HyperX Pulsefire Haste

Lightweight legend

- CHRISTIAN GUYTON

OH, THAT HONEYCOMB design isn’t going away, is it? It’s been adopted by virtually every manufacturer trying to produce an ultra-lightweight gaming mouse, and for good reason; it allows for better airflow and reduces overall weight significantly without sacrificing structural integrity. It also looks cool as heck, if you like your sci-fi architecture to focus on hexagons rather than circles or triangles.

Visually, this is a pretty basic mouse. Besides the hex-patterned perforation, there’s little to focus on; just a subtle HyperX logo beneath the two thumb buttons and a single LED that illuminates the scroll wheel. This is distinctly a gaming product, but not an ostentatious one. The honeycomb holes extend up onto the back edge of the two main buttons, and a tiny DPI adjustment button nestles behind the scroll wheel. There’s no thumb rest, and lefties are left out in the cold as per usual.

Fortunately, this bog-standard layout belies a more complex interior. The left and right mouse buttons house TTC Golden micro dustproof switches rated for up to 60 million presses, which (as the name suggests) are coated in a dust shield. It’s an ideal inclusion, given the perforated casing’s propensity to gather dust and debris after extended use. If you like to eat at your desk, we advise investing in some compressed air and an extra-narrow nozzle.

The sensor powering the Pulsefire Haste is a PAW3335 from PixArt, which offers a maximum DPI of 16,000. That’s easily enough for the average user, with only the most twitchy of esports pros likely to turn their noses up at it. Considering the $50 price point, it’s a reasonable package. There’s no unique selling point here; it’s just a good mouse that doesn’t weigh much.