Hi everyone, I am back on rodent patrol! The first of which is on my review desk today and it’s the Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless Mouse.
There will be very few out there who are not familiar with Corsair and their pretty stellar reputation. I quite often find myself being a bit of a fan of some of their products and occasionally infuriated by others, but that’s a different story.
I recently reviewed the excellent Corsair Ironclaw RGB mouse, it earned itself our top award for being incredibly comfortable with excellent performance. How on earth could this be improved? Corsair hope the answer is adding more buttons and making it Wireless, so let’s see if they were right.
Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless Mouse Specifications & Features
Mouse Warranty : Two years Prog Buttons : 10 DPI : 18,000 DPI Sensor : PMW3391 Sensor Type : Optical Mouse Backlighting : 3 Zone RGB On Board Memory : Yes On-board Memory Profiles : 3 Mouse button Type : Omron Button Durability : 50M L/R Click Connectivity : Wireless, WiredMouse Grip Type : Palm Weight : 130g CUE Software : Supported in iCUE Cable : 1.8m Braided Fiber Game Type : FPS, MOBA Report Rate : Selectable 1000Hz/500Hz/250Hz/125Hz Battery Life : - 2.4GHz SLIPSTREAM: Up to 16hrs with standard lighting or 24hrs with lighting off - BLUETOOTH : Up to 30hrs with standard lighting or 50hrs with lighting off Battery Type : Rechargeable Lithium-Polymer
Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless Mouse Closer Look
Before we get into the mouse itself, Corsair have accompanied it with their new MM350 Gaming Surface. This is a new pad with a stitched edge to prevent fraying and separation of the layers.
I think this is the first time I have seen a mousepad with a warranty guide. This X-Large surface is 450mmx400mmx5mm.
To the naked eye the material looks quite familiar, however these are manufactured to a high standard as the iCUE software includes a calibration feature to ensure best tracking is achieved.
Yes, yes, I promise this is a mouse review so here is a quick look at the rubber textured underside of the MM350 as we now go to the Ironclaw Wireless itself.
This box design brings back memories from a few weeks ago, however this time we are looking at a wireless mouse on the front with a feature called Slipstream technology.
The back of the box gives us more mouse images and features/system requirements in various languages. We see here mentions of Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connectivity.
Opening the box the contents are pretty standard, I will have to call Corsair out on using the plastic bubble again, this does need to stop excess plastic isn’t acceptable. We have the mouse wrapped in plastic and card, a braided cable, a manual, safety information and WEEE disposal information so there is some environmental thought going into this at least.
Hiding underneath the mouse inside the card are a couple of little items, on the left we have the 2.4GHz wireless dongle, I do like this small stubby usb’s keeping things looking tidy and less of a break hazard if used in a laptop. On the right we have a USB to USB type 3 adapter in case you are limited on full size ports.
Here is an almost completely familiar sight, the Ironclaw while being for right handed players only, has a great arch over the rear curve which tilts the hand to the right making usage comfortable. The top shell is covered in a smooth rubber material. At the bottom of the rear there is a dark plastic panel which is likely where the wireless pickup sensors live. Towards the front of the mouse before the scroll wheel we have two buttons unconfigured out of the box; these should be programmable for various purposes, possibly to switch profiles. One small point that I didn’t notice immediately is that this version of the Ironclaw is actually slightly smaller.
Looking at the left hand side of the mouse we get to see those extra buttons, the two at the front operate DPI up and down, then nestling between the forward and back buttons there is a sniper button. I am surprised this wasn’t included on the standard Ironclaw RGB as sniper buttons are often useful in FPS games. The large rubber textured thumb rest is present and the three LED’s for DPI setting sit in front of it.
Nothing much to report on the right hand side, there is a small grip pad with a rubber texture and the rest is plastic.
The front of the mouse has the same aggressive look as the original Ironclaw, here we have the connector for the cable in the center, above that we have the textured scroll wheel looking like an off-road tyre, again we see the sloped design which gives the mouse a comfortable shape.
Underneath the mouse we have four fairly large glide pads, a very important switch which moves between power off and Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connectivity. Bluetooth should be especially useful for using the mouse for non gaming activities and extend battery life between charges. The sensor sits in the middle and there are product and regulatory labels attached.
When powered on the mouse lights up in true RGB fashion, looking pretty good if I do say so myself.
The included front LED’s are quite bright and powerful, they are adjustable so don’t fret if you think this is too bright. Overall for a gamer the look and feel of this mouse is excellent.
Software
Corsair are again using their iCue software to standardise peripheral control throughout their compatible range.
The actions page allows for Macro programming and Button reassignment, along with a bunch of other shortcuts and features.
Moving down to lighting effects, you can control three individual ‘zones’ on the mouse, front lights, side indicator lights and the Corsair logo on the back. Various effects are available as would be expected.
There are three DPI settings per profile available on this mouse with the addition of a fourth Sniper dpi. Colours can be assigned to the lighting on the mouse to help show the different configurations in use at a glance.
In performance settings we have Angle snapping which I usually leave disabled and pointer precision enhancement, this may want to be turned off if you find it interferes with gameplay.
Surface calibration requires the cable to be attached and runs through a process to determine the tracking capabilities of your mousing surface. I am surprised Corsair haven’t followed ASUS by including presets for their own mousepads as that would be a great way to sell those alongside the mouse.
Multiple profiles can be created for the Ironclaw with three able to reside on the device’s internal memory, which is handy if going to events with your own peripherals.
Finally we take a look at the Settings tab, this is where the battery status/charging status is displayed along with the option for a handy tray icon. Other power modes and firmware updates are available from here along with a pairing function should the mouse lose connectivity. Beneath those settings we have settings for the iCue software itself which include launch options for specific applications and games.
Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless Mouse Review: The Verdict
Having spent some quality time with this mouse, I am finding the build quality and design very well done, its a smidge smaller than the original Ironclaw but only noticeable if you have them side by side. The extra buttons are very handy but its the wireless that really shines. I haven’t run out of battery while using the mouse yet because with the system tray indicator and seamless usage with Slipstream, I just plug it into it’s braided cable and carry on.
I did have one or two small issues with the software, button reassignment is tricky and on one of my PC’s I couldn’t get the sniper button to work.
What’s hot:
- Incredible wireless performance
- Slipstream technology for seamless use with or without the cable
- Every other decent wireless mouse costs much more
What’s not:
- No left handed version available
- iCue software sometimes missing functions
- Corsair still using too much plastic packaging
So the Corsair Ironclaw RGB Wireless has made a big splash across the web already, I have given the device some serious use and have come to the conclusion that Corsair have done a great job. Design wise we already know how comfortable the shape is, this continues with the Wireless version as the reduction in size not affecting usage at all. Build quality is strong as usual with Corsair’s devices. The Slipstream seamless charging/connectivity system works flawlessly you just plug in and carry on like nothing has changed, even in a wired state the mouse is pleasant to use, although I would highly recommend a bungee for the cable. Battery life is great, I usually get three long gaming sessions out of the mouse before charging it up again, having a battery level indicator in the system tray is a great bonus.
In general desktop use the mouse performs admirably. No issues editing photos or generally mousing around my various applications and web browsing. A very accurate sensor.
Gaming was where I found most of my worries, but these were unfounded as the mouse performs as well as if it were plugged in, I am very impressed with the sensor and hardware performance in wireless mode. Playing CS:GO I set my favourite DPI and got right into the game without a glitch. This mouse really is worth having as my daily driver.
The iCue software is mostly great although I did notice a couple of small issues which I am sure will be solved in future updates as there appear to be regular software and firmware updates being released by Corsair. The software glitches are not serious enough to lose a whole point in scoring so I will take a half point.
This mouse comes in at around £70 at the time of writing. That is an amazing price for a Wireless gaming grade mouse, with the nearest competitor I could find at over £85 and industry stalwarts north of £100; this device comes in at exceptional value, barely more than an award winning wired alternative. Corsair can have our Platinum award for the Ironclaw Wireless, simply a stunning offering that will be hard to beat.
Thanks to Corsair for sending a sample of the Ironclaw RGB Wireless Mouse in for review.
