Pwnage gained some fans in the enthusiast community with the Pwnage Ultra Custom Wireless, a mouse that had a lot of customization options, good wireless functionality at a price point that didn’t break the bank. Pwnage has looked to re-create that formula here with the Pwnage Ultra Symmetrical mouse, a wireless lightweight shell that clearly takes inspiration from the Zowie S2 for the safe ambi shape. With so much competition in the warless gaming mouse space coming in online, let’s see how the Pwnage Ultra Symmetrical Wireless measures up. For transparency I was sent out this copy of the mouse by Pwnage for review.
Measurements (L x W x H)
120 x 60 x 38 mm
Weight
72 g (*with honeycomb sides and cover)
Packaging and Presentation
Pwnage definitely put some care into their packaging and presentation of the Ultra Symmetrical mouse. It’s got a nice glossy box and features enough extras to give you the feeling of additional value. Included in my box were two extra sets of feet, a paracord style USB-C charging cable, wireless dongle and optional solid back cover.
Design and Build Quality
The hype behind the Pwnage Ultra Symmetrical stems mostly from its shape, which closely resembles the Zowie S2. The S2 was a super popular shape because it’s a medium sized ambi that worked well with multiple grip styles and I like the Pwnage Ultra Symm shape even more as they’ve made the mouse slightly shorter and lighter. It’s a very comfortable and easy mouse for medium handed gamers to swap to without much of an adjustment period. In terms of the look of the mouse, my black version had a smooth matte coating and a design that has honeycombs on the top and sides. RGB is optional here with hits on the scroll wheel and the back but it doesn’t steal the show or impress like the RGB featured on mice like the Glorious Model O Wireless. The design of the mouse is otherwise understated with a standard six button design and a toggle on the back of the mouse to control RGB and power on/off. The mouse comes with serviceable stock feet by way of the PTFE skates which includes one around the sensor ring. The coating isn’t anything special but it goes the job done in terms of offering enough grip that you aren’t forced to buy grips for it. I also found that the mouse did a fair job of keeping fingerprint marks away and despite using my mouse for several days it still looks pretty much brand new.
The build quality feels generally very solid. There’s no creaking, side flex or bottom flex if I press in hard. There’s a slight audible rattle if you shake the mouse really hard but I couldn’t pinpoint what was causing it. There is definitely more weight towards the back of the mouse which makes it back heavy, something that is quite noticeable in gameplay and takes some adjustment. The weight is due to the battery and RGB at the back of the mouse. I was disappointed that the mouse did develop more creaking when holding the sides after a couple days and it does make me worry a bit about longer-term durability of the mouse.
The charging cable allows you to use the Ultra Symm plugged in but it wasn’t the most flexible paracord style cable out there. I would compare it to the ones on the Razer Viper or the Xtfy M4. I intend on using this mouse wireless as much as I can so it wasn’t a big thing for me. The RGB is a bit underwhelming here and isn’t integral to the design like on the MOW so I’ll likely be using this mouse with RGB off which did have the added benefit of prolonging battery life.
Buttons & Scroll Wheel
I believe that clicks are a major differentiator for mice these days and the Ultra Symm uses the familiar Omron 50Ms. Their implementation on this mouse on M1 and M2 require a medium amount of actuation force and aren’t as light as their counter-parts on the original GPW. The main clicks feel crispy and are on the loud side but for their loudness there isn’t a ton of tactility here. I found I could just their response more from the click sound than click feel. The clicks have little pre travel but a bit of post travel. Luckily side play was limited on my copy and wouldn’t be something I’d care about in-game. The clicks are easy enough to spam but I did run into a recurring issue when holding down the main buttons. Occasionally clicks, especially if I clicked lower down on the shell, the main buttons would stick to the shell and bounce back very slowly. This often could interrupt me in-games and become a source of distraction or worse mess up my spray in-game. This was a recurring issue especially when the mouse was brand new and it marred an otherwise great experience, it did get a little better after the clicks were broken in but it seems like a QC issue with my copy. I think the click feel in general was one of the weaker aspects of the mouse.
The side buttons have a glossy coating which makes them easy to find and click. They are decently snappy with some pre and post travel, I’d say they’re above average but their size and feel makes them quite usable in game. They are very light sounding clicks and don’t offer much tactility but they were very easy to adjust to and use. The scroll wheel has a nice grip with the rubber coating and isn’t tensioned too much so you can scroll quickly. The middle click takes medium force and has a been satisfying tactile response. The wheel is nice for bunnyhopping in game but I wish there was a tad more tactility. The positioning of the wheel was nicely done and I found it generally unobtrusive in all day to day use.
Shape, Performance and Software
The shape and performance of this mouse go hand in hand. The S2 became one of Zowie’s most popular shapes and this shape works well for the wireless Ultra Symm. I felt really comfortable in-game using the shape and it’s great for claw or fingertip. In terms of my aim in-game, it felt snappy and responsive and it didn’t take very long to get used to the Ultra Symm at all. If you like small to medium size ambi shapes you’ll feel right at home with the Ultra Symmetrical wireless. My nitpicks about the mouse come via the slight back heaviness of the mouse. It’s noticeable and while not a huge discrepancy it’s a step back from other wireless mice that are perfectly balanced. The version I got of the mouse also had the holes on the side which do reduce the weight by a few grams but due to the larger holes , they don’t make for the most comfortable gripping experience at the sides of the mouse. The sensor is a modified PixArt 3335 Optical and it felt fine in terms of in-game performance. Do note that you have to install the software in order to change the polling rate to 1000hz. Anecdotally I do think that the top of the line Logitech and Razer mice still have the best performing wireless sensors but this Pwnage Ultra Symm still feels very accurate, snappy and responsive in game. To me, it feels just as good as the sensor on the Glorious MOW. If you like the shape I think you’ll be confident that you can aim well with this mouse.
Sensor and Skates
I didn’t experience any spin-outs or other issues with the sensor. It offers customizable DPI ranging from 200 – 16000 DPI but I did hear some users did have issues with a high LOD, I didn’t experience this personally in use but it’s something you should be aware of as there is no ption to adjust LOD in the software.
The Pwnage Ultra Symm comes with white PTFE skates that offer decent speed and a consistent glide. They are on the thicker side for stock feet so I think they’ll last you a decent amount of time and even then there are extras in the box. I think you can absolutely get by with the skates without rushing out and buying aftermarket replacements immediately. In terms of battery life, I got about 3 days of use out of the mouse with RGB off. It’s rated for about 40-60 hours depending on your settings and I’d say that the battery life estimates from Pwnage accurate. I’d say the battery is about on-par or even slighter better than Glorious but battery life is definitely shorter than you’d find with the GPW Superlight.
Conclusion
This is my first Pwnage mouse and I really enjoy the shape. It fits me better than the S2. That’s the main factor in me liking this mouse as it delivers a decent overall experience with shape that other wireless mice aren’t providing. The MOW was too flat and long for me, the GPW is slightly too big so this rests in a comfortable middle ground. The Pwnage Ultra Symm comes at a great time in terms of filing this niche in the market although I did have some concerns about the click-feel and QC especially for longer-term use.
Pros
Lots of features, customization options and extras
Amazing shape for those who love ambi mice
Great all around value
Cons
Had QC issues with clicks on my copy
Honeycomb sides are not comfortable
Bottom Line
IF you already know you like the shape and absolutely have to wireless on a budget, the Pwnage Ultra Symmterical may be right mouse for you
Rating
8/10
Where to Buy