Pwnage hit it big with the original Ultra Custom Wireless mouse in 2019. The company rode the initial momentum to the creation of the Symm. Now, Pwnage is seemingly borrowing a page out of the Razer Viper Mini’s book and combining it with the tried-and-true Ultra Custom formula to give fans the Ultra Custom Wireless Symm 2.
While the shape is unquestionably inspired by the Razer Viper Mini, the Symm 2 differentiates itself as a Pwnage product with its customizability and improved wireless connection.
Nuts and bolts
The Symm 2 is a slightly smaller, symmetrical iteration of the Ultra Custom formula. Users can expect a 2.4GHz wireless connection, a USB-C paracord cable, two core designs, a quality sensor, and an excessive amount of customization.
Starting with a large improvement over the original Symm, the Symm 2 has a much more reliable wireless connection. The first Symm had a spotty signal just outside of a couple of feet, which many high-performance mice handle without issue. This time around, Pwnage is doing right by its users, and the wireless range and signal strength are greatly improved.
The return of the 6.5-foot USB-C paracord cable is always welcome. Having a USB-C connection allows for a hassle-free connection that comes in handy when scrambling to plug in a mouse as it’s dying mid-match. It’s unlikely the battery will die out before charging, thanks to the 80-hour gaming battery life and 120-hour office battery life.
Like the other Ultra Custom models, the Symm 2 comes in two different designs and colors. Buyers have their pick between white or black and solid or honeycomb shells. Using an all-honeycomb Symm 2 brings the weight to 71 grams. This shaves a gram off the original Symm’s weight. Running a fully solid Symm 2 increases the weight up to 75 grams. There is only a two-gram difference between the original solid Symm and Symm 2. It does feel a little heavy for its size but never to the detriment of gameplay.
Backing up the lightweight design of the Symm 2 is a PAW 3370 optical sensor. This sensor features a 1,000Hz polling rate, adjustable lift-off distance, a malfunction speed of 400 IPS, and adjustable DPI up to 19,000. Pair this with the low weight and the 100-percent PTFE mouse feet, and there are no noticeable hiccups in performance.
As with any Ultra Custom, the customization options are one of the Symm 2’s main selling points. Users can change the color of their mouse with swappable trigger covers, shells, and cables. There are plenty of options to choose from aside from the standard black and white shells, triggers, and cables that come with the stock Symm 2 mice. Swapping out a shell and triggers can completely transform the mouse and give it a more bespoke feel. Not everyone will be into the neon fever dream colors, but the options are plentiful.
Kid in a candy shop
Pwnage excels in making its products fun. The level of customization users get from a Pwnage mouse is still unrivaled. There are 11 additional cable, shell, and trigger colors to pick up. Pwnage also recently released six metallic shell and trigger colors.
Having the freedom to grab a black, solid shell mouse and swap the triggers and top shell with a dusty pink color is appreciated. While not every user will take advantage of these add-ons, it’s good to know the option is always there.
Crispy clicks, free naps
One of the more interesting aspects of the Symm 2 is its move away from Omron switches to Kailh 8.0 switches. The switch away from Omron makes a large difference in how this mouse feels and could be one of the more divisive changes Pwnage made to the Symm 2.
Clicks here are snappier and feel more tactile than the Omrons used in the original Symm. There’s a sort of incongruity between how the two switch types feel and sound. While the Kailh 8.0s sound sharper but feel heavier, the Omron switches feel lighter and sound weightier with a deeper tone. The Kailh 8.0 switches’ snappier response provides more feedback than the Omrons, instilling confidence in the Symm 2. Having this extra tactility doubles down on the satisfaction of handing out free naps to other players.
The one aspect of the mouse buttons that doesn’t feel quite right is the side buttons. Pwnage traded out the larger side buttons of the first Symm for smaller, less tactile side buttons. The newer, smaller side buttons still don’t sink in when applying force, but they don’t provide any snap like the mouse one and two buttons do. The original Symm’s side buttons would have fit nicely with the Kailh 8.0 switches.
Grip
Because Pwnage’s Symm 2 is marginally smaller with more defined lines, it may be challenging for users with larger hands to use with a palm grip. Palm gripping is manageable, but users will likely need to rely on using their ring fingers a bit more to maintain control of the Symm 2. Those with smaller hands who prefer a palm grip will likely find the Symm 2 to be a comfortable palm-grip mouse.
Fingertip and claw grips feel comfortable here. Using a claw grip felt natural and taking advantage of the Symm 2’s smaller size with a fingertip grip made the mouse easy to manipulate. There are merits to both grip styles, but it will always come down to personal preference.
It isn’t surprising the Symm 2 is a successful mouse considering its shape and size have been popular for a couple of years now. This design is very clearly borrowing from the Razer Viper Mini’s shape. The two mice share a length of about 118 millimeters and a height of 38 millimeters. Pwnage’s Symm 2 features a width of 60 millimeters, and the Viper is slightly narrower at 53.5 millimeters. Since there is no wireless Viper Mini Ultimate, Pwnage’s Symm 2 is filling in and is successful in doing so.
For reference, our reviewer’s right hand measures 7.7 inches (195mm) in length and 4.1 inches (104mm) in width, placing their hand within the medium to large range.
The obligatory software statement
The software Pwnage uses to adjust mouse settings has always been just fine. There’s nothing to write home about across any iteration of the software. It gets the job done with little hassle or flair.
While the software has some visual improvements, its overall function remains reliable. Pwnage could improve by presenting the DPI and LOD settings first instead of key assignments, but that might be a personal preference.
Is this for you?
For a smaller company, Pwnage continues to impress by improving upon its successes and learning from its failures. While the Symm 2 borrows some of the Razer Viper Mini’s design elements, the experience is distinctly Pwnage.
Performance that doesn’t skip a beat, flexible grip options for many users, and unparalleled customization put the Pwnage Ultra Custom Wireless Symm 2 right into the easy recommendation category. The only real drawback to the Symm 2 is the $100 price tag that can bloat quickly after adding customization options.
Pros
- Kailh 8.0 switches
- Customization options
- Flexible shape
- PTFE mouse feet
- Sturdy side-button wall
Cons
- Price of additional customization
- Side buttons aren’t as tactile
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