HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 - A Mouse Is Not Just a Mouse

After your keyboard, it's perhaps the most crucial piece of computer gear you own; your mouse. In fact, it's easy to take it for granted. For most of us, it's just an extension of our hand - we don't even think about it as we work (or game) unless it stops doing what we want it to.

And although it's so crucial, it's also quite a simple-seeming thing and given it's stayed roughly the same size and shape for decades, is there much they can do to make it better?

Especially when the "they" in this case is HyperX and the mice they already had were pretty damn good already...

There's no mistaking the second-generation Pulsfire Haste gaming mouse with the original; the first iteration was visually striking due to its unique "honeycomb" pattern of hexagonal holes cut out from the main body, buttons and underside of the mouse to keep it as light as absolutely possible.

Therefore one could be forgiven for assuming this new version isn't as featherweight as its predecessor but somehow the Pulsefire Haste 2 is lighter still, weighing in at just 53 grams - so basically nothing at all.

While it's a very similar size and shape, it feels slightly more contoured in my hand - my right hand, that is. Although the body of the mouse is symmetrical, there are two programmable buttons on the left-hand side (under your thumb if you're a righty like me). If you're lefthanded and you really need those extra controls, you'll have to look elsewhere.

The upper surface is a matte, non-slip surface but as with the original model, HyperX still includes adhesive grip tape in the box for the two main buttons and the left and right sides of the mouse itself. Great, except I have the white mouse and the grip tape is black - not very subtle. Or perhaps contrasting colours are more sporty? Does the black version come with white tape? (It doesn't. That was a joke)

The Pulsefire Haste 2 slides around just as smoothly as before on its low-friction skates and this time there's an extra oval one around the sensor in the middle, just to keep any downward pressure as evenly displaced as possible. Like last time, there's also a spare set of these skates in the box should the factory-fitted ones become irrevocably gunged up over time.

Let's discuss that sensor for a bit and forgive me but I'm going to bog you down with a few numbers here. The sensor has a native DPI of 26,000 - which is very high indeed. If you're not entirely up to speed with what more Dots Per Inch gets you, it's basically sensitivity; the higher the DPI the less you need to waggle the mouse to move things a long way. Because this isn't actually always what you want - moving quickly is important when you're being chased by a zombie/alien/enemy/bad guy - but sometimes you need accuracy and control - perhaps lining up a sniper shot or placing pieces in a complicated puzzle. That's why there's a dedicated DPI button just above the scroll wheel, to cycle through different DPI settings to suit.

How about those polling numbers though? And I don't mean who's voting for the Pulsfire Haste 2 (although I know I am). No, the polling rate is essentially how often the mouse communicates its position back to your computer. This one can do it up to an astounding 8000 times a second. So yes, it pretty much anticipates your every move.

Unfortunately for Mac users, this level of performance and other customisations are only available via the HyperX NGENUITY desktop app which is a Windows-only program. This is a shame because the Pulsefire Haste 2 works very nicely at its default settings when you plug-and-play it with a Mac, you just can't do cool stuff like change the RGB light in the scroll wheel to your favourite colour (red, obviously) or customise any of the buttons to different functions or macros.

I get that "Pro" gaming is a PC thing but there's no denying Mac users like nice things too. Perhaps a MacOS version of NGENUITY will emerge at a later date, fingers crossed.

Whatever you're plugging the Pulsefire Haste 2 into, you'll be doing so with a very long and wonderfully tangle-free, HyperFlex 2 cable. This paracord material is designed to keep snags to an absolute minimum and while a wireless model of this mouse is on the way, it'll be a bit more expensive. With a cord as gamer-friendly as this, you might as well stick with the cheaper version if you're looking to save a few bucks.

To be honest, at just over a hundred bucks (NZD), you're getting a very high-quality mouse for a great price. Given I loved the first one and they've made it better... well... you do the maths.

    

Click here for more information on the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2.