MSI Clutch GM60 Review

Written by Dave Alcock

September 29, 2017 | 17:00

Tags: #mouse #review

Companies: #msi

Software and Performance

At £75 the MSI Clutch GM60 certainly isn't cheap, so hopefully the software will reflect the price. There are actually two bits of software the GM60 can utilise: Mystic Light and Gaming Center.

Mystic Light is a program that allows you to sync all of the lights for your MSI products. On my test PC, I don't have any other MSI gear, so unfortunately I wasn't able to test this out at all. There are also some other products that can be used with Mystic Light, and these can all be synced together. Some hardware from companies such as Corsair, Razer, Cooler Master, G.Skill, and more can be used as well as LED strips from brands such as Cablemod and SilverStone.

As I can't test this out, I won't say too much about how this works, but if you want to find out more, take a look at the MSI page.

Gaming Center is the main software for mouse functionality. It's quite basic, but it has most of the features that we would expect. From the main screen, you can turn the LEDs on and off quickly, and to go more in-depth into the settings, you simply click on the mouse picture. From here, you can re-program all of the mouse buttons.

You can change the buttons to do multiple different functions; you can set them as multimedia keys, keyboard shortcuts, or even macro keys. To select a macro, simply select it from the list then click 'Done'.

Recording macros is very easy. It's just a matter of clicking record, typing what you want to type, and then hitting stop. You can delete delays in between keys and also move the position of each input on the list. It's a little bit confusing to see the letters in another language as well as English, but it doesn't stop you from doing what you need.

The sensor screen allows you to change the settings of your mouse such as angle snapping, lift off distance, and polling rate. According to the software and the specs, you can change the polling rate to 3,000Hz; we tried this but didn't notice any difference, and everything felt the same as it did at 1,000Hz.

The final screen deals with the RGB lighting. Although it's a simple screen, it works well and some of the effects can be very impressive. You can change each LED independently and this will mirror what is seen on the mouse. You can also select from a list of pre-made modes if you want something dynamic.

Overall, the software isn't going to blow anyone away, and it is a little bit disappointing compared to competitors like Razer, Corsair, SteelSeries, and even Asus. Having said this it does have most of the features we are used to.

Conclusion

The MSI Clutch GM60 has been rather strange to review. The hardware is nice, as the mouse is pretty comfortable and looks great. The idea that it can be used by both left- and right-handed people means that MSI can target a larger audience, and this is increased further with the additional side grips. 

The LED effects look great, and the mouse feels rather sturdy largely due to the underside's metal plate. The downside to this is that it's heavier than some would like, and there's no way to adjust this.

The sensor is a little bit of a letdown, as for £75 we would hope to see a PMW 3360 rather than a 3330, but it is still high-end. The software is functional but not outstanding, and again, for the price we would want something a bit better.

There are many mice that are at a similar price that can do just as much or more than this mouse can, and we're not convinced it's the absolute best buy for the cash. Nonetheless, it has some excellent ideas and utilises them well, and the swappable sides are something that helps it stands out - if that's a feature that'll benefit you, the Recommended award below is for you. However, if the price strays above the MSRP when it actually goes on sale (details on this are still scant from MSI, but it shouldn't be too long), then we'd definitely push you towards investing in a mouse with the superior PMW 3360 sensor instead.

Update 02/10/17: This article was originally published on 29/09/17 with a different conclusion and no award, as it was based on £90 pricing found on Amazon. However, MSI has since been in touch to confirm a UK MSRP of £75, which it will be looking to stick to when the mouse is more readily available from the usual places. We will add a proper buy-link when it is available, but MSI hasn't be able to confirm when this will be. Either way, we have amended the conclusion (see above) and added a Recommended award in light of this new pricing information - we apologise for the confusion here.


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