Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
After installing and configuring Fnatic Gear's software to our liking, we put the mouse through our series of revised standard tracking performance tests. This includes normal office usage in the Windows environment, as well as gaming. Some graphics work and testing is done with Adobe Photoshop. Games used in this test include Overwatch and League of Legends. This spans multiple genres, and allows us to get a feel as to how the mouse responds in different situations. The Fnatic Gear Clutch G1 was cross-referenced with my current daily driver mouse, the Fnatic Gear Flick G1 in addition to the Func MS-2. All testing was completed on the XTracGear Carbonic XXL. Please note these are subjective tests, but we will attempt to make it as objective as possible with our cross reference testing methods.
When I first started using the Fnatic Gear Clutch G1, it was like going back to the Func MS-2, but there were some differences too. As I used a palm grip, I found the Clutch G1 to be exactly the right width, being able to support all of my fingers, even the ring and pinky fingers. This mouse allows for either a palm or a claw grip, depending on the size of your hands, but it was more natural for me to hold the mouse in a palm grip. The Clutch G1's surface was easy to grab onto, but others may find it too smooth. The sloping and shape of the mouse felt nice, similar to the MS-2. The side buttons were placed well, while the audible and tactile feedback on the other buttons were also pretty good, despite them not being Omron switches. None of the buttons exhibited any squeaks or abnormal sounds besides the wheel shake. As for weighting, I felt like it was of a good weighting, but as with any mouse, it was something I had to adjust to. Combine all of the above with the Pixart ADNS 3310, and I was quite happy to see the range of 50 to 5000 DPI. Most experienced gamers actually keep their mouse at relatively low dots per inch. Even so, having the flexibility is good to see.
As the Fnatic Gear Clutch G1 is meant to be an e-sports grade mouse, I threw some games at it immediately. With Overwatch, I first knocked down the questions posed by first person shooters. FPS gamers look for mice that are easy to hold, and quick to respond. As similar to the MS-2, the Clutch G1 was great on both fronts. The mouse was very responsive, and allowed me to pull off full rotations without losing track of the position. There were no signs of spin out while playing, even when I really tried to make this happen. Overall, I never felt like the Fnatic Gear Clutch G1 held me back from my full potential. Its smooth movement also made gaming easier. Next in League of Legends, I found the mouse to be fine for quick movements. Multiplayer online battle arena gamers generally favor either a smaller, simpler mouse, or a mouse with a boat load of buttons. The Clutch G1 fell more into the simplistic category, and it performed fine.
As for graphical work, the Fnatic Gear Clutch G1 was quite capable. As it shares the same sensor as the Flick G1, and an even more favorable hand shape for myself, I only expected such. I fired up Photoshop to test a few things. First, I did some lasso testing, to see if the mouse was capable of selecting predetermined elements in an image. This allowed me to check for not only tracking and precision, but also for jitter while moving about. Secondly, I performed the straight line test by trying to draw a straight line with the brush. This allowed me to test for mouse prediction. Some cheaper mice will "autocorrect" itself by predicting and drawing a flat line. While this may sound great, it will hamper you in both a graphical and gaming sense, as it hides the micro movements you may actually want. For the Clutch G1, it passed both tests with flying colors. There was zero jitter while moving about, and it was quick to pick up my not-so-flat lines.
Overall performance of the Clutch G1 was great. Gaming was made easy with accurate and smooth tracking. There was no acceleration either. There was one thing I found annoying, as I mentioned in the Flick G1, and this was the slightly higher lift off distance. Unfortunately, the software did not let me adjust it, so every time I picked up and put down the mouse, the cursor jittered. This can be annoying for those who lift up their mouse frequently. I think this can be easily fixed by adding such an option in the software settings. Even so, I am happy with the Fnatic Gear Clutch G1's capabilities as a reliable mouse.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
