Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro Wireless Mouse Review - This Thing is Intense

Hello and welcome. My name is Tommy, and today, I am bringing you a review of the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro. I did receive this product for free for a review. However, that won't bias my opinion in any way, shape, or form. Without further ado, let's dive in.

The first thing that I always like to talk about is the aesthetics and feel. This is Corsair's version of the Logitech G502. The shape, size, and weight are very similar. The Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro is a large mouse that is heavy and made for right hand palm use. It comes with a texturized, rubber, grippy material on the entire mouse to help keep control. It has a total of eight buttons. The scroll wheel itself has very definitive steps. Both require a mild to moderate amount of pressure to actuate. It also comes with far more RGB than most mice, with a total of nine customizable zones, which can make for some epic combinations.

On the bottom of the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro, you have a switch that you can either push left to turn on SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS for gaming or right to turn on Bluetooth. In the middle of it, you have the off switch. The slide is very easy to use and move with just one hand, with just your thumb. On the very front of the mouse, is a plug-in via USB-C for charging and changing the onboard memory profiles and surface-tuning. I have had no complaints whatsoever about how this mouse feels. It does not feel cheap. It feels very sturdy, and it feels great to use. It looks professional. I mean, it looks like a high-quality mouse, and it is.

If you're liking this video so far, make sure to give it a like. If you're disliking it so far, give it a dislike, and of course, if you've been following my content for a while, please do subscribe.

Moving on over to performance, previously, wireless tech wasn't viable due to the latency, but now, with certain mice, you won't notice the difference between wired and wireless gaming, even in competitive scenarios. The Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro is no exception. I had absolutely no problems playing my favorite games. For example, I have won multiple games in Apex Legends, which I think is one of the most fast-paced games out there right now where accuracy and reaction time are needed. I noticed no drops or skips.

I've had the pleasure of being able to use wireless mice from both Razer and Logitech, and if I'm ranking their wireless tech, just their wireless tech, I would say that Razer wins, followed closely by Logitech, and then by Corsair. However, they're all so close together that I really can't give a winner to any of these. If I'm ranking them based on their sensors alone, the first spot goes to Razer. The second spot goes to Logitech, and then, the third spot does go to Corsair. I just always scored better on the Razer than I did with Logitech and Corsair, but it's all by very small margins that at the end of the day, are not going to be all that important.

The other thing that I really liked about the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro, is that it comes with both SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS and Bluetooth, which I also think adds to its weight, where if you're looking at the Razer Viper Ultimate or the Logitech G Pro, neither of these guys come with Bluetooth. It is simply their wireless tech only. Most people think that these are the same exact thing. However, they are actually two different technologies. You cannot game well on Bluetooth because its latency is just simply too high because of the tech that it's using. Whereas, the wireless gaming mice, the tech that they're using for their wireless actually reduces latency to a point where you can't differentiate between them and wired mice, so like I said, it's actually two different technologies.

Let's talk about the IQ software of the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro. I really enjoyed the IQ software. There is a learning curve that needs to be done, but it is short and sweet, and takes a lot less time than Razer's or Logitech's. It is relatively intuitive, but best yet, the software, it just works. I've never had any problems with IQ crashing, freezing, or not detecting a device. It takes a bit more system resources than I would like to, mostly from system monitoring of your GPU, CPU, RAM, motherboard, temperature, among others.

You can do pretty much whatever you would like to in the software, such as changing RGB color, adjusting performance, DPI polling rate, brightness, or setting up profiles for games. If I had to rate the software, it would be Corsair by a large margin that hits the number one spot, then Razer hits the number two slot, just because it's a bit more straightforward, and then, third is Logitech, just because I think the usability of trying to figure out what the heck you're supposed to do is just ridiculous. I hate the UI and everything. Of course, Logitech software is more reliable than Razer's, but I don't think it's easier to use.

Note: All prices mentioned here can change.

Alright, I'm just going to go over some other pros and cons that I haven't directly addressed in the review so far. The cost in comparison to other mice for the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro is excellent, coming in at around $80 to $90 in comparison to $150. For example, the Corsair is around $80 to $90, depending on the variant you buy. The Razer is about $150. The Logitech is also around $150, and really, any of the Logitech mice that you're getting that are wireless is also around $150. Any of the Razer mice that you're getting is also about $150. Corsair, though, made a budget option in the region of $80 to $90, which is just fantastic, especially for the price, performance, and everything that you're getting out of this. It's a really good price for it.

There's a modular part on the side of the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro that you can adjust based on what you want. There's one that has the wing tip, and then the other one, it just cuts off the wing leaving it flat.

There's a slot on the side of the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro to keep your dongle that allows you to carry it around, so if you're just trying to take this somewhere, you can throw it in your bag and you're good to go. You don't have to worry that you're going to lose your dongle.

The Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro is also very comfortable, especially if you are right-handed and you have palm grip. However, if you are using any of the other grip styles such as fingertip or claw, it makes it a little more difficult, mostly due to the weight, less so due to the shape. If you're left-handed, you're just out of luck.

I also just want to add once again that the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro has both SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS and Bluetooth, which the Razer and the Logitech G Pro do not have. They just have the wireless tech. They do not have Bluetooth. You could use this on any device that supports Bluetooth without needing to plug in the dongle at all.

The Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro also has good battery life, which I didn't really go into, but the battery life is really good on it even with lights on. However, you're going to get a lot better battery life if you have the lights off.

Some of the cons that I haven't mentioned thus far for the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro is that the DPI button is on the side, so depending on how you grip your mouse, you could accidentally press those buttons. It's also the same con that I have for the Logitech G502. I heard a lot from my reviews on the Logitech G502 that a lot of people were constantly clicking those DPI buttons.

Also, talking about the feet, the mice feet on the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro are not as good as some of the newer mice that are hitting the market. They're using the same classic pads. It's the same on the Logitech G Pro. However, Razer upgraded their mice feet to just be a little bit better. If you're looking at the final mouse, they have upgraded the feet that are just a little nicer, a little smoother, a little less scratchy. That's by no means saying that the feet on the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro are bad. They're just not as good as some of the competition. But, you're also paying a lot less for this in comparison to the other mice that I showed you.

You also have to hardwire it in if you're going to change settings for the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro. For the other mice such as the Razer and the G Pro, you can just go into their software and automatically update the onboard settings. With the Corsair, you actually have to plug it in via the USB-C and then do the settings that way. It's the same with updating firmware and stuff like that. It's just a little bit more of a pain in the butt, but you're paying significantly less money for it, and that's where you're seeing where your money is going, which to me is a good trade-off. To spend a lot less money is just a little less convenient.

Alright, the last thing that I want to talk about is that Corsair and Razer come with some type of dock and charging cable that keeps it close to your person. This is because one, to make the signal a bit stronger, so you're not degrading a signal if your computer is far away, and then two, to keep that charging cable really close by, so you just unplug it, plug it in, and start charging. Where with the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro, it does come with a USB-C to charge, but it doesn't come with a dongle to stick your dongle into that the other ones do, so your wireless dongle is going to be in your PC, and if your PC isn't close to your mouse, then it could degrade performance. It also makes it so that you have to keep your charging cable inside of a drawer or something nearby instead of right there on your desk, so it just makes it a little less convenient. But once again, that's where your money is going with the other ones that make it significantly more expensive.

Alright, moving on to the conclusion. The most important thing is shape, size, and weight for your preference, so that's going to vary based on the individual and has nothing to do with things. Even though one mouse could have a better sensor in it, if your grip style and your preferences are more for a different mouse, you're actually going to perform better with the mouse that is more tailored to your preferences than one that has a better tech, especially at this age, just because the tech between each of the sensors is so small. The jumps between each of the sensors are so small that you're really not going to notice that big of a difference in-game.

What I'm saying here is don't just go buy the Razer Viper Ultimate because I tell you that it has the best sensor. If it doesn't have a good shape, good buttons, and isn't the right weight for you, then you're not going to perform as good as you would if you were performing on the Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro that does have a better shape, buttons, and weight for you, if that makes sense. I hope it does. If the Corsair fits those preferences, then I think it would be an excellent choice, especially for its price, as the performance, which includes the wireless, the sensor, the buttons, the weight, and the feel, are all fantastic.

The Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro also has a lot of buttons on it, so if you're playing mobile games or something like that that require a lot of buttons or you work in Photoshop or Adobe Premiere Pro or something and you're wanting a mouse that has a whole bunch of buttons, this would be an excellent choice. I'd also imagine it would be good for Fortnite just because you could probably put all of your building supplies onto your mouse, but overall, I almost have no negatives for this mouse, and the ones that I do have an issue with are very minor, which for this price, can very easily be overlooked.

Anyways, that is the end of this review. Hopefully, you guys liked it. Give it a like if you did like it, or give it a dislike if you didn't like it. If you've been following my content for a while, please do subscribe. Bye!