Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB Gaming Mouse Review

Corsair Scimitar Mouse
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by Ryan Perry on February 6, 2017 in Gaming, Peripherals

Corsair is no stranger to the world of gaming peripherals, and 2015’s Scimitar RGB mouse is no stranger to MMO and MOBA games. However, the lack of onboard profile storage hurt its flexibility somewhat. With that corrected, and with a powerful new sensor and updated profile creation software, the newly released Scimitar Pro RGB is poised to stand at the top of the gaming hill.

Page 2 – Software Testing, Gameplay Testing, & Final Thoughts


As Jamie pointed out in his review of the original Scimitar, the options within CUE are vast, so in an effort to keep this review as streamlined as possible, we ran through some of the more basic functions starting with creating a profile.

Profile creation is  fairly standard in most regards, with one minor catch.  Only a software profile stored within CUE can be tied to an application so that it loads when that particular application is launched.  If saved as hardware profile to the Scimitar Pro, this option will not be available.

Adding Actions is a feature that we really dug into, because the level of customization is quite deep.  We only scratched the surface by creating a few simple button mappings, and a quick macro to test the recording and editing capabilities.

Overall the macro editor is quite robust, easy to use, and if recording macros isn’t your thing, they can be manually created step by step by choosing keyboard and mouse events, and inserting delays if needed.

Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB - Macro Creation

We also modified the default DPI mode, by editing some of the values and disabling the rest so that we could quickly cycle through the usable ones later on during our testing.

Being able to assign a specific colour to each setting also helps determine which one is active by checking the area in front of the side keypad, so long as each colour and the DPI setting it represents can be remembered.

Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB - Custom DPI Settings

Other than enabling angle snapping, we left the rest of the settings alone and jumped straight into a quick round of testing.

Gameplay Testing

Of course the first thing we wanted to check was how well the Scimitar Pro tracked with the updated sensor.  Even though this mouse is geared more towards MMO and MOBA games, we decided to test it out in Overwatch, because, let’s face it, not many people are likely to have a mouse for every game type.

Most users are going to want a solid, all-round solution, and since the Scimitar Pro isn’t marketed as a mouse for first person shooters per se, we figured this was a good test platform.  Plus I really like Overwatch and want to sneak in a few games.

In our first Quick Play game we ran Tracer, who is arguably one of the fastest characters in Overwatch and decided to run with the highest DPI setting in our edited profile for some fairly twitchy action.  In the second game we switched to Widowmaker and dropped to the Sniper DPI setting when slower movements were needed.

Movement was flawless in both matches as the PIXART PMW3367 sensor tracked perfectly across our cloth gaming surface, but also across a bare wooden desk, and a brushed aluminum laptop cover.  Being able to properly track on different types of surfaces really bodes well for the traveling gamer who takes their customized mouse on the road, but might not have a proper surface available.

Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB - In-Game Testing

We ran on all surfaces before and after using the surface calibration feature in the Performance section of CUE, and found it ran equally well both ways.  Maybe this feature is of more use on surfaces that are in rougher shape than the ones we tested on, but if nothing else it’s a neat feature to have should it truly be needed.

Angle snapping was something that really threw us for a loop as any corrections felt very natural.  Even with a basic on/off function, Corsair has managed to setup the Scimitar Pro in such a way that angle snapping could almost be an always on feature.

My daily driver mouse allowed for incremental increases in angle-snapping, and even at the lowest setting it still couldn’t match the fluid movements of the Scimitar Pro.  Our “ultra high-tech test diagram” created in good ol’ Windows Paint shows that many of the variations when moving on the X and Y axis are smoothed out, but smooth diagonal movements are still possible as the mouse did not try to take control and over correct.

Corsair Scimitar Pro - Angle Snapping Testing

Final Thoughts

Corsair claims that the Scimitar Pro RGB is a winner in every sense of the word, and it comes endorsed by this guy who’s kind of a big deal in World of Warcraft, Jackson “Bajheera” Bliton.  Forget about the marketing mumbo jumbo though.  This mouse is legit!

Through our testing we found the Scimitar Pro to be rock solid in terms of hardware.  The left and right mouse buttons feel as if they are on a hair-trigger, but all of them including those on the side keypad feel solid, and able to withstand some rough play.

The different texture of the keypad buttons also make it easy to return your thumb to the neutral position.  Being able to move the keypad so that the buttons are placed in the most comfortable spot is a huge plus. No matter where it was moved, it always seemed hard to hit the column that sat the furthest back, especially when the keypad was moved all the way to the rear.  This isn’t a knock against the mouse though, as every user is different.

The PIXART optical sensor is top-notch, and is as good as anything out on the market today.  Tracking was flawless on all of our test surfaces, with or without any calibration. However, I find any sensor beyond 6,000 DPI to be useless for me personally, since I simply don’t need tracking that fast.  Maybe those who are using multiple ultrawide monitors will find the high-resolution useful, but even with that type of setup, this sensor is still likely overkill.

Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB - Press Shot

Software is no less important than hardware in most modern gaming mice, and Corsair Utility Engine is no exception.  It’s full featured, but might be a bit intimidating for newer users, even though over time it became more and more intuitive to us.

It’s not quite as clean and streamlined as some interfaces out there, but it’s full-featured, robust, and all options are easy to find as they’re laid out in a fairly no-nonsense way.

All of the RGB illumination is fun to customize and pretty to look at, but not really my thing, although it does seem to be a big deal as it’s being added to more and more products.  Angle snapping worked like a charm and put my usual mouse to shame as variations in straight movements were corrected without sacrificing control, and even diagonal movements weren’t restricted.

From top to bottom, the Corsair Scimitar Pro RBG is a solid update of the original, both in terms of hardware and software, and is well worth the nearly $80 price tag.  This is a bit high on the price scale for someone looking to pick up their first gaming mouse, but if MMOs or MOBAs are your thing, or if you simply want the extra flexibility of the side keypad in addition to a rock solid design, consider saving a few extra pennies as this might just be the perfect mouse for you.

Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB Gaming Mouse - Techgage Editor's Choice
Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB Gaming Mouse

Pros

  • Quality construction that feels like it will stand the rigors of hardcore gaming.
  • Adjustable side keypad returns and provides extra flexibility.
  • Onboard custom profile storage.
  • Powerful sensor that tracked perfectly on multiple surface types.
  • Easy to use profile creation software.
  • Tons of illumination options.

Cons

  • Price tag may seem steep to someone looking for their first gaming mouse.

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