THE Alienware brand has been synonymous with the world of PC gaming for as long as I can remember. From their beefy gaming laptops to their prebuilt desktop gaming PCs that proudly adorn the brand’s iconic Alien head logo, they’ve always been around as an option for those wanting to dip their toe into the RGB-laden waters of PC gaming.
Despite being an icon of the PC gaming space, I’d never once owned or messed with an Alienware product up until just recently, when the opportunity arose to get my hands on some of their PC accessories, such as the Alienware AW720M Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse, a solid gaming mouse with various connectivity options and an extremely impressive battery life.
Available in black or white colours, the Alienware AW720M is a visually sleek and standard looking gaming mouse, with an ambidextrous design complete with an RGB Alienware logo.
At 86 grams, it’s not the heaviest mouse by any stretch, but it does feel a tad heavy, especially if you’re using one of the myriad of lightweight gaming mice currently available on the market. I personally found it to be too hefty initially, but as I acclimatised, I grew to enjoy the mouse despite its weight. It glides effortlessly across a mousepad too, making the experience of using it an even more enjoyable one.
The sides of the mouse are textured, which is nice, but I do wish the texture was a tad more pronounced, as it’s not exactly the grippiest.
The left and right sides of the mouse feature two buttons each, bringing the total number of buttons present on the mouse to eight, also including the scroll wheel, the left and right mouse button, and the DPI adjustment button.
Having two side buttons on each side of the mouse is a welcome idea that I really want to get behind, but the placement of the buttons on the outer hip of the mouse is quite hard to reach. They are still better to have than not at all however, and are great to assign Macros to in the Alienware Command Center software, but I wouldn’t think most would be using them in a pinch while gaming.
Adjusting the DPI of the mouse can most easily be performed by pressing the aforementioned DPI button, which can be found on the underside of the mouse.
There are five levels of sensitivity set to corresponding colours by default, with the ability to adjust the value in the Alienware Command Center. With an optical sensor maxing out at 26,000 DPI, it’s fair to say you’ve got a bit of range to work with.
I definitely appreciate there’s a button that allows for shifting between different DPI profiles, but I do find it a bit silly that it’s located at the bottom of the mouse, requiring you to flip the thing over to toggle it. Various other mice I’ve used in the past such as the Roccat Burst Pro Air and Logitech G305 feature the button just below the scroll wheel and are much more enjoyable and efficient when it comes to adjusting DPI as a result.
Like a lot of high-end wireless gaming mice hitting the market over recent times, the Alienware AW720M features three modes of connectivity (hence “Tri-Mode” in the product title). The mouse can be used wired to your device with a USB-C to USB-A cable, and can be used wirelessly via the included 2.4GHz wireless receiver or Bluetooth, leaving you with plenty of different options whether you’re gaming on the go or in the comfort of your personal gaming space. Toggling between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth can be done by adjusting the switch present on the bottom of the mouse.
The mouse comes packaged with a braided USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB-C dongle, and an extender dongle that allows you to use both the dongle and charging cable from the same USB port, providing a magnetic charging alternative in the process.
The magnetic snap charging is something I hadn’t experienced on a mouse, and while I’m a fan of the tried and true USB-C connection, there is something satisfying and stress free about magnetically snapping your mouse in to charge.
While you can use the mouse via its USB-C connection, you’ll likely never really need to for long, as the battery life is remarkable. Touting roughly 140 hours through 2.4GHz and an insane figure of 420 hours through Bluetooth, the Alienware AW720M lasts a surprisingly long time, and charges up extremely quickly, giving about 20 hours of battery life from a five minute charge alone.
I’m used to the value deemed by the manufacturer being vastly inaccurate, and yet I found the mouse to last longer than pretty much all other mice I’ve used before, as I jumped between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connectivity across devices.
I’ve used my fair share of gaming software tools throughout my time, and while Alienware Command Center is on the lower end of my preference list, it’s actually a pretty reliable tool for getting the most out of the Alienware AW720M mouse.
It allows for easy customisation of the RGB lighting present on the mouse, providing different effects and 16.8 million colours to pick from. Macros allow for you to provide buttons with custom behaviour, such as shortcuts to folders or software, while Settings serve as general purpose options menu that has further niceties like a power saving mode and the ability to custom set the DPI on the five DPI profiles.
It’s also possible to assign themes to the mouse that link to games present on your PC, which is cute for those interested. Overall, it’s a decent piece of software, and is definitely worth using alongside the mouse to make the most of it.
Priced at just over AUD$150 on Dell’s website, and hovering anywhere between $200 and $250 across other retailers, the Alienware AW720M is a pricey purchase. Paying in excess of $200 for this mouse is frankly absurd and not something I’d recommend, however at $150 I do find it to be a reasonable pick up given its three modes of connectivity, its amazing battery life, and its quality aesthetic and feel in hand.
If you aren’t in the market for an ultra lightweight mouse and just want something that feels great to use and visually fits the part also, then the Alienware AW720M is a quality pickup at around that $150 price point.
#gameonAUS
Written by: @GrumpyGoron
