Corsair isn’t joking when it says that the new Sabre v2 Pro is a lightweight mouse. The mouse is so unfathomably light that I thought Corsair had sent me a dummy shell instead of the actual device. But no, when I flipped the little switch on the underside, the mouse lit up and came to life – a 32g wireless gaming mouse.
It’s a five-button scroll mouse (two main buttons, two at the side and a scroll button), designed with pro gamers in mind. It’s got a 33,000 DPI optical sensor and 8KHz poling wirelessly or wired.
In the box, you’ll find the mouse, a long USB Type-A to Type-C cable for wired charging or connection, a wireless dongle, a sheet of grip stickers, and replacement pads for the bottom of the mouse.
The dongle has a female USB Type-C port and a clip. With this, you can connect the dongle to your PC, using the included cable, away from the electromagnetic interference generated by all the other stuff you have connected to your PC.
The last lightweight mouse I tested from one of Corsair’s competitors used more holes than a lump of Swiss cheese to shed some mass, and still, the Sabre v2 is lighter (as well as being more solid). It feels like you are gripping a light piece of polystyrene. But if I squeeze it, instead of flexing like thin plastic (or cracking like eggshell), the mouse holds its shape.
The optional grips help to ensure that you don’t accidentally whizz the mouse off your desk. As well as making it easier to hold on to, applying the optional rubber grip stickers also gives the mouse a little more character. They are not hard to stick on; the shape of the grip pads conform to the shape of the mouse in a way that makes them easy to position.
Applying the larger pads to the underside gives the mouse a bit more contact, which can help if you find the mouse a little too slick on your mouse mat. Again, they are easy to install; you just use a sharp knife to peel off the existing pads and apply the new ones. But before you go replacing the pads, I’d try the mouse for a few days, as you’ll soon get used to the mouse’s light weight. There is a noticeable difference with the larger pads, which I think makes it better for productivity tasks rather than games, for which I’d keep the smaller pads.
The mouse is symmetrical, so it’s OK for lefties who insist on wielding the mouse in their left hand. You may have trouble using the side buttons, but it will feel comfortable in your left hand. In my right hand, the two side buttons were positioned in exactly the right place for my thumb.
The left and right buttons have the same satisfying clicks that you’d get on a more traditional mouse. The scroll wheel action is smooth, but with positive feedback, perfect for quick scrolling through menus to select weapons.
The Sabre v2 Pro gave me my first chance to test out Corsair’s new browser-based configuration web hub. This performs the same functions that usually require you to download a hardware vendor’s application. For the review, only the beta site was available, but upon release, the URL on the box should lead you to a website enabling you to configure all of Corsair’s new product line-up without the need to download the iCUE application. As of now, Corsair’s iCUE app does not recognise the new mouse, something that I expect to change with the official launch of the mouse.
Once I’d got used to it, the lightweight mouse certainly gave me precise control in competitive games. I’d imagine you’d experience less fatigue after extended sessions, as well. In productivity applications like Photoshop, the mouse effortlessly glided across my mat, allowing for pinpoint accuracy when editing images. I preferred the smaller pads to the larger ones, which allow you to better take advantage of the mouse’s weight.
The Corsair Sabre v2 Pro Ultralight Wireless mouse is a miracle of engineering. It’s so light that you’ll want to place it in people’s hands just to see their reactions. That it is wireless, with a rechargeable battery that’ll last 70 hours, beggars belief. The ease of movement is complemented by the 33,000 DPI Corsair Marksman optical sensor, making it one of the most precise mice I’d ever used. If you are after a lightweight mouse for pro gaming or precise, fatigueless application control, you should check out the Sabre v2 Pro.
