SteelSeries Prime gaming mouse review: Affordable pro gameplay

(Pocket-lint) - SteelSeries has crafted a scope of gaming mice it claims are pro-grade, developed with apical esports professionals successful bid to assistance you execute to your best. The Prime is the astir affordable of this line-up, with the Prime+ and Prime Wireless being the much premium (and truthful much expensive) options. 

The SteelSeries Prime seemingly ticks a batch of boxes: it's lightweight, affordable, and intelligently designed with gamer-pleasing specs. But does it chopped the mustard? We've been gaming with it to find out. 

Pro-level specs for the specified mortal

• Prestige OM mechanical switches (to 100 cardinal clicks)
• SteelSeries TrueMove Pro optical sensor
• 18,000 maximum CPI (Count Per Inch)
• 450 IPS (Inches Per Second)
• 50G acceleration
• Weight: 69g

The SteelSeries Prime is an improvement of gaming mice from a marque that takes esports seriously. As such, it's been built with a fig of pro-level specifications that should assistance mean gamers get the borderline too.

It's lightweight, features slick feet, and packs a TrueMove Pro optical sensor for close tracking and up to 18,000 CPI (that's 'count per inch', adjusting this changes the sensitivity oregon velocity of effect based connected your input movement). 

What makes it much absorbing though is the inclusion of Prestige OM switches. These are optical magnetic switches connected the main rodent buttons that are designed to past longer than accepted mechanical switches. More importantly, they're besides designed to springiness a much accurate, lightning-fast response.

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The switches are larger and much durable, but they besides usage a airy beam to way the click - which is acold much accurate. The plan besides leads to a crisp, tactile feedback which is surely satisfying connected your fingertips. We recovered this enjoyable during gaming sessions and it surely made for immoderate satisfying sniping. 

Slick understated design

• Ergonomic, right-handed shape
• Claw, fingertip oregon thenar grip benignant compatible
• ABS integrative assemblage with matte finish
• Detachable ace mesh Micro-USB 
• Single RGB zone

SteelSeries' erstwhile superlightweight wired mouse, the SteelSeries Aerox 3, was really a tad lighter than the Prime (at conscionable 57g alternatively of 69g).

The older rodent besides had a batch much RGB lighting acknowledgment to its honeycomb plan and eye-catching lighting zone. The Prime, by comparison, is simply a batch stealthier: there's lone 1 RGB portion connected the rodent wheel, the remainder is simply a matte-finished integrative shell. It's rather understated, which is cleanable if you aren't a monolithic instrumentality of RGB anyway. 

Oddly SteelSeries has included a detachable 'super mesh' Micro-USB cable. We're not rather definite wherefore you'd request a detachable cablegram for a wired mouse, truthful this seems weirdly unnecessary. The information it isn't USB-C volition besides nary uncertainty irk immoderate gamers. It is slick though, lightweight truthful that it doesn't snag connected the desk.

The Prime is besides 1 of the nicer ergonomically-shaped mice we've seen. It has immoderate bully angles and a larger backmost fractional with a slope that makes it casual to clasp and grip. It's designed for right-handed gamers, but is built to beryllium compatible with claw, fingertip oregon thenar grip styles. It's an mean size - not excessively tiny and not excessively ample - truthful we recovered it plentifulness comfy for our gaming sessions. 

Small niggles for a tiny mouse

Sadly, it's not each amusive and games with the SteelSeries Prime. For the astir portion we thoroughly enjoyed this rodent ,but determination are immoderate tiny annoyances that are worthy discussing. 

One of those is the setup of the broadside buttons. The beforehand thumb fastener connected the Prime is oddly recessed and doesn't jut retired capable from the body. This meant we had occupation pressing it and managed to suffer immoderate fights successful Rainbow Six Siege due to the fact that we couldn't melee successful time. Yes, we cognize a atrocious idiosyncratic blames their tools, but this facet of the rodent is frustrating erstwhile you're constricted to conscionable six buttons, 1 of which is connected the underside. The rear thumb fastener isn't problematic astatine all, but the beforehand 1 is conscionable hard to property erstwhile successful the mediate of a frantic gaming session. 

Like different brands, SteelSeries has besides opted to popular the CPI switching fastener connected the underside of the mouse. This means determination are nary on-the-fly sensitivity changes unless you delegate different fastener to it oregon are blessed to assistance the rodent disconnected the table first. We similar this fastener connected top, but that's a idiosyncratic penchant that not everyone volition find bothersome. 

Software controls

The SteelSeries Prime is customisable via SteelSeries GG. This bundle is present multi-faceted. It's designed to not lone tweak your rodent settings but besides to fto you seizure gameplay footage and more. 

In presumption of tweaking, though, you tin bash a fewer things rather simply here. It's imaginable to reprogramme buttons, make macros, set CPI levels,  adjacent acceptable configs to motorboat with circumstantial games oregon apps. It's bully and straightforward to usage and makes customising the rodent casual arsenic pie. 

Writing by Adrian Willings. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 26 September 2021.