A world-known esports organization Fnatic keep conquering gaming hardware niche. I have reviewed some Fnatic devices earlier and was happy to get a chance to put my hands on new mouse Clutch G1. At first glance it seemed like a Flick G1, but the difference between these two is pretty massive. Let's have a look at everything in details.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Dimensions: 68 x 130 x 43 mm
- Weight: 116 g
- MCU/Processor: Holtek HT68FB560
- Switches: Omron D2FC-F-7N
- Sensor: PMW 3310
- Memory: 256kB
- Resolution: 5000 CPI
- Report Rate: up to 1000Hz
- Connection: Gold plated USB
UNBOXING
The design of the box has the similar design of other
Fnatic Gears products. “Clean" and minimalistic design with branded color insertions.
Per tradition, key features and technical specifications are described on the backside.
The box is small and besides the mouse you can find Quick Start guide there.
DESIGN
In comparison with
Flick mouse, Clutch is slightly twisted for better grip. In addition, the mouse is slightly bigger and heavier which also made Clutch more comfortable to use. You can find one more button under the mouse-wheel.
On the left side there are two quite big buttons.
There are no buttons on the right side.
The cable is braided and USB-connector is gold-plated.
On the bottom-side, you can find 3 slide-zone and technical information.
SOFTWARE
Mouse is the plug-n-play which means you can use it upon attaching it to USB port. For using all its features, you have to download software from official website.
The installation procedure is similar to any other Windows software.
Clutch G1 supports three profiles and possibility to backup and restore settings.
In the main tab called Basic Settings, we can adjust CPI, resolution in both X and Y and polling rate. For your convenience, you can adjust global Windows settings of mouse sensitivity, mouse-wheel scrolling and double-click speed right from the same tab.
In
Button Assignments tab you can reassign mouse buttons. This tab made in a very convenient way and without any issues you can configure mouse buttons according to your needs and requests.
Important to note, that besides standard mouse-button functions, you can add control media-player, use MS Office or Windows commands, etc..
Clutch G1 supports RGB backlit, which can be adjusted from Color Settings tab. You can change color, saturation, brightness, pulse mode or disable backlit entirely.
Hardcore users will pay attention to
Macro Settings window. Here you can record complicated combination of keyboard and mouse buttons. Just press “record" icon and type required combo. After that, stop recording by pressing the same icon and save it. Assign recorded macro to any mouse button and you're done.
The software is quite impressive. It has all main features and the interface is very comfortable to use. During the test, I didn't face with any single glitch.
CONCLUSIONS
I liked previous model Flick G1, but am impressed even more by Clutch G1. Due to changed shape, left-handed users will be disappointed, but right-handed gamers will be happy due to way better grip. Mouse became slightly bigger and heavier which also makes it easier and comfortable to use.
Mouse worked perfectly in both gaming and routine apps. Due to fact that this product oriented and actually used by professional gamers, the technical specifications are extremely high.
It is worth paying attention to an additional button under the mouse-wheel. It's not just one more button, but additional logic for paired combos. For example, for changing profile or weapon (next-previous), copy-paste, play-stop, etc..
The software is very well written. The convenient interface will allow using all its features without reading documentation.
I found couple of cons though. It's not possible to assign auto-switch mouse profile based on launched app or game. And you can't customize the weight of the mouse.
Conclusion is short. New mouse from Fnatic is a big step ahead. It's clear that Fnatic Gears are constantly working on improving their products and Clutch G1 is a perfect example of it.
Pros:
- Comfortable shape
- Excellent build materials and sensor
- RGB Backlit
- Braided gold-plated USB cable
- Easy-to-use software
Cons:
- Not possible to auto-switch profile based on launched app or game
- Weight is not customizable