Corsair has been throwing bombs after bombs in the gaming field recently and one of these was the Corsair STRAFE RGB Cherry MX Mechanical Gaming Keyboard that we got to review last month & boy not only does it performs but its the quietest one around the block. For today we have with us the next essential weapon of a gamer's holster, we have wth us the Corsair Gaming SCIMITAR RGB MOBA/MMO Gaming Mouse for review!
When Corsair launched the Void gaming headsets, the STRAFE keyboard and the SCIMITAR they focused on a couple of things out of which performance and customization were the primary two & by simply looking the Scimitar one can say that it meets the latter from the get go itself, the former we'll find out soon.
So now that we know that it comes with some serious features like a whooping 12000 DPI sensor, Key Slider mechanism and even 17 buttons out of which 12 are mechanical keys! Oh yes and the flavor of the season, RGB LEDs producing upto 1.6million color combinations *hurra!*
Packing and Accessories
Corsair packs the Scimitar in a cool black and yellow box with a mixture of matte and glossy finish. Product image is dominating and vital details are clearly mentioned. The key slider feature is especially mentioned at the bottom right corner.
For a clearer view of the Scimitar Corsair has even added a magnetic flap on top where on the inner side you get a bit more details on the Key Slider feature and a diamond shaped cutout where you can see the actual product itself.
At the back nothing much but the same list of features are listed & a quote from professional WoW player, Jackson “Bajheera” Bliton, who described this mouse as “far beyond anything else available.”
Open the packing completely and you have yourself the Scimitar mouse itself along with a short warranty leaflet, a quick set-up guide and a hex key for adjusting how stiff the key-slider is, making it easier, or more difficult to move it back and forth. We'll cover the hex key later on in the review.
Closer Look
Corsair Scimitar is quite a unique mouse with an above average size and a pebble like design that gives it an elegant approach to styling. The entire surface is soft rubber coated for comfortable and firm grip during long gaming sessions. Its more likely a palm grip type gaming mouse rather than a claw grip one, which one is best we'll find out next.
A braided cable with a custom USB header matching with that available on the STRAFE Keyboard and Void Headsets is present. Its long enough and hard wired.
Looking at the Scimitar from the front we see a large LED back-lit scroll wheel that's nicely sandwiched in the middle but open in the front, edgy yet elegant. Also we can see that the right side is a bit depressed indicating it to be a right hand only mouse!
From this angle we see a nice textured finger rest which is really well designed and keeps my fingers off the mousepad. I personally have wide hands and I find it extremely comfortable to use the Scimitar, even after many long hours of gaming. The way the mouse is shaped benefits those with smaller hands too, it’s perfect for anyone who prefers a palm-rest grip.
The underside of the mouse features four PDFE (unbranded Teflon) feet, which provide good grip though not too tight. Running down the center is a brushed aluminum panel which houses the 12,000 DPI optical sensor and there is a small hex-screw hole which allows for adjustment of how stiff the 12-button key-slider is.
Now for the fun part, the twelve buttons on the side that gives the Scimitar its MOBA/MMO mouse stature. Caved inside a hard plastic yellow cavity with brushed aluminum finish we have twelve mechanical keys that are not only backlit but also have a smooth & textured alternate finish. I personally loved this move since you always know where exactly your thumb is at without looking at the buttons themselves, which is a downright essential for pro-gaming.
Remember that hex key and the key sliding feature earlier? Of-course you do! Well now we'll just use the key to loosen up the screw underneath and slide the 12 key set at extreme back, extreme front and in the middle.
I've compiled this into a dynamic image so as to give you a clearer picture. I found the middle alignment my personal favorite but the front alignment and back will be liked by user having small and XL hands respectively.
Corsair Utility Engine (CUE)
Corsair has brought out an entirely new software suite with the STRAFE RGB MX keyboard. CUE as Corsair likes to call it is a suite to bind all the three gears, namely as the Void Headset and Scimitar Mouse, together as one taking a more holistic approach. CUE can be downloaded from the Corsair official website for free.Over here I'll be only covering the features related to the Scimitar so as to keep it to the point.
The opening window allows you to load/create and delete a profile containing user defined setting for the mouse. The Scimitar comes with its own in-built memory so everything gets stored on it and stay there till one doesn't change it. Yeyy! Now you can simple take your Scimitar to a gaming tournament, plug it in to a PC & enjoy your favorite settings even if CUE is not installed on that machine!
Under the assignments tab you can do a lot of stuff for each key and I mean all 17 of those when I say all keys! From creating new profiles & actions to even mode switching all is possible. Its all a bit complicated though and needs some time to get a hang of but experienced users to such type of multi-button mice will find it all too organized & well laid out.
Lighting section gives you control over each specific area of the mouse and broadly classifies them as Zones so that you can have a one uniform experience or go all wild with a frenzy of colors splashing around the mouse in all possible fashions. I found this feature way too good since its all about customization when you have such a mouse.
The performance and DPI tab is simple yet useful, you can change the DPI that each color selection is designated with as per your taste or variety of games that you indulge in. I stayed with green though since 3000 DPI is what I feel comfortable with!
There is also an adjustable lift of distance, though in testing, it was very difficult to objectively measure the LOD as the difference between high, medium and low, was millimeters maybe between 2-1mm. Should you prefer a more augmented experience, there is a pointer precision and angle snap option which can also be enabled.
Performance of the Corsair Scimitar
Lighting up the Scimitar via the CUE software and customizing it to the desired settings was easy once you get a knack of the utility suite. The lighting is bright and vibrant and renders colors to an accurate degree compared to many competitors.
One let down is that you can't use any of the side keys in a game without designating them a function beforehand from the CUE suite, so its not a plug n play device if you want to reap its full potential.
The mouse responded beautifully to all the DPI settings and once you crank up the dial all the way upto 12,000 DPI you have yourself a control frenzy mouse in your hand! Give it some time and you'll find it to be accurate and precise in general day-to-day work. It performs equally good on bare table top, paper sheet & mousepads.
In hand the Corsair Scimitar feels solid and just right with its 147g weight, the movements are smooth yet controlled. I've a palm grip and since the Scimitar favors this style of gripping I had no problems whatsoever in positioning my hands. Key clicks are responsive & have a clicky feel to them upon actuation. The rubber surface is smooth but not too smooth providing the right comfort and grip, if your hands sweat then you might feel it getting slippery at times.
The side key panel works flawlessly and I always knew on which section of the panel my thumb was thanks to the alternate texture, I did find myself clicking two keys simultaneously at times but that's okay since this type of mouse needs some time to get used to.
My Verdict
Its performance is unmatched in the MOBA/MMO category be it its 12000 DPI sensor or the very responsive mechanical keys. The weight is light and helps it to glide it like ice & if you are a palm gripper like me then you are in for a delight!The dexterous idea of a key slider that also with mechanical keys is superb since players can now find the sweet spot for their palm sizes which is a general problem for players leaving them with two options, either settle for a mouse with the most number of favorable features or get used to the side buttons over time & practice.
With the Scimitar Corsair has brought a much needed fresh breath of air to this category in an attempt to break the monopoly & offer customers a wider range of options, in which it succeeds exceptionally.
In the end its fitting to say that, with the Scimitar Corsair has finally found a blade to cut right through the competition & with a plethora of new features implemented ingenuously certainly puts you on the path to bringing out the gamer in you at his absolute best!
I give it a 9/10
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Hello Vishvesh.
ReplyDeleteThis looks good: too complicated for most simple gamers I guess, but good. For such "exotic" hardware, a video showing how to use these would help. ;)
I bought an M90 a few years back as I was getting a really good deal: died on me in a year, and the RMAed piece too is now giving away. The problem is the scroll-wheel: it tends to scroll down even when you touch it. On Corsair forums, plenty of people have had this issue.
For what it's worth, the scroll wheel here seems to have a different design.
Also, can you test the Katar?
Hello,
DeleteYes I'll try to get a video review for this soon. It's because of the peculiar nature n design of this mouse that this article contains multiple animated images.
The scroll wheel on this is entirely different since opening it up from the front minimizes any obstruction that it may face after sometime of extensive usage leading to odd behaviors.
Surely I'll try to get the Katar review for you soon. Keep visiting and thank you for your valuable feedback.