A lot of brands get over these requirements by using rough, heavy materials that can take a large amount of damage. While this is great for everyday use on a budget, it doesn’t exactly make users feel good about the purchase, considering the premium prices that are charged in the name of ultimate gaming performance.
Even the models that do feature decent quality materials are often rejected on the basis of aesthetics, as a lot of gaming peripherals try to sell flashy designs for higher prices rather than relying on actual performance to validate their perceived value. The TUF gaming series from ASUS tries to rectify these issues by featuring devices that are both reliable and good-looking while also being cheap and understated. The TUF Gaming M4 wireless mouse is a great example of this dream combination.
Design & Build Quality
The M4 features a simple and symmetrical design, with a matte black finish that blends in well with most environments. What makes the design unique are the main buttons, which have been extended forward to give a larger, more usable surface area.
The buttons feature a similar straight cut on both sides, with little to no curves. This has been done consciously to enhance the ambidextrous design of the model. The only way to tell the difference between the two sides is the presence of additional programmable buttons on the left. In total, you get 6 unique buttons that you can program using the Armoury crate app.
The body itself is made from a premium PBT polymer top cover. This covering material resists wear or shine and ensures a consistent feel and secure grip. The alcohol-safe surface also allows you to clean the mouse surfaces without concern.
The surface is further treated with ASUS’s Antibacterial Guard ionic silver treatment. As part of this treatment, positively-charged silver (Ag+) ions bind with the cell walls of negatively-charged microbes and bacteria, disrupting their internal functions and preventing further growth. This helps inhibit the growth of bacteria by more than 99% over a 24-hour period.
The simplistic look is finished off by the placement of 100% polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) mouse feet, which ensure that the mouse effortlessly glides over all types of surfaces. All these components feature a near-matching black colour, as well as a smooth plastic touch. In fact, the only component that doesn’t match the overall touch experience is the centre wheel, which comes with a rugged look and feel that resembles that of a car wheel.
Despite all this obvious toughness, what is truly surprising about this product is its weight, which comes at a surprising feather light 62gms only. This makes it one of the lightest mice available on the market, without even adjusting for the gaming and tough equipment segments.
Performance & Connectivity
The performance of the mouse is as reliable as its build quality. You get a hassle-free browsing experience, thanks to a 12,000 dpi optical sensor. There is even a dedicated DPI button on the mouse, which allows you to change between four different levels of sensitivity adjustments on-the-fly quickly.
You can tweak these settings, as well as the programmable button functions through the armoury crate app, with the option to store multiple profiles on the onboard memory. They can be programmed to respond to different functions in different applications and games.
You can easily connect the mouse to a wide range of compatible devices through a dual-wireless system that supports both 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth LE connectivity. A physical button on the bottom lets you switch between the two with ease. This way, you will always have a redundant connectivity option available, just in case either of them starts acting up.
This redundancy has also been built-in into the charging infrastructure, as the mouse can work with both AA and AAA batteries with the help of a bundled battery converter holder. This is just another showcase of how ASUS is working hard to make their TUF range of gaming peripherals the must-have choice for most heavy users, whether they use it solely for gaming or not. We would certainly recommend the M4 to anyone in the market for a lightweight gaming mouse.
