The Ploopy Mouse differs in several ways from what is usually reviewed here on TechPowerUp. First of all, while viable for gaming, the Ploopy Mouse isn't a gaming mouse first and foremost. In addition to that, the Ploopy Mouse isn't injection-molded, but rather 3D-printed. This has several implications. For one, FDM printing cannot match injection molding when it comes to wall thickness, which means that all other things being equal, an FDM print inevitably will be heavier than an otherwise identical injection-molded one. At 115 g, the Ploopy Mouse indeed isn't lightweight, but being a productivity mouse above all things, it doesn't need to be. Instead of going for the lowest weight possible, the Ploopy Mouse focuses on comfort and features a unique and indeed highly comfortable large, right-handed ergonomic shape. Eight buttons in total are available, two of which are conveniently placed right next to the main buttons. What's more, the Ploopy Mouse is surprisingly refined when it comes to buttons, build, and print quality. All the buttons have a pleasant and satisfying click response, and within the limits of FDM printing, the print quality is pretty much as good as it gets. That said, due to its construction, the side buttons can be actuated quite easily by squeezing the sides. The only straightforward fix for this would be to thicken the side wall in question. Another concern is the back side button, which is slightly too recessed into the shell for my liking.

This brings me to another topic: Unfortunately, Ploopy does not offer the STL files for their mouse. While there are good reasons for not doing so, it would at least allow those so inclined to adjust the shape of individual pieces, such as the side buttons or that of the entire mouse, along with their thickness, to their liking. In addition to that, the scroll wheel leaves something to be desired as well, as the optical encoder lacks haptic feedback altogether. While this may be preferable for productivity work if the scrolling is very light, scrolling isn't that light on the Ploopy Mouse, and the complete lack of tactile feedback instead is rather irritating. Furthermore, during testing the scroll wheel click often didn't work. This is doubly curious given how the keymap itself works just fine if assigned to another button.

Speaking of keymaps: Among the biggest draws of the Ploopy Mouse is its open-source firmware. Based on QMK, the Ploopy Mouse also benefits from the ecosystem which has grown around QMK over the years. Through community-developed tools, one can remap all buttons on the mouse and implement unique functions, such as drag scrolling, change polling rate, default CPI steps, and so on. While some of these things can be done through a GUI, others require editing the code, compiling, and flashing it. While not overly complicated, doing so no doubt is a more difficult endeavor than installing a software and adjusting settings there. Hence, one of course could ask: Why bother with all of this when the same functionality could be provided by a manufacturer-developed software? Frankly, this is a perfectly valid argument, but at the same time, it misses an important point. While the outcome may often be the same, the control over both the results and the process afforded by an open-source firmware is incomparably greater. Effectively, the possibilities are only limited by one's own ability to pursue them. And for what it's worth, I had some great fun fiddling around with these things.

Alright, so how does the Ploopy Mouse fare when it comes to gaming? Well, it's difficult. PixArt's PMW3360 is used, which is a perfectly capable sensor, but there's a fairly big issue with it on the Ploopy Mouse. Typically, the firmware for gaming mice supports a 16-bit HID descriptor. Being based on an Arduino library, the firmware for the Ploopy Mouse, however, only supports an 8-bit HID descriptor, which greatly limits its effective performance. Basically, the higher the set CPI, the lower the maximum tracking speed will be. While the maximum tracking speed is sufficient for gaming up until around 1000 CPI, any higher than that and tracking speed will be severely limited. The lowest out-of-the-box CPI step is 1200, which already caps at around 3 m/s, while 1600 CPI can only do 2 m/s, and higher steps quickly become entirely unusable. In short, 400 and 800 CPI are perfectly usable, but those wanting to make use of higher steps are out of luck for now. Ploopy plans to address this limitation at some point, but in the meantime, one could only try writing the necessary code oneself. The gaming viability is further compromised by the feet and cable: The feet glide decently well, but I wouldn't describe them as fast, and the cable is quite stiff and unsuited for FPS gaming in particular. Thankfully, the Ploopy Mouse can be ordered without a cable as well, and one can simply opt for a more flexible model purchased elsewhere. On the bright side, click latency is surprisingly good for a mouse not primarily designed for gaming and even manages to beat several mice which are. Lastly, CPI accuracy is almost perfect, which again is something rarely encountered on dedicated gaming mice.

As you can see, the Ploopy Mouse has its flaws. Clearly, the Ploopy Mouse isn't for everyone and requires the willingness to deal with some rough edges here and there. At the same time, I cannot deny that for a mouse designed and built virtually from scratch, the Ploopy Mouse is genuinely impressive. While this doesn't necessarily matter much to those simply wanting to get their money's worth, I cannot help but applaud Ploopy for the craftsmanship that went into this mouse. For this and its open-source approach, the Ploopy Mouse gets our Innovation award from me.