Introduction
Logitech, Roccat, Razer belong to the top echelon of gaming mice. Does the Steelseries Sensei Ten belong at the summit? I will find out in this review!
Specifications
No surprise, we’ll start with the specs again!
Sensor
TrueMove Pro
Sensor Type
Optical
CPI
50–18,000 in 50 CPI Increments
IPS
450, on SteelSeries QcK surfaces
Acceleration
50G
Polling Rate
1000Hz 1 ms
Hardware Acceleration
None (Zero Hardware Acceleration)
Design
Back Cover Material
Black Soft Touch
Core Construction
ABS Plastic
Shape
Ambidextrous
Grip Style
Claw, Fingertip, or Palm
Number of Buttons
8
Switch Type
SteelSeries mechanical switches, rated for 60 million clicks
Illumination
2 RGB Zones, Independently Controlled
Weight
92g (3.25oz) without cable
Length
126mm
Width
63mm (front), 68mm (back)
Height
21mm (front), 39mm (back)
Rubber Cable Length
2m / 6.75 feet
Compatibility
OS
Windows, Mac, Xbox, and Linux. USB port required.
Software
SteelSeries Engine 3.15.1+, for Windows (7 or newer) and Mac OSX (10.12 or newer)
Box Content
Product Information Guide
Sensei Ten Gaming Mouse
Unboxing
Time to unbox the Sensei Ten!
Most winning in Esports…Exactly how I feel after a few games…Ahem… 😛
The Sensei Ten is neatly wrapped in like we are accustomed to with SteelSeries.
And of course, a manual is included.
A classic of Steelseries, the logo is right where it should be. The logo itself is RGB and configurable in the software (Which I will review as well later on).
The Sensei Ten seems neat/calm, no crazy shapes.
At the top you can find a DPI switch (able to switch up to a maximum of 5 profiles).
You can find 2 thumb buttons on both the left, and right side. Which means that you can use it whether you are left or right handed.
The mouse has quite a bit of length, allowing you to use the buttons in different ways. You can choose between a Claw, Fingertip or Palm grip.
Combine it with a Steelseries QcK Heavy XXL and you’ve got yourself a good combo!
Software
Another pro from SteelSeries is that it uses uniform software that can all centrally control multiple products, provided it’s SteelSeries of course.
Can’t manage to hook it up by yourself? There’s always the FAQ! 🙂
In the settings of the Sensei Ten there’s quite a bit of customization.
On the left hand side of the screen you can edit your buttons. Do you want your thumb button to execute a macro? Or act as a play/pause button for your music? You can make it happen.
On the top right you can edit the DPI profiles. Up to a maximum of 5 unique profiles which you can easily access pressing the DPI switch on your mouse. One slight disadvantage, if you’re on profile 1 and you want profile 2, you’ll need to go through 3, 4 and 5 first…
You also have options in the form of acceleration/deceleration, angle snapping and polling rate. Acceleration/deceleration and angle snapping decide how the mouse reacts to your movements. By editing the polling rate you tell the mouse to check your movements in communicating with your computer. Whether that’s every millisecond or every 8 milliseconds.
Both the scroll wheel and the logo have RGB. You can also configure the zones of this in the following presets:
– Steady (one color)
– ColorShift (automatic color switch)
– Multi Color Breathe (breathe with a multitude of colors)
– Disable Illumination
On the left, you can also edit different configs. You can select a different profile for a different application. For example, you can set your DPI with The Division 2 to 6000, and with Battlefield V 4500.
It’s also easy to record macros and set them to buttons. Even better, you can even edit the timings after recording.
The Steelseries Engine also has a good few plugins that work with a SteelSeries keyboard, headset or mouse.
These plugins can be found in the library, with a whole lot more presets for different applications.
A huge plus with the Steelseries Engine is that you’re not required to have an account. You of course still have a choice to log in, and have access to some extras.
Gaming and use
The Sensei Ten is equipped with a pretty good sensor. I’ve used Steelseries for years, and I’ve never experienced inaccuracy due to a fault of the mouse. The sensors work great in my experience, and work like they should.
The great thing about a mouse with this many buttons is the amount of options. For example, you could set up Anno 1800 with specific presets/elements saving you a lot of mouse clicks.
The Sensei Ten is also ambidextrous, meaning you can use it for your right, and left hand.
When it comes to gaming and normal use – even surfing around on the internet – this is a good mouse in my opinion. Compared to the Rival 600 the Sensei Ten is a lot flatter. The Rival 600 (only for right handed) has more shapes and is designed more for a comfortable palm grip.
Extra buttons on the side means you could potentially use page up/down or forward/previous page whilst surfing, good addition!
Comparing the Sensei Ten buttons left and right with the Rival 600, there’s a difference. The Sensei Ten is a bit more stiff…Slightly heavier before it truly ‘clicks’. If you have big hands that’s a bonus, preventing you from accidentally clicking. Very neat to have in shooters!
Whilst playing a few games in The Division 2 I was very pleased with the performance of the Sensei Ten. The mouse is accurate, and glides over your mouse pad without a hitch. (QcK Heavy XXL or QcK Prism Cloth).
Conclusion
With the Sensei Ten, SteelSeries brought out a good contender on the market. A mouse that has both right and left hand options. The Sensei Ten is equipped with quite a few buttons and a good sensor. The mouse also has claw, palm or fingertip grip capabilities, meaning you’ll be set with whatever you prefer.
When it comes to gaming .. Well, I can be quite brief. The Sensei Ten fits well in your hand, buttons are direct, and the sensor works well. Combining it with a Heavy QcK XXL you’ve got yourself a winner at home.
Having two extra thumb buttons on either side, your options grow; page up/page down, mediabuttons, macros etc.
Whilst surfing these buttons come in handy too. Setting either page up/down on mouse buttons saves scrolling, and forward/backwards whilst reading articles makes it easier too.
The Sensei Ten quality is good, the mouse itself is firm, glides over any surface such as a table or desk and functions like it should.
The neat thing about Steelseries products is that they can all be configured in the Steelseries Engine. The engine ensures a whole plethora of options on top of the plug&play standard capabilities. Edit polling rate, DPI and loads more. Including of course the RGB, go wacky, or disable it. Long story short, Steelseries got themselves a worthy addition with the Sensei Ten.
In my opinion, this mouse deserves a spot among the titans of the industry. The Sensei Ten works like it should work, is very accurate with the TrueMove Pro sensor, and that in turn makes gaming a whole lot more fun.
The Steelseries Sensei Ten gets a 5 out of 5 stars from me.
