Wallhack M-001 Review: When Fun Overrides Specs

CommentSave StorySave this story CommentSave StorySave this story Magnesium shell. Hot-swappable, rechargeable batteries. 52-gram weight. Great styling and design language. Only 2.4G wireless connectivity with dongle; no Bluetooth or USB-C connectivity on mouse. Photograph: Henri Robbins Photograph: Henri Robbins Photograph: Henri Robbins Of particular note is the PCB’s function inside the mouse: Instead of simply sitting inside of the shell, the PCB works as a primary structural component. Similar techniques have been used in designing supercars and sport bikes, with the Ferrari F50 using the engine block as a stressed member that provides rigidity to the entire car, a technology borrowed from Ferrari’s F1 team. This provides some obvious benefits to rigidity and weight-savings, but it’s also just undeniably cool to be able to flip over your mouse and entire circuit board. Right behind the PCB is the star of the show, a hot-swappable battery. While I’ve tested quite a few mice with this technology, none of them have managed to make the battery-swapping so satisfying. Instead of being attached with magnets or a rotating locking mechanism, the batteries use a custom-made -spring-loaded ejector similar to an SD card or a Nintendo Switch cartridge. To insert the battery, simply press until you feel a click, and it will lock into place. To remove it, do the same: press until you feel a click, and it will pop out slightly. Of all the mice I’ve tested with removable batteries, this is : It’s intuitive, fun, and feels sturdy. This battery system does come with a trade-off. Because hot-swappable batteries means an effectively-infinite battery life (as long as you remember to plug the old one into the dongle when you swap), Wallhack has decided to entirely remove the USB-C port on the mouse. This means it only functions as a 2.4G wireless mouse and cannot be plugged or charged in directly. This isn’t a huge issue (it never inconvenienced me, since there was always a fully charged battery ready to swap in), and it theoretically means the connection quality will be better, since there’s fewer components between the antenna and the receiver. But it is worth noting that, if a battery dies or your dongle craps out, there’s no other way to use this mouse. The Perfect Dongle In every high-polling mouse I’ve reviewed, the dongle has been a bit of a pain point.