Corsair's Glaive RGB Pro is a strong update to a great gaming mouse

Like a number of the manufacturers in our best gaming mouse roundup, Corsair has made a habit of learning from its mistakes and iterating on success in intelligent, forward-looking ways, particularly in its peripheral segment. The Glaive RGB Pro is the successor to a long line of similarly named, continuously improving mice, and that learning process is evident in the smart (if minor) improvements.

First and most critically is the pointer's weight. While I often prefer heavier mice, the Glaive is a unit that benefits from a slight reduction, down to 115g in the Pro—still hardly a featherweight. Because it's aimed primarily at the MOBA and FPS markets, a lower weight is a boon, making it easy to fling it across a mouse pad in tense situations, when you need to react to an ambusher bursting through a window or flee in the face of a sudden mid-lane push. Despite its name, the Glaive feels like a mouse that was designed to be light and agile, belying its long, broad design.

The sensor has also gotten an upgrade, to the PixArt PMW3391 rated at up to 18,000 CPI. Like it's predecessor, the CPI on the Glaive Pro can be adjusted in steps as fine as 1 CPI, from 100 all the way up to the maximum rating, and the stepped CPI indicator is helpfully positioned on the top left of the unit so it's easy to glance at without breaking focus. The pair of CPI buttons are also welcome, meaning you don't have to step all the way through the whole range of settings to get to the one directly below your current selection.

Another big selling point of the the Glaive Pro and the models that preceded it are the swappable magnetic side panels. These too have been improved for the latest version, better angled to fit the cup of your hand and fingers and swathed in grippy, tactile rubber. If like me you prefer a wide foot protruding from the left panel, that option is available in the Glaive Pro, but for those that prefer a more narrow form factor the default concave panel is a great option. There's also the requisite suite of RGB lighting, of course, and the Pro seems to have been renovated to mitigate some of the light bleed evident in the previous iteration.

My only real issue with this pointer is the thumb buttons. While they're nicely spaced and differentiated so you can easily distinguish them even in the middle of a frenetic firefight, they're far too sensitive. I tend to use them primarily to adjust system volume, and it is impossible to get a single step per press with these thumb buttons, an issue unfortunately common with Corsair mice. The mouse wheel, on the other hand, is big, textured, and a joy to spin or to carefully toggle up and down in single steps, and the always improving iCue software and surface calibration utility continue to be stand-outs.

Alan's been a journalist for over a decade, covering news, games, and hardware. He loves new technology, Formula 1 race cars, and the glitter of C-beams in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. Find him @chapelzero on Twitter for lengthy conversation about CRPGs of the early 90s and to debate the merits of the serial comma.