How do you create a gaming mouse that sits comfortably in the palm of most gamers? With science, that's how. As such, Pulsar Gaming is taking matters into its own hands with a research study—and nine survey participants will get a gaming mouse for their trouble.

In collaboration with the High-Performance Human-Computer Interaction Lab at Yonsei University, Pulsar Gaming is setting out "to establish empirical design standards based on quantitative user data and actual behavioral patterns." In order to collect enough data, Pulsar has invited the "global gamer community" via X to fill out an academic survey.

You can find the survey in question here, and the response period is from August 5 until August 24. The survey is about 19 pages long, with questions available in English, Japanese, and Korean. Pulsar writes that responses will be used to create a "foundational baseline for engineering the next generation of gaming mice."

It's a fairly in-depth survey, with even just the first page asking everything from what sorts of games you play and how many gaming mice you've "meaningfully" used, to how long your phalanges are. Those are your fingers, not your toes, for those wondering.

If you fill out the 19-page survey, you'll be in with a chance of winning a random Pulsar Gaming mouse. Nine survey participants in total will be randomly selected, and these winners will then be contacted on August 26.

A survey is definitely one way to approach designing a fresh gaming mouse. The dedicated Logitech lab our Jacob visited in Switzerland is another. There, designers consider ideas such as 'making a lightweight mouse that is nothing but strands of plastic inside,' and use electrode pads to measure how different hand muscles interact with different mouse shapes.

Speaking of mouse maestro Jacob and Pulsar, it's worth noting he also highly rated the X3 CrazyLight Mini gaming mouse earlier this year—not to mention the many paragraphs he dedicated to his 'gaming mouse heaven', the Pulsar Playstore.

There's just one small problem: Our Jacob is based in the UK, and the Pulsar Playstore can only be found in Tokyo, Japan. Ah, well.

Noctua is one of the very best fan makers on the market, but introducing its fan into the Feinmann F01 Noctua Edition gaming mouse seemed to involve a truly horrible sequence of fan tests.

Noctua has "custom-built torture-test rigs", all designed to put fans through their paces to see if they can withstand how the average gamer treats their mice. One video of six fans getting rapidly from left to right says, "This is what 30 sideways movements per second look like."

Effectively, the new Noctua mouse has a fan inside, which then blows air on your palm as you play. I've had the chance to try it out in the PC Gamer office, and so far, it's surprisingly pleasant. But ultimately, if you are gaming, you will do a lot of sideways movement and will often pick the mouse up and tap the top of the table. Noctua wouldn't want its fan to break down in a game, and it has taken to its blog to go over its testing methodology.

One test, conveniently named the 'drop test', has a series of fans on a motor that is picked up by a wheel and then dropped rapidly. You can see a video of that particular test in action below.

The results, according to Noctua, are positive for both tests. It says, "The answer to the question of how long NF-A4x10 fans can survive this type of torture is simple: surprisingly long!"

The horizontal test, pushing 12 fans back and forth rapidly, stopped after 280,000 cycles as one of the fans had failed. However, that turned out to be a bearing issue with the tape that fixed the fan coming loose.

In the vertical drop test, all eight fans were still functional after 20,000 drops. "After another 5000 drops, all the fans had their impellers pop out due to failures of the bearing lock-ring, but by this time, the foam padding at the base of the test setup that we used to soften the impact was completely shattered, so the impact force had become much higher than our accelerometer could measure."

So it seems like the gaming mouse is ready for the big league (ie gamers throwing their mice around because a monster has popped up on-screen). We'll just have to see how it fares for gaming in its other aspects. I have my hands on one, so you can expect my thoughts soon, though I don't anticipate dropping it 20,000 times.

I've been a very happy chappy ever since discovering the wonders of the Chinese 'clone' mouse market. Brands in this market attempt to deliver quality gaming mice that take after popular shapes by mainstream brands, but for a lot less money. I was sceptical at first, but my experience with Mchose mice has squashed my scepticism, and this K7 V2 Ultra+ is a fine example.

It is, for all intents and purposes, a Razer Viper V3/V4 Pro clone, and the latter is currently the absolute best gaming mouse on the market today. I say V3/V4 Pro because it sits between the two, using an overclocked PixArt PAW3955 TI sensor that hits up to 50,000 DPI. That's PixArt's flagship market-available sensor, and the Razer Viper V4 Pro has its own top-of-the-line, custom PixArt sensor that has the same DPI as this but higher IPS capability and so on. Still, the K7 V2's sensor is flagship as far as what is actually on the market.

Regarding just the shape, I notice no difference between this and the Viper V4 Pro, which tracks, given EloShapes shows no difference either. There is, of course, a difference in build quality (and no optical switches), but that's less to do with the Mchose and more to do with the Viper being practically flawless—the best build quality I've seen in any mouse. The K7 V2 Ultra+ doesn't match that, but it does match other premium mice in terms of build quality.

To be more specific, it feels lovely under the palm, is sturdy, and I have zero complaints when actually using it in-game, but if I'm pulling out my metaphorical magnifying glass for inspection, it's not completely perfect. I've noticed there's a slight amount of friction to the left mouse button before it actuates depending on where I press it. Plus it is, of course, heavier than the Viper V3 Pro and V4 Pro as it weighs 59 g, whereas the former are 54 g and 49 g respectively.

But those are pretty small sacrifices to make for getting the same Viper shape and a very performant sensor for a little over half the price of a bona fide V3 Pro or V4 Pro. It's not as cheap as some of Mchose's other options—in fact, not even some rather premium-feeling ones—but for a flagship sensor and a Viper shape, it sits right with me.

There's another thing to note, which is that you're getting a wireless charger in the 2.4 GHz receiver, which is a fantastic choice and works really well. We've seen similar from the 8BitDo Retro R8, but this one connects and charges magnetically and wirelessly rather than via some pins. Both are good, but the magnetic system might have the edge for longevity (no pins to damage) and how easy it is to just slap on top. It's super convenient and has the added benefit of keeping the receiver weighty enough to stay put, in combination with its sticky base lining.

It charges pretty quickly when on the stand: about 1% every minute, if not a little faster. Not that that matters much, because after using this thing for three or four days of pretty extensive work and gaming it only dropped to about 80%. And chucking it on top of the charging stand is effortless, provided you remember to do so.

The lighting on the receiver looks gorgeous too, primarily because it runs around the bottom so it looks a lot like a more subtle underglow than anything too garish. Though it would be more useful if it changed colour based on the mouse's battery life rather than whatever colour(s) you set it to.

These colours and effects can be changed in the software, which is available either locally or online. It is of course great that there's a web-based version; however it does take a while to load. But once you're in, you get access to every setting you might want, including things like lift-off distance (LOD) and even sensor rotation.

Getting to the meat and potatoes of competitive gaming, which is the use case this mouse is aimed at given the Viper inspo, everything is flawless. Playing Counter-Strike 2, I've had zero problems with connectivity or tracking.

The Viper shape is wonderful too, keeping my hand nice and steady when holding angles, so I can say it's at the very least pleasant for a relaxed palm grip. And given it's the most-used mouse by Valorant pros and close to that for Counter-Strike pros, I think many others would agree.

The Viper shape is also good for claw and fingertip grips, making it pretty versatile, just like Logitech's G Pro/Superlight shape. In fact, it's often considered better for these than for palm grip, but I use a hybrid palm grip and do enjoy it.

The last two sprinkles of icing on the cake are its connectivity options and its aesthetic. Some competitive gaming mice don't bother including Bluetooth, but this one does and I found it to work very well. It connects to my laptop instantly and I can now immediately switch between laptop and PC by a flick of the underside switch from Bluetooth to 2.4 GHz.

Finally, although it's still a pretty plain mouse in black, it does have a little golden flair to it on the logo, side buttons, and scroll wheel. I think it looks rather classy, which isn't always the case with golden trimmings. The blue version also looks gorgeous just judging from the product photos, though I've not seen that one in person.

In all, I really can't complain about anything in this mouse for the price. It would be nice if there was that extra tidbit of attention paid to things like button click quality, and of course it would have been nice to see this closer to 50 g. But I don't think I can expect to get that without stepping up into the $100+ range, especially given the included charging stand and wireless charging internals.

Mchose has stayed on the right side of the mark here, and I'm especially looking forward to any potential discounts in future which sweeten the deal even further. Though even without that sweetening, it's got my approval.

Keychron, the gaming peripheral creator, has developed a name for itself as a defender of open-source software over the last few years. It has an entire 'Open Source Design Project', where it posts access to files to customise its keyboards, and it even uses ZMK and QMK, which are open-source software for keyboards. Open-source mouse firmware has gone unloved by the company, until now.

Keychron announced on X that it's currently developing ZGM, an open-source gaming mouse software for use with its mice. The company plans to launch ZGM at the start of 2027. Keychron says in the announcement, "Every gaming mouse on the market runs firmware you can't read, can't audit, can't change. So we built it ourselves."

Alongside this, the company has published a new website, explaining the benefits of open-source gaming mouse firmware and how it came about. The new software is built on Zephyr ROTS and designed to be scalable and modular, meaning it can support multiple hardware variants and can work with unique sensors, buttons, and scroll wheels without rewriting.

It's also designed with low-latency input in mind, and will support both wired and wireless mice. The benefit of it being open-source is that other users can contribute to it or fork it to make their own build.

Keychron points out that the software will work with the newly unveiled G6 HE, which is its 46 g wireless gaming mouse with a swappable battery, hybrid optical/magnetic switches, and a pretty neat charging puck too. Naturally, though open-source software is good to have, it won't work with just anything out of the digital box. It often needs fine-tuning for specific hardware, which is why Keychron clarifies it will work with the G6 HE. But because it's open-source, one could technically refine it for non-compatible hardware.

If you want to keep an eye on the project, it currently has a public GitHub repository, but Keychron notes it is "currently in its early setup phase." The project mostly contains "project scaffolding, policy files, and the initial project direction" as of right now.

Still, with the likes of GMK already out there, open-source mouse firmware should bridge a gap between hardware and should give you unified language for both your Keychron mouse and keyboard. And an added benefit is that the more open-source projects that are out there, the more likely other companies are to follow suit.

The best gaming mouse on the market right now is the Razer Viper V4 Pro. It's the best because it's light, very well-built, performant, and has great battery life. This last quality—its battery life—is largely thanks to Razer's new FrameSync tech, which is kind of like G-Sync but for a mouse sensor rather than a monitor's refresh rate. And now we have independent testing confirming that the new and innovative tech works as Razer describes it.

We had indirect confirmation of it before just from the fact that the Viper V4 Pro's battery life is so good (180 hours at 1 kHz polling), but it's reassuring and, frankly, just cool to see it confirmed regardless.

With any gaming mouse, there are two main things going on: optical scanning and polling. In the first case, the sensor scans for movement across your mouse pad in many snapshots per second. In the latter, the PC polls for (requests) that movement data from the mouse.

Well, actually, there are three things going on, because in between those two lies the microcontroller unit (MCU), which prepares the sensor data to hand off to the PC when it polls. Razer's innovation with FrameSync is to get all three of these aligned by making the sensor only scan at the same time it's polled for, meaning it can keep things responsive but also keep the sensor scan-outs low and save power.

Anyways, all this is great on paper, but how could we even confirm it? Well, X user and peripheral YouTuber piaknow has figured it out and put FrameSync to the test. Using a cornucopia of wires and a Rigol DS1102Z-E oscilloscope, they confirm that "Razer's FrameSync is REAL."

They explain: "Yellow line shows the USB signal and blue line shows the sensor light source. The phase between them being fixed shows that they are actually synchronized, as advertised."

So yep, it seems it's true: Razer FrameSync does, in fact, sync the sensor to the polling rate. Although it's worth noting that one commenter claims they get some small deltas, and piaknow confirms "I do get 0.25 ms intervals periodically... but because the counts are doubled at the same time, maybe it's simply packet loss due to some type of periodical extra process?"

I'm not the one with the oscilloscope, so I certainly can't say, but at any rate the periodical deltas don't seem too big, and certainly not enough to throw off the overall oscilloscope picture and the fact that FrameSync is seemingly doing what it says on the tin, just perhaps not absolutely perfectly.

That being said, there's apparently still a DPI downshift problem, which I've explained previously. Sensors, eh, there's more to them than we might think! For my part, I haven't noticed any issues with the Viper V4 Pro's sensor, and it's great to see some genuinely new tech confirmed independently.

Wallhack (previously SkyPad, if you weren't aware) has teased a gaming mouse that will be announced on July 24. This will be the company's first gaming mouse, having previously stuck to high-performance mouse pads, sleeves, and skates.

There must just be something irresistible about hot swappable batteries. This mouse looks to have them, as from the teaser trailer, we see a separate battery zooming into place. This also matches what peripheral reviewer mel0nFPS noted about a previous image-only teaser, as they predicted a "hot-swap battery system (250-300 mAh)."

I first saw a hot swappable mouse at Gamescom last year, when I was granted an early look at the Glorious Model O3. Unfortunately that mouse failed to massively impress me for other reasons when I reviewed it (mostly mediocre tracking over wireless and stiff competition at such a high price), but I did like the battery system.

Since then, we've seen other companies are having a go at it. There's the AM Infinity Mouse, which has a recent PixArt PAW3950 sensor and weighs just 49 g. And there's the as-yet unreleased Steelseries Rival Pro Mini, if the rumours are correct.

I know things like hot swappable batteries can seem like a bit of a gimmick, but I really don't think they are for a gaming mouse. Unless you're particularly bad at keeping on top of your mouse charge, it's unlikely that you'll run completely out of battery in your wireless mouse while gaming, but that's not really the point.

The point is you'll never have to take a break from wireless to plug it in if you forget to charge it, which can be important if you're playing competitive online games, for instance (which will surely be the target market for a Wallhack mouse).

It doesn't happen often, but there have definitely been times when I've noticed my battery is running low in the middle of a planned Counter-Strike session. I've had to take an unwanted break while it charges because I don't want to play with a cable now I'm used to wireless (woe is me, I know).

These removeable batteries are also more easily replaced than some, which is good for longevity.

The wireless dongle/puck also looks great, judging from its silhouette and another teaser post. I'm a big fan of the bigger pucks for mice, given they stop the little flimsy ones from falling all around. Often off the desk. And this one looks fancy, like a DAC, with a scroller for DPI and polling rate, along with a 'status' button and another element I'm nonplussed over.

If mel0nFPS's other predictions based on the PCB are correct, then we could be looking at a top-end PAW3955 sensor and optical clicks. The bottom also looks somewhat hollowed, though not in the usual way, so hopefully it'll be nice and lightweight. Given Wallhack's usual genuinely premium quality products for competitive gaming (I like its SP glass pads and gamer sleeve) I'm certainly hopeful.

We'll have to wait until July 24 to find out more, including its price tag, which I'm not exactly holding my breath for. I'll be surprised if it's any cheaper than $140, given the brand and other high-end options on the market like the Superstrike and Viper V4 Pro.

I'm known around the PC Gamer streets as a bit of a mouse pad nerd. Though that's just because I take the surface my little rodent skates across seriously, as you should. If you're playing a game that requires good aim, a good pad can be just as important for your gameplay experience as high fps, up to a certain point.

Naturally, then, I fell under the spell of glass mouse pads for a while. With glass, there's the promise of a very slippery glide, if that's your thing, but more important is the promise of consistency and longevity. Cloth pads collect dust and dirt that can't just be wiped away, and the fibres change over time. That's why pros switch them out so often.

Glass pads aren't like this, though. They do have irregularities etched into their surface to help with friction and sensor tracking, but these don't wear down because they're harder than your mouse skates. Your skates, on the other hand, do wear down quicker, but these are easily replaceable, and a cheap pack of dot skates can last a very long time.

Glass pads do require more maintenance, but not as much as I initially thought. When I first started using one—a QPAD Obsidian—I would wipe it down with a microfibre cloth between almost every two-minute Counter-Strike round, just in case something had gotten on it that could cause the skates to feel horribly scratchy when they ran over it. This does happen, but nowhere near as frequently as I initially thought. But eventually, when using a glass pad, I just wiped it down once or twice every 45-minute game, or if I noticed scratchiness.

There's one other bit of maintenance required, too. Unless you're in a cold climate and have dry skin all the time, you'll probably want to use a gamer sleeve so your arm glides consistently over the pad while you aim, whatever the conditions.

I got used to this maintenance and started using a glass pad, and for a while I was hooked. There's just something about having very little static or dynamic friction and having an incredibly consistent glide that makes you feel like you're in the driver's seat. Every little movement is in your control, as is how smoothly you make those movements.

That seemed fantastic at first, but over time I've found I often don't want that much control. Somewhat paradoxically, I gain control over my aim by giving up some control of my mouse. That shouldn't really be a surprise, though, because 'control' pads are designed to be slower, i.e., providing more resistance to your movements, giving you less free control over your mouse movements. That's the opposite of a glide-y glass pad.

There's definitely a place for glass pads, but I just don't think I'm the target market. They're great if you don't need pinpoint aim and love a smooth glide, or if you need the kind of pinpoint aim that benefits from smooth, consistent tracking with a long time-to-kill (TTK). Games such as Quake Champions or The Finals, for instance.

However, in tactical shooters like Counter-Strike 2 (my go-to game), I find I play much better when using a control cloth pad. I'm able to hold angles better and keep my gun very still, and I can make the small adjustments needed when peeking or occasionally flicking thanks to the increased stopping power and static friction.

I know that over time I could develop finer control over my aim with a glass pad, and maybe then I'd find them to be better. But I did try. I've put dozens of hours in on different glass pads, and I still feel a little relief when going back to a control pad like the Razer Gigantus V2 Pro or Zowie HSR-III, or even a smooth cloth pad like the SteelSeries QcK Performance Speed.

I've even tried a glass mouse pad that's designed to offer a bit more control: the Wallhack CR-005. And this did feel better to begin with, to the extent that I wondered whether it could be my endgame pad. But that control feeling seemed to wear off a little over many hours of gameplay (perhaps, very speculatively, due to skate debris getting stuck between the micro surface bumps), and regardless I still felt on more solid ground, so to speak, when I whapped a cloth pad back on the desk.

I could have stuck it out with glass, but I ask myself: why? If pro players are able to reach their heights on cloth, then I see little incentive to switch to glass over the long-term, and there's little incentive to try and stick it out when I'm not getting the benefit in the short-term, either.

So, unless I ditch Counter-Strike and pick up Quake Champions once again (I'll be holding out for that fabled arena shooter genre comeback until the day I die), I'll be sticking with cloth, I think.

There is one thing that using glass pads has given me which I will continue to use, however: the gamer sleeve.

As I mentioned earlier, in most cases, using a sleeve with a glass pad is essential if you want to keep your arm moving across its surface consistently every time. But a couple of months ago, I heard someone say somewhere (I can't remember where) that a gamer sleeve can even be of benefit when using a cloth pad. So I tried it, and now I can't go back.

Yes, whenever I boot up Counter-Strike, I sleeve up too. Even though I play on cloth. I felt a little sheepish the first few times, but I kept reminding myself that some pro players use them and that nobody is here watching me anyway. But now, it feels as natural as putting on my coat before I go outside in the winter.

And if I forget? It's just as noticeable as forgetting my coat. Without my gamer sleeve on, moving my arm around the mouse pad—aiming with low sensitivity, as you do in Counter-Strike—feels inconsistent at best, and downright slow at worst. But with my trusty half-palm-and-forearm sheath properly donned, my arm scoots around deftly, in exactly the same way every time I boot up the game, whatever the weather.

So thank you, glass pads, for opening my eyes to the wonders of the humble sleeve. You might not have won me over for playing my tactical shooters on your slippery surfaces, but you've given me that.

When it comes to gaming mice, big innovations don't come around that often. Earlier this year there was one, though, as Logitech was the first to put proper analogue clicks in a mouse using a mix of haptics and induction in the G Pro X2 Superstrike. And now, rumour has it we'll be seeing a second version very soon.

That's according to someone the peripheral reviewer Jakeu calls a "highly trusted leaker", who revealed it on the reviewer's Discord server. What will it be like? "No Hero 3. Upgrade main-controller. Further tweaks for HITS."

Apparently we'll be seeing the new Superstrike at Logitech G Play this September.

That's all the unnamed leaker gives us, which isn't a lot to go on. "No Hero 3" means no next-gen sensor, which is fine in my books because the Superstrike's Hero 2 sensor is just fine. Upgrades to the controller and HITS tweaks sound good too, but again, I find HITS on the Superstrike to be just fine as-is, personally.

There's the slim possibility that Logitech is updating the mouse with what we've seen the likes of Keychron and even lesser-known manufacturers working on: hybrid traditional and analogue switches. Except I doubt Logitech will want to have a physical click in there when they worked so hard on the haptics system to replicate the feeling of a real click but have it trigger whenever the analogue click does—very successfully, I might add.

More likely is that there could be a new shell for the Superstrike, fixing things like weighting, as the new internals make it quite front-heavy. There could also be improvements to things like the side buttons and so on.

It would make sense for Logi to release an iteration like this given the company essentially slapped the new internals in a Superlight 2 (with some weight reductions) to get it to market as quickly as possible.

Assuming the rumour is correct, it might be a shame for anyone that already bought a Superstrike. But then again, I doubt such people didn't know they were getting bleeding edge tech that could be superseded before long, even if that does end up being a little quicker than we expected.

The Asus ProArt lineup is, in essence, the company's range of fancy PC products for creative professionals—and my goodness does it contain some nice-looking stuff. Which is why I jumped at the chance to test out one of the latest additions, the Asus ProArt Mouse MD301.

It's certainly a handsome squeaker, designed to provide a subtle, refined, ergonomic option for those who have some serious work to do. It's all business, this mouse, and there's something desirable about a design that eschews gamer-like frippery and instead aims for a more executive flair.

It's also customisable, in the sense that you can remove its main button switches for something more serene, or more clicky. There's also a horizontal scroll wheel, à la the Logitech MX Master range, which feels beautifully dampened. Really, most of the controls here are of the premium, well-thought-out sort, and that's very pleasing to see.

However, this $100/£105 professional rodent has the odd quirk that gives me pause. The side buttons are a touch flimsy. The thumb rest is slightly small and a little awkward. I've also had the odd connection issue, and the software feels like an afterthought.

There's a lot to like about the MD301. But as a long-term tester of the Logitech MX Master 4, I can't help but feel that if you're going down the professional ergo mouse route, it's the better buy of the two. The ProArt MD301 is a lighter, leaner attempt at an ergonomic mouse with many admirable qualities, but it drops the ball a little too often to give it my full seal of approval.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD301 features

The Asus ProArt Mouse MD301 is an ergonomically-shaped mouse that feels a lot smaller than your average ergo squeaker, coming in at 114.8 mm long, 75.2 mm wide, and 46.8 mm tall. Sit it next to a Logitech MX Master 4, and it looks positively tiny. It's also cheaper, coming in at $100 compared to the Logitech's $120 MSRP.

It's got six programmable buttons, including all the usual suspects. A left and right click, a middle scroll wheel click, two side buttons, and a hidden DPI button underneath a ridged plastic surface integrated into the chassis behind the wheel. It looks, in many ways, like a default mouse—albeit with some subtle ergo touches

Oh, and it's also got a horizontal scroll wheel mounted to the left-hand side. Logitech really changed the game with the old MX Master 3S design, didn't it?

Another interesting feature to note is the switches underneath the left and right buttons. By default, the ProArt MD301 comes with two (deep breath in) TTC E169-60BB0G0 (80M) units, but these push-fit socketed models can be pulled out and replaced with supported TTC, Omron, and Kaith units, which Asus has handily listed here.

The scroll wheel has a party trick, too, in the form of Asus' SmartShift tech. This allows for precise, clicky control when spun slowly, and a free-wheeling action when you spin it at an appropriate speed. It's a lot like Logitech's magnetic solution on paper, but feels quite different.

Spin the wheel at high speeds, and you can still feel it notch underneath your fingertip, albeit very quickly. Whereas Logitech's infinite scroll feature frees the wheel up with a glass-like, smooth action, the MD301 has a tendency to keep some tactile feedback in play, which makes it easy to stop at a defined point with precision.

Asus says the MD301 has up to 180-day battery life, and can gain eight hours' worth of charge in a single minute over its USB Type-C connection. Speaking of which, it also comes with a braided Type-C to Type-A cable, and a small USB Type-A dongle for wireless connection. Bluetooth connection is also supported.

Sensor-wise, this Asus squeaker makes do with an 8,000 DPI optical unit, which, in combination with its 1,000 Hz maximum polling rate, is unlikely to set gamers' hearts a-fluttering. Still, the MX Master 4 does just fine with a similar sensor (and a much lower polling rate), so it's not unsurprising for a work-first mouse. It's also a fair bit lighter than Logitech's latest ergo effort, tipping the scales at 99.7 g compared to the MX Master 4's 150 g bulk.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD301 ergonomics

The first thing I noticed about the MD301 is its diminutive proportions, especially when sat next to the MX Master 4. It's a lot narrower, with a much smaller thumb rest. However, it's got a wider top "hump", which feels good underneath my palm.

Switching between the two, it's clear that the Asus is designed to rotate your hand over to the right side more drastically than most, although at nowhere near as extreme an angle as something like the Keychron M5. It doesn't feel aggressively ergo, though. More like a slightly chonkier gaming mouse with some interesting quirks.

Clicking and spinning my way around the controls, I've been continually impressed by the effort that's gone into the switchgear and material choices. The left and right switches have a very positive click action, and well-weighted buttons.

The scrollwheel feels notchy yet free-flowing in all the right ways, with its clicky, fast-speed scroll being something of a highlight. The same goes for the horizontal wheel, which is heavily dampened and weighty underneath my thumb. Nice.

I'm also a big fan of the smooth outer coating, which has a silky quality that feels rather pleasant underneath my fingertips. It's slightly fingerprint-prone, but no worse than any other black gaming mouse I test these days.

The DPI switch is hidden underneath a ridged plastic insert that runs down the middle of the design, and provides a small moment of delight when you realise it's exactly where you expect it to be, but tastefully obscured. This is a classy mouse. A device for grown-ups. A refined rodent, if you will.

The only real ergonomic drawbacks come in two forms. One, the left-side thumbrest is quite small, and dips inwards. Using the MX Master 4 on the daily, my thumb has become accustomed to lolling on its own throne-like protrusion of silicone—whereas here it needs to tuck itself into a diminutive (and firm) plastic seat. My digit has become lazy, it seems, and has a tendency to want to fall off.

And two, the side buttons don't feel as high-quality as the rest of the unit. They're perfectly functional, but sitting as they do beneath a gorgeously weighted horizontal scrollwheel, the contrast is immediately obvious. They're simply "fine," while the rest of the controls are pretty excellent.

Overall, though, the ProArt MD301 is an impressive-feeling device, especially given its relatively low weight compared to its chassis size and ergo design. If anything, I could stand for it to be slightly heavier, in return for better side buttons and a bit of extra room for my thumb.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD301 performance

Given this is an ergo mouse with a relatively modest sensor, it would be unfair to expect Razer Viper V4 Pro-like performance or tracking ability from the MD301. Lo and behold, it's not the sharpest-performing rodent on the block.

Still, the sensor tracks well enough for work and light gaming usage, as shown by the MouseTester charts below.

I have, however, experienced the odd connection drop out. This has manifested as a very occasional half-second pause, and has happened several times during my week-long testing. I've got a lot of 2.4 GHz wireless devices plugged into my machine, and several more around my front room, so it's possible that the dongle here is slightly interference-prone—although I haven't been able to pin down the exact cause.

I have two other gaming mice plugged into this PC at all times (the MX Master 4 and the Razer Cobra Hyperspeed), and neither have had any connection issues. I tried unplugging both mice to see if it fixed the problem, and managed a few days of solid connection—before again experiencing a very quick pause.

I also had one connection pause while using the mouse with a gaming laptop I'm currently testing, so it doesn't seem to be specific to my main machine. The problem is so intermittent as to be barely noticeable, but there's something in this room the MD301's 2.4 GHz dongle doesn't appear to like.

Asus ProArt Mouse MD301 aesthetics

I love the ProArt MD301's aesthetic design. It's somehow utilitarian, slightly luxury, handsome, and hardly noticeable all at the same time. The ridged plastic vertical insert framing the scrollwheel is about as simple as design touches come, and yet adds a certain something that both feels good underneath your fingertips, and looks ever-so-slightly special on your desk.

Do I miss RGB lighting, or a touch of gamer flair? Not a bit of it. This mouse is all business, and that by itself makes it stand out.

Asus ProArt MD301 software

The ProArt MD301 connects to Asus Gear Link, a web-based app that allows you to adjust the DPI, polling rate, and button response settings within a browser. In order to tweak macros and use some of the features, though, you also need to install a companion app as an extension, which somehow feels like the worst of both worlds.

Pick either a web app, or installed app, Asus. Having one in order to properly use the other feels like an extra level of annoyance.

The web app itself has the odd quirk, too. I regularly split my 32-inch, 4K screen into two side-by-side browser windows, but the Asus app complains that it doesn't have enough room in one panel, suggesting I "switch to a larger screen." What do you want, a 49-inch ultrawide?

There's an option to use it anyway, though that's a new one on me. It seems to scale the interface just fine if you override it, but it's a bit indicative of the software experience overall. Unfinished is the feeling I come away with.

Still, early annoyances aside, the web interface works well enough. It's a bit barebones, though, and given the premium-feel of the mouse itself, it strikes as a clunky afterthought tacked on to what is otherwise a well-put-together package.

Asus ProArt MD301 value

At its $100 MSRP, I'd say the Asus ProArt Mouse MD301 is well-priced for its bracket. It's a chunk cheaper than the Logitech MX Master 4, and looks and feels like a premium mouse for more reasonable money.

That being said, I can't help but feel you're getting a lot more for your cash with Logitech's offering. It's got a more comfortable thumb rest, near-silent switches as standard, and a set of controls that can match (and occasionally beat) the Asus in terms of feel. And, it must be said, the Logitech software experience is a lot more refined. Plus, I've not experienced any connection pauses with the Master in many months of everyday usage.

Which puts the ProArt squeaker in an odd spot. It's a lot lighter than the Master 4, which makes it more suitable as a gaming mouse. But it's still got an ergo-spec sensor, so I doubt many will be buying it for its gaming performance chops.

And while it's a good-looking object that would suit the *loudly coughs* executive-ergo-mouse-using-professional, I can't help but feel there are enough hang-ups here to cause them to sniff into their yuzu-infused lattes.

It's a good effort from Asus, and a mouse with many likeable qualities. However, the quirks slightly outweigh the advantages, and as a result, I struggle to recommend it over the competition.

The humble mouse has been through some changes in its time. When it’s not adding extra buttons all over the place it’s twisting your wrist into unlikely positions or looking like whatever the Mad Catz RAT was. A general theme over the years, however, is that they’re getting bigger, and perhaps there's a study to be done into whether PC gamers’ hands are getting larger too, the better to cradle and envelop them.

Logitech has taken the opposite approach with the Mobi—it’s truly tiny. This is a travel mouse, a mouse for the truly short of space, a sliver of silicone-wrapped plastic that folds in half when not in use, looking rather like the Surface Arc mouse Microsoft put out in 2017, but a little bit cheaper. Where that device folded flat for transport, this one goes the other way.

Hand the Mobi to someone and the conversation goes like this: “It’s a phone?” No. “It’s a phone stand?” No. “What is it then? I can’t believe I don’t know.” Click click click on the buttons. “Oh, it’s a mouse!”

While it may resemble a Star Trek communicator or a tiny flip phone to go with your geek pie hairstyle (“that’s well weapon”), the Mobi is in fact just a mouse. It has two main buttons, two further programmable buttons, a little touch-sensitive panel to act as a scroll wheel, a PAW3222 4,000 DPI optical sensor, and a USB-C port for charging. It connects to your PC (and two other devices) via Bluetooth with fast pairing, and will play nicely with a Bolt receiver if you ask it to, though one isn’t included in the package unless you buy a special ‘business’ version.

The folding nature of the mouse is actually a stroke of genius. When collapsed, it will slip neatly into your skin-tight futuristic space-catsuit without causing too much of a bulge. And when stretched out it fits in the hand, something many compact mice that just take a normal-sized one and shrink it can’t claim. Your third finger and thumb will go underneath the 120-degree (ish) central hump if you let them, and there's certainly space for them to do this, but most of the time there's just enough height in the body of the mouse for your thumb to rest on.

Unless you have insanely long fingers you won’t run out of space on top, and the third and fourth buttons are cleverly integrated under the scrollpad, with a press at the top or bottom activating them. These click much more loudly than the nicely damped main buttons, and you can use the Logi Options+ software for a degree of customisation about what they do, including a neat double-tap auto-zoom.

And while it may look a little flimsy, Logitech has some remarkable claims about how it’s not. It can, apparently, withstand 50,000 folding actions before it starts to wear out, which Logi thinks should take 15 years (or about 5,479 days, for an average of nine folds a day). Obviously that doesn’t take into account people constantly folding and unfolding it because of the novelty of the hinge mechanism, but in 15 years we’ll be controlling our PCs with brain implants anyway. Instead of a simple switch in the hinge to detect when it’s closed and switch it off, Logitech says there's an on-device AI that protects against unintentional clicks while you’re folding it. If that sounds absurd, it’s because it is, but that’s where we are in the space year 2026, requiring an AI to tell us whether we’re wearing pants or not.

Better is the battery life of 30 days from a full charge, and the ability to use it for 22 hours after a charge of just one minute. You won’t be able to use it while it’s charging thanks to the position of the USB-C port, which isn’t quite up to Apple Magic Mouse levels of egregiousness, but with a cable connected it feels enough like you’re about to snap the plug of in the socket to make you reconsider after a few seconds. The battery cover can be pried up with a screwdriver, and it looks like the cell could be replaced, though Logitech hasn’t mentioned anything about this.

Of course it’s possible to play games with it. You can game with a trackpad or the tiny red nub on a Thinkpad, and I’ve played Age of Empires II with much worse things than the Mobi. It doesn’t require any kind of special surface to glide over, seems quite happy on a trouser leg, and the pointer is reliable and accurate. The important thing here is how much better it is to use than a laptop’s trackpad, especially if you’ve not put in the hours required to get good at using one for gaming.

Sadly, that’s almost all the praise it’s possible to muster about the Mobi. Its four buttons are fine, but scrolling is a mess. Not only is the touchpad the same texture as its surroundings, so it’s quite possible to be lovingly rubbing your fingertip against one of the buttons instead of where the action is in the middle, but even if you do get it in the right place, the web page or camera zoom you’re controlling moves jerkily, as if it’s losing track of your fingertip.

A hand that’s used to a solid-bodied mouse can rebel against being asked to cradle something so slender, and you end up moving from what should be a straightforward palm caress to a crab-like grip on the edges. It’s possible to pick the back edge up, fold your fingers underneath, and keep only the sensor in contact with the tabletop, and this might be the best way to use it despite every promotional image showing it with front and back firmly on the ground.

So, yeah. The Logi Mobi Fold is a nice piece of engineering but inevitably can’t hold a candle to a proper gaming mouse. Perhaps that’s not the point, as we don’t expect products designed for extreme portability to perform precisely like their full-size counterparts. At 79 g it’s heavier than the Logitech G Pro X Superlight and the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro, so if you’ve got it tucked in your bag and fancy a bit of Total War it’s better than a trackpad, but a modern full-sized mouse is hardly a large piece of equipment to transport, so use that instead.

For years, Logitech's egg-shaped G305 has been a budget beast, offering a comfortable feel, decent sensor, and solid shape at a reasonable price. It was so good, in fact, that it was our pick for the best budget wireless gaming mouse until the copycat Mchose G3 V2 Pro showed up. Incredibly, it claimed a spot on top of the budget gaming mouse hill for eight entire years.

Almost as if it were perturbed for losing that spot, Logitech has just launched a refresh, the G305 X Superlight, with an upgraded sensor and ever so slightly different look. Now it's got RGB that shines through a translucent patch in the base, to match the look of the G316 X 98 gaming keyboard.

But, in return for those upgrades, you are paying more money now, so it doesn't just need to be better to actually be better. It instead needs to be better for the money. Okay, I'll stop saying "be better".

That's all before mentioning that, like almost every bit of PC gaming gear, the competition has gotten fierce over the years. Logitech doesn't just need to compete with itself; it has to throw hands with a dozen other mouse brands to come out victorious.

At 59 grams, the G305 X Superlight has a pleasant feel to it. It's not very weighty at all, but there's certainly enough that it gives some resistance as I use it. The skates give resistance, too, and I'm not a fan of them. They catch just a little, sticking more to my mouse pad than I'd like. It definitely feels like more of a subjective thing, but I would like a light mouse to glide more in use, especially in snappy first-person shooters.

As well as this, I can hear a defined scratching sound with the mouse skates (we had the same problem with the Protoarc EM25 recently), which doesn't appear to do damage but can be quite annoying. Once I really started to take note of it, the mouse actively annoyed me, which is a bad sign for long-term use.

I even found myself cautious of making wide motions because it was loud enough to distract. You should be able to fix this by replacing the skates with after-market ones, but that's something you really don't want to have to do with a mouse just to get it feeling okay, especially a budget one.

One thing that I do appreciate about this mouse is its tiny visible screws on the bottom. You can get in there and replace the battery, should you want to, and easy access is a good thing, as far as repairability is concerned.

Speaking of internals, Logitech's Hero sensor is still potent. You are getting a max DPI of 44,000 here, and it's snappy and responsive enough to handle high DPIs well. It also technically supports 8,000 Hz polling, but you have to buy an optional receiver to actually use that. If doing this means getting a cheaper mouse, I actually think making 8,000 optional is a fairly smart play. It's a niche polling rate that most won't see the benefit of.

In shooter Mouse: PI for Hire, I had no problems blasting away all the baddies, and the easy-to-access DPI switch on the top of the mouse means I can flit between sensitivities with ease. The switches are satisfying to click and produce a rather loud noise in response.

I almost never found myself double-clicking, though I think part of that is the comfortable shape. It's a sturdy shell (get it? Because of the egg thing), and though it's plastic, it's certainly strong plastic. The round base means that I am often encouraged to squeeze the sides with the bottom of my palm. It's a comforting hold that feels very natural in play. I'd say it's better suited to small hands, thanks to its tiny frame, but I didn't particularly mind it with my fairly big hands, either.

At just under 60 grams, it's relatively light, though again, those skates just let it down somewhat. On a heavier frame, I can see the appeal of more catchy skates, but I really want the G305 X Superlight to feel breezy in use.

One thing I always try to test with gaming mice is Counter-Strike 2, as its short time to kill makes precise, quick aiming so important. For the most part, the G305 X performs admirably here. The sensor never cut out, and shots are easy to make.

The G305 X's specs are almost approaching competitive esports level, and that's certainly nice to have at this price point, though there will always be some compromises. For instance, moving from it to my daily driver, the 8BitDo Retro R8, it has a better sensor but worse polling, and the R8's skates gave me instant relief when I swapped. And the R8 does all of this, with an included charging dock and great aesthetics, for $30 less. I didn't realise until I'd swapped mice how much the skates impacted my enjoyment of the G305 X.

The G305 X is impressive in more than one way, though. Its 35-hour battery life is certainly quite strong. It's also the type of mouse you can just throw in a bag and bring places. I know, as I've done that. It's sturdy, light, small and comes with a small compartment on the bottom for the 2.4 GHz connector. This means it's a very neat little package.

And that package is partly so neat because of its subdued aesthetic. I've had my hands on the black one, and outside of the RGB strip at the top, it's all very understated. It looks clean on a desk and doesn't distract much from the screen. Its rounded base is not only comfortable but looks neat too.

But Logitech aren't even the only one doing that egg shape anymore. I recently had the chance to test out the rather impressive Mchose G3 V2, which comes in at less than half the price, and honestly, I'd be picking that instead if it were my cash. The 12,000 DPI in the G3 V2 is lower, but you get the same base polling, a stronger battery life, the exact same weight, and its Omron mechanical switches are very pleasant too.

That's before mentioning the G3 V2 Pro, which is around ten dollars more than the standard G3V2, comes with an upgraded sensor, and packs a 26,000 max DPI. Mchose's mouse feet are also substantially better, to me.

The G305 X Superlight does seem like a noticeable improvement over the standard G305 on paper, and in practice, it's a solid mid-range device with strong stats, a solid feel, and a clean look. However, the G305 has partly stood the test of time because you'd always find it on sale, and thanks to a price bump, the G305 X doesn't actually feel like a no-brainer upgrade, especially when the market is more vibrant, varied, and interesting than ever before.

According to one PC peripheral YouTuber, some of the best gaming mice on the market that use the latest sensors aren't sticking at the DPI they're set to (via MouseCast). At least, not when moved at a very slow speed.

An X user noted the problem a couple of years ago, pointing out the problematic feature in the firmware for some popular mouse sensors: the PixArt PAW3395, PAW3950, and PAW3399. Designed to prevent stationary cursor jitter, the 'DPI downshift' feature (as the X user phrased it) apparently works by throttling higher DPIs down to a lower one for when velocity is very low.

The potential problem with this is that one might intentionally be moving the mouse very slightly and very slowly, in which case the DPI will be lower than you've set it to and you'll get a slower movement than you might expect.

The YouTuber, pandahling, explains that there are three kinds of DPI downshift you might see. One that's binary, where it downshifts to a threshold (usually 7,500 DPI) when above this DPI and at very low velocity. The second type is caused by a profile switch in the firmware which changes things somewhat but still means that most DPI settings will be subject to downshift at low velocities.

The third kind of DPI downshift is much more slight, but apparently affects every these sensors at every DPI setting, not just at high ones. The YouTuber notes that all four PAW3950 mice they bought recently suffer from this one, as well as the Viper V4 Pro, the best gaming mouse on the market, which uses a newer, custom PixArt sensor.

The mice tested were found to have a 2–5% downshift in DPI, except for the Viper V4 Pro which was found to have a much higher 8–10% downshift. All only when at very low velocity, of course.

The graph above, from Pandahling's video, shows MouseTester results for the Viper V4 Pro at 800 DPI and 8K polling.

The vertical line on the left represents when the mouse moves quickly, and the slope on the right represents it moving the same small distance but very slowly. As you can see, there are fewer 'counts' of deviation from a stationary position when the mouse is moved slowly, which means there are fewer inputs registered by the mouse.

In other words: very slow movement means a decrease in DPI. That's why the slope ends lower on the right than it started on the left. The same distance has been travelled, but there were less dot/count registers on the slow return journey, and MouseTester therefore assumes that it hasn't returned to its starting spot.

I use a mouse with a PAW3950—the Zowie EC2-DW—and haven't noticed any problems, even when making small and slow micro-adjustments when holding an angle in Counter-Strike. But I only play at a low DPI of 800—if it's good enough for CS2 pros then it's good enough for me. And the PAW3950 seemingly doesn't suffer quite as much as the Viper V4 Pro reportedly does from this third type of DPI downshifting that occurs even at lower DPIs.

I must say, I'm not sure just how much of an effect such slight downshifting would have in practice given I don't tend to move my mouse gradually at a very low velocity—I'll have to try it out once the Viper V4 Pro is back from its merry travels at the PC Gamer offices. But one recommendation for those with an affected sensor, unless the manufacturer has fixed it in a firmware update, might be to keep your mouse DPI at least below 7,500 to make the first two types of more dramatic DPI downshift less likely.

MSI might not be the first name you think of when it comes to gaming mice, but the brand has been quietly toiling away with its peripherals in recent times and has come up with the Versa 300 Wireless 8K as its latest entry. On the face of it, with a 26,000 DPI sensor, 8000 Hz wireless polling rate and a light 66g mass, it looks as if this humble rodent could be up there with some of the best gaming mice we've tested—I've been putting it through its paces to find out.

On first impressions, the Versa 300 Wireless 8K comes across a little generic, with an all-black plastic chassis with a rougher texture and little contouring for comfort. That being said, the plastics used in its construction feel quite dense, and there's some pleasant texturing on the sides of the unit to supplement extended use.

At 66g, too, it's quite a lightweight choice, helping wrist flicks and quick movement without feeling like you're lugging around something heavy, and I'm a fan of how tactile this mouse feels with those textured surfaces, the large rubberised scroll wheel and all the rest of it.

The button placement here makes sense, with two main options: a DPI switch and a scroll wheel on top, and navigation buttons on the side. On the underside is a selector switch between Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity modes, and even a little cubby hole for the USB-A receiver that this mouse comes with—neat.

You do get a small amount of RGB-based flair, with a light-up MSI logo that attempts to protrude through the rear of the chassis—it's there, but seems on the dim side. Likewise, the MSI Center software that's used to control the Versa 300 Wireless 8K is a little bereft of features, allowing you to only remap input and trigger macros, plus some more advanced features such as angle snapping and the debounce time for the mechanical Omron switches this mouse has. If you want to control that singular RGB lighting zone, you'll need to use another app—Portal X—which just seems like more needless faff.

With this in mind, Portal X is web-based, meaning you can configure the mouse across different operating systems than just Windows, although with the RGB lighting here and not in MSI Center, there isn't feature parity across both suites.

On the point of those mechanical switches, the Omrons inside here have a firm and tactile click under finger, although they feel as if they've got a longer travel than the more common hybrid or optical switches we're beginning to see on a lot of gaming mice. I don't mind this, but for outright speed and precision, you may want to look at key rivals with a different switch type.

And now to where things matter: performance. MSI has put a 26,000 DPI PixArt PAW3395 sensor inside the Versa 300 Wireless 8K, which I've tested in other gaming mice over the years, and it provides ample sensitivity and responsiveness to make my usual test runs of Counter-Strike 2 a breeze.

Admittedly, using the full 26,000 DPI on offer all the time is likely to be especially jittery, but you can move it down in software between 100 and the full 26,000 to get a more comfortable level. In my instance, that was between 1600 and 3200 DPI for more accurate aiming in Counter-Strike 2, and for more comfortable navigation in Windows.

The 8000 Hz wireless polling rate is also a pleasant move for this rodent, especially against similar rivals such as the Endgame Gear OP1w 4K and the Be Quiet! Dark Perk Ergo, for added responsiveness and potentially lower latency for the pro players who are likely to notice that sort of thing. A higher polling rate means a device reports its position and inputs more frequently (hence Hz as the measurement).

All of this combines to make this MSI choice feel responsive in shooters, such as CS2, with brisk and responsive movements and inputs with little noticeable latency that make this a strong choice for FPS titles. The switches inside are mechanical ones rated for up to 60 million actuations, making them a durable choice for even the hastiest of spam clickers when you need to get a shot off first.

Connectivity is handled either by Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz, with the latter supporting the 8000 Hz wireless polling rate. The fact that this mouse also comes with Bluetooth adds some versatility against the competition, which eschews that in favour of outright performance in one device. I found the mouse's connection over either method to be reliable and stable, using Bluetooth on my MacBook Pro and the bundled receiver on my Windows gaming PC.

As for battery life, MSI rates the Versa 300 Wireless 8K to run for up to 196 hours via 2.4 GHz at a more standard 1000 Hz polling rate. Up it to 8000 Hz, and you'll throw a lot of that endurance away, with my testing putting it at around 75 hours at full pelt. That's still not bad against other choices, which tend to have a larger drop-off when you run them at full power.

And then we come to quite a useful piece of information I've purposefully left out—price. MSI has attached a $100/£60 price tag to the Versa 300 Wireless 8K, making it surprisingly affordable against rivals mentioned above for the feature set on offer here. On the whole, it helps this choice stand out if you're after a powerful and lightweight rodent for FPS titles that doesn't break the bank.

With this in mind, I think other options from the likes of Endgame Gear or SteelSeries look a little more eye-catching and have stronger software features for a similar outlay. This MSI one does well on features and performance, although I think it lacks a certain polish to make it a real top contender.

If you're looking for an ergonomic PC mouse, you're probably already considering the Logitech MX Master 3S, or the Logitech MX Master 4. I've used both as my main productivity meeces for extended periods of time, and can tell you that either make for excellent picks. But, if they're a little pricey for your liking, ProtoArc has made an ergo mouse with many similar design features for much, much less.

The result is the ProtoArc EM25, a wireless ergonomic mouse that knows what it's about. Right from the off, it screams "budget MX Master" from the nearest rooftop. It's got a similar chassis shape, an extended thumb rest, two scroll wheels (one with a clutch, no less), quiet main switches—the whole kit and kaboodle. The problem is, at every turn, this mouse reminds you of why the Logi mice are brilliant, and why this one doesn't meet the mark.

It's got all the right features on paper, but most of them prove to be a disappointment in practice. It's also got some odd material choices, some strange-feeling mechanisms, and an overall lack of refinement. Dancing around this mouse's various controls over the past few weeks has caused me to pull a vast array of facial expressions, and none of them have been a smile. Almost every control here feels slightly wrong, in a plethora of different ways.

There's a certain solidity to the chassis design that makes the EM25 verge towards consideration—especially given its very reasonable $50/£29 price tag. However, unless you're absolutely desperate for an MX Master-a-like for less, I can think of lots of less-ergo, but much better standard mice for your money.

Features

3.5

Ergonomics

1

Performance

2.5

Aesthetics

4

Software

2

Value

2

Group 1 Data

Product	Features ()	Ergonomics ()	Performance ()	Aesthetics ()	Software ()	Value ()
ProtoArc EM25 gaming mouse	3.5	1	2.5	4	2	2

We scored the ProtoArc EM25 out of five in six distinct categories.

ProtoArc EM25 features

The ProtoArc EM25 is an ergonomically-shaped mouse with a clutch-controlled main scroll wheel, a horizontal side scroll wheel, and an enlarged thumbrest on the left hand side, à la the Logitech MX Master 3S/4. It's also got twin forward and back buttons, and a small button mounted on the front left corner for switching between its Bluetooth and regular 2.4 GHz connections, the latter of which makes use of a small (some would say, nano-sized) dongle.

Said dongle can be retrieved from the bottom of the mouse via a magnetically-sealed hatch compartment, which is a nice touch. The polling rate is switchable, topping out at 1,000 Hz.

The sensor is an 8000 DPI max optical unit, while the battery is a 500 mAh internal rechargeable model. ProtoArc doesn't list the battery life in among the specs, but I've only had to charge my review sample once (straight from the box) over several weeks of on and off testing.

Software comes in the form of a web app rather than an installed application, which I'll be going into a bit later. And, again like the MX Master 3S and 4S, it's got quiet click switches underneath the main left and right buttons, for your serene, productivity-clicking needs.

The weight isn't listed on the product page, but some searching around suggests it's about 90 grams. What I will say is that the EM25 is light enough to give my scales trouble measuring it, and it feels significantly less porky than the 150g MX Master 4.

Still, it's definitely built for productivity purposes—those looking for something fast and genuinely light would be better off elsewhere.

Plenty of control options

Features

3.5

Plenty of control options Data

Product	Value
Features	3.5

ProtoArc EM25 ergonomics

Testing out all of the buttons, wheels, and ergonomic features of the ProtoArc EM25 is something of an adventure, and that's because almost all of them, in some form or fashion, feel a bit… wrong. I'm going to need to go through them individually here, because each is worthy of note.

Let's start off with the good. The two main switches underneath the left and right buttons feel very positive. They're quiet, too, while still providing plenty of clicky feedback. You can tell most of the money went into these two switch units, and that's a sensible place to put it. They're the ones you'll be interacting with most, after all.

Then there are the traditional forward and back thumb buttons on the left hand side. These are hollow-feeling, bendy, and springy in all the wrong ways. Still, there's a positive click underneath them, and I'm sure you'd stop noticing their drawbacks over time.

My true ire, however, begins with the big orange clutch button behind the main scrollwheel. It's got an astonishingly long travel, a surprising amount of springy resistance, and seems to engage and disengage the scrollwheel clutch at differing points, somewhere along the way.

There's a physical mechanism working behind the scenes to switch the scroll wheel from free scroll into a more clicky affair, unlike Logitech's magnetic solution, and the difference is pretty stark. Which brings me on to the main wheel itself.

In free scroll mode, it feels disconcertingly light. So much so that it can be quite difficult to control, and the wheel moves from side-to-side in its housing more than I'd like. In ratcheted mode, it feels slightly graunchy and overly-loud, although fairly positive. The middle click, though, takes far too much force to activate, and results in the wheel inadvertently moving as you press down on it.

Despite all this, my biggest critique has to be left for the skates on the underside. They look acceptable in person, and feel fine when you run a finger over them. But, no matter the mouse pad, it feels like there's a raised edge somewhere that should have been sanded down.

I can actually hear (and feel) this mouse scraping against my smooth Corsair pad as I move. I'll be honest, that's a new one on me. And I've tested lots and lots of budget mice over the years. Unmute the video below and turn your sound up for an example:

Shape-wise? It's actually quite nice to palm, and perfectly fine for fingertip usage, too. I'm not convinced by the satin-style finish, though, which is a bit tacky. And by that, I mean literally. Tacky, as in it tacks against your skin. Eesh.

Oh, and there's a side scroll wheel as well, which is somehow totally different-feeling and yet similar to the main scroll wheel itself. It's… fine. A little loose, a little hollow-feeling, a little tinny. But fine. Mercy me.

The main switches are fine, but as for the rest? Nope.

Ergonomics

1

The main switches are fine, but as for the rest? Nope. Data

Product	Value
Ergonomics	1

ProtoArc EM25 performance

At no point does ProtoArc advertise the EM25 as a gaming mouse, and given its specs, I don't think many will be buying it for such a purpose.

However, I game with the Logitech MX Master 4 all the time, as it's perfectly reasonable to use for several thousand turns of Civ 7, or a slower-paced, singleplayer shooter. So, I thought I'd try out the EM25 for the same purpose. And you know what? It's also fine.

However, the MouseTester charts above show some odd inconsistencies in the polling rate, although I can't say I noticed the mouse feeling particularly laggy or inconsistent in practice. It's not super-accurate or particularly fast to respond, but it's decent enough to get by. Can you do some light gaming with an EM25? Yes. Should you? Probably not.

For day to day usage, the sensor feels smooth and reasonably accurate, and I've had no dropout issues with either the 2.4 GHz or the Bluetooth connection. In terms of the internal, movement-tracking components, this mouse delivers acceptable performance for a pure productivity squeaker. In terms of the experience of actually using it, see all the ergonomic issues above.

Acceptable, for an ergo mouse

Performance

2.5

Acceptable, for an ergo mouse Data

Product	Value
Performance	2.5

ProtoArc EM25 aesthetics

Despite the drawbacks of the satin finish in terms of hand-feel, the coating actually looks pretty great in photos, and in person, too. I also like how the EM25 is highly reminiscent of Logitech's offerings, while having a neater, tidier design of its own.

The orange button sticking out of the top also adds a nice splash of colour to the black-and-chrome aesthetic. It's a mouse that looks good on your desk, that's for sure. I just wish it felt anywhere near as good when I put my hands on it.

Quite the looker, it must be said

Aesthetics

4

Quite the looker, it must be said Data

Product	Value
Aesthetics	4

ProtoArc EM25 software

Your software options here are webpage-based, which, on my Chrome browser, renders all the text in a Times New Roman font. I know that's a small thing to point out, but it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the design. However, there are plenty of options to reassign button functions, create macros, and tweak the general settings of the mouse. By default, the EM25 sets itself to a 250 Hz polling rate, but it can be upped to the full 1,000 Hz here.

Despite the functionality, the interface really does feel basic, with some confusingly-labelled features. An "Advanced Controls" tab allows you to switch on "maximum sensor performance" for limited amounts of time, from 10 seconds to half an hour.

It "runs the sensor at peak performance with high LED brightness" says the menu page, although with a warning of increased power consumption. Fair enough. I've left it off for my testing, as you can only enable it for a 30 minute maximum, and in my opinion, you're bound to forget the option exists. You can also adjust the click debounce time, or activate an Extended Range Mode which supposedly boosts the range from 8-10 meters to 10-12, again, diminishing battery life.

I tested it, and I couldn't tell the difference in terms of using the mouse from different ranges. Still, it manages to transmit successfully over the whole distance of my large front room with the setting turned off, so hooray for a bit of extra juice.

Barebones, and full of head-scratching moments

Software

2

Barebones, and full of head-scratching moments Data

Product	Value
Software	2

ProtoArc EM25 value

I really want to like the ProtoArc EM25, honestly I do. I've used lots of 'Amazon special' gaming mice and ergo mice over the years, particularly as I enjoy a quiet mouse for sociable gaming, and there aren't too many big brand options.

You know all those $20-$30 "silent mouse" options in the listings from manufacturers you've never heard of? I've tried a lot of them. My drawers are absolutely full of the not-so-squeaky squeakers, alongside the many high-end, mid-range, and budget gaming mice I've tested at PC Gamer.

Honestly? I'd take almost any of them over the EM25. It might be cheap, but it really hasn't made me cheerful. And while I appreciate the effort that's been taken to make an MX Master competitor for a more reasonable price point, the end result is something I've found very disappointing.

It's got the MX Master's rough shape and feature set—but in terms of value, I really think you'd be better off looking elsewhere. The sensor is fine, the main button switches are decent, and it looks good on your desk. But I could say the same of many other ultra-budget mice that are even cheaper than this one.

The question I'd be asking myself, if I was considering one of these, is whether I really need those trick scroll wheels in combination with the quiet switches and an ergo shape. If yes, then it's the Logitech MX Master offerings for you.

If you just need a cheap, comfortable-yet-not-ergo mouse, though, how about the Mchose G3 V2? Or this Inphic cheapo-beepo unit I've been messing around with recently. It's $20, it's got a thumb rest, quiet switches, and a single scroll wheel that's perfectly acceptable. Or, if you've decided to save some more pennies and want an ergo mouse that's a bit different (yet still cheaper than the Masters), what about the weird and wonderful Keychron M5?

Overall, it's very difficult to recommend the ProtoArc EM25, unless you must have an MX Master-alike for around $50. Even then, I'd say saving your cash for the real thing is a much better bet.

Cheap, but that only counts for so much

Value

2

Cheap, but that only counts for so much Data

Product	Value
Value	2

I love a strange keyboard, or a weird controller (here's looking at you Victrix Pro BFG), but I've discovered I might be a bit more traditional about my gaming mouse preferences, if this DIY fingertip mouse is anything to go on. To be fair, it could be the whole 'spider-like mouse where you can see its internals' thing that's putting me off.

X user Pseudoku recently took to the social media platform to show off their mouse, or as one comment argues, spider. Effectively, it's a handful of platforms made out of nylon on top of a traditional mouse's internals, so you can rest your fingers. It doesn't look particularly uncomfortable, but it does seem like resting your palm would be tough, and may jam into a pointy bit.

Luckily for you, if you want to build one for yourself, Psuedoku has shared the mouse on their GitHub. You can download the STL files to 3D print the shell and paddles yourself, or you can grab the SCAD file and edit it to your proportions. Should you have a particularly big or small hand, it might need some adjusting.

It even comes with step-by-step instructions on where to place the internals, how to attach the different 3D-printed parts, and where to place the battery at the end. It looks pretty good, despite how weird it is.

The downside is that the instruction requires a whole other mouse to get this spider-like one working. Psuedoku disassembled an HSK Pro (presumably the G-Wolves HSK Pro) to get its buttons, battery, and sensor, then attached all the parts to the side, Frankenstein's Monster style. Luckily, it is alive and has a pretty killer sensor too.

The G-Wolves HSK Pro seems to be a very specific choice, because the mouse is comically small. It's effectively just the top half of a gaming mouse, which gives it a 26.8 g weight, despite its 8,000 Hz sensor. That little size presumably makes for a good base because of how centralised its internals are. You have one big clump of components that everything else gets built around.

We've tried fingertip keypads before (and really quite liked them), and part of the joy of them is that those fingertip buttons give you access to quick controls. In this case, the standard left and right clicks work, as well as the side buttons, but the other fingertip mounts appear to be purely for you to place your fingers. Whether or not that gets you more precise controls is anyone's guess, and likely highly subjective, but I'm not brave enough to tear apart my mouse to give it a try.

We've seen foldable phones come back, we've seen Lenovo testing a foldable gaming handheld screen, but I didn't think I'd see the day that Logitech puts out a foldable gaming mouse. If you feel like your current mouse is just too chunky to comfortably fit into your bag, then the Mobi Fold is presumably for you.

Launched this week, Logitech's Mobi Fold comes in four colourways (Lilac, Graphite, Off White, and Sand) and can be purchased for $80. If you buy it directly from Logitech, it will even come with a Mobi Carry Pouch at checkout, which is a tiny grey bag to fit your even tinier mouse in.

That bag has a magnetic closure and a strap, so you can hook it onto your trousers, attach it to a pair of keys, or loop it on a chain should you want to dangle the mouse around as you walk. Personally, I'm not sure how much I'd actually use the bag, but the mouse itself seems sort of neat.

As a frequent cafe goer, I actually think I would use this, but perhaps more on my iPad than on a laptop. That being said, it's a bit more than I'd want to pay for something I only use sometimes when I'm out and about. But hey, that just means I'm not the target audience.

The mouse itself is sort of like a rectangle with curved edges, with a ribbed middle section where the whole thing folds in half. It looks a bit like Microsoft's Surface Arc, though bendy. It's fairly front-heavy (so no gaming ergonomics here) and comes with a small groove on the bottom to accommodate the top half when folded. It seems like most of the components are in the top half of the mouse, which makes some sense. The bottom half has a Type-C charging port, and the rest seems to be there to support your palm.

As far as specs are concerned, the Mobi Fold comes with a PixArt PAW322 sensor, with a max DPI of 4000 and a minimum of 400. Logitech says you can get 32 days of battery life out of it (with 33 days if you use the Logitech Bolt USB receiver), and 22 hours of use out of a 1-minute quick charge. It does note, however, that you will have to bring your own USB Type-C cable.

Interestingly, there's no physical mouse wheel here. Instead, there are two buttons on a touch panel in its place. You can still use that section as a traditional scroll, but it also means getting access to a few new buttons. You can customise those two buttons in the Logitech Options+ App to do things like take screenshots or swap between applications.

As you might expect, folding the mouse shuts it down automatically, and it even has an AI model on-device that supposedly analyses when it's in use to stop misclicks as you are putting it away. It has also been durability tested, and Logitech says it should last more than 15 years, assuming you fold and unfold it eight times a day.

Logitech shows it in use on the product page, and it even works when not entirely flat on a table. Ergonomics will be important here for long-term use, but it does seem like it's intended more as a laptop companion for vigorously sorting through Excel sheets, rather than plugging it into your RTX 5090-equipped home rig. You can do either, but I wouldn't be expecting snappy headshots and a hurtlingly fast polling rate out of it.

Last month, I reported on Keychron's announcement for its new MagOptic hybrid optical-magnetic mouse switches. Following in the wake of the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, these switches promise analogue tech for adjustable actuation and rapid trigger. Unlike the Superstrike, however, they also have standard optical switches in there, so you can choose between the two.

Given how impressed I was with the Superstrike's haptic-inductive technology and the potential of it being adopted by the gaming mouse industry at large, I was naturally quite excited when I saw Keychron's announcement. But I also had questions, the main one being: how, exactly, are you meant to feel the click at the right time when you've adjusted its actuation point?

The haptics take care of that with the Superstrike, but there was no mention of haptics in Keychron's original announcement. In fact, given pressing the button moves both the magnetic stem and the metal leaf used for the optical click, it seemed like the traditional click was all you'd get, and that wouldn't be adjustable.

Our very own Dave James, however, has recently spoken with Keychron about the MagOptic switch directly at Computex. And it turns out, Keychron is solving the adjustable actuation click problem in exactly the same way as Logitech, by including haptics:

"A lot of people checking [the Superstrike], they say... I don't like the haptic... But If they want... the Logitech way, then they can try this one. We combine [the switch] with a haptic engine—it's just a vibrator—inside the mouse."

So that's the click question answered, right? Well, not quite, because this still leaves me wondering what happens to the traditional click when haptics are enabled. It seems very clear to me, judging from the Keychron video showing the mechanism, that the optical click is part and parcel of the whole mechanism, meaning it looks impossible to disable the physical movement while maintaining the magnetic switch function.

Which makes me wonder, will we feel a double-click feeling if you enable the haptics—one rumble when the magnetic switch actuates, and another when the metal leaf bends and the optical switch clicks?

I'd ask our Dave, but I'm told he's currently braving his very long flight home to sunny Britain—Godspeed, Dave-o. Apparently we'll see these in G-series mice at the end of this month, though, so I suppose none of us will have too long of a wait to find out.

Catching up with Keychron's CEO, Nick Xu, at Computex today, it wasn't just carbon fiber keyboard concepts that caught my eye, it was a set of new mouse switches, and even a wee tease of something just over the horizon.

Keychron originally unveiled its new MagOptic switches a month ago, showing off a new type of mouse switch that combines both Hall effect sensing and optical sensing in a single switch. And you can change which option you want to use on-the-fly just in the web app software.

The idea being that Logitech's G Pro X2 SuperStrike introduced gamers to Hall effect switches for gaming mice, but dispensed with the traditional click that has become the standard for mice since time immemorial in favour of a tuned haptic motor. Xu has had feedback from folk that they weren't happy with the feel of the haptics, "a lot of people complain about this because it's very different."

"So we saw that kind of feedback, so we say, 'why not just put in the traditional feedback?' For people still missing the traditional feedback. But if they like the Logitech way, then they can try this one."

He's showing me three different switches with different kinds of feedback, the same as you would get with a keyboard switch. One is clicky, one has that tactile bump, and the other is completely linear.

"We combine this with a haptic engine—you know, just a vibrator—inside the mouse, then it's just same trick," he says.

Logitech will say it's not quite the same trick, as it spent a long time trying out and tuning its haptic motors to get the click feel as close to a traditional mouse click as it could. And, personally, I don't mind it. But with the clicky and tactile MagOptic switches, you don't have to just get close to the feeling.

"Also in the software," Xu adds, "you can change to the magnetic or optical, the Logitech one only had just the option to go the magnet."

These switches are going to start appearing in gaming mice at the end of the month, with the G-series mice being the first. Just look out for the 'HE' suffix Keychron uses for its Hall effect keyboards.

Incongruously, it's already being used in an office trackball mouse. "A lot of people say, 'so Nick, why, why do you put in this in into your office mouse?' I say 'we have the best technology, why not?' You know, it's not that super expensive. Why not just put it in here? If they don't use, they don't use it, but it still performs like a normal mouse."

Conspiratorially, he then tells me he's holding the next generation in his hand. It's a new mouse switch with something else baked inside to improve both optical and magnetic mice, but as of right now, that's all under embargo.

This may be hard for my colleagues and friends to believe, but I actually regularly use my Stream Deck. A little box with reprogrammable buttons that sits alongside your keyboard and mouse, I've found it a handy way of getting to certain tabs, to start and stop recording, and for generally being a bit more productive. Though the likes of the Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless had buttons that could work like a Stream Deck, we hadn't received a mouse with a direct Stream Deck button…until now.

Corsair has announced the Nightsword v2 Wireless for Computex 2026, which is, in all other ways, a pretty standard gaming mouse. For $130, you get a 33K DPI sensor and 8,000 Hz polling (wired and wireless), though the 89 g weight is a little heavy. However, its standout feature is that dedicated Stream Deck button.

Instead of making the button perform a specific control or open a specific tab (like individual buttons on a Stream Deck), it opens up a small digital panel on your monitor, which then gives you a few pre-chosen controls to pick from. In the example shown on the website, someone playing Arc Raiders opens a Stream Deck tab in-game and uses the mouse to go to their backpack and map.

In this use case, it seems less efficient than simply using a keyboard—but I do see the vision. If your keyboard controls are already overwhelmed, the Nightsword could be a solid pick. And that's before getting to more complex control. I use my Stream Deck to open some apps or get me to specific pages, which is more involved than simply clicking 'I' or 'M'.

Still, given that the button is placed just below the two left side buttons on the controller, I'm not entirely convinced I wouldn't accidentally misclick and open up my inventory by accident.

I suppose that all depends on how well-positioned the button is in practice, how easy it is to click, and how comfortable the mouse is.

Corsair has been trying to integrate the Stream Deck ecosystem into more devices for a while now, and we even saw a built-in Stream Deck in the Corsair Galleon 100 SD earlier this year. In its latest release, Corsair says it is expanding 'its gaming ecosystem' with this mouse and a few more bits of hardware.

The company has also announced the Clipper Pro Mini, which is a 60% keyboard with Hall effect switches, rapid trigger, and 8,000 Hz polling, for $100. Finally, Corsair has announced the HS35 v3, a wireless gaming headset with 50 mm neodymium drivers and a 30-hour battery life for $80.

The keyboard and headset do seem decently priced, which is a nice surprise for Computex this year.

With Asus' ROG brand turning 20 years old this year, it has announced a whole pile of fancy black and gold gaming gear at Computex. Its new 82 g mouse is just as fancy as you'd expect and comes with some truly outrageous specs.

Called the ROG Harpe II Extreme Edition 20, Asus's new gaming mouse has "Authentic 24K gold-plated detailing", as well as a black translucent shell. The first time I saw it, I thought it looked a bit like it had cardboard internals (because gold under black certainly muted the colour palette a tad), but I don't think it looks bad by any stretch.

With it, you get a max 8,000 Hz polling rate (both wired and wireless), along with Asus's own ROG 100M optical micro switches, and a 65K DPI sensor. Those are truly absurdly high specs. The Razer Viper V4 Pro, our pick for the best gaming mouse, also goes up to 8,000 Hz polling but only 50,000 DPI. However, the max polling and max DPI of both of these gaming mice are arguably too much for 99% of players, and 8k polling often isn't worth the battery drain for a wireless mouse.

82 g is a good bit heftier than the V4 Pro, and I suspect that could have something to do with the gold internals. It is based on the Harpe II Ace (which is only 48 grams), and Asus says its shape was developed with the help of esports pros.

Asus also notes it comes in a "display-ready presentation box", and that box seems to come with stickers, a cable, the connectors, and a keyring of some kind. Asus has also announced the ROG Azoth Extreme Edition 20, which is a black and gold-themed variant of the ROG Azoth gaming keyboard.

Asus has confirmed to me that the Harpe II Extreme Edition will be $260 and the Azoth Extreme Edition will be $600. That's a lot more than the Viper 4 Pro, and Razer's offering isn't exactly cheap.

As with all of Asus' ROG 20th anniversary items, this gaming mouse seems like a commemorative item, more so than something you'd just buy to simply use. And I'd imagine you'd need to have quite a bit of cash burning a hole in your pocket to consider it. Here's looking at you, Xbox Ally X20 bundle.

The Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike rattled the gaming mouse market earlier this year with its haptic-inductive clicks, but it was pretty certain other companies would be looking to get in on that analogue action as soon as possible. To that end, Finalmouse has just announced the tactical FPS-oriented, 38-gram Starlight X, which also has magnetic clicks, except these also sit alongside a traditional mechanical click.

The solution is similar to the one that Keychron's "next-gen mouse switch" announced earlier this month. The difference is that while Keychron is putting both analogue and mechanical systems inside one switch, Finalmouse has them working separately but under the same mouse buttons.

The analogue part of the equation should allow you to cut down the switch's "pre-travel window" and click quicker than you could using a traditional mechanical switch. It also lets you choose exactly where you want the button to actuate along its depression, just like with the Superstrike, and it lets you enable rapid trigger.

Finalmouse is claiming to actually go further than the Superstrike, though, because it's using TMR rather than inductive tech, which allows for more precise and accurate measurement. Thus why Finalmouse is calling it TMR-DS, standing for 'TMR Dual State Analog Click System.' This ultimately means—again according to Finalmouse—that you'll be able to adjust things in 0.01 mm increments, giving you 40 discreet steps to run through compared to the Superstrike's 10.

The thing I'm not so sure about here, though, is how those mechanical clicks will align with the analogue ones. Apparently, you'll be able to swap between them, but the point of having the physical click there alongside the analogue one is to give some physical click feedback. But this will be static, meaning it won't align with the analogue click. It's whether that mismatch will be noticeable and annoying that I'm concerned about.

It's the same concern I mentioned when reporting on Keychron's similar solution. Logitech cracked that code by having haptics that align perfectly with the analogue click, wherever you set the actuation to. Finalmouse and Keychron don't have that, and until I've tried their mechanical alternative, I'll just have to reserve judgment and retain a bit of scepticism.

It's not just the clicks that are new, though, as it seems the Starlight X will also have some new frame syncing tech. It's called 'PerfectSync', and it sounds to my ears like it's the same as Razer's FrameSync, which has impressed me in the Viper V4 Pro. It essentially syncs your mouse's sensor reading with the system's polling, which lets things stay snappy while keeping the total number of sensor readings low and thereby saving battery life.

Even without the new clicks and sync tech, the mouse is quite a departure from Finalmouse's previous ones. Previously, the company had pushed a lot of different versions of essentially the same mouse shapes. The main selling points were new boundaries being pushed in materials and light weight, which offset the company's polarising history for some.

This one, though, has a completely different shape designed for tactical FPS players such as Counter-Strike players. That basically means something a bit bigger and oriented around aiming stability. At (a claimed) 38 g, it'll still be plenty light, but that's not the main focus.

The internal architecture has apparently been redesigned to focus on "structural efficiency", and materials have been changed to keep things strong but light—carbon fiber beams are used, for instance, as are titanium screws just like in the Superstrike, and the shell is made from a new carbon fiber composite.

So, a lightweight mouse for tactical FPS that promises all the best of the kinds of technology offered by Logitech's and Razer's latest and greatest mice. Sounds impressive, but it'll all boil down to how that hybrid mechanical-analogue click system feels.

It's available to order on May 30 at 11 am PT for $179. Given Finalmouse tends to launch its mice as limited-edition drops, there might be a scarcity element to this mouse, too. We'll have to wait and see.

Given Razer's recent release of not just the best gaming mouse on the market, the Viper V4 Pro, but also the Atlas Pro glass mouse pad, you might naturally have considered combining the two.

But peripheral reviewer Spec0 has recently struggled to do so using third-party skates, not just because of sensor issues but also because of problems with Razer warranty and support, though this is supposedly being resolved (via ManPhalanges).

After the Viper V4 Pro wouldn't work on different glass pads, the response that Spec got from Razer said, "We noticed that the mouse's original feet have been removed. Please note that the limited warranty does not cover issues resulting from improper use or handling of the product, including but not limited to misuse, abuse, negligence, unauthorised modification or repair, unauthorised commercial use, or use outside of Razer's recommended guidelines."

Presumably the replaced feet were being considered "unauthorised modification or repair", despite skate replacements being a merely external affair requiring no unscrewing or tinkering inside the mouse itself.

After a call with Razer, however, Spec says it was resolved as the company will be replacing the unit and is "working to define their warranty terms better and look into this sensor issue."

The default skates on the Viper V4 Pro are great, but replacing big PTFE feet with little dot feet is important when using a glass pad. The less friction the better, and it helps prevent scraping over dust, plus it can shave a gram or two off the weight. It's not usually advisable to use them on cloth, though, as the dots can sink in too much—this issue obviously doesn't occur with glass.

It's unclear what Razer means when it says it is "working to define [its] warranty terms better", though hopefully it will mean clarifying its warranty to make it clear that replacing mouse skates doesn't void it. I've reached out to Razer for official comment and will update this story once I hear back.

I also don't know how widespread the sensor issue is with glass pads. I tested mine out quickly on a glass pad and noticed no issues. It seems unlikely that it will be a widespread issue given Razer would surely have tested the mouse out on its new Atlas Pro pad, as presumably both were in development at the same time.

Back to the replacement skates issue, though. I should note that the the Viper V4 Pro has a conspicuous lack of access divot next to the skates. In a lot of mice, there's a little dip along one of the edges which allows you to dig underneath to peel the skates off for replacement.

Not so with the Viper, which does make me wonder whether Razer considers any skate peeling a no-no. That would suck, given how great replacement skates are and how non-invasive the process is, so hopefully any warranty clarifications will be in the right direction.

I reckon I'm supposed to at least attempt to base my mouse review verdicts on the most objective things—specs, performance, features, price—as well as some of the more objective of the subjective elements (click feel, build quality, and so on). Because those are the things that most of you reading will also agree about, regardless of personal preference. But I really can't discount the subjective elements with the BenQ Zowie EC2-DW, because they are what keep bringing me back to this mouse, making it my absolute favourite to use right now.

Shape, despite being the most important aspect of a mouse, is at the bottom of the list of objective factors because of how subjective a preference mouse shape is—some like dinky fingertip mice, some like big ergo ones, and there's no impartial way to arbitrate. However, I'll be damned if I let that stop me from influencing my recommendation here, because my God, this thing feels fantastic as a palm gripper who mainly plays tactical shooters.

Its shape, in addition to its performance, which I've found to be thankfully flawless like most other premium mice these days, is what makes this the mouse I keep returning to over and over again, despite some of its flaws. And I suppose it just goes to show that, despite it being very much a personal preference, shape really is king, because once you find one that truly works for you, it's hard to move to anything else.

The Razer Viper V4 Pro, for instance, is the most technically perfect mouse I've ever held, and the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike offers the best performance for competitive gaming thanks to its super light actuation clicks with rapid trigger. So oh, how I wish I loved the shapes of those two mice as much as this Zowie—but I don't.

If you've already used an EC-shaped mouse then you'll know what I'm talking about. But if not, let me explain: if you have regular-sized hands and use a palm grip or even a relaxed claw grip, the Zowie EC2-DW should sit under your palm incredibly snugly thanks to its ergonomic design.

I previously sang the praises of the Pulsar X3 CrazyLight Mini for its sway in this ergo direction, and I thought that slight tilt was as far as I'd go. But I was wrong. The EC2-DW has much more of an ergonomic tilt with the left side raised higher than the right (and less of an aggressive hump), and after I allowed my hand to settle into more of a palm grip than a relaxed claw grip, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Zowie is even more comfy to use.

It might go without saying that a mouse with ergonomic tilt is more comfortable to use than one without—that's kind of the point, as it tilts your wrist and arm in a slightly more natural orientation—but the trick is to also be able to maintain your accuracy and precision. If you go for a full-on vertical mouse like the Keychron M5, you're bound to miss some of those headshots.

Not so with the Zowie EC2-DW, though. I've found my accuracy, at least in tactical shooters like CS2, to be just as good as it is with any other competitive mouse. In fact, I reckon the ergo shape here actually helps a little because it keeps my hand relaxed, preventing me from tensing up too much.

That being said, it's not the lightest mouse on the market, at 60 g (59 g for my model, according to my scales, but there could be a rounding error). That's about as heavy as I'd go for a competitive gaming mouse these days. It's the same as the Superstrike, but others like the Viper V4 Pro beat it by quite a margin, and we even have sub-40 g mice these days like the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro. But for palm gripping in tactical shooters, as well as day-to-day use, I'll take it.

Build quality is great, too. There's nary a creak to be found, even when I squeeze quite hard, and everything feels incredibly sturdy. The side buttons feel responsive, and although the main clicks and scroll wheel don't match up to, say, the Viper V4 Pro (what does?), they do feel pleasant. There's a little pre-travel, but not much, and clicks feel light and spammable. The scroll wheel, too, is plenty defined and still easy enough to, well, scroll. The installed PTFE skates are plenty smooth, and if you prefer something slower they come with a couple of replacements, including some slower black ones if you prefer a more controlled experience.

Probably my favourite thing about the EC2-DW's build, though, is its surface texture. I've nothing against the more matte coatings that most mice go for these days as they do feel nice under the palm, but the slightly glossier coating on the Zowie here helps keep the mouse firmly in place. It does make it a bit of a fingerprint fiend, though (check the photo above).

When it comes to actual performance, things are fantastic thanks not only to the PAW3950 sensor but also Zowie's 'enhanced' receiver. This receiver is a chonker (see the image below), but it's worth that size for two reasons.

First, it presumably allows for a bigger antenna, and I've had no connection or latency issues. But second, it allows for wireless charging, as you can place the front of the mouse onto the receiver and its pins will slide in to charge. It slots into place easily and is an incredibly convenient way to keep your mouse charged; I never worry about its battery, now, because I simply place it on the receiver as I leave my PC whenever I remember to do so.

The receiver also gives you the option for 4K polling. This mouse's predecessor, the CW version of the EC2, only reaches 1,000 Hz. It also has a worse sensor, and is heavier.

The specs even for the DW version might seem a little low by today's 8K, 30,000+ DPI standards, but don't be fooled by all that. 8K is absolutely overkill even for pro gaming, and the mouse is limited to 3,200 DPI only because it's driverless, ie, lacking software.

That's intentional: people buy Zowie mice in part because they lack drivers and software and simply work very well out of the box—a fact that gives some peace of mind if you're travelling to different LAN parties and tournaments and using different systems, for instance.

You have a few different DPI settings to choose from via the underside button, but Zowie had to set the limit somewhere. The sensor should technically be capable of more if it weren't for that artificial cap, but who needs more? Most CS2 and Valorant pros play at 400, 800, or sometimes 1600 DPI, and that's all that's needed.

You can also change a few things via different button combinations, which I didn't expect. These things include DPI and polling, of course, but also LOD, motion sync, and click response. I haven't had any issues with just running the mouse on its default settings, though, after ensuring I'm at 1,000 Hz to save some battery and 800 DPI, which is my preferred setting.

That being said, it's definitely not the mouse to go for if you like to delve into your mouse settings and mess with all kinds of things, such as sensor rotation.

It's also not the mouse to go for if you play tracking-oriented games such as Overwatch and Apex Legends. For those kinds of games, I much prefer slipping into a slightly more relaxed claw grip using a less ergonomic mouse. That lets me use my fingers a little more to move the mouse under my palm and keep my crosshair tracking smoothly over moving targets. With this mouse, though, you're forced into more of a palm grip with less fingertip range of motion.

For tactical shooters like CS2, though, which require a lot of precision, stability, and occasional flicks, the BenQ Zowie EC2-DW is perfect. If those are the kinds of games you play, I wholeheartedly recommend it, as CS2 is my main shindig and I keep returning to this mouse even ahead of more technically impressive ones.

If you're not interested in those kinds of games, though, I'd probably only recommend it if you love a good palm grip, regardless, and also like the sound of a driverless mouse with easy wireless charging.

"Tune your trigger, fire faster," says Keychron about its upcoming magnetic-optical hybrid mouse switch, in words that ring very familiar in the wake of the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike. And I'm kind of shocked at just how soon after the launch of the Superstrike's magnetic switches we're seeing a hybrid version that allows you to toggle between traditional clicks and analogue magnetic ones like in the Superstrike.

"Freely switch between traditional Optical Mode and Linear Magnetic Mode in Keychron Launcher web app. Get non-contact reliability, no contact bounce, and a faster, cleaner trigger signal."

The mechanism in Keychron's upcoming MaOptic switch is incredibly neat. Pushing down on the mouse button moves a metal strip between the optical scanner on one end, and on the other end the plunger moves down its electromagnetic path. The simple but ingenious thing that ties it all together is a strip of metal that has the optical side of the equation moving in tandem. You can check it out in the video above.

Naturally, I'll be eager to see just how well it works in practice and whether there are any quality control issues. Will the strip of metal always remain aligned properly for accurate and responsive clicks, for instance? Will the switches be more prone to failure?

Saying that, it's Keychron, and our experience of Keychron products here at PC Gamer has generally been pretty great. I've personally used a Keychron Hall effect keyboard extensively and found build quality and quality control to be good.

We've already seen hints of analogue mouse switches riding swiftly off the back of the Superstrike, though none are on the market yet. I really didn't expect to see a hybrid one so soon, though, even if it just an announcement.

The benefit to Keychron's hybrid approach here is that gaming mouse brands won't necessarily have to segment their market. One concern I had about the shift in the market the Superstrike might bring was that it could split the market in two and make gaming mouse manufacturers not know whether to make something with mechanical, optical, or magnetic switches. With a hybrid solution like this, there's no segmenting needed.

Assuming it works well and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, of course, which will be precisely the question.

Speaking of questions, though, I do have some. Keychron says "Hall sensing preserves a crisp clicky mechanical feel while enabling adjustable actuation points and Rapid Trigger functionality", but this click will need to be adjustable depending on where the actuation is set. The Superstrike achieves this with its bespoke haptics—will Keychron have the same? And if so, how will it 'disable' the traditional click sound and feel on the optical side?

Keychron says: "The Keychron MagOptic Switch is designed to preserve a defined clicky mechanical-style feel through the metal leaf spring structure in Magnetic Mode. Hall sensing handles trigger detection in the background, allowing advanced features without sacrificing crisp tactile feedback."

But this doesn't seem to answer the adjustable part. Perhaps Keychron has a clever solution, we'll have to wait and see, but as it stands and judging by the metal leaf structure, it looks like it might not have an adjustable click.

Gaming mouse fiends like me have gotta love Elo Shapes—if not for its handy-dandy hardware comparison tools, then for the heads up on a new challenger entering the arena.

The EloShapes X account recently shone its spotlight on the Oyrein Pong Zero, and it's not hard to see why. Apparently the initial offering of a new brand, the Pong Zero is a super lightweight gaming mouse with a Pixart PAW3950 sensor under the hood, and Omron Optical switches.

I'm sure the competitive crowd won't shrug their shoulders at another gaming mouse to put to the test—especially as this one weighs only 37 grams according to EloShapes. That's practically bantamweight as these things go, with our current pick for the best competitive gaming mouse, the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, weighing much closer to 60 grams.

On the subject of chickens, it never ends well to count yours before they've hatched—and by that I mean there currently isn't much information about when the Oyrein Pong Zero will be released, or how much it will cost.

Both the highly customisable Orbital Pathfinder, and the Be Quiet! Dark Perk Ergo features the same super precise Pixart PAW3950 sensor and satisfying Omron switches. That could give us a ballpark price point in the region of somewhere between $110-190—though I admit, that's a pretty big park.

Still, both of those aforementioned mice enjoy an 8,000 Hz polling rate, a max speed of 750 IPS, and DPI of 30,000 or more. Based on these gaming mices' shared features, that suggests the Oyrein Pong Zero may be a speedy mouse you won't want to lose track of. I'll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled—especially if it comes in more colours like that fetching minty matcha green. Surely, Oyrien is already considering a lilac colourway, right?

Mouse pads are admittedly something I don't tend to think about too much. If it feels good under the palm and doesn't become a hindrance to my movement, I'll continue using it. But, alas, I'm not a pro, and it turns out they get through some of the best gaming mouse pads like an actual mouse gets through cheese. That's to say a lot.

Shared to TikTok by ESL Counter-Strike, one of the world's biggest leagues, it interviewed professional gamers and asked how often they swapped mouse pads. The most common interval was every one or two months. There were a few outliers at around a year, and one person who changed it six or seven years ago. Though I'm not entirely convinced that the last one wasn't just saying that for the meme.

Unfortunately, ESL Counter-Strike's video description is AI-generated, so we aren't getting much insight into why pros change so much. It's fair to assume, though, that it's related to the belief that fresh gear will help them play. You need to be able to glide your mouse consistently on your mouse pad, so frayed edges or grime will naturally get in the way somewhat.

For the average person, this issue would be near impossible to spot, but pros will be at the top of their game in this regard. Still, one has to wonder how much damage you can really do to a mouse pad in just a single month.

Mouse types, weight, and grip will likely impact the condition of the gaming mouse pad long term, but it's also partly related to just how much time professionals play games.

If one were to assume a top esports competitor plays games for equivalent hours to a standard job, that works out to around 40 hours a week. If the average casual player gets an hour or two every weekday, then professional gamers are using their mouse pads four to eight times more than a casual gamer.

Jacob Fox, PC Gamer's resident mouse pad guy/philosopher, says that mouse pads wear down after a few months, and wear in after a few days, and that's reportedly a good reason for a glass mouse pad.

So that might make you wonder, "If you're not a pro, how long should you wait to replace your mouse pad?" That's naturally down to personal preference, and how gross your mouse pad makes you feel, but for me, I'd say the answer is "when cleaning it doesn't make it feel very clean anymore."

So, every couple of hours then?

I'm pretty good with mice: I can tell from feel the difference between the Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 Dex and the Logitech Pro X Superlight 2; I know roughly what most of the Razer product names mean; I think I can tell if a mouse is below 1,000 Hz polling. However, FindMyMouse and its MouseGuessr mode has proven I'm woefully underprepared to guess the mouse based solely on its silhouette.

The new mode, which is in beta, takes a database of over 100 gaming mice 3D-scanned from different angles, gives you a silhouette, and makes you guess the mouse. This can be anywhere from big names like Razer and Logitech to the more obscure WLMouse, G-Wolves, and Finalmouse.

You might think that a selection of 100 possible gaming mice makes it hard (and it is), but its scoring system will give you points even when you get it wrong. You get percentage points for time to answer, shape similarity, and shape difference in mm. Once you give an answer, you can even click the mouse and get access to its 3D scan and specs, plus a peek at a comparison function.

You can even request a mouse with FindMyMouse's browse tab, so the guessing game could get larger with time. I'd personally love to see the likes of MonsterGecko's Pistol Mouse FPS (and that's only partly because it would make the game easier).

If you get a little time with it, and find yourself actually getting some mice right, it even has both a ranked and 'Nightmare' ranked mode—if you have an account. The standard ranked mode bases your score on an average of seven rounds of guessing, and the Nightmare mode calculates your average based on 15 rounds of guessing.

As a side note, it's also not an awful way to do some research on your next mouse, either. If you really like the Mchose G3 V2 Pro, you can compare its shape and size to other models to see if it's similar enough for you. Gaming mice in the FindMyMouse database also have scores based on reviews from users, which is pretty neat (even though the 5.8 given to the Logitech G Pro X Superlight is clearly wrong).

Still, if you find yourself with twenty minutes of spare time and fancy yourself a connoisseur of mice (the big cheese, if you will), give it a go. I certainly enjoyed learning how terrible I am at this guessing game.

Only recently did we swap out the internet's most beloved egg-shaped mouse, the Logitech G305, as our pick for the best budget wireless gaming mouse, with the Mchose G3 V2 Pro. Although the G3 V2 Pro shares the same eggy shape—it's a G305 'clone'—the Logi mouse is simply a little dated compared to the G3 V2 Pro which is much lighter and has a better sensor. But now Logi could strike back to steal the crown once again.

That's because, if some packaging that was recently leaked on a Korean forum is legit—and it seems so to my ageing eyes, at least—then it looks like there exists a Logitech G305 X Superlight (via r/MouseReview subreddit). Hopefully coming soon to the Western market, too? We'll see.

The 'Superlight' designator, of course, means that the weight is shaved down, and here it looks like—one moment,'computer, enhance'—nope, I still can't see what weight that says on the packaging. But hold up, a Facebook Marketplace listing (also via r/MouseReview subreddit) seems to list the weight at 59 g, which does look like what I see on the packaging if I squint very hard. That would make sense, as it would weigh roughly the same as the Superlight 2 and Superstrike.

It also seems the new G305 will receive an upgraded 44,000 DPI sensor, which is a far cry from the 12,000 max DPI sensor of the original. And it's even faster than the 26,000 DPI PAW 3395 sensor in the Mchose G3 V2 Pro.

To be clear, though, much will still depend on pricing. What made our original eggy friend so appealing was its price, and the same goes for the Mchose clone, the 26K DPI Pro version of which you can pick up for $40.

Logitech also recently launched a G304 X, which seems to essentially be a lightweight G305 just like this new Superlight, but that one seems to only be for the Chinese market. It also has a 25,600 DPI HERO 25K sensor, so more in line with the Mchose mouse.

If Logi releases this G305 X Superlight and can actually keep its price tag low, we might have a new budget gaming mouse in town. It does all depend on that price tag, though, as that's what makes any G305 or G305 clone so appealing in the face of more premium and less egg-shaped competition.

Hearken, fellow gaming mouse nerds. Tighten your suspenders, strap in, and feast your eyes on the glory that is 3D mouse shape comparisons. We've been graced by the existence of EloShapes for some time, but previously it only let you visually compare 2D mouse outlines—now we get it in three dimensions.

Apart from just being incredibly cool, if you're wondering what you actually get from it, just think of it as a tool to compare mice to baselines you already know. For instance, if you know you like a Logitech Superlight shape, then you can see how similar another mouse is that you're considering buying if you're looking for something new.

And, of course, if you have experience with a few different mice, you'll be able to get a better idea of what a new mouse that you've not tried is like. For instance, if you see a mouse that has a shape more similar to a Razer Viper than a Logi Superlight, and you've tried both of these, then you'll have a better idea how it will feel in-hand compared to other kinds of shapes.

To use the tool, hover over Mice in the top menu and click Compare. Then add whichever mice you want to add to the comparison (it's better to keep it to two, if possible, to save things from getting too confusing) and select 3D at the bottom. From there, you can choose whether to compare them side-by-side or stacked.

Comparing two mice when stacked is probably the most useful, as it gives you an easier visual cue to any differences, but there's one crucial trick you shouldn't miss. To get a better picture, hover over the name of each mouse, as this highlights the rendering of the one you're hovering over, even if it's smaller and 'inside' the other mouse, but it still keeps the other one faintly visible.

For instance, as you can see in the image above, doing this gives you a better picture of how the front of the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike compares to the more flared and taller Razer Viper V4 Pro's left and right mouse buttons.

Of course, nothing can compare to actually testing a mouse yourself, or if you can't do that, then checking out one of our spectacular reviews should do the trick. But if you know what you like or have a pretty good idea, this is another great tool for the arsenal when you're making a purchasing decision.

It's not often a new gaming mouse makes me screw my face up at the sheer thought of using it, but well, here we are. The Turtle Beach Command Series MC7 is an 8K wireless squeaker with a 30K sensor and several features I quite like the look of—but it's also got a 2.25-inch touchscreen wedged next to the left mouse button.

And it's giving me the slight ick. Partly, that might be down to the fact that I religiously clean all of my screens, touch or otherwise. The idea of continually running my thumb along a smooth, grease-displaying glass surface is enough to encourage small palpitations, and it's getting worse the more I look at it.

I've long moaned about the screen-ification of gaming hardware, as I don't think it adds a huge amount of functionality. And touchscreens on gaming mice? Nope, not even once.

For a start, you use your mouse without looking at it. Well, I do anyway. Touchscreens don't traditionally work well when you're not staring directly at them, even if you've trained your muscle memory to remember where the controls are. Still, you can apparently check your CPU temps by looking down at this one. Why.

Plus, look at the ridge it creates to the side of the top buttons. I don't like edges on gaming peripherals, and the top corner where the screen meets the chassis looks pronounced. It's weighty, too, coming in at a porky 135 g. I'll take that in a pure productivity mouse, but for gaming? Even heavy-mouse-enjoyers like me might find it a bit much.

I know, I know. I'm judging it before I've even used it, and that's more than a little unfair. On the plus side, the MC7 has one major feature I do really like the look of—a hot-swappable battery system.

Dual 1000 mAh batteries can be swapped out the rear of the rodent and charged with an included dock, which is a darn good idea. Turtle Beach says that each battery delivers up to 10-hours of playtime, or 15-hours with the LED and LCD lighting turned off.

Which would defeat the point of buying a mouse with a touchscreen if you ask me, but what do I know. From certain angles it actually looks rather handsome, though, and I'm a fan of the bronze/black contrast in the chassis design. Just not, y'know, the honking great screen that's been wedged into the side of it.

The touchy-feely mouse is currently available to pre-order at an MSRP of $160/$140, which means it's knocking on the door of the price of our new best gaming mouse pick, the Razer Viper V4 Pro. It'd better be really, really good then, don't you think?

I've had my mitts over more mice in the last year than I'd like to admit, and out of those, there are a few that have really stuck out for different reasons. When it comes to shape, though, apart from the Zowie EC2-DW I'm currently testing, my absolute fave has been the Pulsar X3 CrazyLight Mini, and I've just found out Pulsar has launched a slightly bigger version which could end up being even better.

The Pulsar X3 CrazyLight Medium is about 5–6 mm longer, 2 mm wider, and 2 mm taller. That might not sound like much, but when it comes to gaming mice, these little changes can make a big difference.

In fact, it's the subtle deviations from straight-up symmetry that make me like the X3 so much: it has a very slight ergonomic lean to the top, alongside a much more obvious curve to the base and sides that allows your thumb to rest nicely. It's not got anywhere near the same lean as a more heavily ergonomically-oriented mouse like the Zowie I mentioned, but that makes it better for relaxing that palm grip into a hybrid claw grip, if that's your jam.

I started my review of the Mini version by pointing out that even though it's a 'Mini' mouse, it suits my medium-sized hands. That being said, I have wondered whether a slight increase in size might make the mouse even comfier. I'd say a couple of millimetres on each axis might do the trick, although I'm a little unsure about adding to the height.

At any rate, if you'd considered picking up the X3 before but the 'Mini' designator had put you off, now might be your chance. It's a few grams heavier, but that still makes it just 48 g. That's essentially the same weight as the Razer Viper V4 Pro (minus a gram), the current best gaming mouse and an absolute joy to use. So don't worry about the weight.

Everything else remains the same, from its XS-1 sensor to optical switches; it's just the size and weight that's changed. It's the same price, too, which isn't cheap at $156, but you're getting a very performant and presumably comfy mouse if you use a more relaxed palm grip. If it feels just the slightest bit bigger than the X3 Mini but keeps the rest the same, it's worth a look, I'd say.

I like to keep my mousey ears to the ground regarding all things gaming mice and mouse pads, so I'll be darned if my ears weren't pricked by the pure titillation that Razer put out earlier today. A black background, a gentle touch of ambient music, and a plain black surface, slowly tilting in the void. Can that be... a glass mouse pad?

It can indeed, and apparently not just any glass mouse pad but "the world's thinnest", the Razer Atlas Pro. The original Atlas launched a couple of years ago, but this one is seemingly taking things to a whole new, much thinner level at just 1.9 mm thick.

If you're wondering why that matters, it's mostly to do with comfort on your wrist. Even with rounded edges, a thick glass pad can dig into your wrist a little. To give a little context, the ever-popular Wallhack SP-004 is 3.9 mm thick and the QPAD Obsidian that I sometimes use is 4 mm thick.

I can't say I struggle too much with a 4 mm pad with rounded edges, but I certainly wouldn't complain about half of that being shaved off. Just as long as it stays strong, that is, but Razer is claiming it has tempered glass that is "rigorously tested to withstand demanding long-term use while delivering consistent performance", so all should be well if that's correct.

The Atlas Pro does have rounded edges, too, and if my time with the Razer Hyperflux V2 is anything to go by, I don't doubt it will look just as gorgeous in person as it does in the pictures. Aside from the thinness, that aesthetic might be one of the big pulls, as that thin, all-black or all-white surface looks wonderful.

Razer's head of design Charlie Bolton explains: "The Atlas Pro was an opportunity to challenge ourselves in a category that had largely stood still. By rethinking how glass should sit and feel on the desk, we created a surface that’s thinner, more refined, and designed to integrate seamlessly into modern setups—and that process is what led to the world’s thinnest glass gaming mouse mat."

None of this is to say anything about the pad's glide, of course, and that's what really matters. I've been testing a bunch of different mouse pads over the last few months; there really can be quite a lot of variation when it comes to texture and feel, both of which can impact how well you perform in-game, depending on your preferences. Fingers crossed Razer has nailed it for my own brand of slip-n-slide here.

With competitive gaming mice becoming ever more featherweight, you'd think it would be foolish to do the opposite. But Pulsar not only decided to make a heavy mouse, but one that comes in at 500 g. The catch is that the SuperHeavy is an April Fool's Day joke, and 20 were made available to the public. YouTuber Boardzy got their hands on one, and apparently, it's "really not that bad."

The mouse in question is a spin on the Pulsar Susanto-X, which is a black and pink mouse made in collaboration with pro players Keven "Xccurate" Susanto and Jason "fOrsaken" Susanto. Boardzy says it "looks obviously extremely sluggish", but, despite that, "it's able to be used". High praise indeed.

Boardzy's unit comes in at 485 g (though they reckon their scale could be the issue), and their unit's wireless mode doesn't work. However, their model did come with the standard Susanto-X mouse alongside it.

If you're wondering how Pulsar managed to make a gaming mouse this heavy, it simply stuck a big brass weight inside the mouse and shipped it off. Boardzy says, "It is pretty incredible how dense this is. It really could be used as a brute force training method".

They continue, "If you're used to a 30 g mouse, just go on this for a day or two and then anything in the 60-70 g range will feel light as air. "

Boardzy even claims that the Razer Viper V4 Pro feels hollow when they go back to it. They do say, though, "When I take my hand off it when I was testing it, my wrist would crack, but it was really like the meat of my thumb. I would feel this strain." They argue that if you are playing games that require lots of movement all day, "you could seriously wind up hurting your wrist."

The CrazyHeavy has some pretty good specs on paper. With an XS01 sensor, it's got a DPI of up to 32,000 and has a 750 IPS tracking speed. It also gets up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate. If you were strong enough, you could technically play competitive games with the CrazyHeavy.

After saying, "I'm likely never going to use this again, but it will make a good paper weight", Boardz says, "It's just like not a good mouse, but it is crazy."

I suppose the name is rather fitting then.

Beyond the vibrant pink honeycomb form of the just-dropped Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, Steelseries have been a bit quiet on the gaming mouse front. A recent leak suggests that's all about to change, though, as pictures of a new ultra-wideband gaming mouse from the company have surfaced on Reddit.

User nerkothegoat took to Reddit asking to identify a mouse they claimed to have bought "online for good price [sic]". Pictures of the box revealed it was the as-yet-unreleased Steelseries Rival Pro Mini, and that this is a wireless gaming mouse that ditches 2.4 GHz in favour of an 8 kHz, ultra-wideband (UWB) connection mode (via TechPowerUp).

Another UWB wireless gaming mouse is definitely exciting news. As our world becomes increasingly wireless, there's a risk that an ever-more crowded 2.4 GHz band will cause a whole host of connection issues. A UWB connection should be less prone to experiencing this sort of signal interference, though it is shorter-range than 2.4 GHz.

The front of the box also touts an 'Infinity Power System,' with product images on the reverse suggesting interchangeable, rechargeable batteries not unlike the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro's hot swappable battery system.

Other details include a weight of 49 g, a polling rate of "up to 8,000 Hz/0.25 ms," "100% PTFE" mouse feet, and plenty of placeholder text about the capacity of those batteries. The words 'Not Final Render' can also be seen overlaying the box's product image, suggesting this is an accidental retail leak.

Even so, other images on the box suggest a profile not dissimilar to the silhouette of the SteelSeries Prime Wireless Pro Series gaming mouse, which made a very comfortable debut back in 2021. Speaking of Pro mice, a Steelseries Rival Pro Mini suggests the existence of a more affordable model of the same mouse with a more limited feature set, though further entries in this product line have not been confirmed.

Elecom released its own 'true 8K' ultra-wideband gaming mouse last year, calling it a 'world-first' and throwing in a glowing dongle to really turn heads. Steelseries throwing its hat into the ring with the Rival Pro Mini means the company definitely hasn't been sleeping on the gaming mouse arena so much as looking ahead.

Over the past year, I've found myself falling head over heels for a couple of different competitive gaming mice for vastly different reasons. But Razer's latest release, the Viper V4 Pro, has brought me back to earth and reminded me that few things can beat good old-fashioned build quality.

I'm not going to apologise for getting excited about things I actually like—attitude of gratitude, they say—and there have been some fantastic improvements in the gaming mouse market over the last year. But there's also a need to take in the bigger picture sometimes, and the whole picture is better with the Viper V4 Pro than with any of the other mice I've been impressed by over the last year.

The first one to really catch my eye was the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro. I caught a glimpse of it at Gamescom last year, and not long after that, I got my hands on it for some extended testing. The key selling point is its genuinely ultralight weight, as it somehow manages to keep itself to a low 36 g while maintaining a solid shell.

That low weight—lighter than pretty much any other mouse I've seen, setting aside a handful of niche picks from lesser-known brands—I find to be a genuine boon to competitive gaming. It lets your hand fly across your pad and adjust your aim with ease.

But then I had my attention yanked away from attaining my featherweight endgame by the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike. After spending a couple of days learning about how the Superstrike was made at Logitech's Swiss HQ, I then got a ton of hands-on time with it.

The basic pitch is that its analogue switches (a world's first for gaming mice) allow you to set your actuation level to exactly where you like. Which means you can set it to trigger with the lightest touch, helping reduce the time between starting to click and actually having your click register and hearing your gunshot ring out.

Right away with the Superstrike, I knew this improvement wasn't gimmicky, provided you fit the niche of gamers who will stand to benefit from reduced click latency. Essentially, anyone who plays a tactical shooter like CS2 or Valorant, or plays games that require a high number of clicks per minute (CPM). After tons of time in CS2 with the Superstrike, I definitely see the benefit, even if it's only a small one compared to, say, improving your aim or reaction time.

So the Superstrike's haptic clicks had overtaken the Sabre V2 Pro's low weight, in my mind. The former weighs about 60 g, which is far from the 36 g of the latter, but I still came to prefer the Superstrike for gaming in Counter-Strike.

But then came the Viper V4 Pro from on high. This mouse has neither the ultralight weight of the Sabre V2 Pro nor the revolutionary rapid clicks of the Superstrike, but it has still stolen my heart more than either of the former two.

In fact, there's little revolutionary about it at all. Sure, it has a new kind of sensor capture and USB polling synchronisation called FrameSync, but that ultimately just helps grant a teeny tiny bit of improved click latency and a fair amount of battery life—great stuff, but not quite as eye-catching as 36 g or analogue clicks.

What the Viper V4 Pro instead represents is not upheaval but perfection, and here I mean for that word 'perfection' to be a verb. It doesn't try to shed absolutely as much weight as possible, nor does it attempt to revolutionise clicking technology. Instead, it tries to keep things as light and as performant as possible while perfecting its overall build.

The long and short of it is that there is no part of the Viper V4 Pro that doesn't feel crafted with the goal of perfection in mind. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the sound of the left and right clicks. But that's just what you get with even the best optical switches, which are better for longevity and less prone to problems such as double-click issues.

From its sturdy shell to its smooth skates, tactile optical clicks and scroll wheel, clicky side buttons, and a relatively light weight of 49–50 g, there really is nothing to complain about. The sensor is also the absolute latest and greatest, but that's just a nice addition, really, to what feels like a mouse that's had the utmost attention paid to every element of its design and build. That's something teardowns seem to attest to, as well.

The final sprinkling of sugar into the Viper's saucepan comes in the form of its software, which allows you to adjust all its settings in-browser via Synapse Web. This isn't exactly a bragging point for Razer, given that many other mouse companies (even Corsair) have started doing the same, but since the local Synapse software is very bloated and consumes a lot of memory, web software is nice to see for the Viper V4 Pro. Again, all angles covered.

None of this is to say there's no place for ultralight mice or haptic-inductive clicks. In fact, I'm still very much debating which of the three I prefer for gaming in CS2, because my actual in-game stats don't seem noticeably affected by whichever I choose—my skill, or lack thereof, is much more relevant.

You can make a solid argument for any, but the Viper V4 Pro has reminded me that a stand-out spec or revolutionary technology isn't necessary to get your name in the hat.

Of course, there's also the fact that mouse shape trumps all of the above considerations. You can have an amazingly built mouse with revolutionary technology, but it won't be worth anything for competitive FPS gaming if it's built like a joystick.

Thankfully, all three mouse shapes discussed here are inoffensive, symmetrical ones that should suit plenty of hand sizes and grips. Smaller hands that palm grip might want to miss all three, though, and maybe opt for something like a Razer Cobra HyperSpeed or something similar instead.

Given that I do get on with the Viper's shape, it's now the standard against which I'm going to measure all other gaming mice. If another mouse even comes close to this thing's build quality, that's worthy of a nod of approval in my books.

A couple of months ago Logitech unveiled quite the surprise for the competitive PC gaming scene with the G Pro X2 Superstrike. It's the first gaming mouse to feature proper analogue switches under the left and right mouse buttons, meaning it's the first to offer clicks that respond to the slightest touch, or whatever level of force you set it to.

As soon as I got my hands on the Superstrike—first at Logitech HQ in Switzerland where I got to see everything that went into making it, and then at home for some more extended testing—I knew it wasn't just a gimmick. At least for some kinds of competitive gamer, the improvement on offer is real, as it cuts down the time between starting to press and having your click register and your in-game weapon fire (for instance).

The Superstrike's haptic-inductive click technology, I thought, will surely be the future for the gaming mouse market.

Then Razer launched the Viper V4 Pro and reminded me just how impressive a traditional, non-analogue mouse can be, thanks to its practically flawless design and build quality. Analogue clicks are great, but reducing click latency is just one aspect of a whole package. These two gaming mice are both great choices for competitive gaming, and it's far from a wash for either.

Specs comparison

Setting aside the apples-to-oranges switch comparison for the time being, you're clearly getting a better all-round package with the Viper V4 Pro. That would be true even if it was the same price as the Superstrike, but it's actually cheaper—in the US, at least.

The long and short of it is that you're getting a lighter mouse with double the battery life and a more performant sensor. You're also getting a better, more bulbous dongle that actually stays put on your desk and has some useful LEDs.

Some of you might also be interested to know that the Viper has an optical scroll wheel, while the Superstrike has the same mechanical scroll wheel as in the previous Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2. The latter wheel is known to sometimes develop scrolling issues and in my own testing suffers from problems with long-presses. The optical wheel on the Viper V4 Pro, at least in theory, shouldn't be as likely to develop problems because there's less mechanically that can go wrong.

Overall quality

Specs aren't the only place where the Viper V4 Pro comes out in front. It's also a much more premium-feeling mouse. In fact, it's the most premium-feeling mouse I've had my mitts on, and I've tried quite a few.

Both have nice, safe shapes that should suit a variety of grips. The Superstrike's G Pro/Superlight style 'potato' shape has a bit more of an extended hump that pushes into your palm more towards the back, but the two symmetrical shapes are generally quite similar.

The Viper V4 Pro feels a step above the Superstrike, though, thanks to its near-flawless build quality. And while the Superstrike doesn't feel cheap, it's far from perfect.

The Viper's buttons are very tactile and have practically zero pre-travel, there's not an ounce of mushiness to the scroll wheel, and the skates are nice and smooth. The Superstrike, on the other hand, has mushy side buttons, pretty slow UPE skates, and a mediocre scroll wheel that doesn't play well with long presses. There's also quite a bit of left-right wobble to the left mouse button, on my model at least, after bottoming out the button press.

The icing on top for the Viper when it comes to the general experience, in addition to the battery life, is the fact that you can change all your settings on Synapse Web. So, unlike with the Superstrike, you don't have to keep a local program installed to change your mouse settings.

Are the speedy clicks worth it?

After spending a lot of time using both mice, I can say confidently that the Superstrike is a boon to games like Counter-Strike and Valorant but not much of a boon to other games such as Overwatch, Apex Legends, and so on. Its clicks are worth it if you primarily play tactical shooters that have a low time-to-kill (TTK) and rely on quick reactions. I suppose games that require a high number of clicks per minute (CPM) will benefit, too, but that's far outside of my wheelhouse.

In games like CS2, a lot of your time is spent holding angles or peeking around them, hopefully with your crosshair placed very close to where your enemy's head should appear. In these situations, saving a few milliseconds between spotting that head and having your mouse click register can make a difference. Anyone who has played CS2 or Valorant seriously will be familiar with the post-death certainty that 'if I'd just shot a split second sooner, I'd be the one alive right now and my team would have won the round.'

You don't get those feelings quite so often or to quite the same extent in other kinds of competitive shooter. Playing Overwatch, for instance—even when playing as Cassidy—I don't feel that need for split-second click reaction to anywhere near the same extent as I do in CS2. And if I'm playing a tracking-heavy game like Quake Champions or Apex Legends, I don't feel the need at all.

However, just note that even in the games where it is of benefit, the Superstrike's clicks don't give a night and day difference and they certainly won't greatly improve your overall headshot percentage or kill:death ratio.

I started doing some daily tests comparing my scores with the different mice in CS2 and in aim trainers, but I quickly noticed there was no difference. What makes the most difference by far is a combination of overall reaction time and aim. The time it takes your finger to press down is just one tiny part of that.

One big caveat to both the Viper and Superstrike is that, as many an enthusiast is prone to say, shape is king when it comes to gaming mice. If you don't get on with the Superstrike's or the Viper Pro's shape, you're probably better off getting a different mouse entirely.

Better off, that is, both in general and also regarding competitive performance, because it's hard to perform well with a mouse you don't enjoy holding. I, for instance, am currently debating long and hard over whether to ditch the Superstrike for the Zowie EC2-DW, which just fits in my grip so snugly.

Niches on niches

The shortened answer to the question of which mouse to get is as follows:

First and foremost, get a mouse with a shape that suits your grip. If the Viper V4 Pro and Superstrike fit the bill, then get the Superstrike if you (A) play primarily tactical shooters with low TTK and (B) are happy spending $180 for a slight potential advantage over all other mice. If you don't fit those two criteria, get the Viper V4 Pro, and bask in its near-flawless quality.

The Razer Viper V4 Pro has brought me back to earth a little. Initially I got a little swept up in the Superstrike's new and impressive analogue click technology, and while my opinion hasn't changed on how much of a game-changer it is, the Viper has reminded me just how nice it can be to have every other aspect of a mouse be almost perfect.

For the tactical shooter niche inside the broader competitive niche, the Superstrike beats it for in-game performance, provided you like its shape and are fine sacrificing some broader quality and feel. But for everything else the Viper V4 Pro comes out on top.

SteelSeries has updated its longstanding Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 rodent for 2026 as it seeks to bring a veteran of the ultralight rodent world up to date. The changes are mostly inside, with a shiny new sensor, higher wireless polling and major improvements to battery life.

The £100/$100 price tag is enticing, although we've seen this area of the market explode with some very competitive ultralight rodents from the likes of Endgame Gear and even Be Quiet! in the last year, potentially making this quite a difficult sell for SteelSeries.

With this in mind, the one area of this new rodent that isn't a difficult sell to me is the colour. I love this magenta/bright pink colourway and now want my entire setup covered in it because it's essentially neon. SteelSeries bundled along a matching mousepad to at least let me live out some of my pink setup pipe dream. If you'd prefer something a little more muted, then standard black and white hues are available—just know it'll never look as funky as my bright pink mouse.

The outside of the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 hasn't shifted all that much from both the OG model and the 2022 refresh variant. The weight is the same light 68 g that helps it feel zippy and agile, while it features the same comfortable shape that suits my palm grip nicely. There is some small contouring down the sides to make this more of a sculpted feel in-hand, although not to the same extent as other rodents you'll find. I think it's a nice middle ground.

The fit and finish here is excellent, too, with some quality plastics used, at least to my hands, and I also don't mind the honeycombed pattern across the rear of the mouse. This has been a hallmark of SteelSeries's Aerox line of mice since its inception, and for ultralight mice in days gone by, and still looks decent to me. I can understand why some folks may find it a little dated, but it's there to serve a purpose.

To protect any ingress of dust, dirt or moisture, the Aerox Wireless 3 Gen 2 carries the same IP54 rating as before, which SteelSeries terms as the 'AquaBarrier'—catchy.

Button placement is sensible, with the two main ones, a scroll wheel and one for controlling DPI on top, and two navigation buttons on the left side. On the underside, you'll find a connectivity switch for choosing between Bluetooth and the bundled 2.4 GHz receiver, although without the aid of the RGB indicator, it can be quite difficult to distinguish between which connection you have selected.

It's inside where changes have been made, as SteelSeries has graduated the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 to its TrueMove 26,000 DPI sensor. This constitutes an 8,000 DPI increase over the older model, and while the move up at the top end isn't too noticeable for most mere mortals (plus in some FPS titles, you're also likely to keep DPI lower), it's pleasant for added zippiness for general navigation and making wrist-flicks even brisker.

Going as high as 26,000 DPI caused especially brisk sweeping movement for me in Counter Strike 2—my usual test bed for mice—although it comes with the caveat that it may be too jumpy and jittery in day-to-day usage. To this end, the default maximum DPI with the OP1w 4K is a much more reasonable 3200, although it can be turned up in software.

To keep up with the competition, including the Endgame Gear OP1w 4K and the Be Quiet! Dark Perk Ergo, SteelSeries has also boosted the wireless polling rate up to 4000 Hz, up from the more standard 1000 Hz on the old model. The reason why this is important is because of responsiveness and potentially lower latency, for the pro players who are likely to notice that sort of thing. A higher polling rate means a device reports its position and inputs more frequently (hence Hz as the measurement).

Note that 4000 Hz isn't enabled by default, and you'll need to enable it in SteelSeries' software.

All of this combines to make this SteelSeries choice feel especially responsive in shooters, such as CS2, with brisk and responsive movements and inputs with little noticeable latency that make this a strong choice for FPS titles. The switches inside are mechanical ones rated for up to 80 million actuations, and they felt especially tactile under finger. We have gotten to a point where hybrid switches with optical powers can be found on similarly-priced mice, potentially yielding faster response times for inputs against more traditional mechanisms. Nonetheless, I'm still a fan of how the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2's switches feel.

Connectivity is handled either by Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz, with the latter supporting the 4000 Hz wireless polling rate. The fact that this mouse also comes with Bluetooth adds some versatility against the competition, which eschews that in favour of outright performance in one device. I found the mouse's connection over either method to be reliable and stable, using Bluetooth on my MacBook Pro and the bundled receiver on my Windows gaming PC.

SteelSeries has also majorly improved the battery life of the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 over its predecessors, with up to 120 hours over 2.4 GHz with 1000 Hz polling, and up to 200 hours over Bluetooth. If you go up to 4000 Hz polling, there is a significant drop-off down to 35 hours, although this is still just enough to get through most of a working week between charges if this rodent is used at full pelt.

The software side of things is handled by SteelSeries' all-encompassing GG suite, which provides access to a range of controls. On the face of it, it seems like standard fare with means for controlling DPI on several levels, polling rate, power saving modes, plus Prism RGB lighting control with varying presets or custom addressing.

The most impressive part of the software suite, though, is the clever 3D Aim Trainer and Sensitivity Finder, which puts you into a small in-software minigame that takes around ten minutes, and is designed to optimise your mouse's DPI sensitivity for a specific FPS game. You can then take the software's guidance and apply into the game, and even 'convert' the sensitivity from one game to another for a consistent experience.

I think SteelSeries has done an excellent job with the new Aerox Wireless 3 Gen 2 in taking a rodent that was already a great choice in this fiercely competitive mid-range sector and bringing it up to date with a more responsive feel, better battery life and some clever software trickery.

The Razer Viper V4 Pro is the nicest mouse I've ever used. That's a bold way to begin, but I'm confident enough in the assessment to lead with it.

'Nicest' is also a pretty bland descriptor for what is essentially a flawless mouse, but that's intentional too. The recently released Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike offers something very new and very exciting with its analogue haptic-inductive clicks, but we're not getting anything quite so viscerally exciting here. Instead, we're getting all-around traditional improvements that have me doing my best Michael Rosen impression.

The Viper V4 Pro has received a bunch of upgrades that make it the most performant mainstream mouse on the market today, but it's everything else about it that really impresses me. By this I mean the general build quality and overall value offering.

It might seem strange to talk about the "value offering" of a $160 mouse, but we're really dealing with the tippity top of the top end, here, and you're getting an amazing overall rodential experience (a technical term, I assure you) even for this price. Where Logitech's Superstrike ostensibly justifies its $180 price tag by offering snazzy new analogue click tech, Razer's Viper V4 Pro instead offers a flawless traditional clicking experience.

I don't use the word 'flawless' lightly, either. I cannot find a single thing to fault the Viper V4 Pro for, other than one thing—click sound—and that's a matter of preference that isn't really a flaw at all.

Immediately upon unboxing the mouse, I can tell it's a tier above the rest. There is zero creak to the shell even when I squeeze the sides with quite a lot of pressure, and it feels somehow as sturdy as the sturdiest mouse I've ever used, the $200 Corsair Sabre V2 Pro Wireless CF. The scroll wheel is the best I've used, too: easy to spin through despite clearly defined steps that it's almost impossible to land between.

All of the buttons are a genuine joy to click. It's the first time I've been able to say that of side buttons, too. I'm not sure how to explain it other than to say they are tactile without feeling too clicky; they feel more mechanical and thunky than clicky and they're very easy to delineate and click, with your thumb resting easily against their flat surfaces.

The left and right mouse buttons are also fantastic, although they still have a telltale clicky and slightly hollow ring of optical switches. They're far from quiet clicks and certainly won't be to everybody's tastes, but I got used to them pretty quickly. More importantly than sound, though, is feel, and on this front the left and right buttons are flawless. There's no discernable pre-travel, only a slight amount of post-travel, and each click feels very defined and tactile across any part of the buttons. Again, the Viper V4 Pro offers better quality in this respect than any other mouse I've tested.

You might assume the Viper V4 Pro to be relatively heavy to keep everything so sturdy and tactile, but you'd be wrong. The white version I've been testing weighs just 50 g, and an extra gram gets shaved off if you opt for the black version. That's well within 'ultralight' territory, and a good 20 g lighter than its predecessor, the Viper V3 Pro, and a few grams lighter than the DeathAdder V4 Pro.

It's kept the same shape as the V3 Pro, and here you're getting a pretty safe ambidextrous design. I tend to think of it as Razer's version of Logitech's safe G Pro/Superlight shape. Though the Viper is a little shallower and has the staple Razer flair to the edges of the left and right mouse buttons. I've had no problem using it with a palm grip, and the fact that the clicks are responsive throughout the full length of the buttons means it should be good for claw grip, too, though there might be better options for a more aggressive fingertip grip, such as the Razer Cobra HyperSpeed.

I've found the skates to be wonderful, too—zero complaints. Just note they're shaped slightly differently to those on the V3 Pro, so you won't be able to fit aftermarkets for those on the V4 Pro, sadly.

In addition to the exceptional design and build quality, the Viper V4 Pro also performs incredibly well. That's thanks to both sides of the wireless equation: the mouse, and the dongle. On the latter front, the Viper V4 Pro comes with an orb-like puck a la DeathAdder V4 Pro.

I've found the connection to be nothing less than completely solid and reliable, which is presumably helped by the dongle being bigger than a standard USB one, allowing for a larger antenna. On the outside, though, you get three convenient LEDs: one indicating battery life, another DPI setting, and another connection strength/status.

One of the biggest benefits, though, is that it actually stays put—the right way up, too—unlike the dongles you get with most other mice.

As for the rodent itself, you're getting an improved sensor that beats every other mainstream mouse on the market in terms of raw specs. 50K DPI, 930 IPS, and 90 G of acceleration is no joke, and while you really don't need anywhere near that much for gaming, if you're looking for top-tier performance, this is it. My MouseTester benchmark results, which you can see below, show the most accurate tracking I've seen alongside the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro.

You're not even sacrificing battery life for these specs, either. Far from it, in fact, as you're getting much more battery life than most other high-spec gaming mice on the market these days. 180 hours is 30 more than you get with the DeathAdder V4 Pro and twice what you get with the Superstrike.

This is in part thanks to Razer's new FrameSync technology. I've explained this more comprehensively elsewhere, but the basic idea is a bit like variable refresh rates (VRR) on monitors. With FrameSync, the sensor captures a frame (sends a scan-out) in sync with when the system and dongle polls for it, meaning there are fewer sensor captures required to keep latency low for any given polling rate. And the fewer captures there are, the less juice is required.

Now, a review of any Razer peripheral usually comes with a big Synapse-flavoured caveat. But you're not even getting that with the Viper V4 Pro, because this is the first mouse to be supported on Razer's Synapse Web, the company's browser-based software which is currently in beta. I've found everything to work well, and you can make the usual adjustments, including nice-to-haves like sensor rotation and lift-off distance (LOD).

Given the Viper V4 Pro's honestly unrivalled build quality, design, and performance, I have zero hesitation in recommending it if it's within your budget. Given the Viper beats the DeathAdder in the battery stakes, the only other elephant in the room is the Superstrike, but I don't foresee a massive dilemma for most gamers. If you're not a competitive gamer who mains tactical shooters with a focus on quick clicks—mainly games like CS2 and Valorant—the Viper V4 Pro offers a better all-round experience for a lower cost.

The Superstrike is in its element in that niche, but the Viper V4 Pro is in its element pretty much everywhere else, especially if you care more about performance than, say, an ergonomic shape, RGB, or more buttons. It's definitely aimed more at the competitive gamer, but given how fantastic the design and build quality is, I think any PC gamer would get a lot out of it.

That being said, it isn't cheap. There are slightly more expensive mice on the market these days, sure, but $160 is still a lot for a rodent and it won't be worth it for everyone. If you know you prefer a different kind of shape in a mouse, for instance, I'd certainly prioritise that.

But if you want competitive performance in a luxurious package, and are willing to spend the money to get it, the Razer Viper V4 Pro is undoubtedly where it's at.

Competitive gaming mice aren't for everyone. In fact, I'd go as far as to say they aren't for most people. Part of that is their often prohibitive price; most won't even get anything out of the milliseconds they can shave off reaction time with higher polling rates, greater DPI, and more accurate actuation. When you're landing firmly in the middle of the end-of-match scoreboard, it's likely not just your aim that's costing you kills—your competition probably have mice that are just okay too.

Still, I'm glad that the competitive market exists because it does a lot to raise up the bottom rungs. Take a look at the classic Logitech G305 that we reckon is the best budget wireless gaming mouse right now. For $26 more at MSRP, it has the same DPI as the Mchose G3 V2 but a lower speed and acceleration. It's almost double the weight, to boot.

Logitech is a good comparison for what I think Mchose is going for. The G3 V2 is certainly a good bit lighter and less thick than the Logitech G Pro 2 Lightspeed, but the aesthetics are similar, with a single logo in the base of the mouse, alongside a white and black mouse wheel. They're also both fairly understated, with just a single light in the mouse to show when it's turned on.

You're also getting the responsive PAW3311 sensor, Omron mechanical switches, and three connectivity modes in that light frame. The value-oriented end of the wireless gaming mouse market gets you a mouse that would be a lot more expensive just a few short years ago, and the G3 V2 doesn't feel like it's making tons of compromises for that price either.

Naturally, this would mean very little without a comfortable feel and solid build quality, yet I'm happy to report that the blue G3 V2 I've had my grubby mitts on performs well on both counts. Mostly, the absence of negatives at this price point is a big positive, and the only thing I've had to get used to is the potential for misclicks thanks to just how ickle this rodent is. I have fairly large hands and definitely felt them drape over the front of the mouse, weighing it down sometimes.

The G305 is similar to the GSV2 in more than just specs, though. The G3 V2 has that classic low-down egg shape and only a handful of extra buttons. It's not particularly flashy in any way, though the light blue model I'm using looks pretty great. You've got two clicky side buttons, your standard left and right clicks, a scroll wheel, and a DPI switch at the bottom. Its Omron mechanical switches feel great to click, with a satisfying ping in response. The same is true of the side buttons, which are easy to press down and result in a satisfying click.

The plastic shell is firm, and even a heavy squeeze on either side gets nearly no flex in response. I threw it into my backpack when heading up to the PC Gamer office and never feared it would break. It even has a small compartment in the base of the model for its 2.4 GHz connector. My only complaint here is that the included USB Type-C cable and connector aren't the same colour as the mouse, though that's not the most reasonable demand to make of a $34 mouse.

While scrolling and browsing generally, its 50 g weight makes it a solid everyday mouse, and the 110 or so hours of 2.4 GHz play per charge is adequate. The texture on top is very smooth and, coupled with its weight, this squeaker glides easily across my desk.

Moving over to gaming, Arc Raiders feels fluid and fast, and perhaps even better than it does with controller's godlike aim assist. Admittedly, the very light and small frame does offer less comfort in my hands during the most hectic firefights than the likes of the chunky 8BitDo Retro R8 I'm used to, though.

In horror shooter Crisol: Theater of Idols, I never found it to lag behind my movements or add any latency. Over long gaming sessions, the connection to the 2.4 GHz connector stayed consistent throughout.

In competitive shooter Counter-Strike 2, I found it snapped to heads fairly well, though it naturally lags behind more expensive, competitive mice. One thing using the G3 V2 cemented in my mind is that the diminishing returns for mouse performance sets in somewhere between $30 to $50.

Take the 8BitDo Retro R8 I use every day as an example. At $50 dollars, you can get up to 8,000 Hz polling while plugged in, and double the DPI. This means for almost 70% more, you are getting a DPI 210% more than the G3 V2 and a polling rate that is 800% better. But is that mouse 2.1x / 8x better overall? My answer is no. They both serve different purposes, and most gamers couldn't justify the battery drain of a 8,000 Hz polling rate anyway.

When compared to the Logitech G503, this G3 V2 is a natural upgrade and well worth considering, but it's not quite head and shoulders above its competition now. Instead, it sits alongside them as an equally good choice.

I've also tested out the G3 V2 Pro, which comes in at a couple of dollars more, in exchange for a PAW 3395 sensor and a DPI of 26,000. They are the same weight and feel identical. If I were picking up a mouse, I'd likely go for the Pro, partly because the difference is so minor in price. The Pro offers the same polling rate, though it does come with a few extra features in the Mchose software.

One thing I do like about the G3 V2 is that you can download drivers online or use its software in-browser. It rarely takes more than a couple of seconds to connect, and from there, I can get any updates I need, plus adjust its six DPI profiles, and change button mapping.

I can also tinker with settings like polling rate, scroll wheel direction, hibernation settings, and key debounce, to adjust how fast I can click. It's easy to use and far less cumbersome than the likes of the Logitech G Hub.

'Un-cumbersome' is a good description of the mouse as a whole. It's budget-friendly, easy to use, uncomplicated, decently specced, and light enough to fling around a table.

If it had launched a few years ago, it would be a clear winner for the best mouse under $60, but now, it's one of many solid mice. And that's certainly not a bad thing.

We've long been sceptical of 8 kHz polling here at PC Gamer. At least based on how it feels experientially, provided I'm using a good mouse with a solid connection, there feels like very little difference between 8 kHz, 4 kHz, 2 kHz, and heck, even 1 kHz polling. But felt experience, while important, isn't the most objective and accurate measurement. What is a lot more objective is a simple spreadsheet tool (version 0.6) that tech and gaming YouTuber BaldSquid recently cooked up.

It does involve some manual work, but all the math has been done for you, so all you have to do is fill in your polling rate and your frame rates, and the spreadsheet should spit out the increase or decrease in input latency that you're getting. The math actually seems fairly simple each step of the way, but putting it all together makes things much easier than trying to figure it out manually.

First, save the spreadsheet to your own Google Drive by going to File > Make a copy. Then run a manual benchmark, perhaps using something like Nvidia FrameView to record your framerates, making sure you're moving your mouse around in-game while you do so. Then, do the same but with your mouse at whatever polling rate you want to compare it to, and try to move your mouse the same amount as you did the first time.

Once you've got your results, you can input your average and 1% low frame rates into the spreadsheet, and the spreadsheet will do everything else for you. Essentially, it will tell you whether the latency benefit you get for increasing your polling rate offsets any potential decrease you see in frame rate, when it comes to visible mouse latency.

If you double your polling rate, your input latency will be reduced, and how much of a reduction you get is shown in cells A18 and A20 in milliseconds. But if you lose frames, you have a "visual penalty" which can increase felt latency. How much of an increase in visual penalty you get is shown in cells B18 and B20, also in milliseconds. The net benefits on the right show you whether the former makes up for the latter, and by how much.

Ultimately, what you see in cells D18 and D20—the former showing you a best-case scenario, the latter a likely average scenario—is what matters. A green positive number means a reduction in latency by that amount, and a red negative number means an increase in latency by that amount. If it's red, it might not be worth it.

One thing you'll probably immediately notice is that we're only dealing in sub-millisecond improvements here.

There are a couple of caveats to all this. The first is that we have to remember we're not comparing apples to apples. The decrease in input latency that you get from increasing your polling rate should technically persist regardless of what your frame rate is, because games should register input even between frames. But it's going to feel like increased latency if you're only seeing those shots fire after they've actually registered, so it's still a useful comparison.

There's also the fact that refresh rates aren't being considered in the tool. If you're at 60 Hz and getting 240 fps, you're not going to feel all of the benefit of any reduction in input latency. The tool's results will map onto your perceived reality best when your frame rates are at or under your refresh rate, and the disparity between numbers and reality will become bigger the lower your refresh rate is.

And, of course, the tool makes no account of the impact on battery life, which simply depends on how much you value it. I suppose you could add on your own cells that throw battery life into the mix, but testing there would take a while. In general, though, doubling your polling rate halves your battery, and going from 1 kHz to 8 kHz cuts it by 8x.

All these caveats aside, the tool's very useful to get a quick and dirty idea of whether you're getting any visible benefit from increasing your polling rate, and roughly how much.

Ever since mouse sensors in premium gaming mice all became generally on par, and especially now that some sensors in budget mice are pretty on par too, it's been difficult to get truly excited about any new rodent-based technologies. But earlier this year, Logitech changed the game with the X2 Superstrike and its haptic-inductive analogue clicks. Now, Razer's got a new techy trick up its own sleeve with its new Viper V4 Pro in the form of FrameSync.

It might not sound quite as initially exciting as analogue switches, but FrameSync promises something that should appeal to a wider base, primarily because of how it can help improve battery life.

An often overlooked benefit of a new sensor and/or MCU (microcontroller unit) is improved power efficiency. An optical mouse sensor takes tons of snapshots per second and feeds these into the MCU, which hands them over to your computer when polled. Any improvements to how efficiently the sensor takes those snapshots, how the MCU processes them, or how they all sync up with each other can improve battery life.

The Viper V4 Pro's FrameSync focuses on this latter part, as the name suggests: the 'sync.' The implications for battery life actually slipped me by a little when I first heard about the technology, because I was focused mainly on what it may or may not do for tracking.

I never really have a problem with tracking using regular 1 kHz or 2 kHz polling if the sensor is decent, though, so FrameSync didn't excite me too much. But now that I've clocked on to the battery life benefits, it's much more impressive than I initially thought.

The basic idea is the same as with G-Sync, FreeSync, or any other variable refresh rate technology: synchronising the hardware in the peripheral to the data or the polling from your system. With monitors, that means refreshing only when a new frame is ready to be displayed. Here, with Razer's FrameSync, it means keeping the mouse's sensor scan in sync with the MCU.

As Razer breaks it down in its diagram above, there are actually three main parts to the scanning and polling process: the sensor captures the picture, then the MCU prepares that capture to be sent to the PC, and then it hands it off to the PC when it gets polled for it.

Work had previously been done to align your MCU to your PC's polling rate with Motion Sync, a feature available on a fair few mice today. But much like a monitor refreshing multiple times between each frame, mouse sensors were still snapping frames between each poll and MCU hand-off. That's a ton of unnecessary snapshots.

Razer's innovation here is to sync the sensor up with the poll and MCU hand-off, so it's only capturing a picture the moment it needs to, i.e. when it's about to be requested for it. This improves sensor latency and should help with jitter at higher polling rates, but as I said, I think sensors were already doing fine in this regard.

The real benefit here, I think, is that the mouse can achieve this while cutting down on sensor snapshots, which ultimately means cutting down on how much power it consumes each second.

The result seemingly speaks for itself with the Viper V4 Pro, if Razer's claimed battery life stats are accurate. The mouse is said to have 180 hours of battery life, which is just shy of having twice as much effective juice as the V3 Pro. And it's a few grams lighter, too, while having a more performant sensor.

So yeah, just as with Superstrike's haptic-inductive tech, I'm really hoping this FrameSync tech will spread to the gaming mouse market at large. After all, who doesn't care about battery life?

Original story March 24, 2026: Razer Synapse isn't the most lightweight, stable piece of peripheral software. In fact, only last week I tested a bunch of gaming mouse software and found Synapse to chomp up the most RAM by quite a margin. And it's local software, too, meaning you need to have it installed as a separate app on your machine. But no longer, at least for some mice and keyboards, because Synapse Web has finally left beta. Just in time for the launch of the Viper V4 Pro.

I covered the browser-based software when it went into beta a couple of months ago, and was happy that Razer had finally taken the plunge. But also a little disappointed that it wasn't working with my Razer keyboard, which should have worked. But it was in beta, after all, so hopefully those kinds of kinks will be smoothed out now it's actually out.

Just don't expect every Razer mouse to work with it straight away. I'm told by the company that the list of compatible products is "pretty small right now, but we’ll be adding more as time goes on."

Razer also suggests that the web software is going to offer a lot more than it did during beta, essentially replicating the full local Synapse feature set, but in-browser. Which is great. However much of a buggy resource-hog the local software might be at times, it does offer a bunch of features. Sensor rotation on supported mice, for instance, is something Razer offers that plenty of other peripheral companies still don't.

I should note that this isn't just for Razer mice, but keyboards, too. In fact, keyboards were Synapse Web's original MO during beta.

We'll have to see how it all goes—which mice will be supported and when, how well it works, and so on—but the fact that it's here is a good sign. Corsair already has web software, and with Razer jumping on board, too, we can hopefully have more options for how we want to configure our peripherals moving forwards, regardless of which mouse or keyboard manufacturer we choose.

2026 is shaping up to be quite the year for PC gamers who are into competitive shooters, or just mouse enthusiasts. We've had Logitech throw out a world's first in the form of the G Pro X2 Superstrike with its haptic-inductive analogue clicks, and now we're getting a new Razer Viper: the V4 Pro.

The previous Razer Viper V3 Pro is the go-to mouse for a bunch of esports pros—it's used more than any other mouse, in fact—because it has a simple shape, is light, and has a fantastic sensor. We've yet to see how the Superstrike will change that picture over the long-term, but I reckon the Viper V4 Pro could stand just as much of a chance of pipping the V3 Pro as the Logi mouse.

That's because the V4 Pro looks to push the boat compared to the V3 Pro significantly in pretty much every way. And while it lacks the Superstrike's haptic-inductive clicks, let's not forget that shape is king and other things matter, too. I'm not sure how the pieces will fall and what people will end up preferring for a competitive advantage, but if the Viper V4 Pro delivers, it won't be a foregone conclusion for the Superstrike.

Compared to the V3 Pro, the V4 Pro is lighter and has a better sensor, much more battery life, an optical scroll wheel, and the DeathAdder V4 Pro's great optical switches and spherical wireless puck. It even has a new kind of technology that Razer is calling FrameSync, which is "just-in-time scanning and reporting." It's like VRR but for polling: it makes the mouse report to the PC in sync with when the PC polls it, just as VRR has a monitor match a GPU's frame rate.

That FrameSync tech might end up working really well, but I've never struggled with standard polling at 1 kHz or 2 kHz, so I'm more excited about the other improvements on offer. In particular, given the sensor was already great (so the extra 15,000 DPI, 180 IPS, and 20 G max acceleration isn't make-or-break), I'm looking at the battery life and the lighter weight.

Battery life is rated to a whopping 180 hours at 1 kHz polling, compared to the V3 Pro's 95. That's especially impressive given the weight has dropped from 54 g to 49 g—if you get it in black, at least, as the white colour adds on an extra 1 g, pushing it back up to 50 g. Either way, it's still a big improvement given (A) the Viper V3 Pro was already plenty light for most gamers, and (B) the new V4 Pro has all those significantly improved internals.

The icing on the cake is the software, which (in addition to regular Synapse) is manageable in-browser, in Synapse Web, which has just come out of beta.

Given all this, I foresee the main battle in the competitive mouse space lying between Superstrike's hair-trigger clicks and the Viper V4 Pro's shape and all-round performance. Oh, and price, of course, which the Viper has going in its favour, as it costs $160. Which is very expensive, of course, but not quite as expensive as the $180 Superstrike.

Ultimately, though, I can't say which one I'd place my bets on most competitive gamers preferring until I've spent some extended time with the new Viper. And on that note, watch this space.

What do you want from gaming mouse software? If you're anything like me, your immediate reaction to that question is probably 'not much.' But over the years, I've noticed that asking for 'not much' actually seems to be quite a lot to ask for, judging from over-bloated and over-complicated software that we're often served up.

We're often given exactly the kinds of things people don't want from their peripheral software. A nice colour scheme and fancy animations are fine, sure, but ultimately, all that often matters for most gamers is how quickly and easily they can get in, adjust their DPI or polling rate, maybe check for a firmware update, and get out again.

At no point in that process do you need to manage an entire ecosystem of devices, and if you do want to do that, why should that burden be placed onto others who need just a minimal app? A separate app for such things could work just fine. But instead, we're often lumped with lighting hub management, community elements, and even ads.

Even if, like me, you're into configuring some of the lesser-used mouse features such as sensor rotation and lift-off distance (LOD), you're not diving into your peripheral software for extended periods of time. It's still just a utility, to be jumped in and out of very quickly and very occasionally. It's meant to stay out of your way.

Since I've started looking beyond the biggest manufacturers for my gaming mice, though, I've seen how mouse software can and should be done. In fact, I've discovered that you can, in fact, have your cake and eat it. You can have an extensive list of important features inside a snappy, responsive, and good-looking GUI that, importantly, well and truly stays out of your way.

The best example I've seen of this is Pulsar's web software. This takes all the functionality of the desktop app—yes, there's one of those, too—sprinkles in a little extra, and wraps it up in a funky and very snappy web app. You're greeted by all the important info, including DPI, battery life, and so on, and the tabs at the top are clearly labelled, responsive, and not excessive.

There are a ton of actually useful mouse features, and it never feels cluttered or overwhelming, because function is put first. The company previously expressed that it's "listening to the community" next to a video of new sensor rotation functionality, which users had clearly been asking for. To many, such things might seem superfluous, but I've discovered these kinds of settings can be very useful.

Getting rotation calibration right, for instance, can have your mouse movement map much better onto what you intend when you swipe, without you having to subconsciously adjust your aim to account for a slight angle to how you hold your mouse.

It turns out, you can do that and still have something that looks and feels great to use, too, because the Pulsar web software looks the best of the many I've tested.

Pulsar isn't as big of a brand as Razer, Logitech, Corsair, and so on, but it's far from unknown. But I've found that even smaller brands can manage software that packs in tons of features and keeps itself out of the way.

The software that Chinese mouse 'clone' brand Mchose distributes comes in both web and desktop versions, and while it looks a little cluttered, it's still easy to find the settings you're looking for, and these aren't hidden behind obfuscating multi-layered tab sections and unnecessary bloat.

I've also found both Pulsar's and Mchose's software to chew through much less RAM than some of the more bloated apps, as you can see from the chart below, based on my own testing. Which is nice considering mouse software should be, as I said, just a utility. It's not something you should have to worry about clogging up your precious RAM supply.

Mouse software RAM usage

RAM (MB)

Razer

712

SteelSeries

515

Logitech

230

Corsair (web)

210

Pulsar (web)

159

Glorious

150

Mchose (web)

142

Akko

67

0200400600800

RAM usage

RAM (MB) Data

Product	Value
Razer	712
SteelSeries	515
Logitech	230
Corsair (web)	210
Pulsar (web)	159
Glorious	150
Mchose (web)	142
Akko	67

The importance of the fact that software from these manufacturers comes in both local and browser-based flavours shouldn't be understated, either. There are reasons to opt for both. Web apps are great because they mean you don't have to have yet another app installed on your PC, clogging it up, and they don't even have to be completely bespoke, as they can use the WebUSB API. But local apps are good to have in case your internet or the website goes down.

Either way, though, what you ideally want is something you don't have to keep running, meaning you can save your settings to your mouse's onboard memory. This does, of course, also depend on your mouse being able to store different settings, but most mice can do so these days.

One way you can have the best of both worlds when it comes to web and local software is to have the web app installable in your browser for offline use. Corsair lets you do this with its Web Hub software. Admittedly, this does actually install a local app, but all that app does is launch the software in your browser, online or offline, so it saves you from having a completely separate app installed.

This chart is based on my own in-app testing at the time of writing; features can be changed and added.

The fact that Corsair has a web app at all is a good sign, as it shows big manufacturers aren't blind to what some of the smaller brands are getting right. Though, Corsair still has a way to go to catch up to others in terms of overall layout design and structure, as some settings are in weird places, and it's all quite barebones. Razer, too, I should note, launched Synapse Web in beta earlier this year, which is another good sign.

I should emphasise that this isn't necessarily a big vs little brand thing, too, as not all apps from smaller brands are great. For instance, Akko's app for the Dash Ultra even lacks a close window button, and its firmware and software update buttons are completely unresponsive.

What would be ideal, in the end, would be something not proprietary at all, but something akin to Via, the open-source, browser-based keyboard software that's supported by an increasing number of keyboards. The mouse itself is the product, after all, not the software, so from the consumer's perspective, there's little need for separate, proprietary software to manage it. We've come a long way over the last few years with mouse software, though, so there's reason to be hopeful things could still move in this direction.

I was a little resistant to picking up the Pulsar X3 CrazyLight Mini because of the last part of its name: 'Mini.' My previous experience with a Mini mouse was with the X2H CrazyLight Mini, and that one did not gel well with my grip style at all. Although that was mostly because the 'H' designates a large rear-weighted hump, which is lacking in this X3. The X2H CrazyLight Mini is also a symmetrical, ambidextrous design, whereas this X3 is a right-handed ergonomic one—though note that there is a mirrored version, too, for all you lefties.

All of that is to say, the experience is very different this time around. In fact, I've been quite surprised to find that the X3 CrazyLight Mini's shape really suits my grip. It makes sense, I guess, as I've often described my grip as a kind of "hybrid palm-claw" or "relaxed claw" grip, and lo, what do I find on the front of the mouse packaging? "For palm and relaxed claw grip." Perfect.

Pulsar also describes it as an "ergo hump" style mouse, and I can see why. It does have a hump to it, which is very centrally aligned across its length, but lopsided across the width. This, plus the curvature for your thumb along the left side, makes it more ergonomic than an ambidextrous-styled mouse. If you've ever used a Logitech G703, you'll know what this is like, as it has the same kind of twist to it, but the Pulsar is a little smaller.

I've been pleasantly surprised by how much of a difference this slope and curvature makes. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise, though, as it was only recently that I was listening to some ergonomics experts at Logitech explain how such slight differences can make your hand, wrist, and arm sit more naturally. I think what's happening here is the X3 CrazyLight Mini lets the right side of your hand slope down a little more than usual, which puts it in more of a natural resting position.

At any rate, I've been very impressed by how comfortable it feels to hold and use this mouse. I think it's the comfiest one I've used to date, excluding full-on vertical ergo mice. That said, do remember that your mileage will vary depending on your hand size and grip style. For my relaxed claw grip it's incredibly comfortable, but it'll be a no-go for fingertip grippers, and might not be the best for aggressive claw grippers, either. The Mini version is great even for regular-sized hands, too—mine are 19 x 10 cm—and I'd hesitate to go any bigger.

Everything else about the mouse feels great, too. The matte finish is smooth and hasn't caused any problems beyond picking up some fingerprints, which tends to happen with black mice. The optical switches are some of the best I've heard and felt, requiring a relatively light actuation and with very little pre- or post-travel. There's also zero left-right wobble on the left and right mouse buttons. The scroll wheel is ideal for my tastes, too, as I've found it nice and easy to scroll-jump in Counter-Strike 2, and it still manages to feel firm enough that there's little risk of landing between the bumps.

The stock skates are white PTFE and glide across cloth pads with ease, although they are quite thin, so you might have to replace them a little sooner than compared to other mice. But that thinness (along with the staple CrazyLight underside holes) presumably helps with the weight, which is very light—just 45 g according to my scales.

Pulsar claims it's 43 g with up to 1 g variation, and my scales show my model sitting slightly outside this range, but I can't really complain: 45 g is plenty light. It's not quite the ultra-light weight of the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro, but given how solid, sturdy, premium, and comfy the mouse feels, I'll take those extra few grams. It's still pretty damn light.

You can also cut a gram or two by removing the default skates and throwing on some of the included dot skates, which are primarily for use on a glass pad. One thing to note here is that you might struggle to get the dots spread out in such a way as to prevent wobble, thanks to the funky lopsidedness of the mouse and the skate areas. I managed it eventually, but it took some fiddling and more dots than I'd have liked (eight, rather than the four or six I usually aim for).

The dot skates themselves are fine once they're worn in, but I prefer something a little smoother and less scratchy-sounding, such as X-Raypad Obsidians. I'll probably switch over to some of those.

This mouse is a great performer, and is similar to the X2 CrazyLight Medium that I tested as they both use the same XS-1 flagship sensor. The sensor itself is pretty flawless, based on my testing in aim trainers and CS2, but connecting over wireless does introduce some measurable inconsistencies, as you can see from my MouseTester results.

This has been the case with almost every wireless mouse I've tested, although, just as with the X2 CrazyLight's wireless connection, the X3 CrazyLight Mini's wireless seems to introduce more inconsistencies than some other mice. I haven't noticed this affecting anything in-game, though, so I'm hesitant to let it affect my judgment too much. I'd feel more secure with better wireless connectivity, but I haven't seen it actually affect anything in practice.

I've been pleasantly surprised to discover Pulsar's online Bibimbap software, too. Previously, I'd just been using the local app, which is fine, but nowhere near as good as its browser-based one. The latter looks better and even has more features, such as the ability to adjust sensor rotation, meaning I can ditch RawAccel for that purpose—woohoo! It's good that you get the option of both local and web-based software, as this means you don't have to clog your PC up, but equally you have something to use if there's a problem with your internet or the online servers.

Battery life is just fine, offering a few days of juice at 1 kHz polling when using the mouse daily for work and some gaming in the evenings. There could definitely be some improvement here, but maybe not without upping the weight. In light of such a potential trade-off, I'm fine with it.

Ultimately, though, you're not going to be getting this mouse for its battery life, nor for its software; You'll be getting it for the combination of its shape and lightweight but quality design. If, like me, you have a relaxed claw grip and a regular-sized hand, I have zero hesitation in recommending it.

The combination of comfort from the ergo shape, and the satisfying feel of its clicks, scrolls, and overall finish, plus the light weight and slippery skates, has made this the most enjoyable mouse I've used in a very long time. That's so much so that I'm considering switching to it full-time, in lieu of the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike's revolutionary clicks. And given how much I love that latter squeaker, that's quite a feat for the Pulsar to achieve.

Nostalgia's a weird, often powerful force. Though not necessarily one for good. Nostalgia can easily filter the past through rose-tinted refactored memories, creating an undeserved sense of positivity around something purely by virtue of the distance of time.

And Razer is desperately looking to harness that for the 20th Anniversary Edition of its formative Boomslang mouse. But this limited edition $1,337 gaming mouse just reminds me just how much I always disliked Razer's old rodents, and makes it all too clear how far along we've come in that time.

Though the first thing to note is this isn't really the 20th anniversary of the Boomslang. Razer has missed that by a long way. The original Razer Boomslang was a mouse created by kärna LLC back in 1999, before the original company went bankrupt. The Razer we know today was founded in 2005 by the designers of that original mouse, Robert Krakoff and today's CEO, Min-Liang Tan.

So, really it's the 27th anniversary, but that doesn't sound as good, so here we are, pretending the mouse came to life at the same time as Razer became its own thing. Though even then that would make it the 21st anniversary…

Whatever. It's old. And honestly not that pleasant a mouse to use. It was arguably the device which sprouted off the whole evolutionary fork of dedicated gaming mice, and for that it can be revered. But for its design and actual feel, in 2026 it ought to be reviled.

Though Razer has thrown everything at the new Boomslang; all of the latest gaming mouse tech that has propelled its DeathAdder V4 Pro to the top of our best gaming mouse listing. From the 45K optical sensor at its heart, to the 8K wireless tech, optical switches, wireless charging, and… um… PU leather trim.

Which means the insides are about as 2026 as you can get, while the outside shell is achingly 1999, even down to the same semi-transparent green plastic body used by the ol' Razer Boomslang 2000. And did I mention it has faux leather trim. Yeah, dated.

And I am using the term 'achingly' deliberately here, because this is a mouse that is to ergonomics what Jeffrey Dahmer is to haute cuisine. Now, to be fair to Razer here, the ergonomics of late '90s mice often left a lot to be desired in the first place, so maybe this was an advancement. Though I will say I never found the glorious, ancient Microsoft Intellimouse to be as uncomfortable as the ol' Boomslang.

Still, my long-time issue with Razer gaming mice was always that they forced me to contort my hands, and most especially my fingers, into the most uncomfortable positions to be able to use the damned things. And the Boomslang just serves to remind me why I swerved Razer mice until the Mamba wireless landed on my desk. Even the old DeathAdder, with its upswept main buttons, was most definitely on my gaming mouse shit-list for the longest time.

Now, I'm a convert, because Razer has created gaming mice that work with my particular claw grip style. The Boomslang, however, comes from a time when the palm grip was seen as the only possible way to hold a mouse. And even then, only in that special (read: monumentally weird) way that Jacob holds his mice, with his middle finger permanently sat atop the scrollwheel. Otherwise I have to twist my grip around to be able to reach the side-mounted forward/back buttons.

And if I try to go with my standard claw grip? Well, I can then reach those side buttons with thumb and ring finger, but it means I'm actuating those main mouse buttons from so far back along the length of it that speed goes right out of the window.

Competitive? Well, I was never much of a multiplayer shooter aficionado, but I feel as anecdotally hobbled in games as Dr. Fox has felt empowered by the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike.

And honestly, it's been such a delight to be able to switch back to the classic DeathAdder V3 Pro that's been my gaming main at home for years.

This is what developed ergonomics feels like, and honestly means the ludicrously priced, and thankfully limited edition 20th Anniversary Boomslang will remain an unused nostalgia piece up on a shelf for the rest of time.

Last year, I checked out the regular, non-carbon fibre version of the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro and loved it. At just 36 g and with a pretty sturdy, solid body, it brought a true leap forward for ultralight mouse design. And the best part? It's priced cheaper than most other premium ultralight competition at $100.

Then Corsair decided to release heavier carbon fibre and magnesium versions. The latter is $50 extra at $150, and the CF version I have here is $100 extra at an eye-watering $200. That makes this the most expensive mouse I've ever laid my hands on.

So, surely Corsair must have packed in something revolutionary here to justify this price tag, right? After all, the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike, with its bleeding-edge haptic-inductive clicks, costs $20 less than this.

Nope, sadly not. Apart from a bit of extra battery life, the justification here is the carbon fibre shell. According to Corsair, "this wonder material boasts an amazing power to weight ratio, giving your mouse great strength without tipping the scales." Except it clearly does tip the scales, because this mouse is 19 g heavier than the non-CF version, and I don't think all of that comes down to the battery.

I see Corsair's argument, of course—it's just not $200 worth of argument. The carbon fibre shell does feel very comfy and more sturdy than any other mouse I've held, resisting all my strenuous stress-test squeezes with ease. And it is impressive that this rigidity is achieved while keeping things to a low 55 g weight, which is basically the same weight as our fave mouse and one that we think is plenty light, the Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro.

That's just not worth $200, though, unless you like to pitch your mouse against the wall, full-force, in fits of peak gamer rage. If you don't partake in such things, then I can't see why a standard, sturdy, non-carbon fibre mouse wouldn't do the trick while saving you lots of money.

If sturdiness is absolutely key for you, though, and you want a comfy and performant mouse alongside it, then the Sabre V2 Pro CF might make sense. It comes with a carry case, too, just in case you want to double down on keeping those internals protected.

The sensor performance in particular is something I want to emphasise, because you're getting the same sensor and wireless dongle as with the standard Sabre V2 Pro. Which is a good thing—nay, a great thing. The Sabre V2 Pro is the best mouse I've tested in terms of straight-up sensor performance over wireless, bar none, and that's the case here, too.

With most other mice, sensor testing shows some slight but measurable inconsistencies when connected wirelessly, even if these aren't actually perceptible in practice. Not so with the Sabre V2 Pro: somehow that wireless connection is just way more locked in than others. The CF version is no different.

I suppose you're also getting a more versatile mouse than the non-CF version, too, thanks to the 120-hour battery life and Bluetooth connectivity. But you're still getting the same mechanical switches, which is a strange choice given optical switches are more durable because they shouldn't be able to suffer from double-click issues and so on. Given that durability seems to be the name of the game here, optical would have made more sense.

I'd also have liked better skates for $200. The Sabre V2 Pro CF comes with the same black UPE feet as the non-CF version, which aren't awful, but they're not exactly the fastest of the bunch. They feel especially slow if you're coming from fast white PTFE skates. Though I suppose UPE is more durable, so maybe Corsair's sticking with that theme here, too.

On the app front, you're getting some pretty snappy and easy-to-use web software, which is great because it means you don't have to keep anything running in the background. The UI is fine, but nothing to write home about, and you don't get the kind of extensive options that you do in some other mouse software, such as sensor rotation.

Unfortunately, as of the time of writing, you can't adjust any of the mouse's settings in local iCue software, so you're restricted purely to the web-based version, which could be an issue if you lose internet access.

Plus—and I know this is very subjective—I don't think carbon fibre texture looks great. It actually looks pretty goofy, to my eyes, and I'd much rather a plain white, plain black, or black-and-white. But perhaps that's just me.

Ultimately, though, all of this is by-the-by because I doubt anyone other than the peculiarly durability-obsessed—hey, no judgment here—will find a mouse worth $200 here. If it was the same $100 price tag as the original Sabre V2 Pro, I could make an argument for it, but not for literally twice the price. Carbon fibre isn't that cool.

For my money, I'd be opting for another ambidextrous-shaped mouse instead, such as a Superlight 2, or heck, a Superstrike. And if the ambi design isn't a necessity either, then the world is your oyster, a cheaper oyster at that.

At the risk of being known as even more of a dork around these parts, I am now going to publicly admit that I have long fantasised about living near a big mouse and mouse pad testing facility. I'm in possession of enough mice and pads now that I could probably recreate that myself, but not quite. So imagine my joy when I discovered such a thing actually exists. And now imagine my jealousy and disappointment when I discovered it exists halfway across the world, in Tokyo.

It's called the Pulsar Playstore, and it looks like a veritable palace, I tell you. A true wonderland for the rodent rabble. In addition to the numerous mice and pads available for testing, there is also a mouse wall, because why not? So, Japanese folk: congrats. Happy for you. Nice.

It's actually the company's second Playstore in Japan, and it opened at the end of January in the "heart of Tokyo’s premier gaming district, the store is located on the 7th floor of the Sofmap Akiba PC & Digital Store."

This might seem like a bit of corporate buttressing, a little like fawning over an Apple store. But mice and pads are products that are actually very useful to personally test, because how good they feel to use is a very subjective thing.

I suppose one thing that makes Pulsar well-suited to such a retail store layout is the sheer—and to be honest, baffling and overwhelming—number of different SKUs they have. Do you want the X2 CrazyLight? How about the X2H? How about the Mini version? Or the X2N? Why not the X2H360noscope? (Okay, that one's not real.) It might be worth visiting the store just to help wrap your head around the cornucopia of different Pulsar mouse models.

In many ways, I'm glad the store isn't nearby, actually, as I'd probably spend an inordinate amount of time in there trying out mice without ever actually making a decision. I'm not sure they've accounted for shoppers like me.

At any rate, if you happen to be passing through Tokyo and want to check out what gaming mice have to offer these days, without having to rely on second-hand accounts like those from yours truly, I'd say this would be a perfect place to do so. Just don't send me any pictures of you doing so; I don't particularly fancy turning green.

Since the Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike launched a few weeks ago, one of the biggest questions has been how much it will change the market. As of right now, it's the only mouse with proper analogue switches that allow for super-light actuation and rapid trigger. It's not really been a question whether it will change the market—it will—rather the questions are when, and by how much? I've had my own speculations, but we've now got an industry insider's speculations to go off.

Ex-pro gamer and now-Pulsar marketing and sales specialist FrostyZK recently sat down with rodent boffins ManPhalanges and dazztrazak for their regular MouseCast podcast, and the Superstrike was, of course, brought up.

When asked by dazztrazak whether he thinks the Superstrike's haptic clicks will take over the industry, be 50-50, or whether the market will maintain mostly "normal" clicks, in three years' time, FrostyZK responds:

"I think it would be like a 50-50, because you have your gamers who don't want to use new things, like the hardcore CS pros, the heavy mice. The market is split right now, right? There's the enthusiasts and there's the hardcore pro gamers who like the old stuff... They like using the same old mouse pad from a year or two years ago... I think I would probably lean more towards the 50-50."

He has more thoughts about how it will affect the market over the shorter term, too:

"I think the market just has so many different trends. Obviously, lightweight mice have taken over now, and who knows what the next trend might be. It could be the Hall effect, now, that could be the next trend.

This is just my opinion, but I think Hall effect is amazing, but I think... after they try it, they're like, 'Okay, I'll wait until my favourite brand or my favourite shape has this.' So I think they're going to wait a bit. I think that's how the market is going to sway, for now."

Interestingly, he suggests that other companies have been considering doing what Logitech has done with the Superstrike for a while, but were scared to pull the trigger:

"I really respect that Logitech was the first company to do the haptic switches. From what I know, this is not anything new. I think people have been looking at it for a while, but no one wanted to press the button on it. It's a bit risky. But I think they did it well and they marketed it well... They're going to change the industry, so it is huge."

When I spoke to Logitech's chief engineer at the company's HQ in Switzerland last month, he told me he has "no doubt" that the technology could be used in cheaper mice. Presumably, such mice can be any shape or size, so I think it will make sense for people to wait for the tech to come to a shape they love. As many in the mouse enthusiast community say: shape is king.

I've been lucky that I already really liked the Superlight shape, which the Superstrike copies. I haven't had to adjust much to using it, and I haven't even struggled with accidental clicks at the lowest level of actuation for the lightest and speediest clicks. But your mileage may vary, so it's good to hear that an industry insider is predicting the tech to expand across the market to such an extent, even if some do stick with the mechanical and non-haptic-inductive mice they love for some time.

There's also the question of implementation to consider, of course. There's no guarantee that other companies will be able to replicate the sharp, tailored click feeling of the haptics that Logitech has achieved. Logi engineers were keen to emphasise to me, on my visit, just how much work they'd put into getting those haptics just right. But equally, I can't think of a reason why other manufacturers couldn't do the same. Hopefully, we won't have too long to wait to find out.

Our Jacob Fox guessed that someone would figure out how to get a gaming mouse with a solid shell down to under 25 grams at some point this year. That still hasn't happened, but he is nevertheless excited to point out this mouse from G-Wolves that comes pretty darn close, thus proving him almost correct.

It's called the Lycan 8K and it weighs around 28.8 grams.

Managing to reduce the weight without resorting to poking holes in the shell is generally a good thing for many. The Lycan comes in lower than the Corsair Sabre V2 Pro, which at 36 grams, our Jacob was a big fan of for its lightweight construction and complete shell (no holes). Though you can get greater weight reductions by going absolute wild with a hole-punch, like the Fenrir Pro 8K from G-Wolves, which weighs only 18.9 grams—it's more air than mouse.

The Lycan doesn't appear to trim key features for the weight-saving, however. It comes with a Pixart PMW-3950 sensor (up to 30K DPI and in a forward position), 8K polling, as the name suggests, and SPDT/SR-Latch switches.

I'm no expert in this kind of switch, but between my colleague's rants and this excellent post, I can say it essentially negates the need for any debounce—debounce being required on a mechanical switch to prevent double-clicking or further misclicks as it actuates. A SPDT/SR-Latch set-up can do without this cooling-off period, reducing latency. Lower latency = better.

Despite its weight, the Lycan 8K is a regular size at 119 x 63 x 37 mm. The buttons are only 7 mm from the pad (mouse pad), and you can see from the side profile just how stripped back the underside of the mouse is. Though, notably, there's no image directly on the underside of the mouse, which appears to be pretty barebones. It'll surely have to be on account of the weight.

The Lycan 8K costs $129, though it's only up for preorder today. It's set to launch on March 15th, as far as I can tell, though admittedly it does say March 15st on the website.