The SteelSeries Ikari Optical mouse I received last week was not the newest product from SteelSeries, but it deserves a notable review on its own. As an introduction, SteelSeries, as much as they have achieved in their mousepad designs, has NOT been a mouse manufacturer themselves. The mice they were marketing earlier in their online shops are just their own limited editions of the famous Microsoft Intellimouse 1.1 and 3.0. The SteelSeries Ikari Optical and Laser are their first attempts at designing and manufacturing a mouse – and this entry will be focused on the optical version of the Ikari, after a week of usage.

SteelSeries Ikari Optical Mouse

Manufacturer: SteelSeries
Engine: Optical
Counts per Inch: 400-1600
Retail Price: EUR 49.99

The Ikari Optical comes in a box that you’d expect from any standard mouse packages. Similar with other SteelSeries products, it has a low profile, high performance feel to it – though of course I wouldn’t judge anything right out of the box. The package comes with the mouse itself and a USB to PS/2 converter.


The Ikari optical is built very solidly with hard plastic with a glossy finish at the top piece of the mouse, and rubberized grips on both sides of it. Regarding rubberized grips, I never liked them because they always seem to wear off after some periods of usage. My old Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 had imperfections here and there throughout the whole mouse just because the rubberized surface wore off. The Ikari Optical’s rubberized side grips seemed a little bit different to me though. For some reason it felt sturdier – in fact, I convinced myself by trying to scratch the surface with a good amount of pressure from my fingernails, but it left only a small trace. (I know I shouldn’t torture mice like that I’m sorry) The braided mouse cord is a very useful implementation because it reduces a lot of stiffness on the mouse cord unlike my MSIE 3.0.



As you can see in the photo taken above is the bottom part of the Ikari Optical with the red optical sensor shining from the middle of the peripheral. One would immediately take notice of the four HUGE pieces of mousefeet. I believe that small details like these are the results of SteelSeries really working together with the professional gaming teams in the world to develop this mouse, as most gamers would know, small mousefeet are very irritating as they produce more friction, and gets worn out fast.



There are actually a total of 6 mouse buttons on the Ikari Optical, instead of 5 as stated in their official specification page. Left and right clicks, the 2 thumb buttons at the left side of the mouse, the CPI switcher button just below the scroll wheel, and let’s not forget the scroll wheel itself is a button as well. The side button proved convenient to me when I’m surfing the internet as it serves as the forward and back button of the browser. Of course, it will also prove useful to a variety of gamers out there especially FPS gamers, just for accessibility’s sake.