The assembly of the Headshot Controller was exceedingly simple and only took a couple minutes; assembly is so easy, in fact, that Endor's setup packet consists of one page, eight steps and several diagrams and images with no words. I myself prefer quick and easy directions instead of manuals that go on for dozens of pages without really telling the consumer how the darn thing works.

After getting the hardware ready, I popped the disc in to install the driver. The "emul8or" Drivers, as Fanatec calls them, only consist of 1.83 MB and loaded quickly and easily. Once the software is installed, the user is given a bevy of options to customize the Headshot Controller. You can program macros, adjust the DPI resolution setting and sensitivity, and even a few options for the LEDs, such as colour preference (red, blue and green) and brightness. There are also a number of other options for button configurations, double click speeds and click-locking. In short, it will take you much longer to play around with all of the adjustable options and customizable features than it will to put the hardware together and install the drivers.

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We tested the Headshot Controller on several games, including Far Cry and F.E.A.R., and noticed a difference almost immediately between Headshot and a basic mouse and mouse pad. The Headshot Controller uses Fanatec's PlasmaGlyde material for its mouse feet, and combined with the Aura mouse pad surface, the Headshot Controller moved smoothly and effortlessly on the pad. The performance of the Headshot Controller really shined on F.E.A.R., where I could quickly adjust the dpi resolution in particular situations that required faster reactions. I found myself fiddling with the mouse resolution, shifting from 800 dpi all the way up to 2,000 dpi at times. In fact, I fiddled so much it actually distracted me a few times from the gameplay. I eventually settled on 1,600 dpi for much of the action (raising it to 4,000 dpi made me feel like I was spinning in a tornado).

The cable arch for the cord worked quite, and I only had a small issue with it. The Headshot Controller cord has a section with a plastic sheath that is designed to lock into place with the cable arch. I found that keeping the cord locked in place limited my movement with the mouse, and at times I felt the coiled cord pulling me back to the center of the pad, which was annoying. However, the issue is easily solved by simply unlocking the cord's plastic sheath and placing another section of the cord in the arch, which will give you a greater range of movement.

The LEDs didn't really bother me, though there's no option to turn them off completely. The Headshot Controller also offers a "joystick emulator" that allows the mouse to be used like a joystick for flight simulators and racing games. We didn't have any such games on hand to test the product's joystick emulator, but apparently the LEDs respond to the mouse's movement in this particular mode (move the mouse to the right side of the Aura pad and the right LED will light up, and so forth).

The only other issue with the product that we encountered was that it's extremely difficult to use the Headshot Controller mouse without the Aura mouse pad. The Headshot's cord is designed to hook into the Aura USB hub and then connect to the PC via another cable. The short, coiled cable for the mouse isn't designed to work apart from its mouse pad, so if you don't like the Aura pad, you could be in trouble. Still, the performance of the Headshot Controller is as good as any gaming mouse I've ever used.

Conclusion

The Headshot Controller sets itself apart from other products with a flashy look, comfortable and customizable feel and unique design. The ability to quickly change the sensitivity setting on the mouse with the simple push of the plus or minus button while playing your favourite PC game is a killer feature. To be sure, the price tag is a little high even though you're getting a top shelf gaming mouse and mouse pad. But for gamers who haven't already invested a lot of money in a new gaming mouse, the Headshot Controller, with its plethora of customizable features, is a worthy choice.

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