Gamesense is a new entrant in the world of gaming peripherals and the Meta is their first mouse. The shape is clearly inspired by the popular Zowie S2 with the goal of making it lighter and more comfortable to use. Gamesense set up to put out a modernized symmetrical mouse and this review will explore whether they’ve been successful in their goals. I previously reviewed a pre-production sample of this mouse and this time Gamesense sent me out a retail copy so I’ll be able to compare some of the changes and improvements made since.
Measurements (L x W x H)
119mm x 59mm x 38.5mm
Weight
65g
Sensor
PMW 3360
Unboxing and Extras
The mouse comes in a nicely designed box with custom artwork and it features extra skates and some basic documentation.
Design and Build Quality
The Gamesense Meta has an unassuming design with a matte black coating and a safe ambi shape. The mouse features a RGB logo and RGB lighting at the front side of the mouse. The mouse has a 5 button design with a DPI switch button on top and a RGB adjustment toggle on the bottom. The coating is extremely smooth and doesn’t have any graininess to it. It felt nice in hand and it definitely felt more premium than the original pre-production sample I tried. It should offer good grip for those with drier hands but if you sweat a lot you might want to invest in grips as it can get a bit slippery. The coating did attract fingerprints with use but nothing worse than normal.
The mouse has a nice solid feel in hand while maintaining a ~65g weight. There isn’t any side flex or creaking and the amount of bottom flex has been improved from the previous sample. The mouse feels solid and well built in hand.
In terms of the shape, I was quite happy with the Meta, it feels really great for claw. It’s a bit shorter and smaller than the Zowie S2, so it can work better for slightly smaller hands as well. This isn’t a mouse it took a long time to adjust to and I found myself aiming quite accurately and comfortably pretty quickly.
The RGB lighting is another feature that I should mention. It can be enabled and customized using the button on the bottom of the mouse. I didn’t really like the underglow effect on the mouse that much as it wasn’t too bright under normal conditions. The illuminated logo on the other hand did look quite good and gives the mouse a bit more personality.
Buttons & Scroll Wheel
Mouse 1 and 2 use Kailh GM4.0 which is a welcome change from the usual Omrons. The clicks feel responsive and light with slight tactility. The clicks offer up a satisfying click with minimal pre-travel and a bit of post travel although side play is limited. The shell works well with the Kailhs. found the main clicks work well for both tap and spraying in game. The main mouse switches have been binned, so they are on the lighter side for GM 4.0s which is a welcome consideration.
The scroll wheel has nicely defined steps with a satisfying middle click. The scroll wheel isn’t tensioned too tightly but offers a decent amount of tactility. The middle click takes a medium amount of force and you won’t actuate it by accident. The scroll wheel itself has a textured rubber over top that’s comfortable and easy to use.
In terms of the side buttons on the meta, they’re quite usable in game and I’m quite happy with them. They’re well positioned and there’s minimal pre-travel with a some post-travel. The buttons feel very clicky with a nice crispy response and they do feel more tactile than early pre-production units. In terms of sound they have a quiet, higher-pitched response.
Shape, Performance and Software
The shape is a bit shorter than the Zowie S2 and works great for claw. I found myself quickly adjusting to it and aiming well with the combination of the lighter weight and safe shape. I’d recommend it for smaller to medium sized claw grippers although I could see some gamers choosing to fingertip this mouse. The hump on the mouse isn’t too high so take that into consideration if you palm grip though it’s should still be comfortable for small to medium handed palm grippers. I did not have any LOD issues with the mouse but I don’t really lift my mouse during use. If you found the LOD too high at stock configuration Gamesense has since provided an update that will set the LOD at 1mm. I tried the update and didn’t notice a difference in performance.
Cable
The cable on the meta is pretty standard in terms of paracord style cables in 2021. It reminds me of the one that comes on the Endgame XM1 and I didn’t mind it for in-game use. It’s light and flexible enough with a bungee that you can feel confident using it without needing to paracord this thing right out the box. The cable is an improvement over the pre-production sample and it offers a slightly thicker cord that’s more flexible and it makes the mouse feel slightly lighter during use.
Sensor and Skates
PixArt 3360 is standard and the execution here did not have any issues for me personally. No spinouts or tracking issues whatsoever throughout my testing. The PTFE skates on the Meta get the job done but they don’t break any new ground either. They’ve added a sensor ring now for better glide and the skates offer decent smoothness and speed once they’ve been broken in. There is a bit of scratchiness out of the box but the mouse does feel better over time.
Pros
Nice feeling clicks thanks to Kailh GM 4.0s
Shape comfortable shape for variety of grips at a comfortable weight
Smooth comfortable coating and good side button placement
Cable is above average
Cons
Skates feel a bit scratchy out of the box
Scroll wheel has a looser feeling
Rating
8.5/10
Bottom Line
A good alternative to Zowie that offers up a Kailh switches that differentiate the mouse from others on the market. Gamesense has shown that they are aware of what consumers want from their products and I’m glad they strove to make improvements from pre-production models.
Try this mouse if you like these shapes
Zowie S2, Endgame XM1, G-Wolves Hati-S, Vaxee NP-01S
Where to Buy the Gamesense Meta