ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III Review — feature-packed gaming mouse

ARMAGGEDDON was well known for offering affordable gaming gears with lots of features, and they are still on track now. The ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III was with me for several weeks, and this is what I think about it.

Unboxing

The ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III comes in a package with their trademark black and yellow color scheme. The main features are highlighted here too.

Flip the front cover and we can see the mouse itself, more detailed information about the product and a rather long essay trying the best to tell us why it’s “THE ULTIMATE GAMING GEAR” on the left side.

More information regarding the product is found on the back.

Inside the packaging we have the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III, user manual, CD with the driver installer and replacement Teflon mouse feet. It comes with 2 years manufacturer warranty which is common. The extra set of mouse feet is a welcome addition, especially if you use a hard mousepad which will wear down the feet faster than if you use a cloth mousepad. The CD containing the driver is another oddity as most manufacturers have turned to downloads instead to reduce their costs.

Specifications

Appearance

The ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III has a rather unique design. The ergonomic body is a perfect fit with who have smaller and average palm size. Unlike the HAVOC III, this mouse only comes in a matte black rubberized finishing or as ARMAGGEDDON calls it, Sable Soviets.

A total of 9 buttons are on the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III, with a four way click scroll, allowing for up to 12 macro scripts to be programmed to this mouse. Five side buttons are found on the left side of the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III. The scroll wheel and ARMAGGEDDON logo on the rear end of the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III feature RGB illumination but the CPI status and all the side keys only get orange LEDs.

There was an additional button which opens the hidden weight tray. I find this design really cool as I slid out the tray to add or remove the weights. Kudos to ARMAGGEDDON for featuring weight management so that everyone can tune their mouse to their preference.

Large Teflon feet on the bottom should ensure that the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III glides smoothly across any surface. The braided USB cable and gold plated connector both improves appearance and durability.

User Experience

For someone who has a bigger hand, it could be difficult at first to get used with the unique shape of the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III. It took me several days but still I find it slightly less comfortable when compare to the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III.

Personally what would make a good mouse is the lift off distance, the STARSHIP III has a very minimal lift off distance and the AVAGO 9800 sensor ensured that no abnormal sensitivity or tracking issue is occur. No input lag is detected and tracking is just perfect.

I assigned all the macro keys to improve my productivity, opening the explorer, back and forward, and multimedia control was fine just as expected. Multiple profiles in the software allowed the STARSHIP III to be fabulously customizable. At first I thought it was a waste when the side buttons can only light up in a single color, but then I think they are just fine as they were. You can switch them off with the software if you want to.

The driver software has a small installer file, and sports a simple design and intuitive user interface. Setting up and calibrating the mouse was quick and hassle-free. I love the CPI switch offering up to four stages. When comparing it with the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III, the most noticeable difference that I really appreciate is the responsive and tactile feedback on every button.

Conclusion

I thought that the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III will not get along with my palm and I was wrong. Actually it takes me several days to adapt its own ergonomic body design. The only thing that I still find awkward to use are the macro keys. I hope that ARMAGGEDDON would consider to repositioning the macro keys on the next product revision. It’s difficult for me to recommend people who have big palm to get this mouse, instead of getting this mouse it would be better if you take a look at the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III first. Software wise, it should be given a compliment for the user-friendly interface with no major issues, but it could definitely still be further improved.

The ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III is more suitable for MOBA and RTS but it is also recommended for those who are keen to use it for video or photo editing. Priced at RM199, it’s priced rather reasonably. It isn’t particularly affordable or expensive, just somewhere in the middle. Nice with similar features would usually have a higher price tag than the ARMAGGEDDON NRO-5 STARSHIP III. The macro keys really improved my productivity but personally I would go for the ARMAGGEDDON SRO-5 HAVOC III just because it perfectly fits my grip. But it’s still pretty darn good and I award the STARSHIP III a Bronze Pokdeward.

I would like to say thank you to ARMAGGEDDON Malaysia for the opportunity to play with the STARSHIP III.