Cougar DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo Review

Introduction

Last week, we took a look at the Cougar MX310 chassis which we gave it our best value award. It is a great entry-level gaming chassis. Building a gaming setup on a tight budget doesn't have to be limited on the cheapest plain-looking hardware. It also pays to find something that gives great value for your money. If you are looking for a good set of peripherals that doesn't break the bank and still get the cool gaming looks, the Cougar DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo offers just that! Follow us today as we check it out!

ProClockers would like to thank Cougar for sending us the DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo to review.

About Cougar

Real Gear for Real Gamers

Created in 2007 by a group of engineers, COUGAR has been devoted since its first day to a single objective: to endow every single product with a superb quality, a rich functionality and a distinctive design. This aspiration moved us during our first years in the PC case, PSU and fan market. Our efforts bore their fruits in the form of user satisfaction, many praising reviews and prestigious design awards such as the 2010 design & innovation award, organized by iF at Computex Taipei 2010.

COUGAR has grown from its birthplace in Germany to become one of the global leaders in gaming hardware, managing to become a success in markets like the USA, Russia, Australia, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Brazil and many more, and bringing great value gamers all around the world. We won’t stop until COUGAR products become the new standard for gaming gear, never forgetting that we do real gear for real gamers.

Cougar's Take on the DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo

Just Gaming

COUGAR DeathFire puts together in a single package everything you need to enjoy gaming. Accuracy, Functionality and Design meet to bring an excellent choice to all kinds of gamers.

No-nonsense Functions

All the essential functions a gamer needs have been included in DeathFire. Win key lock, media control shortcuts, mouse DPI switching and more functions are ready to make your life easier.

Features and Specifications

• Hybrid Mechanical Switches - Accuracy and Durability.
• Anti-Ghosting keys technology - 100% Accurate Input in the most important keys for gaming.
• WASD & Arrow Key Exchange - Gaming comfort for everybody.
• Anti-slip rubber stand - Guaranteed stability for your games!
• OMRON MICRO SWITCHES
• 2000 DPI Precision gaming sensor with 4-Step on the fly DPI fine tuning - 1000 Hz Polling Rate / 1 ms Response time
• 7-Color Powerful Backlight (Mouse and Keyboard) - DeathFire allows you to play in any environment and customize its appearance through its keyboard and mouse’s 7 color backlight. Control it easily and switch colors on the fly with the dedicated key and shortcut!
• Accuracy and Reliability - The DeathFire Keyboard’s Hybrid Mechanical Switches and Anti Ghosting Technology join the mouse’s Adjustable DPI, OMRON Switches and 1000 Hz polling rate to provide quick, accurate and reliable responses for your commands.

Specifications

Packaging and Closer Look

The Cougar DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo comes in a typical box packaging. I like the fact the all the Cougar products I reviewed so far have a very smart packaging; cost-minimization, small but provides adequate protection for the product. 

Inside you will find the keyboard and mouse tucked inside a plastic sheet. There are no CD installers or keycap pullers. Just the keyboard, mouse and a user's manual.

Here's a photo of the DeathFire Gaming Gear combo from the website and below is an actual picture of the peripherals.

The Keyboard

Here's a closer look at the keyboard. It is the highlight of the DeathFire Gaming Gear combo given that it is the larger peripheral and has most of the lighting. If you can notice from the images above, the DeathFire keyboard has solid keycaps so the LED lighting doesn't go through the letters but only as a backlighting.

The keyboard uses a hybrid key and as you can see, the lighting is coming from a LED module inside the keyboard and not from a LED bulb like those of a mechanical keyboard.

There's a LED lighting that goes all around the keyboard like a frame. Also, the surface has this brushed-aluminum effect although it is plastic but it does look neat on the keyboard. LED lighting effects of the keyboard includes the changing-breathing mode, still mode with color options and lighting off.

The keys are similarly elevated like most mechanical keyboards.

Closer Look Continued

The DeathFire keyboard has a standard US keyboard layout. If you read my review on the Cougar Attack X3 Mechanical Keyboard wherein I noted about the odd placement of the FN key on the left side of the spacebar, for the DeathFire keyboard Cougar placed it on the right side which is the more common layout for gaming keyboards. The keyboard does have a rubber feet.

The FN keys on the DeathFire keyboard are quite helpful starting with the media player functions on F1-F8 keys.

F9 and F12 keys got special functions on them. F9 launches your computer's default email application, F10 launches default web browser, F11 locks the keyboard and F12 launches the calculator application. I haven't seen these function in other basic gaming keyboard which I think is a great addition.

Using pressing "FN + W" will switch the functions of the A,S,W,D keys with the arrow keys. For games that uses the A,S,W,D keys for movement and doesn't allow you to change keys, this function will allow you to use the arrows to replace the A,S,W,D keys.

The Mouse

The mouse is a typical mouse with a basic shape and design. Note that it only has the RGB breathing mode for lighting effects. It's pretty lightweight for a mouse and doesn't come with weight options but it is enough to complete the package.

Performance and Conclusion

Aesthetics and Physical Attributes

The Cougar DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo comes in with a standard retail price of $49.99 which is a reasonable price for a pair of gaming peripherals. For today's gamers that are very particular with aesthetics, I have to say the DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo has the aesthetics part one of its high points. The LED backlighting is very attractive and eye-catching. Since the letters itself doesn't have backlighting, it isn't quite offensive to the eyes unlike those with backlit letters on keycaps. At first glance, the DeathFire keyboard looks like a mechanical keyboard as well. The hybrid switches sure is far from a mechanical feel and sound but it does operate quieter than mechanical switches.

As for the mouse, I find it very plain and lightweight. Too lightweight that it could be an issue for those that preferred a heavy mouse. It's basically a typical mouse with RGB backlighting but do note that its RGB backlighting only comes in alternating color/breathing mode. Also, the RGB breathing mode for the keyboard and mouse runs independently and isn't synchronized with each other unless you manually synchronize the keyboard with the mouse.

Function and Use

The DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo doesn't require any software to use, both are plug-and-play devices. The added FN functions are quite helpful which gives it a little edge for gamers and average users. Overall, it gives the typical keyboard and mouse function with a little plus.

Conclusion

The Cougar DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo is a good addition to a builder or gamer on a tight budget. I think the selling point of the DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo is the RGB backlighting which I have to say is very appealing. The LED frame on the keyboard looks like it's from the TRON movie of some sort. For $49.99, the Cougar DeathFire Gaming Gear Combo is a good addition for gamers on a tight budget.

Likes

• LED backlighting and effects
• Plug-and-play
• FN functions

Dislikes

• Lighting effects doesn't synchronize with each other