Dream Machines DM6 Holey S gaming mouse review / Overclockers.ua

For the third year in a row, the Dream Machines brand has been developing its own line of gaming peripherals. This happens somewhat limitedly, since the company is purely engaged in the production of gaming mice and surfaces, not paying attention to other product groups in this category. But maybe that’s her strategy. However, there is an interesting point in this strategy – it focuses not so much on the development of its own unique solutions, but on the qualitative adaptation of the shape of successful manipulators from leading manufacturers in the gaming industry. And, in principle, this is not bad for buyers, especially if there is an opportunity to save money without overpaying for the “name”.

Now in the “gaming trend” there are mice with a body that is lightweight due to honeycomb holes. Dream Machines did not stand aside and also released two mice “in the hole” – DM6 Holey and DM6 Holey S, which, in fact, differ only in the sensor. The first one has PixArt PMW3360, and the second one has PixArt PMW3389. And in this review, we will consider the second, more advanced version of the mouse.

Specifications

Contents of delivery

The mouse comes in a beautiful white-black-gray box, with a honeycomb pattern on the front and back. There is an image of a mouse in front. On the reverse side there is a mention of its weight, the type of sensor used and the switches of the main buttons. In general, the design of the packaging is as concise as possible.

But what is really good is the internal protection against damage. The mouse is literally wrapped in a form of foamed polypropylene. Even the cable is folded in such a way as to avoid fractures for sure.

In the package there is only an ultra-short instruction and a sheet with the serial number of the product and information about the warranty.

Design

Dream Machines DM6 Holey S is an asymmetrical right-handed ergonomic mouse. The coating is made of a rather pleasant and tenacious to the touch, but quickly dirty soft-touch plastic in matte black. The back of the top panel is all covered with honeycomb holes. The panels of the main keys are half covered with them. It’s nice that they do not have the slightest backlash. Under the LMB and RMB are Huano switches with blue strikers and a MTBF of 20 million clicks. In terms of tactile sensations, they are good – quieter than average, clear, with an average activation force and no free play. The middle key works muffled and with an average effort. The resolution switch is recessed into the hollow behind the scroll wheel and is activated easily and with a loud click.

The left sidewall of the mouse is completely full of holes. And even despite this, the body of the mouse is very strong and does not emit extraneous squeaks. Two large additional buttons protrude by several millimeters. They are pressed easily and with a quiet click, have a small margin of free play. Under the buttons are Huano switches for 3 million clicks.

The cable enters the mouse body in the middle, at a small height from the surface and has a short kink protection. The scroll wheel is rubberized and covered with dotted tactile notches arranged three in a row. The wheel spins easily and silently. Tactile feedback during the development of fixation positions is felt weakly. The Huano mechanism is used as an encoder.

The mouse uses a soft paracord cord. Lightweight braiding in the style of sneaker lacing does not interfere with mouse movements and, at the same time, can hold a given shape. The cable length is 1.8 meters, a ferrite ring is fixed near the USB connector to eliminate interference. There is also a Velcro tape that allows you to roll up the extra length of the wire.

The right side is also completely covered with holes. They are quite narrow and almost invisible to the fingertips.

There is nothing remarkable on the stern of the mouse. The ergonomic protrusion on the back is shifted to the left side along the transverse axis and centered along the longitudinal axis.

The DM6 Holey S has a medium body size and is suitable for right-handers with any hand size. Holders of large and medium hands will be able to use all types of grip. Those with small hands are more likely to be limited to a palm grip. The mouse feels very comfortable, primarily due to the small weight, which is 69 grams. Weight balancing along the axes is normal, although in this case it does not play a significant role, because the device can be held almost anywhere without deviations.

The base of the mouse is totally perforated. Four small oval legs are glued on the corners. The PixArt PMW3389 infrared illuminated sensor is located exactly in the center. A button is built between it and the right leg, the only function of which is to turn on and off the RGB indicator of the current resolution level. And between the sensor and the left leg there is a button that switches the current polling frequency between 125, 500 and 1000 Hz. The three blue LEDs above this key light up according to the current polling rate.

Formally, the DM6 Holey S has no external illumination. But in fact there is an RGB indicator of the current resolution level built into the circuit board inside and shining through the case. Moreover, it is quite bright, and working in pulsation mode. Fortunately, it can be turned off with the button mentioned earlier. Polling rate indicators shine more modestly and do not blind the eyes.

Functionality

Without the participation of software in Dream Machines DM6 Holey S, you can configure only three parameters – the current resolution level using the DPI key, the current polling rate at 125, 500 and 1000 Hz, and the backlight of the resolution indicator, also with the corresponding buttons. Moreover, the last two functions are not mentioned either in the instructions or on the official website.

Proprietary software

To fine-tune the mouse, there is its own software, which at the time of the release of the review is under development. We were given a beta version, so its functionality may differ from the software at the time of release. So, after installing and running the driver, the user will be able to reassign commands on six mouse buttons. Their list can be viewed on the screen. Separately, you can configure six levels of resolution by assigning any color to each. The available sensor resolution range is from 200 to 16000 cpi. Adjustable in 50 cpi increments. Here you can also create and switch up to 4 separate profiles, in addition to the standard one.

On the second tab, you can adjust the acceleration or deceleration of the mouse cursor, the speed of double-clicking, the height of the mouse-off (to low, medium and high), as well as the parameters of the scroll wheel. In the macro editor, you can create, delete, and rename individual chains of commands. Each macro can record up to 61 commands, which will separately include pressing and releasing the button. For the command chain, trigger parameters are specified. Interestingly, mouse clicks will have to be added separately.

Ergonomics and testing

The Dream Machines DM6 Holey S mouse was tested on a Mionix Alioth M monotonous black cloth mousepad. Due to its low weight, regular shape and soft-touch coating, the mouse lies very comfortably in the hand. The soft lacing cable only enhances this impression. As mentioned earlier, the device can be used without problems in any type of grip, if the right hand of the owner is large or medium in size. For small hands, only a palm grip is suitable. The mouse glides very well, with plenty of momentum.

The presence of a large number of holes in the case does not cause tactile discomfort. On the contrary, it helps to ventilate the skin of the palm, which is not only pleasant, but also helps to reduce contamination of the easily soiled soft-touch coating. In addition, the manipulator is assembled very firmly and does not make squeaks even with strong compression. The work of the main keys and the scroll wheel does not raise questions, everything is quite quiet, clear and responsive. The backlighting of the resolution indicator, which can also be turned off, is an excellent solution (in my opinion) in the conditions of the dominance of RGB in gaming products.

The presence of two additional buttons, the functions of which are not described in the instructions, can be confusing for beginners (especially with regard to the polling frequency). I hope that the manufacturer will correct this defect in the future.

We got the software in a beta version and, of course, needs to be improved. However, even now its functionality and simplicity looks good.

An excellent “game” PixArt PMW3389 sensor is installed here as a sensor. This is one of the best solutions in today’s industry, with a high top speed, no spurious manifestations and disruptions in cursor tracking, and an extremely low lift-off height. However, there is also a “fly in the ointment” here. The officially declared speed of 7 meters per second is noticeably less than what this sensor is actually capable of. And among the three supported polling rates, only 125 and 500 Hz are clearly maintained. When you try to go to 1000 Hz, the mouse operates in the range of 760-860 Hz and has an increased level of anti-aliasing. Until this is fixed in the firmware, I recommend using polling at 500 Hz.

Results

Dream Machines DM6 Holey S is a very successful take on an ultra-light gaming mouse. She has everything she needs to earn popularity with the players. Among the advantages of the DM6 Holey S, it is worth noting an excellent shape, a strong and light body, one of the best sensors in its class, a decent cord and legs, responsive left and right mouse switches, and an overall good scroll wheel.

The main disadvantage of this mouse is its novelty and, as a result, the problems that are typical for all first instances of devices. In particular, the software and firmware of the mouse sensor needs to be improved to solve the problem with anti-aliasing and the inability to withstand a polling rate of 1000 Hz. It is necessary to indicate in the instructions the purpose of the buttons on the basis, especially the one that switches the polling frequency, since this directly affects performance. Perhaps in the future it is worth reconsidering the use of easily soiled soft-touch coating in favor of something more durable.

In general, I really liked the Dream Machines DM6 Holey S. This is a really simple, reliable and comfortable gaming mouse at an adequate and competitive price. It can be recommended for purchase in its current form. And you can, as they say, wait a bit until a new firmware is released.