Software

The software is somewhat basic, but has all the essential settings. The first page includes button remapping options (mouse, keyboard, media, and macro functions), polling rate adjustment (125/250/500/1000 Hz), and a percentage-based battery life indicator (increments of 10%). The second page allows for CPI adjustment (100–16,000 CPI, increments of 100) in up to five color-coded levels, along with basic Windows pointer settings. The third page houses the macro editor. The fourth page concerns lighting options and is detailed below. Profile management is available, too. On my system, the software had a RAM footprint of 11 MB on average.

Lighting

The M686 Vampire Elite has four lighting zones that are not independent of each other: the scroll wheel, logo at the back, and two lighting strips at the sides. Three lighting effects are available: Streaming, Respiration, and Steady. Transition speed and LED brightness can be customized further. Of course, disabling the lighting altogether is also possible.

Color accuracy and vibrancy are excellent throughout. Here's a short demonstration video of the "Streaming" and "Respiration" lighting effects:

Battery Life

According to Redragon, battery life is up to 45 hours in "eco mode." From what I can tell, said "eco mode" merely disables the side LED strips, but leaves the polling rate intact. After roughly 12 hours spent with the mouse in-game (illumination fully enabled), the battery level was at 70% or 80%—the battery level indicator isn't too reliable. In any case, I'd expect 35–40 hours of battery life with the lighting fully enabled. The battery is unbranded and has a capacity of 1000 mAh.