Kaliber Gaming's Symmetre, Retikal, and Fokus gaming mice offer gamers three great choices to upgrade their PC gaming experience without breaking the bank.

For PC gamers, deciding what mouse to buy can be a difficult decision to make. Comfort, sensitivity options, and the ability to program buttons are some of the most important features a mouse can have for PC gaming, and Kaliber Gaming has created a series of mice that offer these features and more to gamers.

Kaliber Gaming's newest mice are the Symmetre, Retikal, and Fokus, three mice that are designed to be perfect for FPS and action gaming while maintaining an affordable price point. All three mice are unique, so gamers interested in this line will still have some decisions to make.

Symmetre

The Symmetre mouse is the most affordable of the line, but it's hardly lacking in features. The Symmetre mouse is fully ambidextrous, and includes a small rest on both sides, so both left-handed and right-handed users can rest their thumbs comfortably. As with most gaming mice, the Symmetre model also offers 9 customizable buttons that can be mapped to single key strokes or full macros using Kaliber Gaming's software. The Symmetre is also quite appealing to look at, with a modern angled appearance and blue LED backlighting, but it also stays within the realm of ergonomic comfort and the lighting "breathing" effect isn't visually distracting during gameplay.

The Symmetre mouse has a lighter, slightly more flimsy build than some other more expensive gaming mice, which is probably part of how Kaliber Gaming is able to offer it at so low a price. Symmetre's main shortcoming is its DPI; it offers a 500-4000 DPI optical sensor, which is at the low end of most gaming mice, but still higher than most general purpose mice. In tests in games like The Division and Grand Theft Auto V, the Symmetre tracked motion very smoothly when used on a single screen with 1920x1080 resolution.

Lastly, while the mouse does offer 9 buttons, it's unlikely that most gamers will be able to utilize all of them. This is due to the fact that the mouse has two buttons on either side, in order to fully serve both left and right-handed players. While any gamer will be able to use the buttons under their thumb easily, the buttons on the opposite side are difficult to reach. However, chances are left-handed and ambidextrous players will be glad to have a mouse that's fully supportive of their needs, and seven usable buttons is nothing to scoff at.

The Kaliber Gaming Symmetre mouse is available now for $24.95 MSRP.

Retikal

Retikal is Kaliber's mid-line mouse, offering a few extra bells and whistles that the Symmetre doesn't. Retikal offers a slightly more powerful optical sensor at 800-5000 DPI, and a physical button to change between DPI levels easily. The Retikal also offers 9 programmable buttons and a built-in memory, allowing users to save up to five different player profiles. The multiple user profiles came in handy for switching between games and playstyles, or creating extra profiles with macros designed for other, non-gaming software.

The Retikal is the mouse designed for FPS players, and it's made obvious by the presence of a sniper button. The sniper button is designed to be held when players need to make critical, precision shots. Upon pressing it down, the DPI is drastically lowered, allowing the player to use large gestures to aim zoomed-in shots, that would typically require minute motions with a high DPI. This function has appeared on other higher-priced mice like the Corsair M65 Pro.

Finally, the Retikal offers an external weight system for ultimate control over the mouse sensitivity. The mouse includes four weights that can be placed inside to give more precision to movements. This function can typically be found on higher-end mice, like the G. Skill Ripjaws MX780, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the feature was included on a very affordable gaming mouse.

In terms of overall design, the Retikal has some pros and cons. The Retikal is not an ambidextrous mouse, but that allows for a more focused design. The most intriguing addition is that the right side of the mouse juts out, providing a rest for the ring finger. The rest doubles as a button, allowing for easy macro access without having to reposition any fingers.

The sniper button function definitively makes aiming much simpler and faster, but its placement isn't completely intuitive. The sniper button is near the top of the mouse, which may be too far for some users' thumbs to reach easily. Players may adapt by placing their hands further up the mouse to easily reach the sniper button, but in doing so, they may find that the lower of the two left-side thumb buttons will no longer be in reach. Trying to utilize both sets of buttons may result in regularly adjusting and visually checking to see where one's hand is on the mouse, which may be a hindrance to FPS players who need to constantly watch the screen.

The Kaliber Gaming Retikal mouse is available now for $34.94 MSRP.

Fokus

The Fokus mouse is the high-end entry to Kaliber Gaming's line, and its appearance shows it. Unlike Retikal and Symmetre, Fokus puts a lot of emphasis on looks, offering a flashy "Imperial White" color scheme and a multi-color LED backlight that players can set up with Kaliber Gaming's software. It's also clearly a more substantial build than the other two Kaliber mice, featuring a heavier aluminum frame. These two features help to make up for the fact that the Fokus doesn't offer a way to physically alter the weight and balance of the mouse like the Retikal does.

The Fokus mouse isn't just about looks; it also offers the highest DPI of the three mice with a 8200 DPI laser sensor. Like the other Kaliber Gaming mice, the DPI can be adjusted by clicking a physical button just beneath the mouse wheel. The Fokus also offers 8 programmable buttons, and is ambidextrous like the Symmetre.

There's no argument that the Fokus mouse provided the best experience when it came to DPI range and motion tracking, but the mouse did have some drawbacks, as well. Unfortunately, the sleek aluminum frame becomes a bit slippery with use, lacking some of the traction of the matte finish that other mice - including the Retikal and Symmetre - typically offer. As a result, users may find that their thumbs lose their grip and slip over the two programmable keys, accidentally toggling one or both of them in the process. Lastly, like the Symmetre, two of the buttons may be out of reach for users due to the mouse's ambidextrous design.

The Kaliber Gaming Fokus is available now for $49.95 MSRP.

Final Thoughts

For such a low cost, gamers would be hard pressed to find a gaming mouse as comfortable and customizable as the Symmetre, making it an excellent choice for gamers with a tight budget. The Retikal mouse is an excellent choice for FPS gamers who love playing as sniper or marksman classes, or those who want to control the weight and balance of their mouse for absolute precision. The Fokus's high DPI laser sensor makes it a good choice for gamers with multiple displays or a very high screen resolution, and those who want to add some visual pizzazz to their PC build. Gamers who are interested in buying a good quality gaming mouse without breaking the bank have plenty of excellent choices with this line of mice from Kaliber Gaming.