#MAC COMPATIBLE GAMING MOUSE SOFTWARE#

If you really want to take advantage all of the mouse’s capabilities, including the programmable 9 button keypad, you’ll need to factor in a few additional software items.Īfter downloading all the software items above, follow the steps below to make the Venus MMO mouse work with OS X.

#MAC COMPATIBLE GAMING MOUSE DRIVERS#

Out of the box, the basic left, right buttons and scroll wheel work on the Mac with no additional drivers needed. But in its default state, the 12 button keypad will only act as numeric keys on the Mac. You can see a few of the color modes in the photos below. Users can toggle between five different color modes, including Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple and Red. Here we see a few on the front of the unit. When removing weights, you can place them into the included weight holder (which resembles a hockey puck). The weight compartment lets you adjust the heaviness of the Venus mouse.

The bottom side of the mouse has color mode control, to the right of the laser. These keys felt a little soft for my taste I would have preferred a more tactile click response.

#MAC COMPATIBLE GAMING MOUSE DRIVER#

On Windows devices, these keys can be assigned to various keystrokes / commands using the supplied driver software. The left side of the Venus mouse features a 9-button keypad. When plugged into your computer, the Venus mouse illuminates. When all four LEDs next to the up / down arrows are lit, the mouse operates at 16400 dpi. The up and down arrows control the sensitivity and precision of the cursor movement. There is a fourth button located on the far left of the unit. The top of the unit features left and right buttons, with a scroll / click wheel in the center. It has some heft to it (more on that in a sec) and sports a sleek look. The device itself is comfortable to grip, and made with texturized high quality plastic. The mouse includes a generous length of cable for connecting to your computer. The unit comes with an 18 month warranty from the date of purchase. (Why is there fire under the mouse?) Inside the box is the mouse itself, a small questionnaire, some adhesive padding, a mini disc with Windows drivers, a weight holder and a quick start users manual. The box, shown above holds its contents well and is easy to open, but painfully amateurish in design. I wanted to see whether or not such a device would be useful to me as a Mac productivity junkie.īut I’m getting ahead of myself. When UtechSmart approached me to write a review on their Venus Laser MMO Gaming Mouse, which does not include Mac support, I took it as a challenge. With such a device, I could assign commonly used keyboard shortcuts for quick and easy access. While I am not a gamer, I can see tremendous value in having an input device with multiple programmable buttons. Vendors of these input devices almost exclusively target Windows users. Nowhere is this more evident than in the category of gaming mice. Mac users have often been treated as second or third class citizens when it comes to input devices. I looked for wireless mice and keyboards that would fit the needs of a wide variety of users.How to Make a Venus Gaming Mouse Work with OS X To find the best wireless keyboard and mouse combos, I spent over a dozen hours sifting through reviews and specifications. My work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Reuters, The Guardian, and many other publications. I regularly review personal technology products, including laptops and keyboards. I’ve spent years testing out mice and keyboards in a quest to find the best. I am a technology journalist who’s incredibly picky about the keyboard and mouse that I use on a daily basis. There are also ergonomic mice and keyboards that are shaped to reduce hand and wrist strain. If you travel a lot or have limited desk space, you might want to consider a mouse and keyboard that’s on the smaller side. Mechanical keyboards are the best choice for gamers or people who are picky about the feel of keyboards. Mechanical keyboards give a lot of physical feedback, but they tend to be loud and heavy. This type is best for general computing and people who value portability. Membrane keyboards tend to be small and quiet, but they often don’t give users much feedback.

The two main kinds of keyboards that are available are membrane, which is the most common, and mechanical. The best wireless combos offer similar performance to their wired counterparts, but you’ll need to make sure your computer is compatible and factor in limited battery life and charging time (for rechargeable models). With a wireless keyboard and mouse, you eliminate the tangled mess of cords on your desk. There’s nothing quite as liberating as switching from a wired keyboard and mouse setup to ones that run wirelessly.

Mac compatible gaming mouse