HyperX Pulsefire Raid Mouse review: Taking control

A reliable mouse is crucial to gaming on desktop. Wether you’re playing a competitive shooter, or making your way through a single player RPG, it’s important to have a mouse that is well equipped. Kingston’s HyperX released a number of computer peripherals, including mice. Their latest release, the Pulsefire Raid looks to be the best they have to offer. The Pulsefire Raid is an excellent option, but isn’t without some flaws.

A wide array of options

Designed for the right-handed gamer, the Pulsefire Raid features a total of eleven programmable buttons. It’s convenient having so many buttons at the ready on my mouse. I felt much more freedom to experiment with input settings and controls for games like Fortnite and Overwatch. Games like these constantly have players looking for any competitive edge they can find, so having a total of eleven buttons at your fingertips feels like a godsend. 

That being said, I found some awkwardness in the way the side buttons are laid out on the mouse. Of the eleven buttons on the Pulsefire Raid, five of them can be found on the left side of the device. The thumb rests just below four of the buttons, while a longer fifth button is closer towards the end of the mouse. The main four side buttons are a little too clumped together for my liking. There were many times while playing Fortnite that I accidentally placed a wall instead of a floor, because of how easy it is to mistakenly press the wrong button. I had to make a conscious effort to make sure I was hitting the bottom two buttons rather than the top two while rushing and build battling other opponents. 

Scrolling forward

In addition, the fifth button that sits toward the end of the mouse feels just a bit too far out of reach to have any useful gameplay function. It doesn’t feel quite right having to move my thumb so much while using a mouse. This would’ve been a great spot to place the sniper button instead, which sits atop the mouse right below the scroll wheel.

Outside of the side buttons, I was more than satisfied with the inputs on HyperX’s new wired mouse. The left and right mouse buttons feel good to press and are designed to comfortably rest my fingers without accidentally clicking. The mouse wheel is well designed with grips so that users can make quick and precise movements. It’s always frustrating when a wheel feels “loose” and you end up scrolling further than intended. The scroll wheel on the Pulsefire Raid feels firm, it also has functionality as a button when tilted to the left or right. I often found myself using this as a means to skip through songs in my spotify playlist.

As with so much of today’s PC gaming peripherals, the Pulsefire Raid is equipped with customizable RGB lighting. Initially set to a waving rainbow effect, users can change the color, pattern, and effects of the lighting by downloading HyperX’s Ngenuity application. The color’s are nice and vibrant, and emit from the scroll wheel and the HyperX logo. 

Sensory overdrive

Precision and accuracy are possibly the most significant aspect of a gaming mouse. Nothing is more frustrating than a mouse that feels floaty, or like it’s hindering your ability to hit shots. The Pulsefire Raid sports a Pixart 3389 sensor, which is utilized to give precise movement and tracking. Simply moving the mouse around felt incredibly smooth. The device glides over the mousepad, I rarely needed to lift and readjust my mouse. 

This sense of smoothness and accuracy stayed consistent from a DPI setting of 800 to 1600, and 3200. DPI settings can be easily configured in the Ngenuity app. The Pulsefire Raid has a braided cable that can be plugged in via a USB port. The attention to detail with the cords ensures that it moves along with the mouse. I’ve had countless moments where my cord would snag or catch on something during an intense battle, I can’t recall that happening a single time while playing with the Pulsefire Raid.

Making it click

The Pulsefire Raid manages to have just about all the bells and whistles you’d look for in a gaming mouse, while staying relatively simple and affordable. There is a bit of awkwardness in the placement of some of its buttons, which led me to not  use them. However, responsive inputs, new sensor technology, and full customization still make HyperX’s Pulsefire Raid one of the better deals in the world of gaming mice.

This review is based on a sample product provided by the publisher. The Pulsefire Raid is available now on physical and digital storefronts.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_