Overblown sales expectations are a part of the problem. I played Hitman and Tomb Raider, both very good but always missing something to make them the "must have" purchase. A lack of co-op modality is one of the problems and a multiplayer is just an afterthought in TR. The developer's insistence on deploying archaic QTE throughout TR is also deplorable and which repels potential customers who hate randomly mashing keyboards or gamepads. In the end, both titles, as they are, made lots of money for SE so the internal overspending must be a part of the financial problem the company is facing.

Heh, my second post on this article. I've just noticed a factual error in the main article in the "Polling" section. It reads: "Most mice will send data back to the operating system at 500 hertz ..." That may be an oversight on the author's part. In fact most mice will operate at the same refresh frequency as the USB port they are attached to -- in most cases that's 125 Hz as the default set by the Windows OS. It's not a critical mistake since the lag measured in milliseconds is 8 ms for 125 Hz, 2 ms for 500 Hz and 1 ms for 1000 Hz. However, although not a huge mistake, the top gamers will notice the difference between 8 ms and 1 ms lag. Most mice tho operate at 125 Hz. Remember that if you change the polling rate on mice that has that ability, you need to reboot the computer. Some mice are more capable than others to regulate refresh, say for example, one nice thing about the "out of the box" experience with G9 is that the mouse will right away operate at 500 Hz until you switch to the gaming profile which will result in the mouse switching to 1000 Hz (2 out of 3 default, built-in profiles will operate at 500 Hz and 1 at 1000 Hz).

A nice basic overview of high-end gaming mice. The only thing that could have been done better is to classify these mice according to the various classes of games people play. Sure, a mouse with and set to 4000 dpi will do great in an RTS game but it won't be so hot in an FPS game. Playing primarily FPS games I can add this (for FPS fans who want that extra edge): stick to a solid LED optical mice that has super accurate tracking ability and has a solid record with low and mid sensitivity. An on-the-fly DPI shifter is definitively a plus so you can easily switch between a very low sens sniper mode to mid sens assault rifle mode. A good FPS mouse has to have the ability to occasionally go to 1600+ dpi when driving vehicles and especially turning turrets and things of that kind. In general, stay away from the LASER optical mice since even the latest Razer Lachesis is still trying to reduce the advantage that the LED optical mice have in the FPS area. For your FPS needs I'd suggest these mice that can be easily found in stores: 1. Razer Boomslang CE 2007, Razer DeathAdder, or Logitech MX 518. The first two share the same 3G infrared sensor. DeathAdder, possibly the best FPS mouse ever, has a form that will probably fit most hands that like the shape of G5, or 518. Logitech MX 518 is simply a great, battle-tested and proven tool to get you results quick. 2. Razer Diamondback 3G also shares the same sensor with DeathAdder and Boomslang but its effectiveness is diminished by software (no 1000 Hz polling rate, very limited adjustments in dpi settings). This is a good mouse for an FPS gamer that mostly plays around the 800dpi sens and rarely goes for a sniper. 3. A4Tech X7 718F is another great LED mouse with 5 on-the-fly dpi switching and great tracking accuracy. Limited to 125 Hz polling rate, but otherwise great. 4. Razer Lachesis is probably the only LASER mouse that I'd recommend for FPS simply because the entire mouse is an attempt to bridge the gap between LASER and LED. The mouse actually uses 2 lasers to independently track the X and Y and one great thing about this mouse is the abilty to set 25 different dpi settings (5 settings in each of 5 profiles) in 125 dpi increments. As of this moment the mouse only need a solid firmware update (yeah, these Razer mice have actually updatable firmware). Of course, for an average player the "mouse feel and comfort" will probably help more than a high-end gaming mouse, but ... once you feel that you can improve your play with better tools then look into getting one of these specialized mice. At that point the price becomes secondary to your desire to improve your gameplay. Suddenly the ability to do a quick 180 turn and/or react a few milliseconds faster than your opponent counts for something in your gameplay. At that point you simply realize that your $3k gaming rig deserves better than a $5 mouse. :) Edit (01/17/08): I've just noticed a factual error in the main article in the "Polling" section. It reads: "Most mice will send data back to the operating system at 500 hertz ..." That may be an oversight on the author's part. In fact most mice will operate at the same refresh frequency as the USB port they are attached to -- in most cases that's 125 Hz as the default set by the Windows OS. It's not a critical mistake since the lag measured in milliseconds is 8 ms for 125 Hz, 2 ms for 500 Hz and 1 ms for 1000 Hz. Most mice tho operate at 125 Hz. Remember that if you change the polling rate on mice that has that ability, you need to reboot the computer.