Pwnage StormBreaker Mouse Review

The Pwnage StormBreaker has a fairly aggressive visual style. Its magnesium alloy top shell has narrow triangle and diamond-shaped cutouts with embossed filigree motifs on the left- and right-click buttons. The unit we bought and purchased has a mostly red color scheme with black and silver accents. Still, several other colorway options are available.

There's a small Pwnage logo on the bottom of the mouse. While there aren't any RGB lighting zones, an LED indicator inside the mouse is visible through the cutouts in the body. This indicator light flashes a color to identify what CPI profile you're using but is off during normal use.

This mouse isn't designed specifically with portability in mind and is relatively large and bulky for its weight. It also lacks an internal compartment for storing the wireless receiver, which is fairly large and has an unusual pyramid shape.

The Pwnage StormBreaker has outstanding overall build quality. The top shell is a magnesium alloy that feels very sturdy, and the bottom plate is made of plastic to ensure proper wireless signal strength. There are no loose parts or rattling sounds, and the left- and right-click buttons exhibit little to no wobble.

The plastic bottom plate has some nominal flexibility, which is normal. However, there's also some minor flexibility in the upper body when you apply considerable pressure to the hump or palm rest area. This flexibility isn't likely noticeable when using the mouse normally.

The mouse wheel is also visually misaligned. However, this is a cosmetic build quality issue. This misalignment doesn't affect the function of the scroll wheel and isn't noticeable by feel during normal use. For reference, we've included images of the scroll wheel alignment in the Mouse Wheel section below.

The Pwnage StormBreaker is remarkably lightweight and easy to move quickly and accurately. The adhesive grips in the box can add a few grams of weight when installed.

The weight balance is well-centered when the sensor is in its default middle position, and adjusting it may impact the balance somewhat.

The Pwnage StormBreaker has a right-handed 'ergo' shape that takes clear inspiration from the original BenQ Zowie EC2 and bears close similarity to recent releases like the Pwnage Ultra Custom Wireless Ergo, the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, or the Pulsar Xlite V2 Wireless.

This shape is best suited for a palm or claw grip for medium or larger-sized hands. The buttons are all fairly well-placed for most hand sizes, but the mouse may feel too bulky if you have smaller hands. Some may find the narrow cutouts in the mouse's body uncomfortable, particularly the narrow triangular cutouts on the top hump or the sides of the mouse. However, there are adhesive grips included that can provide added grip and cover these cutout areas for better comfort.

Pwnage advertises a battery life of up to 60 hours of 'Gaming Battery Life' and up to 120 hours of 'Office Battery Life.' While not explicitly stated what settings are used to determine these estimates, the 'gaming' figure is likely using a 2000Hz polling rate, while the 'office' figure is using a 500Hz or 1000Hz polling rate. Pwnage also states that you can fully recharge the mouse in about two hours.

There's a small LED indicator inside the mouse visible through the cutouts in the body that flashes red when the battery is low.

This mouse comes with a very lightweight and flexible paracord-like charging cable. It glides smoothly across desks without dragging but retains minor kinking from its packaging.

This mouse has exceptional feet that glide extremely smoothly on mousepads and desks with only minimal friction noise and very little drag.

There are alternative glass feet available for separate purchase on Pwnage's website that we expect to provide an even smoother gliding experience but may feel too sensitive for some, depending on your playstyle and the surface you play on.

• Pwnage StormBreaker
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• High Speed Receiver Pyramid
• Adhesive grip tape
• Screwdriver keychain
• User documentation

You can reprogram all buttons on this mouse using the configuration software. However, you must always assign the left-click function to a button somewhere on the mouse.

The product page for this mouse indicates the left- and right-click buttons use sorted Omron switches. Pwnage advertises that these switches are handpicked and tested before assembly for reliability and performance. They have an advertised lifespan rating of 20 million clicks, which is generally standard for many mechanical switches but is notably shorter compared to some mechanical switches, which can see ratings up to 50 million clicks, or optical switches, which can see ratings up to 100 million clicks.

The Pwnage StormBreaker has exceptionally low and very consistent click latency. It delivers an extremely responsive-feeling experience for gaming in any genre and is well-suited for casual or competitive play.

Note: We conducted the Wired result with the maximum wired polling rate of 1000Hz and the Wireless one with the maximum wireless polling rate of 2000Hz.

This mouse has a Slam Click Prevention setting that is disabled by default but can be enabled using the configuration software. The manufacturer intends this setting to help prevent accidental clicks from registering if you often lift and reposition your mouse. We tested both with and without this setting enabled and found no effect on latency performance.

The Pwnage StormBreaker offers superb CPI performance. Its sensor delivers remarkably good tracking accuracy, and the physical movements you make with your mouse translate extremely close to your cursor movements on-screen.

This mouse provides remarkably good sensor latency performance. The sensor reacts exceptionally quickly when you move your mouse, and these movements match the timing of the cursor movements you see on the screen extremely closely.

We tested this mouse at the maximum wireless polling rate setting of 2000Hz.

The wired polling rate options are 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz. When using this mouse wirelessly with the High Speed USB Receiver Pyramid, the polling rate options are 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz, and 2000Hz.

You can adjust various sensor settings using the customization software, including lift-off distance, Motion Sync, and slam click prevention.

This mouse has an unusual feature that allows you to physically adjust the position of the sensor from the underside of the mouse. You can use a small screwdriver in the box to loosen the screws that secure the sensor housing, allowing you to slide the sensor more toward the front or back of the mouse.

Some people will find aiming more natural with the sensor closer to the fingertips, making for a wider sensor travel arc. Others prefer a lower sensor position towards the rear, making for a shorter travel arc. Ultimately, it depends on your preferences, and we recommend experimenting with what feels best for you.

The Pwnage StormBreaker has a grooved scroll wheel that's made of dense, hard plastic and feels high quality. Scrolling is fairly quiet but feels precise and has pronounced steps. The mouse click has a satisfying tactile feel that doesn't require too much force to actuate.

While it isn't noticeable by feel when using the mouse normally, the scroll wheel on the unit we bought and tested is visually misaligned. You can see photos demonstrating this issue from different angles here and here.

The noise produced by the left and right mouse clicks, the side buttons, and the scroll click button is louder than that of most gaming mice, which typically use more plastic in their construction.

The Pwnage StormBreaker customization software is straightforward to use. This software allows you to customize various expected options, including button programming, macro creation, CPI, polling rate, Motion Sync, lift-off distance, and battery settings. You can also save all settings to onboard storage, so you don't need to have the software running in the background at all times.

All default button functions work in Windows and macOS.