Corsair Darkstar Wireless MMO review

On the planet of gaming mice, the place many fashions are nearly indistinguishable from one another, the Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi stands out with its placing design and spectacular technical specs. However how does it examine to the competitors?

Futuristic aesthetics

The Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi has a futuristic look, paying homage to the universe of the sport Cyberpunk 2077. RGB lighting is built-in with the Corsair emblem on the underside half, while the LED strips within the center and the mouse wheel convey it to life.

Playfully mild

Measuring 13 x 7 x 4cm (L x W x H), the Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi is an analogous dimension to many opponents, however its a lot lighter at 96g. This weight distinction could make a major influence in fast-paced video games like Counter-Strike. Clean dealing with is supported by mouse skates fabricated from 100 per cent PTFE.

Friedrich Stiemer

A technological powerhouse

The Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi’s technical specs are simply as spectacular as its design. Its customised “Corsair Marksman” sensor affords a most decision of 26,000 DPI and lightning-fast sign transmission because of a 2.4 GHz wi-fi connection by way of a USB nano dongle, which allows a latency of lower than 1 millisecond.

Corsair calls this wi-fi expertise Slipstream. Due to sensible frequency modifications and prioritisation of knowledge visitors, the connection must be extra secure and sooner than typical 2.4 GHz options – I discovered this to be true. Bluetooth connectivity can be supported, which implies the gaming mouse can be used with many different units.

15 programmable switches and 6-button cluster

The Corsair Darkstar has a cleverly conceived ergonomic design with a six-part aspect button cluster that’s optimally positioned to minimise hand pressure, and a textured thumb grip that makes longer gaming periods comfy.

Moreover, with 15 absolutely programmable buttons, together with a tilting scroll wheel, the mouse affords in depth customisation choices, making all important gaming instructions and actions simply accessible.

Friedrich Stiemer

Precision and velocity

The Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi affords two very spectacular controls: the Quickstrike function and optical switches. Quickstrike, a way of biasing the left and proper mouse buttons, minimises the gap between the buttons and the precise switches, leading to nearly immediate suggestions when pressed. Spring pressure reduces resistance when clicking, delivering a smoother, extra environment friendly clicking expertise.

The left and proper buttons of the Darkstar Wi-fi are additionally outfitted with the newest optical switches from Omron. These switches depend on infrared mild to detect clicks as an alternative of conventional steel contacts. This ends in very quick triggering and minimal latency.

On the identical time, the optical switches are stated to make sure outstanding sturdiness and reliability. Together, these two options create distinctive responsiveness to clicks, which show to be a bonus in intense gaming conditions.

Friedrich Stiemer

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Automated lift-off detection

The Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi has a outstanding function – it instantly recognises when it’s lifted (lift-off). That is particularly fascinating for FPS avid gamers who usually must reposition their mouse and don’t need the lift-off from the mouse pad to end in motion on the display screen. The standard technique is to measure the gap from the sensor to the floor after which cease scanning.

Nonetheless, the Darkstar Wi-fi goes a step additional and implements a gyroscope that detects the minimal rotational motion that happens when repositioning begins. This stops monitoring instantly and the crosshairs stay unchanged, leading to higher in-game precision.

Tilt gestures for extra instructions

The Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi makes use of its 6-axis gyroscope not just for lift-off detection, but in addition for tilt gestures. With these gestures, the consumer can set off further instructions by tilting the mouse to the left, proper, entrance or again.

Friedrich Stiemer

These gestures could be programmed to carry out any motion, from in-game actions to on a regular basis duties like taking screenshots or switching between home windows. This opens up a wealth of prospects for customising the mouse and encourages experimentation with new management strategies.

Highly effective, however power-hungry

One of many downsides of the Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi is its battery life. With RGB on, it solely lasts about 20 hours, whereas with out lighting it stays operational for as much as 65 hours.

If you happen to go away the RGB lighting deactivated and solely use the mouse by way of Bluetooth, the battery life will increase to as much as 80 hours. However in comparison with rivals, a few of which supply as much as 300 hours of battery life, it falls effectively wanting expectations right here.

Straightforward customisation, excessive versatility

Due to Corsair’s iCUE software program, customising the Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi is a breeze. It lets you remap the 15 programmable buttons, alter the RGB lighting and fine-tune the DPI sensitivity for 5 totally different onboard profiles.

Value, availability and verdict

The Corsair Darkstar Wi-fi MMO prices $169.99/£149.99, and is offered from Corsair within the US and the identical web site within the UK.

That is on the extra premium finish of gaming mice, and while it affords a variety of customisable buttons and spectacular options, the battery life isn’t the very best. Nonetheless, when you’re a severe gamer, then you need to think about including this to your setup – particularly when you’re a fan of the futuristic look.

This evaluate has been translated and localised. You possibly can learn the unique over on PC Welt.