Speedlink Fortus Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

Introduction & Specification

Hello again, my gaming desktop has a loose rodent for the first time ever, untethered and unbungied I embark on a wireless mouse adventure.

I have done a few reviews for Speedlink peripherals recently, they have been going for decades, I even used to buy Speedlink Joysticks for my 8 and 16-bit computers. So with a lengthy computing heritage, Speedlink continue to distribute quality budget and mid-range products.

This time Speedlink have sent me a wireless mouse offering in the form of the Fortus, sold as a gaming wireless mouse, it will have to live up to some strenuous use while managing accuracy and decent battery life as gaming sessions demand endurance.

Specifications

• Wireless 5-button mouse
• LED illumination with 4 breathtaking colours
• Ultimate in ergonomics for right-handed use
• 2.4GHz wireless technology with a range of up to 6m
• Precise optical sensor with adjustable resolution from 600 to 2,400dpi
• Compact nano receiver stowable in the mouse
• Practical dpi switch for rapid sensor sensitivity switching
• Ergonomically designed with thumb indent for right-handed use
• Easy-access thumb buttons
• Rubberised finish
• On/off switchable LED illumination
• Quick, driverless installation
• Batteries included (2 x AAA)
• Dimensions: 126 × 79 × 41,5mm (length × width × height)
• Weight: 125g

As in previous reviews, Speedlink doesn’t name the sensor within their mice, I feel this is something they might want to look into. A wide range of DPI available here it will be interesting to see just how adjustable it is.

A Closer Look

Arriving in a standard box, Speedlink has continued with their packaging design which goes with most of their gaming products, a strictly black and red affair. Lots of detail about features on the front along with a picture of the teeny 2.4GHz wireless dongle.

On the back of the box, the usual multitude of languages are again used to describe the mouse.

Getting everything out of the box we get two info guides in various languages and a quick install guide, Speedlink have kindly included a couple of batteries to get you started, both these AAA cells will be required, some wireless mice can run on a single battery, however, this one has lighting to deliver. Finally, the contents have the mouse itself, but no sign of a dongle yet.

Ah there it is, the 2.4GHz wireless dongle stows away towards the rear of the mouse, this makes it great for transporting, so you don’t risk losing it somewhere in your bag for example. The hatch also reveals the battery cradle which is pretty standard. The sensor area in the middle, up towards the top we have a product label and an on/off switch for the illumination. The opaque sections at the rear of the mouse are to allow the lighting to shine through onto the surface. Finally, there are four Teflon pads around the edges which made the mouse all nice and glidey.

Up and over the top of the mouse we have a right handed bias in the design, it is rather striking. The rubber coating from the description is only present on the red section and the mouse wheel, the rest is hard plastic which feels very strong. The grooves for the lighting do feel a little odd to start with but you get used to them. Just behind the mouse wheel, you can see the DPI button. The main mouse buttons extend from the body a design which is used quite a lot these days.

Moving around to the left-hand side of the Speedlink Fortus we can see the two side buttons only offering forward and back functions, as there is no software for this mouse.

No buttons available on the right-hand side of the mouse further making this a mainly right handed affair, it would be possible to use this mouse left handed and it’s not uncomfortable, you would just lose the forward and back buttons. The left handed operation can be configured with the standard windows mouse control panel.

Getting in a front shot of the Speedlink Fortus we see some curves in the main mouse buttons, not as deep as the Omnivi but still cradling your fingers comfortably.

Here are a couple of lit-up shots of the mouse, the above image has the DPI set at 1000 and should be red, I can only imagine the Canon was having a bad day with this image.

Onto 1600 DPI we get Turquoise, there are four colours in all Green – 600 DPI, Red – 1000 DPI, Turquoise – 1600 DPI and Blue – 2400 DPI.

Performance & Testing

Being the first mouse I have entrusted to gaming, I have given this one a good couple of weeks of use before passing judgement. Playing games and doing other PC stuff, a solid build greets me along with a good response from the sensor and the buttons. The Speedlink Fortus is very comfortable for me to use in a palm style; if I did play using the claw method I doubt I would have trouble with that either, thanks to the long mouse buttons.

Application usage

My personal favourite DPI setting for general computing is 18000, the Speedlink Fortus comes with four settings that are fixed, 600 1000 16000 and 24000 DPI. Unfortunately, there is no adjustable software with this mouse so I am stuck just outside my preferred setting, this is however reflected in the cost of the mouse. I find the overall design comfortable and functional for general use.

Gaming

The important part of a gaming mouse is how well it does while actually playing games. For most FPS games I normally have a DPI setting of 600, in CS:GO the Speedlink Fortus performed ok, the sensor whose identity remains a mystery, performed equivalent to a lower mid-range wired mouse, which considering the package is quite acceptable. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a new title I have been using for testing, mainly due to its incredible popularity, here the Fortus seemed to be a better performer for me when setting to 1000 DPI. Throughout all my games I didn’t feel any noticeable lag from the mouse and with a serious two-week stint, it is still running on the originally supplied pair of AAA’s. The mouse does have power saving which no doubt contributes to the longevity of the batteries and there is a switch underneath that can turn off the lights, although that makes it difficult to determine which DPI setting is selected.

Conclusion

So here we have a wireless gaming mouse with four DPI settings being made available at the time of writing at around the £27 mark. This is in the lower mid-range pricing range and very encouraging for a wireless device at this spec. The mouse is well built but not very heavy, being comfortable to use and responsive the Speedlink Fortus has many plus points.

Performance

The Fortus’ sensor is not identified by Speedlink, the four DPI settings are in the ballpark for most uses 600 for fine detail and accurate FPS gaming, 1000 for those that like a slower moving pointer or RTS games, 1600 and 2400 for desktop use when you need things to be a little speedier. The response for the sensor is acceptable and the main buttons have decent travel and a nice clicky feel. The mouse has allowed me to play games and do all my other computing tasks with solid performance, the batteries are still going strong, helped along by the power saving function which kicks in automatically if the mouse is not moved for a while or when the PC is powered off and stops broadcasting from the dongle.

Design

I really like what Speedlink have done with the Fortus, the mouse is ergonomically comfortable, it would feel just fine as a left handed mouse, unfortunately without comparable forward and back buttons. The materials are light and the rubberised coating is only focused on the red area, the rest is a lightly textured plastic, which to start with along with the grooved for the lighting, can feel a little harsh. The battery compartment also being able to house the 2.4GHz wireless dongle is very nifty indeed, no risk of losing the dongle during transportation, I did, however, have to take out one of the batteries to retrieve it once it was stowed. The included dongle is tiny and fits snugly into a USB port without intruding on other devices. The overall design is aimed at gamers, the red colouring is in line with Speedlink’s other gaming products so would not be out of place on a Speedlink desktop. The lighting is ok but doesn’t fill out the opaque plastic that it shines through it’s like there is a bulb under the palm and the light fades at the edges.

Value

A capable wireless gaming mouse for under £30 you say? Yes please. The Speedlink Fortus is great value, if you are considering entering the wireless gaming mouse club. This could be an excellent starting point to test the waters, the mouse doubles as an excellent desktop worker too. The Speedlink Fortus is getting a value award for Speedlink’s clever positioning in the market.

Final Thoughts

Speedlink have been showing me some excellent products recently and the Fortus is no exception, as an entry level wireless gaming mouse, this a definitely worth consideration before venturing down the pricier options. The great build quality and performance combined with excellent battery life gives the Fortus a Silver award to add to the Value award. It has certainly opened me up to wireless gaming mice and I hope they do a premium model which would be an excellent upgrade, adjustable DPI for starters would be fantastic. Well done Speedlink.