When Monoprice released the Dark Matter Hyper K Gaming Mouse, it brought to the table a high-performance, ultra-light mouse with a number of good customization options at an affordable price. As such I have continued to use it over the past few years without issue and even now it serves as my dedicated Steam Deck mouse for docked play. Now a new wireless version of the Hyper K has been released and it takes everything great about the original and gives it more freedom!
What’s In The Box
Review sample provided by Monoprice
The Hyper K Wireless comes in a black box with a matte depiction of it on the front. The side highlights some key build qualities while the back outlines its purpose. One of my favorite touches is the front opens up to reveal the mouse within! Opening the box you gain access to the Hyper K Wireless Mouse, USB Receiver tucked within it, USB Charging cable, and finally a quick user guide.
Aesthetics And Build Quality
The honeycombed design of the original Hyper K makes a full return with the wireless version and it is an aesthetic I have grown to be quite fond of. The design allows for the mouse to be lighter and thus quicker to use. This does unfortunately come at the cost of some overall frame strength and a good push will result in some give. It will be sturdy enough to put up with all the daily bumps and tumbles you would expect of a gaming mouse so I have no concerns over its longevity. Unless you are a heavy rage gamer, of course, then you may want to consider therapy.
The Wireless Hyper K is pretty standard in its layout with 6 buttons and a scroll wheel. Each button has a satisfying feel and placements are perfect for everyday use regardless of how you hold it. Internally it uses Omron switches which have a satisfying click and are rated for well over 50 million presses. The scroll wheel has a nice rubber exterior and remains visually striking with its LED light pipe running down the center and sides. Additional LED lighting can be found in the Dark Matter logo in the palm rest and a single LED strip along the back.
The underside of the Wireless Hyper K houses its Pixart PMW 3335 sensor capable of up to 19,000 DPI and 4 feet for smooth gliding across any number of surfaces. The mouse's power switch is located adjacent to the sensor and offers users the ability to run the mouse with its lighting effects on or off. On the opposite side of the sensor is another button to change the mouse's polling rate. The last meaningful thing to note about the Hyper K Wireless is the USB C port on its front used to charge the internal 300mAh battery.
Gameplay
Diving into gameplay it is instantly clear the Hyper K Wireless lives up to the performance set by its wired counterpart. It is responsive with no noticeable latency and very accurate for any title. With 6 different DPI settings ready to go at the press of a button you should have a setting for your preferred style. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any software available to further customize DPI settings for this version of the Hyper K so you are stuck with the built-in presets. It took a bit to get used to this as I typically have two DPI settings I prefer to use. But after a day or two I felt right at home with my new settings.
Apex Legends continues to be my favorite go-to for daily multiplayer goodness, and with the Hyper K Wireless, gameplay remains a treat. Though my skill level will never be ultimately impressive, I had no trouble achieving my peak performance with the new mouse! Other FPS titles like Halo likewise showcased well with the mouse and were a treat to revisit after so long. While retro shooters aren’t as demanding on mice it is still nice to see them handle well. May I also say: what a huge plus it is to see the Hyper K Wireless working under Windows 98 without issue!
While shooters may take the spotlight these days I will forever remain an RTS fan and a good mouse can spell the difference between victory and defeat. Jumping into a number of my favorites like Command and Conquer or StarCraft 2 I was happy to see the mouse handling everything accurately and responsively. I have been away from this genre for too long! MOBA fans should also be pleased by this performance if a wireless option is something you are interested in. But after testing these 2 genres in particular and a number of others I have been left with nothing but happiness.
Outside of gaming, I have been pleased with my time with the Hyper K Wireless. With an increased video production schedule, the mouse has proven very reliable for editing, and unlike other lightweight options, it doesn’t accidentally slide out of place during precise edits. Battery life is well over 20 hours in my timing with the LED lighting on and advertised to last over 50 with it off. The mouse remains usable as it charges and while connected with a wire latency is likely reduced but I can’t tell a difference.
What It Could Have Done Better
But there is one area where the Hyper K Wireless comes up short and that is in its customization. As I previously mentioned, there is no dedicated app to configure the settings on the mouse, unlike its wired counterpart. So this means no Macros, DPI changes, or RGB lighting changes for the back strip which is advertised on the box. If there are button combinations to change the lighting from the mouse itself they aren’t listed in the quick start guide or online documentation. Perhaps software will roll out soon that addresses this but for now, this is where we stand. There is also no visual indication for the selectable polling rate so you just have to “feel” it to make sure it is set correctly if it accidentally gets changed.
Verdict
After a month of use in both Wired and Wireless configurations I have had nothing but a good time with the Hyper K Wireless! It provides the same strong performance as its wired cousin but provides increased freedom with wireless communication. It does currently lack customization options so do take that into consideration as you look into the Hyper K line-up. For the price and performance, the Hyper K Wireless is an easy top 5 recommendation!
