Pwnage StormBreaker gaming mouse review — This ax is sharp

While I normally use a controller when I game, I still recognize the importance of a good gaming mouse. Number one, some games just feel better when using a mouse, like an RTS or strategy game. Number two, if the ergonomics don’t work, your hand is going to be shot. In reviewing the Pwnage StormBreaker, I’ve found something that does both well, and more.

Inside the box you’ll find more or less what you’d expect. There’s the StormBreaker mouse, the USB pyramid-shaped receiver, a USB-C cable for both charging and connecting to the receiver, and adhesive grips you can apply, along with a little screwdriver (more on that later). I appreciate the braided cable, but I do wish the receiver had a built in USB-A so as to not require the extra carriable.

The StormBreaker itself is a thing of beauty. Right now you can pick through several limited edition colors, and once those are out of stock the standard black and white will be available. I love the red, and the sleek design underneath the color is really slick. It features five buttons total, the right and left mouse buttons, the mouse wheel, and two side buttons. If you’re wanting a ton of button customization, there may not be enough here, but in my opinion it’s just right for most. I do bemoan the lack of a DPI button under the mouse wheel (there is a button combination to change it, but that’s a bit crude). It may not always be standard, but it’s extremely useful.

There are also PTFE skates on the bottom, ensuring a nice glide as you click heads in any shooter game. It feels natural, and that’s how you want it to be. Pwnage also offers glass skates to switch out, and even for an extra $20 they’re pretty slick, in more ways than one. It’s a pretty easy swap out as well, so you can certainly get the most out of your StormBreaker quite easily. This is followed up with grip tape, but I’ll be honest, who wants to cover this beautiful thing? The good news is it has a great ergonomic feel, so I’ve not been as concerned about applying it as I have been with previous mice.

Of course, everything sounds good when it comes to the look, but how does it feel? As I mentioned, the design and grip are fantastic. Some gaming mice can make your fingers and wrist tire, but this one hasn’t given me any fatigue. Mouse shapes don’t usually differ much, but this one feels great in hand. It’s also not too large or too small, it’s in that perfect middle category that makes it available for anyone.

The big selling point for the Pwnage StormBreaker is that it’s made of magnesium metal. I’ll be honest, out of the box you can’t really tell. It’s only when getting a really tight grip that you know this isn’t plastic. This is because it’s so lightweight, it almost doesn’t seem real. For reference, my daily driver, the SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless, clocks in at 74 grams. My work mouse, the HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless, is 61 grams. Somehow, this metal marvel in the StormBreaker is only 51 grams. It’s unbelievable, and it really is lighter than air. Also, I wouldn’t test the metal shell by throwing it off anything, too expensive for that.

None of that matters if it isn’t viable for gaming, and the StormBreaker is well accomplished in this area. Its success falls on several factors, the sensor being at the center. Or wherever you want it. That’s because you have the option of moving your sensor north or south, using the included small screwdriver. I’ve never had this kind of versatility in a mouse, and while I’m hesitant to move it much, I can see this being very beneficial to those who want every ounce of competitive edge on their side.

The PAW 3395 sensor included with the StormBreaker isn’t just movable, but highly customizable. It features 26,000 DPI, and while that isn’t a button press away (it’s several), you can use the StormBreaker’s software to customize it to the level you prefer. Even better, you can adjust the polling rate as well (the rate your mouse reads the incoming data), amping things up to 2000. It’ll eat up your battery faster, but both give you a lot of power.

Speaking of the battery life, this one is incredible. Pwnage advertises 120 hours, which is fantastic. It feels like I’ve gotten every bit of it, taking it to work with me and using it between job and play for a week without needing to charge it. You can also adjust when the StormBreaker goes to sleep, so you can conserve battery when needed. This is at the 1k polling rate, but considering I’ve never had to worry about my battery life at all, I doubt 2k will be too much. Especially with USB-C charging giving you a ton of charge in minutes.

Now that I’ve teased you long enough, let’s talk about how this bad boy works in-game, as that’s the most important thing. Again, I’m not a big mouse player, but this one at least gives me a little pause on hooking up a controller. While playing Call of Duty and Halo Infinite, my shots have been crisp, my clicks feel great (thanks to some phenomenal buttons, got to tip the mouse wheel especially), and my movements are accurate. I even feel like controlling my weapon recoil has felt natural, which isn’t something I figured I’d ever say. It’d take some time to practice in order to make the switch, but this is an amazing device. It’s not too jittery either, working just as well with a slower game like Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

I had a few cons originally, with some mixing of signals affecting my headset and the 2000hz polling rate bugging up really badly, but all it took was an update for everything to work perfectly. Maybe this is just a PSA, but please update your devices when you get them. My issues won’t be the same as everyone else’s as my unit was a review mouse with earlier software, but you’ll get the best out of your gaming mouse if it’s running the newest update.

To finish it off, the StormBreaker software might be super simple, but it’s effective. In the menu you’ll find the Main, Advanced, and Macro settings. The main settings are just what your mouse buttons do, the Advanced controls several things like the DPI list and polling rate, and Macros are exactly that, Macros. You can even change what color light inside the StormBreaker shines so you have an indicator as to what your DPI is (No RGB on this one, sorry gamers). As long as it works, nothing has to be overcomplicated in your software.

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