Cougar gaming is an emerging brand in the PC gaming peripheral market. While it’s not really a household name like some of the major brands yet, the company is really pushing that barrier by releasing some innovative and well-designed products.
Today, we’re looking at one of their latest gaming mouse to hit the market – the Cougar 550M. It’s a unique looking piece of hardware that looks quite premium with its metal chassis and look but surprisingly doesn’t break that $100AUD price point.
The Cougar 550M comes in two different color variants– Metallic Blue and Iron Grey. We received the Metallic Blue version for review which looks quite nice with the orange highlights. The blue doesn’t stand out as much as it does in the pictures however but still a brilliant color combination. If you don’t want the variant that stands out too much on the desk – the Iron Grey is a stealthier design.
The mouse feels great in the hand especially if you prefer a larger grip. There’s lots of top surface on the mouse which makes the click response great without any obstruction. I’ve seen some people use two fingers for left-clicks lately in shooters and the mouse allows this method of gameplay. Using Omron switches, the clicks are generally responsive and provide a minimal travel distance which allows FPS players to perform at the optimal standard.
The sides of the mouse also feature a great grip for better control and two distinct buttons on the left-hand side. I really liked the way they made the side buttons stand out rather than sitting flush with the chassis which prevented accidental clicks. The buttons are also large and feature the same Omron switches.
While the mouse design and performance exceed expectations from a product at this price point, there were a few features that needed improvement. On the top middle, just under the scroll wheel – there’s a DPI button that switches between preset or custom settings. While it works, the method of pulling the switch back with your index finger feels rather annoying than a simple click. The button itself unlike the rest of the mouse is also not very responsive. It’s weirdly designed but since I rarely change DPI in-game, it didn’t affect me much but probably would if you consistently do.
The other is the software, it’s not great but it works. While you can run the mouse out of the box without any issues, you’ll have to install the software to do some tweaking and RGB lighting adjustments. The software is clunky and not very optimized.
Overall, the Cougar 550M is a great mouse especially if you’re an FPS player not looking for an array of buttons but something straight up, simple and responsive. Despite the weird DPI button and clunky software, the Cougar 550M is a great mouse that exceeds expectations with its price point.
Price: $69 AUD Market Avg. | Available Now | A review unit was provided by the vendor.