuity software. It's a discreet, easy-to-use application that's quite powerful and well designed. You can quickly click in and navigate to your desired tweak be it lighting, performance or an intuitive macro creator.

Lighting allows you to mess with the colour itself (either single, dual or spectrum), and it's nice to have numerical RGB custom colour selection along with a bunch of quick-click primary chromas. Likewise you can really dial in your preferred DPI in the performance tab. The Pulsefire FPS Pro lets you keep four presets and I noticed their increments can be made to be much more specific than the old Pulsefire FPS.

Pricing and availability

The HyperX Pulsefire FPS Pro is available now and retails for $89.95.

HyperX Pulsefire FPS Pro from Amazon AU

The latest addition to HyperX's gaming mouse line delivers excellent performance and features at a reasonable price.

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HyperX Pulsefire FPS Pro Gaming Mouse specs