Introduction
The enormous growth of PC gaming hardware is reflected in the dizzying array of choice in today's marketplace. Gamers have literally thousands of peripheral combinations to choose from, and though casual users may suggest that a mouse is just a mouse, enthusiasts and competitive gamers will appreciate that the right hardware can make all the difference.
Corsair has seen huge success in making available a peripheral for every type of gamer and is today expanding its arsenal with the Sabre RGB Pro Wireless, priced at £90.
Introduced as a wireless alternative to the existing Sabre RGB Pro, the new addition joins the firm's Champion Series catalogue and claims to have been "built for and tested by top esports professionals." True as that may be, there is a significant £50 price gap between the two models with the existing wired variant currently available for £40. The target audience of pro gamers will know that the wired mouse is the best bet when it comes to absolute performance, so will many be willing to pay over 2x for the sake of wireless freedom?
That's debatable, but there's no harm in having the choice, and let's not forget that wireless has come a long way. This refresh of the Sabre RGB Pro supports 2.4GHz Corsair Slipstream WiFi connectivity with sub-1ms latency and automatic channel hopping, and for the sake of flexibility, there's onboard Bluetooth 4.2, making it easy to switch between, say, your main gaming rig and your laptop.
The mouse can also be wired using the supplied 6ft USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable, though the maximum 2,000Hz polling rate, while more than sufficient for most users, isn't as lavish as the 8,000Hz on offer from the regular, non-wireless model. For those who do favour the drag-free feel of cordless, note that battery life is rated at up to 60 hours via 2.4GHz Slipstream, or up to 90 hours via Bluetooth. Plenty for even a marathon gaming session.
Outside of wireless connectivity, we're pleased to find that a lot of what was good about the original Sabre RGB Pro has been kept intact. This is still an ultra-nimble mouse designed for fast FPS/MOBA, and though the 79g weight is up slightly from 74g, the wireless model retains that extremely agile feel. You wouldn't think there's a lithium-polymer battery inside as the shell seems hollow, and everything about the mouse is evidently geared for speed.
Dimensions of 129mm (L) x 70mm (W) x 43mm (H) are comfortable for my long, slender hands in either a palm or claw grip, but the mouse isn't ambidextrous, so while the ergonomic curves are subtle, left handers may not feel entirely at home. Fast, twitch-style action is the order of the day, and to that end neither the textured top nor smooth side surfaces over much grip. A mouse as dainty as this doesn't lend a feeling of high-end build quality, yet the various plastic panels are well knitted together with no obvious squeaks or rattles.
As before, there are half-a-dozen programmable buttons (left, right, scroll wheel, DPI adjustment, forward, back) and the primary left- and right-clickers tout pre-tensioned, spring-loaded Quickstrike technology, whereby the gap between the click plates and underlying Omron switches is minimised for short travel, fast actuation and instant rebound. They do feel noticeably quicker than the Ironclaw mouse I use regularly, and all the buttons are well positioned. The distinct notches on the scroll wheel will suit some gamers more so than others, but we can all appreciate that the wheel isn't backlit this time around. RGB lighting thankfully is limited to just the Sails logo and the DPI indicator.
Rounding out the high-performance specification is a Corsair Marksman optical sensor. Developed in partnership with PixArt, the sensor is fully customisable in single DPI steps from 100 right up to a maximum of 26,000 and touts 650 IPS tracking at up to 50G acceleration. Five onboard DPI presets are configured to 400, 800, 1,200, 1,600 and 3,200 right out of the box, and each is colour-coded with a small indicator LED positioned behind the scroll wheel. Better still, the five presets can be tuned on-the-fly without the need for any software. Simply hold the DPI cycle button and press forward or backward to increase or decrease sensitivity in 50 DPI increments.
There's a helpful hatch on the underside for stowing the small USB dongle, four PTFE feet provide friction-free glide, and the button just below the sensor can be used to switch between three onboard profiles. As always, profile management and fine-tuning is handled via Corsair's long-standing iCue software companion, with v4.15.153 officially adding support for the mouse, and we found the software essential in overcoming an unexpected bug.