The Hardware of Gamescom 2014

Mionix

We had an interesting time with Mionix, as Peter Nygren (founder and now VP of Product Development) and Carl Silbersky (CEO) were on hand to walk us through how mice actually go from idea to final product. What was particularly interesting is just how much focus Mionix has on the ergonomics of its mice, as embodied by the fantastic and ultra comfortable Naos series.


It begins, of course, with drawings, so as to get the basic shape outlined. Of course, a 2D representation is fairly limited for a 3D product, especially one so reliant on finely tuned curves. Thus, the designers move quickly to 3D models, beginning with a very basic polystyrene one – at least we know what we'll be doing with all that case packaging lying around the labs. Using this, they're able to start working out more specific dimensions.


It's then onto 3D printed models, and Mionix had a 3D printer on hand to demonstrate the truth of said claim, as well as some pre-made models. At this stage there is plenty of trial and error, and they're very picky about what they want. The white model presented to us and pictured here felt fine, but not to the designers – all those black markings you see are areas that need improvement in one way or another.



Eventually the models are refined until the exact dimensions and angles are figured out, after which they can move on to pre-production samples with the hardware inside and the outer coating applied.



We also managed a sneak preview of an up and coming mouse. It's called the Castor, and again there's a lot of focus on ergonomics. It doesn't have the same level of support for outer fingers as the Naos, but it does still have grooves along the side to grip, so both claw and palm grip users should feel at home. Even this early sample felt very comfortable – hopefully the software and performance are up to scratch too. Mionix aims to have the Castor available this year, but readily admits that it could easily be next year instead.