Touch Sensitive Scroll Function
One of the very first things that’s noticed when using it is the absence of a physical scroll wheel.  Instead, the OBSIDIAN has a touch sensitive scroll area where a wheel would be located.  Of all the things I had to learn with this new mouse, this one gave me the most problem.  (Maybe this is the “terror and torture” segment, huh?)  It is also the one thing that prompted me to think that Saitek needs to put together a set of dedicated drivers for this mouse. 

Here’s why:

The scroll area sensitivity is such that I found all too often that just placing my finger in the well would cause the Scroll Lock to activate.  As I seldom ever use this feature of a regular mouse, I certainly wasn’t inclined to use it on this one.  But, repeatedly I found myself having to undo the Scroll Lock when browsing the WEB or within programs where Scroll Lock is featured.  The manual states that activating the Scroll Lock requires “tapping” the center of the area.  But, I found tapping just wasn’t needed.  Just placing my finger there would do it.  So, if Saitek could come up with drivers that would allow for a sensitivity setting for this, it would be very, very helpful.

After several days of working with the mouse, I finally discovered that if I imagined the well of this mouse to be a raw egg yolk that I didn’t want to break and would ever so lightly move my finger across it, I could accomplish what I was trying to do – most of the time - without activating the Scroll Lock.  To me, the learning curve is just too much after years of working with regular scroll wheels.

Other Problems Abound
And, there are other problems related to this touch sensitive scrolling. The major and most annoying of these is the lack of accuracy.  Those of us who use regular scroll wheels are accustomed to the light “clicking” of the wheel to indicate how far we’re scrolling with each rotation of the wheel.  There’s no such “clicking” with the touch sensitive system and getting to where you want to go can be a bit of trial and error…and trial of patience.

Another feature of the OBSIDIAN is the inclusion of side buttons for Forward and Backward scrolling.  This works for moving from one page to another, either forward or backward, when browsing the WEB or in other applications where the feature is supported.  These buttons can be set up for other actions just like with other devices with side buttons. 

But, due to how they are designed and located, one can very easily activate a side button without intending to do so.  Simply lifting the mouse off the surface can activate a side button action.

Exchanging The Batteries
The OBSIDIAN came with two rechargeable batteries. It’s a good thing, too!  The battery charge is estimated to last around ten hours per charge.  The recharging of the battery takes about two hours. After a couple of weeks of use, I found these estimates to be fairly accurate.  I also found it very easy to exchange the batteries when needed.  The battery is removed very easily by sliding a switch on the bottom back of the mouse and letting the battery pop out of its socket. 

Placing the charged battery in is as simple as just pushing it into place.  I have no complaints about how easy it is to do this.


The above photo shows the battery and the retainer switch used to allow the battery to be removed.

Low Battery Indicator
When the battery is losing charge, the yellow light ring around the touch scroll area (that I pointed out previously) begins to blink slowly.  This is the only warning given that the battery is low.  There’s no onscreen warning for this.  Although I would prefer there to be one, I’m sure the lack of specific drivers for the OBSIDIAN accounts for this.  However, even without the onscreen indication, I did notice a few times that the ring was blinking and would change the batteries.  I never did experience a completely drained battery in the two weeks I tested this mouse. 

Using The Obsidian in Games
Once I got accustomed to using the mouse under normal usage - as well as I thought I ever would - I decided to see how it would perform in games.  Sadly, I discovered another problem related to this touch sensitive system: Namely, changing weapons where a scroll wheel is normally used.  It’s just too easy to overshoot/undershoot the weapon of choice.  That means it’s better to use Quick Keys to select weapons as opposed to changing them on the fly with the touch sensitive scroll system.

Sadly, there’s still another problem and this one is a very simple matter of basic cursor movement.  My mouse pad is the X-Trac Ripper XXL from xtracpads.com.  It’s a black cloth mouse mat that I’ve been using for several months without any problems with other mice.  The mat is designed specifically for optical mice and for gaming.

With the OBSIDIAN, I found all too often that the cursor would not respond as quickly, smoothly, and accurately as with previous mice.  The affect would be that the cursor got “stuck” and wouldn’t respond to very slight movements of the mouse.  When this happened, I’d have to lift the mouse off the pad and, in affect, reset the cursor. When needing to depend on a very accurate mouse this becomes a big problem.  I tried various mouse settings in the Control Panel/Mouse options and couldn’t quite get the kind of response I was looking for.

So, again, I would encourage Saitek to create some drivers specifically for the OBSIDIAN so that some of these features can be better tuned to various systems and user habits.

Final Observation and Conclusion

PROS:

1. I like the overall look and feel of the OBSIDIAN. It’s got a very sleek and attractive appearance and feels very solid when in use.

2. The concept of using a quick-change rechargeable battery system is intriguing and very easily and quickly done.  This is a very nice touch and one that might catch on in various configurations.

3. With some previous wireless mice, I’ve encountered some problems with losing the IR signal temporarily.  I never once felt that the OBSIDIAN ever lost the signal. It appears to be very dependable in this regard.

CONS:

1. The Touch Sensitive Scrolling needs a lot of tweaking to be useful.  I found it to be too sensitive and inaccurate in just too many situations.  Perhaps specific drivers could make it work better.  Let’s hope so.

2. The side buttons, especially the left side, are too easily activated under simple mouse movement.  Just lifting the mouse off the pad can activate the feature assigned to them.

3. The cursor response has demonstrated some problems by appearing to get “stuck” and not responding to slight mouse movements without lifting the mouse to “reset” the cursor.  This, again, may be something drivers can address.
   

4. With no specific drivers for the OBSIDIAN, I feel the device is too “generic” as it stands.  With features that lack tweaking and support, it feels like it’s an unfinished product.
   

Based on two weeks of testing, I think my first thoughts about the name, OBSIDIAN, were right on.  The OBSIDIAN rechargeable mouse is constructed with very solid materials and has a very sleek and attractive appearance just like the obsidian lava rocks.  But, alas, it also comes with the torture and terror of the OBSIDIAN ORDER of the Cardassian empire of Star Trek fame.  I think we’d all rather do without the terror and torture element, no?

Recommendations
The OBSIDIAN shows a lot of promise.  If Saitek can provide specific driver support for tweaking the features and functions, it could be a very nice device for everyday use.  I really can’t recommend it for gaming due to the inaccuracy of using the touch sensitive scrolling where many games use a scroll wheel for selecting weapons and such.  When a quick choice is needed, only the Quick Key slots are useful with the OBSIDIAN.Due to the problems encountered, I can only give this the DriverHeaven Short List Award. It shows promise, and some users may actually enjoy giving it a good work out, but with the lack of specific drivers for the device, it’s just too limited in its current state.