What a time to be a PC gamer. The availability of peripherals seems to grow by the day, and optimization and functionality are constantly improving. Lets not forget to mention – we can RGB all of the things.
It’s that time of year again where techies gather round and see what vendors have to offer at CES 2019. Corsair as always came front and center on our radar with the announcement of their new line-up of gaming mice.
M65 RGB Elite
This first new addition to the line-up is a refined variant of a mouse that’s already seen massive success in the FPS scene. Corsair states that they took the reviews of thousands and used those insights to refine the mouse just slightly where it was most wanted.
Some of the improvements over the previous M65 RGB Pro are the 15% reduction in weight, a redesign of the thumb buttons and sniper trigger, a few aesthetic improvements and finally the addition of what Corsair is referring to as the most-accurate gaming-grade optical sensor
Technicals
The M65 RGB Elite’s new sensor is rated with a native 18,000 DPI. The M65 RGB Elite of course, supports on the fly preset adjustments. Adjustments can be customized in 1 DPI increments using Corsairs iCUE software. In game these presets can be accessed with a quick click of the top side adjustment buttons.
A new aesthetic to the M65 RGB Elite is the exposed durable anodized aluminum frame. This is something we’ve seen on a lot of Corsair’s new peripherals, most recently on the K70 Mk 2.
As in the previous generation of M65, the new M65 RGB Elite does have an advanced tunable weight system. If you’d like to add for improved grip, or drop weight to that low 97g mark. This variant from Corsair comes equipped with eight fully programmable buttons. The switches in the mouse are Omron Switches and have a minimum 50 million click life.
If you’re interested in hearing the sound of these switches, be sure to check out the video review on our channel below.
What’s so Special?
The main differentiation between the most mice and this one is the sniper button. Essentially what this button does is provide a dramatic decrease in DPI while it’s depressed. If you’re playing your go-to FPS, and someone comes into sights, but your reactions are too quick, you may miss. This allows allows that buffer for you to slow things down, and get that hit marker more often.
Like so many peripherals today, the M65 RGB Elite is packing Dual-Zone dynamic RGB. This provides a small added customization to the scroll wheel area as well as the Corsair Sails near the palm.
All customization including macros, and RGB configuration can be configured in the iCUE software. Changes are stored on the M65 RGB Elite thanks to on-board profile storage. This means you will not need to rely on the software constantly to have your settings in place.
The M65 RGB Elite is currently available in white and black variants and is priced at $59 US.
HARPOON RGB Wireless
Corsair has also added to their wireless line-up with this launch. The Harpoon RGB wireless fits in somewhere between, premium mobile mouse, and wireless gamer.
Technicals
The Harpoon RGB comes equipped with a 10,000 DPI optical sensor. This seems to be more than acceptable being that it’s a wireless mouse, right? In order to use the wireless functionality you’ll most like need to start at the base. On the bottom side of the mouse is a flip-open lid that houses the USB wireless adapter. This adapter is only needed if you plan to take advantage of Corsairs 2.4 GHz Slipstream Wireless Technology. This connection method allows for sub 1ms latency.
If Bluetooth or a hardware connection are your preferred method, those are also available. Changes between connections are available using the toggle switch on the bottom of the Harpoon RGB Wireless.
Em-powered
Initial battery life via bluetooth is max rated at 60 hours if RGB is not enabled. If you want to utilize the Slipstream Technology, the max is going to be 45 hours without RGB enabled. If you want RGB and Slipstream, you’re look at about 30 hours. This doesn’t seem unreasonable for the functionality provided. If you do find yourself running out of juice mid-gaming session, you can always plug in and continue on using the wired functionality.
Speaking of power – The Harpoon RGB Wireless does not require batteries and instead has a lithium polymer battery internally attached. This provides no need to carry around double AA batteries, and allows for that lighter 99g weight. One thing that feels like a miss is the lack of Qi charging capability. Corsair just launched their mm1000 mousepads a few months back and seems to be lacking with supported devices. Adding this support would likely add to the weight and footprint of the mouse, which could be the reason why we don’t have this support.
Battery life is notated on the top of the mouse with the LED indicator. The LED indicator changes from green, to amber, to red with a few additional variations. This let’s you know when you’re in the clear to game, and when its time to tether up. This same LED indicator provides a visual aid to DPI presets. In the iCUE software, DPI set points are adjustable, and have a specific color marker. Once configured, pressing the adjustment button below the scroll wheel will reflect which profile you’re on via the LED indicator.
There’s more!
The Harpoon RGB Wireless comes rigged with 6 fully programmable buttons and Omron Switches. As mentioned earlier in this post, the Omron switches have a minimum 50 million click life rating.
If you’re interested in hearing the sound of these switches, be sure to check out the video review on our channel below.
RGB strikes again in a single-zone format. The Harpoon RGB Wireless has the same Sails logo near the palm rest. RGB settings, along with macros and other customization’s are modified using iCUE. Adjustments are stored via the onboard profile, which is great for mobile use.
The overall feel of the Harpoon RGB Wireless is good. It’s slightly more compact, but not small like a typical mobile mouse would be. The textured rubber grip on both sides allows you to feel like you have full control without a huge footprint.
The Harpoon RGB wireless is only available in a black variant and is currently price at $49 US.
IRONCLAW RGB
The final mouse we will be looking at today is the Ironclaw RGB. This mouse is not only the largest in the line-up but also the heaviest. The primary focus of the Ironclaw RGB is for FPS and MOBA players. After some testing, we can easily see this mouse being good for both.
The first thing you’ll notice is the large footprint of the Ironclaw RGB. If you’ve got larger hands, this thing will feel amazing!
Technicals
The Ironclaw RGB has the same sensor as the M65 RGB Elite, boasting a native 18,000 DPI. On the left side of the mouse are 3 LED indicators. These LED’s show the current preset level of sensitivity selected. In the iCUE software, DPI set points are adjustable, and show current selection via these LED’s.
This mouse comes with seven fully programmable buttons for key remaps or macros. Again, customization to RGB, macros, and other settings is stored in on-board memory. Omron switches are the switch of choice here again. Much like the previous mentioned they have a 50 million click life rating.
If you’re interested in hearing the sound of these switches, be sure to check out the video review on our channel below.
Thoughts
The Ironclaw RGB is the largest and heaviest weighing in at 105g. Size and weight isn’t a surprise though considering the Ironclaw’s design was intended for larger palm players. One recommendation we have for Corsair is to offer us an Elite model of the Ironclaw RGB. The exposed aluminum we saw in the M65 RGB Elite is a nice touch and could apply here as well.
The Ironclaw RGB is currently only available in black, and is priced at $59 US.
Conclusion
Corsair seems to be increasing their foothold in the peripheral category. These new mice have got a quality feel to them at an affordable price. Not only is quality coming into play, but functionality as well. We have three completely different options for three different types of consumer and we are impressed!
Let us know below, would you consider any of these mice for your PC? Which one would you go with and why?
Check out our video Review of these mice along with the new gigantic mouse-pads Corsair just announced here: