Gaming mice are the high-end devices of the mouse world. They are designed to be more accurate, offer a more comfortable experience and are built to last – as gamers are likely to spend more time with their mouse than anyone else.

Top-of-the-range gaming mice also have multiple buttons, highly adjustable dots per inch (DPI) accuracy and a mass of settings that include everything from custom lighting to macros for specific games.

However, finding the right mouse for you can be tricky. People hold their mouse in different ways and have different sized hands that make purchasing a tricky business. A wide mouse with thumb rests and grips might be perfect for someone with large hands, but others might find a small and sleek mouse preferable, both in terms of fit and agility.

We run through a variety of gaming mice to see which are the best around, taking into account all the things gamers love most – RGB, responsiveness, number of buttons and, of course, value for money.

Best overall gaming mouse

Corsair Dark Core RGB SE And MM1000

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Wireless mice are great – they’re lightweight and have the added advantage of not being tied down by a cable that you have to keep tugging or fighting with to get a perfect shot in game. Especially in frantic gaming sessions where the mouse is always moving about on the desk.

The downfall of wireless mice comes about when issues with input lag arise or you start running low on charge and either need to stop playing or plug your mouse in for some charge. The flexibility and freedoms of a wireless mouse soon disappear if you have to plug it in and you’re left wondering why you bothered buying one in the first place.

The combination of the Corsair Dark Core and MM1000 Qi wireless charging mat might be the perfect solution. This is a powerful and flexible wireless gaming mouse that offers a variety of connection options, an ergonomic design and plenty of customisation options too.

Design And Comfort

• 2.4GHz wireless, low-latency Bluetooth 4.0 or wired USB connection
• Qi wireless charging with up to 24 hours of battery life
• Swappable side grips and ergonomically textured design
• Three individually customisable RGB lighting zones
• 1.8 metre braided USB cable

The Corsair Dark Core is a true work of art and gaming precision. This is an ergonomically designed mouse that fits nicely in the hand. It comes with a swappable side grip which keeps your fingers and thumbs off the gaming surface and allows for accurate mouse movements. The top and thumb rest also feature “Performance Grip Material Pattern” which ensures the mouse stays in your hand when you’re gaming even during frantic sessions.

It’s wireless by design – capable of connecting either via wireless or low-latency Bluetooth. A USB wireless transceiver included in the box ensures an instant and responsive connection to your gaming machine via ultra-fast 1ms 2.4GHz wireless. But you can take the Dark Core with you and quickly connect to any other machine that supports Bluetooth in a flash.

The built-in Lithium-Polymer battery allows up to 24-hours of gaming on a single charge (less if you’re using RGB lighting) but there’s also a braided USB cable included if you want or need to swap to wired mode.

Paired with the MM1000 Qi wireless charging mat you can keep the mouse going and going by popping it on the charging zone when not in use. We love this pairing too, as the MM1000 is a brilliantly large and comfortable gaming mat. It’s also capable of Qi charging any other device you have. There’s a small zone on the right which is Qi capable and a number of adapters allow you to even wirelessly charge other devices that don’t support Qi.

The Corsair Dark Core is Qi capable – so not only can it be charged on the mat, but also with any other Qi charging pad you happen to possess.

Switching between wireless and wired is seamless and instant. Plugging and unplugging the cable and the wireless dongle is easy and works well every time. You can also use the USB passthrough for the wire or the dongle on the MM1000, making it even easier to use if you have fewer USB ports on your PC.

Software And Setup

• Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE) compatible

The software included with the Corsair Dark Core is simple to use and chock full of features and settings. Using Corsair’s iCUE software you can do everything from changing the lighting to programming buttons and more.

The Dark Core has three main lighting zones – the mouse wheel, the thumb button and the logo zone/rear. These lighting zones are programmable in the software with a number of different effects that including static, rainbow, colour pulse and colour shift. You can also use instant lighting to set the same colour across multiple Corsair devices with a single click. You can also change the colour of the DPI indicator too.

The Corsair iCUE software includes surface calibration that allows you to customise the way the mouse reacts to the surface it’s used on. This allows you to set the mouse up perfectly whatever you’re gaming on. Performance settings also allow you to activate angle snapping and adjust pointer speed, but not much more beyond that.

Buttons are fully programmable, right down to recording macros, remapping buttons, setting up specific actions like launching applications and more.

Gaming Specifications

• 16,000 max DPI
• On-the-fly DPI switching via buttons and sniper mode
• Nine programmable buttons
• 1000Hz report rate

The Corsair Dark Core is a masterful gaming device rammed full of powerful features and customisation options. It packs a total of nine programmable buttons on its ergonomically designed frame. All of which can be customised within the Corsair Utility Engine software.

This mouse supports up to 16,000 max DPI switchable on-the-fly with the buttons on the top. You can change between three main DPI modes which can be customised in the CUE software. The middle thumb button activates “sniper mode” which, by default, sets the mouse to super-low DPI for tiny and accurate movements. This needs to be pressed and held, but means you can quickly get back to your standard DPI much more easily too.

There’s a three LED DPI indicator on the side. These lights go up and down in steps when you change between the DPI levels, so you only need to glance to see where you are. You don’t need to go into the software to see which mode you’re on. Switching to sniper mode changes these lights from red to blue by default, but the lighting here, like elsewhere, can be fully customised in the software.

High-performance Omron switches provide lightening-fast response and continue the theme of precision and accuracy. Easily accessible thumb buttons mean you can masterfully activate any setting or macro you want with a small movement of your hand too.

Verdict

Whether alone or paired with the awesome MM1000 Qi charging mat, the Corsair Dark Core RGB SE wireless gaming mouse is one of our favourites. In fact, it’s the best gaming mouse we’ve used.

It’s superbly comfortable, accurate and customisable too. This mouse just keeps going and going and can be quickly and easily switched between machines if you need to take it with you too. It might be expensive, but it’s worth every penny.

Best RGB gaming mouse

Asus ROG Gladius II

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If gaming mice aren’t glowing all the colours of the rainbow, are they even doing it right? The Asus ROG Gladius II is a big, bold, beautiful gaming mouse with a really striking design. It’s wired, with an ergonomic design, on-the-fly profile switching and an insanely high DPI, but how does it perform and is it worth its £80 price tag?

DESIGN AND COMFORT

• 50 million click Omron switches (spares also included)
• Three Aura sync RGB lighting zones
• Six pre-set illumination effects
• Patterned rubber grips and mouse wheel

The Asus ROG Gladius II is a feature-packed mouse that gamers and RGB fans will love. This is an affordable gaming mouse with all the bells and whistles. The design includes three side buttons and a DPI switching button on the top next to the mouse wheel. For RGB lighting lovers, there are three lighting zones on this mouse – the logo, the wheel and a funky under-lighting zone that covers the edge of the bottom of the mouse.

Within the Asus software, you can choose from six different pre-set illumination effects that include “Aura Sync” which matches up the colour effects across other Asus products, like keyboards. This looks neat, especially when set to “breathing”. It’s also a great reason to purchase this mouse if you already have other Asus products that are compatible.

We really liked the design of the Asus ROG Gladius II. Not only does this mouse have some of the best lighting we’ve seen, it’s a perfect balance of simple and sublime.

The three buttons on the left are perfectly placed for use in the heat of a gaming battle and the profile switching included in the software means these buttons are highly flexible. We also really like the textured sides of the mouse which allow for a better grip when gaming and thus are more than just visually pleasing. The mouse wheel also has a funky tread on it that makes it look more like a high-end car tyre than a mouse wheel.

This mouse is “ergonomically designed” meaning it should be comfortable for gamers of all shapes and sizes. Whether you prefer a palm, claw or fingertip grip or have a small or large hand, it should be comfortable and useful.

Certainly, during testing we found the Asus ROG Gladius II to be a comfortable mouse both for gaming and for everyday use.

The only flaws we found were the middle button on the left side of the mouse (the DPI target button) could be accidentally squeezed when in a frantic gaming battle, but that might be down to personal playstyle rather than a design flaw. The cable might also be a bit short for some.

This gaming mouse also comes with two swappable cables, one is braided, the other isn’t. They’re two metres and one metre respectively. The idea here is you can choose the cable to suit your use, the shorter non-braided cable can be used on the move with a laptop while the longer one is the mainstay on your gaming machine. We did feel that two metres is verging on being a little short, so it’s worth noting that, depending on your gaming setup, you might have troubles with tugging and fighting the cable.

SOFTWARE AND SETUP

• Customised button mapping
• Surface calibration settings
• Macro settings
• Lighting and sync options

As you’d expect, the Asus ROG Gladius II is backed up by a piece of software that you’ll need to download and install. This software allows you to customise things like button settings, performance and lighting. Out of the box, there’s a calibration mode which allows you to choose from preset surfaces like cloth, plastic, glass or metal mouse mats or manually calibrate to your particular gaming surface.

Then you can create up to three profiles which you can switch between by simply pressing two buttons on your mouse at the same time. This on-the-fly switching means you can have a variety of setups for changing between in game. If, for example, you like to play as a sniper one moment and drive a tank or fly a plane the next, then you could have a profile for each of these with different settings to account for the change in playstyle. A sniper needs to be accurate with small precise movements, while a tank gunner might want to turn quickly to engage their target.

Since you can change the colour and lighting settings on each profile, you can also set this up so the colour changes when you change to a profile with a higher DPI. That’s the complex version, on a more simple setup you might just have different profiles for gaming or using Windows. It’s then easy to switch between these when you need to.

GAMING SPECIFICATIONS

• 12,000 DPI max, 50g max acceleration
• Three side buttons
• Surface calibration options
• Profile switching on-the-fly

As a gaming mouse, the Asus ROG Gladius II is no slouch. It boasts one of the highest DPI sensors we’ve seen, almost double that of its predecessor. It can hit up to 12,000 DPI at the top end of its settings. That’s extremely fast, even on a 4K ultra-high definition screen. In fact, it’s so fast, it’s probably too fast for many. But you can adjust the settings according to your needs and set different DPI settings between profiles. Each profile has two DPI settings and you can switch between them by pressing the button on top of the mouse next to the wheel, so it’s easy to setup according to your needs.

The side buttons are customisable in the software and you can set them to whatever key you need, including macros if you’re a really serious gamer. We set up two different DPI settings in a single profile, then customised the buttons to our liking, including the third side button. This side button and the top button pressed together switches between profiles normally, but you can customise the buttons to fit your needs and preference.

The customisation settings within the Asus ROG Gladius II software make this mouse highly flexible, swift and agile. It can be set up to work just the way you want and it does so with an RGB style that you’re sure to love.

VERDICT

We really enjoyed our time with the Asus ROG Gladius II. It’s a fantastic mouse, especially at the current price point. It’s not the cheapest on our list, but it’s not the most expensive we’ve seen either. It’s packed full of features that include a DPI higher than the average gamer will need. The design is comfortable, easy to use and stylish.

We’d recommend this gaming mouse if you’re looking for one that’s not only capable but casts a wonderful RGB rainbow over your desk. Pair this up with an Asus keyboard and you’ll certainly have a pretty awesome looking desk. It’s not the best gaming mouse on our list per se, but it’s certainly close to it. It’s also not the most subtle mouse around, but we doubt you’re here for that anyway.

Best high-dpi multi-button mouse

Corsair Ironclaw RGB wireless

Comfortable mice are obviously a very personal thing. Comfort varies, not only depending on the size of your hand, but also the way you hold your mouse while you play. This mouse is designed to suit those with larger hands and people who play with a palm style grip.

The Corsair Ironclaw RGB wireless offers much more than that as well. It’s not only comfortable, it’s also customisable and feature rich. Combined with Corsair’s MM350 champion series mousemat, its sure to not let you down.

Design And Comfort

• 2.4GHz 1ms wireless, low-latency Bluetooth 4.0 or wired USB connection
• Contoured and ergonomically textured grips
• Three individually customisable RGB lighting zones
• 1.8 metre braided USB cable

The Corsair Ironclaw RGB wireless is, at first glance, an angry looking device with a mass of buttons and a contoured design. It is, however, incredibly comfortable.

This is a wireless gaming mouse with a focus on comfort and usability. It’s designed to work in a variety of modes too. Whether via 2.4GHz using the accompanying dongle, over a Bluetooth connection with a laptop or just plugged straight into your machine.

Easy access DPI switching buttons, a wonderfully contoured and textured thumb rest and brilliantly ergonomic design make this mouse incredibly comfortable and pleasant to use.

The Corsair Ironclaw RGB wireless also boasts Corsair’s Slipstream Wireless technology, making it more reliable and responsive than other gaming mice. In practice, this means it has a 1ms response time and tracks your movements and clicks quickly, accurately and effortlessly. Add to that a 33-foot wireless range and you’ve got a flexible and capable mouse that works whatever you’re doing.

Another highlight of this gaming mouse is battery life. Using Bluetooth low energy mode it’s capable of up to 50 hours of use before it needs recharging. Even in the wireless mode you can get nearly 16 hours out of it with the lighting turned on before it needs plugging in and that transition is seamless too, so there’s no hidden drama.

Software And Setup

• Corsair Utility Engine (iCUE) compatible

Like Corsair’s other mice, the Ironclaw RGB wireless is compatible with Corsair’s iCUE software. Downloading and installing this software allows you to do everything from changing the lighting to programming buttons and more.

There are three main RGB lighting zones on this mouse and they’re programmable in iCUE in all the usual and glorious ways. Whether that’s setting instant lighting to sync the same colour over multiple devices or selecting from a range of different effects. The choice is yours.

Highlights for this mouse include the ability reprogram the 10 different buttons whichever way you see fit. Whether that’s setting macros, remapping buttons, setting up specific actions like launching applications or just minor tweaks, the options endless.

Gaming Specifications

• 18,000 max DPI adjustable in 1 DPI steps
• Up to 50 g max acceleration and 400 IPS
• On-the-fly DPI switching via buttons and sniper mode
• Ten programmable buttons
• 1000Hz/500Hz/250Hz/125Hz report rate

Like our the Corsair Dark Core (which is a solid favourite of ours) the Ironclaw RGB wireless is a real powerhouse. The comfortable frame not only houses 10 programmable buttons, but also hides some fantastic gaming tech.

The Ironclaw boasts an insane max DPI too – topping out at 18,000 – which is adjustable in single increments and can be set to three different levels in the software. This means you can customise the way the mouse reacts until your heart is content. You can set a low DPI for Windows and a high one for gaming or just choose from a selection to switch between when you need to.

A DPI level indicator on the side is there to tell you what level you’re on and there’s also a sniper mode which you can engage with the press of a button to drop into an ultra-low DPI for uber headshots.

We enjoyed this mouse, particularly for its thumb buttons though. Easy to use, easy to access and super easy to customise to your preference too.

With found the Ironclaw to be fantastic for FPS sessions, but also great for everyday use, surfing, browsing and working too. It’s really accurate and the wireless connection never let us down. Meaning we could never blame our tools when we failed to claim a Battle Royale victory or outshoot an opponent.

Verdict

If you’re looking for something with a mass of buttons, plenty of programmability options and a stylish design, then look no further.

The Corsair Ironclaw RGB wireless is easily one of the most comfortable and flexible wireless gaming mice we’ve tried. We love the mass of buttons, the textured grip and the contoured lines.

Even when this battery gets a bit low, it’s easy enough to plug in and keep on gaming and with such accurate wireless and Bluetooth tech, it’s a joy to use whatever you’re doing. The price is also more than reasonable for a device of this calibre, making it well worth a look on that point alone.

Most stylish gaming mouse

Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition Mercury White

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If style and charm is something you need from your gaming mouse and you’re just a tad bored of boring black mice, then this device from Razer might be the answer. The Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition is available in the striking Mercury White, which is bright and bold, but also much more than just good looking.

DESIGN AND COMFORT

• White design including the 2.1 metre braided USB cord
• Chroma lighting via Razer Central software
• Two buttons on either side
• DPI switching buttons on top
• Reactive lighting
• Ambidextrous design

Razer is a well-known name in the gaming world and with good reason. The company offers a range of different mice designed and built “for gamers, by gamers” and the Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition offers one of the company’s most striking designs. It’s instantly appealing in Mercury White as it stands out from the crowd of other gaming mice out there that are traditionally black and drab. There’s much more to this mouse than looks though.

The Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition boasts an ambidextrous design which is comfortable for both right and left-handed gamers. There are two buttons on either side, so you can use it whichever way you prefer. The form factor also makes it comfortable and a joy to use in either hand.

This mouse has three lighting zones – down both sides and on the mouse wheel. The Razer Chroma lighting settings are fully customisable and flexible with up to 16.8 million colour settings available. Various modes are programmable here too, including inter-device synchronization to match up with other Razer products. Our favourite though was the “reactive” lighting mode which lights up when you click the mouse buttons then slowly fades out.

This is a lightweight gaming mouse that’s designed to be swift, accurate and comfortable to use. The Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition weighs around 104 grams and includes a high-quality braided cable that won’t drag on your desk. We did think the cable could verge on being a bit short (it’s just 2.1 metres) so that’s worth bearing in mind if you have a large desk or keep your computer out of sight on the floor. We didn’t find it a hindrance during testing though.

SOFTWARE AND SETUP

• Five customisable sensitivity settings
• Adjustable acceleration and polling rates
• Profile settings
• Advanced lighting effects
• Surface calibration

The Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition gaming mouse is powered by the Razer Central software and compatible with Razer Synapse 3. We found the software was easy to use and included all the features you’d expect from your gaming mouse.

You can set the DPI levels here, then switch between them using the up and down buttons on top of the mouse. Surface calibration and settings for programming the nine usable buttons is also here. It’s also quick and easy to switch between right and left-handed modes.

Basic lighting settings within the software allow you to adjust brightness and quickly switch between effects. We also liked that you can set the mouse to automatically switch off its lighting after being idle for a certain period of time or when your display is turned off, to save wasting power and lighting the room unnecessarily.

Advanced lighting effects are available in the Chroma studio which are far more intricate. Though we found the quick effects to be more than sufficient.

GAMING SPECIFICATIONS

• 16000 DPI max
• 1000 Hz Ultrapoling
• Customisable per-key macros
• 450 IPS tracking
• 50 million clicks
• Nine independently programmable mouse buttons

The Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition boasts the highest max DPI settings out of all the gaming mice we’ve tested. Quite frankly, 16,000 DPI is more than any gamer is going to need. We thought 12,000 was too much on the other mice we’ve tested, but it’s always better to have and not want than to not have at all.

This mouse also boasts a high polling rate, 50G acceleration and 450 inches per second tracking that make it insanely accurate and a joy to use. With the accompanying software, you can set the mouse up to your own personal preference and then easily switch between DPI levels on the fly.

VERDICT

Although the Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition isn’t necessarily the most feature-packed mouse on our list, it is probably the most beautiful. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we love the Mercury White colour scheme and the RGB lighting with it.

Beauty is more than skin deep too and that shows with this gaming mouse. Backed by a variety of features that include the highest DPI settings we’ve seen, plus an ambidextrous design and some funky lighting, this mouse is something pretty special.

We fully expect that it’ll get dirty fairly quickly under regular and intense use, but the surface also seems to be reasonably easy to wipe clean. In short, it’s another fantastic mouse from the Razer camp and well worth adding to your short-list.

Best large gaming mouse

Roccat Kone AIMO

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If your hands are slightly on the large side, then choosing the right gaming mouse can be tricky.  Comfort is a problem and you might find that your thumb can get in the way, at least we do anyway. The Roccat Kone AIMO might be the solution to these issues. It’s a larger gaming mouse, that strikes a brilliant balance between comfort and functionality. It’s not too big, it’s just perfect. For right-handed gamers, this mouse is a great choice.

Roccat isn’t necessarily the first brand you’d consider when shopping for gaming peripherals, but you shouldn’t overlook this one. It’s a great price for a funky design, that’s comfortable, well lit and intelligent.

DESIGN AND COMFORT

• Left/right clickable mouse wheel
• Three thumb buttons including Easy-Shift[+] button
• Intelligent lighting
• 12 customisable buttons
• Up and down DPI settings buttons with audio feedback

The first thing you’ll notice about the Roccat Kone AIMO is the striking design. The model we tested was white, but it’s also available in grey and black. In each format, this mouse is big and bold – with a large Roccat logo emblazoned on top and not-so-subtle lighting zones down either side.

There are four lighting zones here, the two strips left and right and on either side of the mouse wheel that are controlled by the Roccat Swarm software. You can even set different colours for the inner and outer parts of these lighting areas or use a gradient, making it flexible and colourful too.

It’s larger than your average mouse and feels more comfortable in the hand. The design includes three side buttons on the left side of the mouse and a slight recess that works nicely as a thumb rest. We found this to be particularly comfortable and it prevented any issues we have with our thumb getting in the way during gaming sessions. The button on the bottom of this recess also works as the Easy-Shift button. This is an interesting design in itself.

The Easy-Shift button works by allowing you to change any of the 12 programmable buttons to a secondary setting. When you press and hold that button the Easy-Shift mode is activated. So, for example, in an FPS game you could set the left mouse button to fire by default, then reload your gun while in Easy-Shift. This feature allows for quick actions in the midst of gameplay.

That’s a basic setting too, there’s also the option for recording macros, assigning hotkeys, multimedia keys, even setting a timer. Pressing the Easy-Shift button also changes the colour of the lighting, so you know when it’s engaged too. It’s amazing what a difference a simple feature can make to your gaming style.

Another feature of the design that stands out is what happens when you press the DPI switching buttons. Like other gaming mice, the Roccat Kone AIMO has the ability to set up to five different DPI levels. With default levels set, pressing the DPI up and down button not only switches the levels, but also activates an audio cue to tell you it’s happened “12,000 DPI”,  “9,000 DPI” and so on. If you choose custom DPI settings, then you’ll just get “DPI up” or “DPI down” depending on which way you’re switching. This is a nifty little feature that’s useful when you need to know what settings you’re using in a hurry.

The Roccat Kone AIMO features a braided USB cable and several smooth feet that allow it to glide easily across the desk, mouse mat or gaming surface. In terms of design, this is a brilliant gaming mouse that’s as great to use as it is to look at.

SOFTWARE AND SETUP

• Onboard memory for profile settings storage
• Standard button assignments and Easy-Shift settings
• DPI, double-click, scroll and pointer speed settings
• Lighting settings including AIMO intelligent lighting, snake, colour wave, fully lit, heartbeat and breathing

The Roccat Kone AIMO is supported by Roccat’s Swarm software that opens up a mass of options and settings. There are five programmable profiles here, each with five DPI switching modes, vertical/horizontal scroll speeds, double-click speeds, lighting settings and more.

As we mentioned already, the highlights for us included the Easy-Switch mode, the sheer number of programmable buttons and the audio cues for DPI switching. Everything is customisable though and if you don’t want to be told when you’ve changed DPI, you can turn that off too.

The Swarm software even allows you to programme different colours for each section of the lighting on the mouse, making it fully customisable to your liking.

Other highlights of this design are the different lighting modes. Although there aren’t as many as you might see on other gaming devices, there are plenty and some of them are especially cool. Snake, for example, sees the light moving around on your mouse in a similar manner to the game that was made popular on Nokia mobile phones in the 1990’s.

GAMING SPECIFICATIONS

• 12,000 DPI max
• Audio feedback for changing between DPI levels
• 1000 Hz polling rate
• Angle snapping

The Roccat Kone AIMO is a gaming powerhouse. We’ve already covered how flexible it is, but it’s powerful too. With up to 12,000 DPI available, across a range of customisable levels and profiles, you can easily find the right pointer speed for you. You can adjust other click, scroll and pointer speeds to your preference as well. The result is a fully programmable mouse that will up your gaming prowess.

The addition of Easy-Switch mode and the sheer number of programmable buttons also offers a flexibility like no other mouse we’ve seen at this price. Whether the average gamer will need all these settings is unlikely, but having the ability to make this level of changes makes the Roccat Kone AIMO highly appealing.

For gaming, you have a mass of buttons at your fingertips. Simple things like having left and right click on the mouse wheel means there’s more to customise and more flexibility when you need it. A great mouse like this can make all the difference when you’re gaming and it’s nice to see that every aspect of the design has been considered here.

VERDICT

The Roccat Kone AIMO is a large gaming mouse that’s feature-packed and a joy to use. It’s both comfortable and fully-functional. There’s a lot to like here and if you’re considering your options, this mouse should certainly be on your list. Some of the settings might seem unnecessarily over the top, but that’s the norm in the gaming world and the options are there when you need them.

Others to consider

Asus ROG Pugio

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• 7,200 max DPI
• ROG Armoury and Aura Sync-enabled
• Multiple lighting zones
• Ambidextrous design with four side buttons

As an alternative mouse to consider, the Asus ROG Pugio makes for an interesting option. This mouse is quite similar in look and feel to the ROG Gladius II we covered earlier.

If you’re looking for a mouse with impressive RGB capabilities, then this could be an alternative. The specs are slightly different, but a similar design theme exists. The textured side panels and mouse wheel remain and the three lighting areas include the logo, mouse wheel, rear and side edges.

The Asus ROG Pugio is an ambidextrous gaming mouse, so it’s great for lefties or righties, but we did find it’s quite slimline. This mouse sits low to the desk and isn’t very deep, so wouldn’t be a good choice for large-handed gamers. It does mean that your hand is never far from the action though and having four side buttons – two on either side – makes for easy-access gaming that can be customised to your personal preference.

This mouse also includes spare Omron switches, should the installed ones wear out (though they are guaranteed for 50 million clicks) and swappable plates for the side buttons if you need them.

The highlight though, is the compatibility with the ROG Armoury software, which allows you to customise the lighting and even pair it with other Asus devices thanks to Aura Sync capabilities. This, makes it our second choice in terms of best RGB lighting mouse, with the Asus ROG Gladius II having a slightly better spec in terms of DPI and other features. The Asus ROG Pugio is a cheaper alternative that’s certainly worth considering though.

Logitech G903 Wireless

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• Changeable side buttons with up to two buttons on each side
• Ambidextrous design for left or right-handed use
• Optional 10-gram weight included for changing mouse weighting
• 720mAh LiPol battery with up to 32 hours gaming power
• RGB lighting with up to 16.8 million colours
• 12,000 max DPI

The Logitech G903 is one of our favourites when it comes to wireless gaming mice. It’s a brilliantly constructed mouse with a focus on flexibility and agility. This mouse is light, but it also comes with swappable weights to adjust it to your personal preference.

Other highlights almost certainly include a battery power that allows up to 32 hours of gaming before it needs more juice. It’s also ambidextrous with interchangeable buttons and blanking plates which allow you to customise it to your preference.

As well as the side buttons, there are also multiple other buttons on the top of this mouse – making a total of 11 programmable buttons that can be tweaked in the software. Onboard storage allows for up to five different profiles where you can set varying buttons settings, DPI levels and more. The Logitech G903 is capable of a DPI ranging from 200 to 12,000 which can be adjusted with dedicated buttons on top.

We also enjoyed the wheel mode shift button which changes the way the scroll wheel works, switching between a standard and smooth scroll mode easily.

We were thoroughly impressed with the Logitech G903. This is a seriously good gaming mouse that means business. They say you can’t please everyone, but Logitech has certainly tried with this one.

Razer Hyperflux (Mamba + Firefly)

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• Battery-free wireless gaming mouse
• RGB lighting on both mat and mouse
• Razer Synapse and Razer Chroma compatible
• Pairing with Philips Hue for entertainment centre lighting
• 16,000 DPI max resolution 5G optical sensor
• Up to 450 inches per second (IPS)/50 G acceleration

The Razer Hyperflux is a wireless gaming system which features a battery-free Mamba mouse combined with a Firefly charging mat. These two devices combined allow all the joyful freedom of wireless gaming but without the limitations that batteries naturally bring.

This system uses a supercapacitor which allows for electromagnetic induction which transfers power directly from the mouse mat to the mouse itself. This means that as long as the mouse is in contact with the mat it will never lose charge. Fantastic right?

Those supercapacitors manage to maintain the charge for around 10 seconds, so even if you’re lifting the mouse off the mat for large competitive FPS style movements it’ll still track. The updated battery-free Mamba is as beautiful as it is useful. It’s comfortable, speedy and packed full of potential. Razer’s software makes it versatile too.

Within the Razer Synapse software, there is a multitude of settings that unlock even more potential with the Hyperflux system, including pairing Razer gear with Philips Hue. You can also set up multiple profiles for button layout,  record macros to specific button presses, adjust lighting changes, multimedia keys, windows shortcuts or even the ability to launch specific programs.

Within the performance settings, you can set various levels of sensitivity from 100 to 16,000 DPI. While Chroma Studio allows you to setup lighting on the mouse and across multiple Razer devices if you have other peripherals.

Since it’s shed its batteries, this mouse is also lighter than your average wireless gaming mouse. At just 96 grams it’s incredibly lightweight and flies across the mat surface. This makes it pleasurable and comfortable to you. An ergonomically design fits nicely in the hand but it is a firmly right-handed mouse.

As a complete wireless system, the Razer Hyperflux is a great addition to any gaming setup and a great alternative to the Corsair Dark Core and MM1000 combination.

Corsair Glaive RGB Pro

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• Three swappable thumb grips
• Three RGB lighting zones
• DPI indicators and DPI switching buttons
• Textured mouse wheel, two thumb buttons
• 18,000 max DPI adjustable in one DPI increments
• 50 million click capable Omron switches

The original Corsair Glaive was one of our favourite wired gaming mice. The Corsair Glaive RGB Pro is an updated and improved version of that mouse with a few design tweaks that make it even better.

Like the original, this mouse is living proof that great gaming mice don’t have to cost the Earth.

It’s built with a contoured shape that fits neatly in the palm of the hand, this allows for comfortable and enjoyable gaming sessions as well as joyful day-to-day use. Add to that three different swappable thumb grips and you’ve got a customisable mouse that’s superbly comfortable.

Corsair has added an additional DPI button to this mouse setup – making it easier to adjust DPI on the fly – switching between five customisable levels set to your personal preference in the Corsair iCue software. This addition also means there are now seven programmable buttons on the Glaive Pro that can be set to your liking with macros, custom keystrokes and more. The max DPI level has been increased to 18,000 so this mouse is uber-fast and agile too.

A premium braided USB cable is another highlight to this gaming mouse. It doesn’t drag or snag on your desk, ensuring your gaming sessions are accurate and comfortable.

We found the Corsair Glaive RGB Pro to be an utter joy to use during long gaming sessions. It’s accurate, comfortable and performs well under pressure. The large thumb rest is brilliantly comfortable and the customisation options also make this mouse well worth a look.

Source / Pocket-lint