Snakebyte has previously been known for its budget-friendly peripherals, but it’s taken a giant stride into the higher quality, expensive market with the ULTRA: BUNDLE.
Featuring an extra-large mouse mat, a gaming mouse with 5 programmable buttons and up to 16,000 DPI, and a blue-key mechanical keyboard – all with customisable RGB lighting – this is a bundle aimed at the serious PC gamer.
But does the quality match up to the increased price tags?
As each product can be purchased individually, we’ll evaluate them one at a time, starting with the GAME: MOUSE ULTRA.
GAME: MOUSE ULTRA
Right out of the box, the first thing you’ll notice about Snakebyte’s ULTRA mouse is the weight.
This is a large, hefty mouse – certainly in comparison to most popular gaming mice – with a considerable weight to it. The weight can be adjusted using three 4g discs that are housed beneath the palm of the mouse (emulating the rollerball mice of old.)
Despite being considerably larger and heavier than my previous Corsair Sabre, I was surprised at how my love for this mouse grew during use.
The increased size and weight of the GAME: MOUSE ULTRA gave me increased control over the minute actions that competitive games demand, and it quickly became my daily driver.
To add to the customisation options in the weight department, Snakebyte’s ULTRA mouse also features 5 programmable buttons and a 7-level DPI setting that can reach up to 16,000 DPI.
Using the downloadable software, this can be fine-tuned to your exact needs, as well as the obvious RGB customisation that’s synonymous with gaming peripherals.
The ability to customise the lighting of your mouse with up to 16.8 million colour options is nothing new, but it’s definitely attractive.
The ability to order a second cover with your own custom logo is definitely a nice touch, however, but this isn’t included in the box.
Of the three peripherals in the Snakebyte ULTRA: BUNDLE, the mouse is easily my favourite, and feels like it lives up to the premium €80 pricetag.
MOUSE: PAD ULTRA RGB XL
Moving swiftly on, we have the MOUSE: PAD ULTRA RGB XL.
Don’t let the long name fool you, this is the simplest of the three peripherals.
This extra-large mouse pad is 80cm x 30cm in size, featuring an LED RGB backlight sewn around the edge of the mousemat.
There are 12 pre-configured lighting modes that unfortunately aren’t customisable, and while it’s nice not to have a third piece of software to mess around with, it is a shame that you might not be able to have your full setup in exactly the right shade of dazzling blue that you desire.
While the size is quite large, and you’ll definitely need a considerable amount of desk space to fit the MOUSE: PAD ULTRA ™ RGB XL cleanly, it’s very difficult to go back once you grow accustomed to using a mousepad of this size.
Not only is it vastly superior for competitive games like CoD Warzone or Fortnite, but having a matching RGB setup was something I’d previously given no thought to.
Having everything gleaming away in sync certainly increases the pride you have for your setup, though, and it’s a chance to brighten up your day in such a troubling time.
Though I would hardly deem an extra-large mousepad as essential, the relatively low investment of €35 isn’t bad for something that makes your setup feel more professional and really ties your desk together.
KEY: BOARD ULTRA
The Snakebyte KEY: BOARD ULTRA is the final pillar of the bundle, and unfortunately the weakest link in its chain.
It features Blue Outemu switches that have a reported lifespan of 50,000,000 keystrokes, which are the noisier cousin of the classic Cherry MX Blues.
Now, anyone that’s familiar with mechanical keyboards may know that blue switches are traditionally intended for typing, whereas the red and brown switches require less activation force, making them more ideal for gaming.
For this reason, it’s strange that only a blue-key version of the ULTRA keyboard is available, so you should definitely make sure you can handle the noise of a blue-key switch before purchasing.
The other elephant in the room is the German layout.
As Snakebyte is a German brand, the ULTRA keyboard features a QWERTZ layout.
While this small deviation doesn’t make too much difference to your use – especially as the keyboard will default to your Windows language and keyboard layout anyway – it does put a lot of the symbols slightly out of order, which can be frustrating if you aren’t a touch typist.
Ctrl also becomes Strg, Print Screen is Druck, and so on.
Obviously this won’t be an issue for German users, but I can definitely see it putting a lot of potential buyers off.
Moving onto the positives, the KEY: BOARD ULTRA features eye-watering levels of RGB color customisation options, which can be customised down to the individual key using the PC software.
It also has very solid construction with an aluminium frame and the same braided cord cable as the other peripherals.
Overall, there’s nothing particularly exciting about Snakebyte’s ULTRA keyboard outside of the RGB customisation, despite it accounting for the majority of the set’s cost.
At €100, it’s difficult to recommend the keyboard and, by extension, the bundle as a whole.
THE VERDICT –
The Snakebyte ULTRA: BUNDLE is a step away from budget-friendly peripherals and into the realm of creature comforts.
For €215 (roughly £190), you aren’t actually saving any money over buying each peripheral individually – the mouse costs €80, the keyboard: €100, and the XL mousepad: €35.
For this reason, it’s difficult to recommend buying all three as a set considering the drawbacks of the keyboard, but I’d thoroughly recommend the mouse and mousepad for anyone looking to spruce up their setup.
THE GOOD
- The GAME: MOUSE ULTRA is a brilliant gaming mouse, offering a wonderful feel in the hand and a sea of customisation options.
- The MOUSE: PAD ULTRA RGB XL is something I didn’t think I needed until I tried it out. Now, I never want to be without it.
THE BAD
- The KEY: BOARD ULTRA is the weak link in this bundle, costing the most and providing the most frustration
- The other peripherals are also a little on the expensive side for what they offer.
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