SteelSeries Prime Wireless gaming mouse review: Wireless wonder?

(Pocket-lint) - The Prime Wireless is different successful SteelSeries' line-up of pro-grade gaming mice. It sits alongside the affordable wired Prime and the "tournament-ready" Prime+, each offering a wide of satisfying features and specifications that purpose to please. 

The Wireless is simply a reasonably lightweight rodent that includes a fig of antithetic highlights: SteelSeries optical magnetic switches for accordant crispy clicks; Quantum 2.0 Wireless for optimised show with zero packet loss; and a plan that's "crafted for immoderate hand" - work that arsenic aiming astatine each grip types. 

But does this tiny understated gaming rodent stack up good against the competition? We've been gaming with it to find out. 

Pro-level specs successful a wireless form

• 400 IPS tracking speed, 40G acceleration, 1,000Hz polling rate
• Prestige OM mechanical switches (to 100 cardinal clicks)
• 18,000 maximum CPI (Count Per Inch)
• SteelSeries TrueMove Air sensor
• Claw, Fingertip oregon Palm grips
• Weight: 80g

The SteelSeries Prime Wireless is simply a sleek yet understated gaming rodent that mightiness not beryllium overmuch to look at, but inactive packs a punch erstwhile it comes to use. Like its wired brothers, this rodent is built with immoderate pro-level specs crafted to assistance you triumph astatine your game.

The archetypal of these features is the TrueMove Pro optical sensor that's designed to guarantee you get close tracking to spell on with its 18,000 counts per inch (CPI) super-sensitivity. That CPI is adjustable successful the bundle and via a fastener connected the underside of the mouse, making it casual to customise to your idiosyncratic preference.

More awesome are the Prestige OM switches housed wrong the ammunition of this mouse. The Prime Wireless packs optical magnetic switches connected its main buttons. These are instantly noticeable if you've travel from different lesser rodent with accepted micro-switches due to the fact that these connection a satisfying and crisp click with each press.

They're besides built to past and present close tracking with the optical tracking design. This means you get a lightning-fast effect erstwhile gaming and your actions in-game respond arsenic they should to your real-world inputs. 

It is worthy noting that the wireless setup of the Prime Wireless does mean you're taking a deed successful immoderate spec areas. Specifically successful presumption of value and max velocity and max acceleration. The Wireless exemplary manages 400 IPS and 40G acceleration - that's Inches Per Second, ensuring the rodent tin support up with your astir accelerated of motions - compared to 450 IPS and 50G acceleration with the wired SteelSeries Prime. It's besides a interaction heavier astatine a smidge implicit 80 grams compared to 69g with the wired model. These are sacrifices we're consenting to marque though, with the joyousness of wireless freedom. 

Wonderful wireless freedom

• Quantum 2.0 Wireless technology, 2.4GHz wireless
• Fast-charge susceptible (15 mins for 40 hours)
• 100 hours artillery beingness per charge

The SteelSeries Prime Wireless is built with what SteelSeries is calling cutting-edge wireless exertion successful the signifier of Quantum 2.0 Wireless. The institution says this offers dual-channel optimisation that ensures close show that "feels conscionable similar wired". This dual-channel setup ensures that the awesome from your rodent isn't interfered with by different wireless sources that could different origin problems. Ideal.

The real-world effect of this is besides not lone a lag-free, interference-free effect from your rodent - but besides a decent artillery beingness too. The Prime Wireless tin negociate implicit 100 hours connected a azygous complaint portion inactive offering a 1,000Hz polling complaint (meaning its ace sensitive). When it does request plugging in, you'll beryllium blessed to perceive that the Wireless besides has fast-charging capabilities - truthful conscionable 15 mins plugged successful gives you arsenic overmuch arsenic 40 hours of other juice. 

One downside is that contempt having a USB-C cable, it's a fiddle to plug it in. An oddity of the plan makes it conscionable a small awkward for immoderate reason, but past you don't request to bash it precise often truthful it's not each that bad. 

The Prime Wireless comes with a USB-C wireless dongle arsenic modular and includes an adapter truthful you tin link it to a USB-A larboard with ease. This besides ensures the dongle is successful adjacent proximity to your rodent if you're disquieted astir awesome problems, and the cablegram is wrong grabbing region for erstwhile you bash request a artillery boost. 

Understated matte design 

• Premium ABS-polycarbonate frame
• Easy to cleanable and grip matte finish
• VDI30 Tactile microtexture body
• 100% Virgin people PTFE glides
• One RGB lighting zone

As you tin spot from our photos, the SteelSeries Prime Wireless is simply a beauteous understated mouse. There's nary over-the-top RGB lighting, conscionable a clean, comfy and well-designed mouse.

The framework is an ABS-polycarbonate worldly with a matte finish. That tactile microtexture decorativeness is casual to grip and doesn't get slippery oregon pugnacious to clasp erstwhile you're successful a midst of a frantic gaming session. 

The Prime Wireless people has respective PTFE glides - amended known arsenic Teflon by many, not that the marque sanction merchandise is carried present - and is slick capable to nip astir the table with ease.

The 1 downside we've recovered with the plan is the broadside buttons are a interaction excessively small. The beforehand thumb fastener particularly is simply a tricky 1 to property - which is frustrating. 

The azygous RGB portion is simply a spot much utile than it archetypal appears though. The rodent instrumentality changes colour erstwhile you power betwixt CPI levels truthful you cognize which mounting you're connected astatine a glance. There are 5 CPI levels arsenic default - 400, 800, 1200, 2400 and 3200 - and you tin region levels oregon set them successful 100 level increments each the mode up to 18,000. 

Our 1 different ailment is that the CPI fastener is connected the underside of the rodent which is simply a spot of a faff, but you tin customise settings easy capable successful the SteelSeries GG software. 

Software controls

Within this software, you'll find the SteelSeries Engine. This offers elemental controls for the rodent with accommodation for the RGB illumination of the rodent wheel, changes to CPI levels, and more. 

There are besides controls successful present to set slumber settings, a timer to dim the RGB lighting, and intelligent slumber mode. You tin besides marque the astir of astute mode which turns the RGB disconnected erstwhile the rodent is moving. All this helps maximise artillery beingness and frankincense your gaming pleasure. 

Button configuration is casual too. You tin alteration each the buttons - including assigning actions to the broadside buttons, mediate rodent and scroll up and scroll down. There's an easy-to-use macro exertion and quick-switching for elemental things similar fastener presses, exertion launching, shortcuts and more. 

You tin besides easy setup aggregate profiles with antithetic configurations. These configs tin adjacent beryllium acceptable to automatically alteration erstwhile you motorboat circumstantial apps - truthful you tin person circumstantial settings for definite games that are acceptable to spell arsenic soon arsenic you click the shortcut to load your game. 

Writing by Adrian Willings. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 20 November 2021.