Ozone Gaming Roundup

Conclusion

Ozone Smog Gaming Mouse

The Smog mouse is a great piece of design. It's very attractive and definitely on the sturdy side. Those of us with larger hands are often disappointed at the size of mice but here Ozone have managed to strike the perfect balance between making it fit large hands without seeming tiny, and yet not be uncomfortable for the more svelte-handed amongst you.

The buttons are wonderful. It's very difficult to accidentally press them and yet, they are very easy to press. Requiring the smallest amount of pressure to activate.

The scroll-wheel is a joy. It neither has the notchiness that can be found in many scroll-wheels, nor the stiffness that often accompanies smooth scrolling ones. Additionally the sideways scrolling is excellent and so easy to activate. No more do you need to lean hard against the side of the wheel, but the deftest of touches will get it moving.

Unfortunately there are two things that let it down somewhat. Try as we might we were unable to stop the lighting from "breathing" and this is very frustrating and off-putting. Secondly the software is neither intuitive or very user-friendly. Thankfully like all software once you've learnt it's quirks it is capable, but it either needs a bit of a redesign or some more comprehensive documentation.

With a MSRP of £40 it's around the price one would expect for a gaming mouse with this sensitivity and, given the quality we have no hesitation giving it our Gaming award.

Ozone Ground Level Mousepad

Mousepads are pretty universal. You either like hard ones or squidgy ones and once you've found one you like you tend to stick with it. Ozone have clearly designed the Ground Level mousepad to work alongside the Smog mouse because together they are a fantastic pair.

As a cloth mat instead of a hard one it neatly rolls up for taking to your next LAN session. The mat itself at 400x320mm isn't the smallest mat we've tested, but it's also the largest one that Ozone do so if you feel it's a little on the large side fear not, because two smaller models are available. One of the things we liked most was how soft and comfortable it was. At only 3mm thick there was the possibility for it to feel a little unyielding, but Ozone have made sure it cushions your wrist and arm beautifully. The surface itself has a tiny texture to it which leads to fantastic control. If a smooth mat can be likened to silk, then the Ozone Ground Level is Egyptian Cotton. Incredibly soft and smooth, but with an almost imperceptible texture to it.

Although it works fabulously well with the Smog mouse, it also worked equally well with our Logitech G9 and CM Storm Sentinel rodents.

This is without question in the upper echelons of cloth mats and with a retail price of around a tenner it should be high on your list.

Ozone Strato 5.1 USB Surround Headset

There is very little to add to our comments in the testing on the previous page. An outstanding headset with great volume and clarity, designed well and at a fantastically competitive price-point. The surround is more than a good gimmick but genuinely gives a nice feeling of depth to the aural experience and Ozone have managed to avoid the problem that plagues a lot of multi-speaker headphones by neither having the highs over-powering or lost in the quest for bass.

The only drawback is the fact they are on-ear rather than over-ear and that could very well be a personal thing. More of us disliked it than liked it and that's why we're mentioning it. But that is the only slight against an otherwise superb product.

Ozone are retailing the Strato Headset for a mere £55 which is below many competing products and it is our pleasure to award it the coveted OC3D Performance award.

Overall

If today's products are indicative of the quality we can expect from Ozone in the future then they will quickly rise to the elite. Excellent packaging, a quality holistic design theme, competitive pricing and great products. There is very little not to like and we look forward with relish to their next product.

Thanks to Ozone for providing todays review samples. Discuss these in our forums.