Gamertell

Product: Sandio 3D Game O2 mouse (aka 3D Motion Controller with Laser Gaming Mouse)
Price: $79.99
Rating: 5.5/10
Pros: A good core laser mouse, comfortable wrist attachment, programmable mini joysticks and cool lookin’ lights.
Cons: Not as plug-and-play as promised with certain programs. Programming interface is not very intuitive. Some ergonomic issues as well.
Overall: As a regular mouse, this works pretty well but the 3D components are more awkward than necessary. Only consider buying if you have a specific non-gaming 3D need, forgiving hands, a strong wrist and lots of patience.

In a 2D computer screen world, it can really become a pain in the wrist to try and navigate virtual 3D environments. Sure, VRML has pretty much dissolved from the world wide web but videogames, Second Life and even Google World still provide some pretty cool 3D goodness you’ll want to easily navigate.

Enter an innovative take on the computer mouse, Sandio’s 3D Game O2. It relies several mini joysticks that, when used together, are meant to help more naturally navigate through 3D environments. The concept may be great but the execution is a bit lacking.

Design – The O2 has a slightly larger footprint than the standard computer mouse measuring 3 3/8 in. at its widest, 5 1/2 in. long and 1 1/2 in. tall. An optional wrist guard placed on the bottom of the mouse extends this to 7 1/4 in long and 4 1/8 in. wide (at its widest). The USB cable measures 6 ft. 9 in. long and is covered in black plastic.

The mouse features a matte black core with lighter grey rubber and large red plastic left and right buttons. The laster on the bottom of the mouse is positioned in the center of the palm (when holding the mouse).

On each side, in a recessed cavity, is a mini joystick with a convex, rubber head. Another mini joystick is mounted on the top of the mouse, closer to the front than the opaque/ rubber wheel.

On the upper left edge of the mouse, above the joystick cavity, are two thin silver buttons that are preset to act as Back/Forward buttons in web browsers.

The mouse ships with a Quick Star Guide, Product Introduction guide and an Input Device Software CD.

A screenshot of the diagram included in the Sandio software that shows how to use the mouse.

Features – When powered, the mouse has blue LEDs that illuminate through the mini joysticks and the mouse wheel. This looks especially impressive in a darkened room but otherwise does not add to the mouse’s operation.

The mini joysticks are auto mapped to various keyboard keys. The provided software - which is now outdated and you should download free updated software from the Sandio web site - comes with some preset configurations for web browsers, various games (approx. 30 including Battlefield 2, Call of Duty 2, Half Life, Unreal 2004, Prey and Warcraft III),  Second Life and Google Earth (both are free downloads). If one of these does not kick in when you launch the application you can manually launch the appropriate configuration. A successfully loaded profile is indicated by a start window and a tab in your OS.

The software also allows you to set some of the action points on the mouse - 4 for each mini joystick (although you can clearly hear more). It also includes a basic 3D demo so, even if you don’t have any 3D software, you can try out the O2 in a 3D app.

A screenshot of the window where you can select from pre-set games or add your own.

Performance – As a regular ol’ mouse, this works beautifully. The reaction time is quick and the Back/Forward thumb buttons are quite convenient. The optional palm/wrist guard is also a wonderful yet so simple addition, keeping your palm or wrist from dragging against the desk, which may also help speed up the mouse’s speed.

As a 3D device, however, the performance was pretty hit an miss. It takes about 10-20 minutes to get used to the three-joystick control system. The easiest way to practice is either the demo or Google Earth, where the mouse seems to work best. After that, expect to spend at least that much time getting reacquainted with each application.

A screenshot of the button management application. Good luck finding this the first half dozen times.

In games and Second Life, also plan to spend a lot of time (re)mapping the joysticks and getting used to each stick’s action points (which you can hear as a light click). There are a few games that are preset but even some of those require some tweaking. As for Second Life, I was unable to navigate the 3D world at all with the The nice thing about the device is that you can map many keyboard keys to the joysticks, but the joysticks are so small that getting the exact direction will take some precision pressing (even though they left out the diagonals). In the heat of a game, that’s not likely to be too helpful unless you put in a ton of practice with your settings.

While I love the wrist/palm extension, the joysticks are positioned equally on both sides which forces the mouse to be positioned at a drastic angle instead of the tip pointing north to get the most comfortable (or least uncomfortable) finger position on each stick. After a short while, wrist pain sets in and it becomes evident that one of the joysticks (right for righties and left for lefties) should be positioned higher and closer to the tip of the mouse for more natural hand positioning. The topmost joystick also need to be raised from the mouse and angled a little less to the front since it forced my slightly above average man-sized hand to be a bit cramped like a claw.

A screenshot of the application settings launcher.

Overall – I have to hand it to Sandio for trying, The concept pretty solid and, once you get into it and get the settings just right, it’ll get you around. They even tried to add plenty of pre-calibrated settings, included instructions, a test app and a way to edit the buttons. Unfortunately, the settings aren’t always ready for rolling and it takes a while to even find where you can edit the buttons.

As a regular mouse, this works great and even worked pretty damn well with Google Earth. As a specialized, 3D gaming interface device, however, it’s a great idea that doesn’t work as easily as it should. Sure, it’ll get you there but with some wrist pain and after fiddling with some time-sucking key settings.

If you have the patience, I’m sure this will eventually pay off for you way down the road. for most gamers, however, it’s still too uncomfortable and cumbersome to recommend.

Editors Note: The categories were weighted in the following manner to reflect the importance of some features over others (in our humble opinion). Design 25%, Features 25%, and Performance 50%.