Cyber Sport Orbita Mouse review: It's pretty weird

Cyber Sport's Orbita Mouse doesn't want to be just another regular, boring mouse -- and its newness goes way beyond looks. We don't review too many mice around these parts, but this one seemed to call for some special attention, so we've spent the last few days trying to give it our exclusive overload treatment. This is not a mouse you can just unwrap and use, in more ways than one. Read on for our full impressions, and some glorious photos of this little dude in action.
We'll be totally upfront with you: we weren't looking for a better way to mouse. Honestly, at this point, it's like looking for a new way to wear pants -- there might be better options out there, but we're pretty happy with what we've got. That said, the Orbita mouse takes some getting used to, and the learning period is a little frustrating. The mouse is comfortable enough in the hand, and its operation is not completely unlike a traditional mouse, but it's different enough to be annoying when you're trying to continue about your regularly scheduled day while getting used to it. There's a lot of accidental clicking at first, shooting you off to zany ads you'd never normally click, or old, disused bookmarks -- because the entire surface of the mouse is a right-click when pressed. Not fun, but part of the process. That said, the company claims that the mouse makes more a more "freestyle, revolutionary" mousing experience, so we stuck with it.
The Orbita doesn't really need to be gripped or furiously clicked the way an old hat mouse does, and a light touch is called for here. The silicone surface feels quite nice in your hand -- though a lot different from most mice. The clicking sound that the Orbita makes is also quite pleasing to our ears. The basic configuration (which can be customized) we found to be the most intuitive with repeated use -- you push down on the surface of the mouse for a left click, rotate the entire mouse to scroll, and squeeze it for right clicks. The scroll feature is a standout -- it's far more comfortable than you'd think -- and makes for a much faster experience than traditional mice. Once you've spent some time with the mouse -- we suggest giving it a full day, at least -- you really can begin to feel the advantage of it.
We'll admit that when we got busy in the midst of day one, we threw the Orbita back onto its dock to our left and reverted back to our old standby, just for the sake of getting things done in a quicker, more comfortable manner. By the second days of use, however, we were really zooming around with the Orbita, and were able to stop thinking about how to use it. And we'll admit it: we were fairly impressed with it in action. There is also a wide array of customization possible -- different profiles for different tasks, and the 3-axis control over 3D objects is impressive. Where it shines, however, is surprisingly as an every day, regular-use mouse. The mouse never once died on us despite hours of usage -- partially due to the fact that it automatically shuts down after about five minutes of idle time, so we figure this isn't likely to be an issue for anyone.

Wrap up
There are a few drawbacks to be considered -- it's not the cheapest mouse, at around $99. If you're not into re-learning how to do things you already know how to do, maybe you want to leave well enough alone. The hub / charging dock needs to be plugged in during use, of course, and it's not exactly small, so this mouse isn't particularly awesome in on-the-go situations, either, and it's probably not going to be big with gamers. Still, if you're a fan of new things, and you don't mind laying down the cash, it may be worth checking out -- but don't blame us if everybody laughs at your crazy new-fangled "mouse."


( Engadget )

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