SteelSeries Prime Wireless Mouse Review
Last month, Erin told you about her experiences with the SteelSeries Prime mouse which is part of a line of mice designed for competitive gaming. She was impressed calling it “durable, quick, incredibly accurate, and it can be tailored to fit every need for a variety of games and play styles with the SteelSeries engine software”. Not to mention, it’s pretty affordable.
A slight step-up from the Prime is the Prime+, which Alex reviewed last weekend. He called it an “excellent eSports gaming mouse”. So far, so good. Can the third mouse from SteelSeries line of competitive gaming mice deliver like the other mice in the family? Well, that answer is easy.
The SteelSeries Prime Wireless is more or less the same mouse as the Prime and Prime+ but, obviously, wireless. It’s got all the tools you’ll need to be a competitive gamer but that isn’t what necessarily impressed me about this mouse. It’s a brilliant everyday use mouse perfect for work and play, and it’s one I won’t be packing up anytime soon.
I’ll admit, the ROCCAT KONE Pro Air mouse is an amazing mouse and has been my go-to mouse for the better part of the past year. I still use it every day, but it has experienced some technical issues of late, so I am questioning its durability. The Prime Wireless; however, is not only incredibly durable but there are zero technical problems and it’s incredibly response.
Granted, the price point is a bit tough to swallow. The MSRP is $129usd (at time of writing) is more than I typically like to spend on a mouse. Yet, that is essentially the going rate for high-end competitive wireless gaming mice. You can easily find cheaper wireless mice, but if you want to “play like a pro” you are going to have to buck up.
Nothing Fancy Schmancy
When I said this was a no-frills, no gimmicks gaming mouse, I wasn’t kidding. I mean, there is nothing fancy or unique looking about the mouse. The all-black design isn’t exactly eye-popping, but it feels good. Thanks in large part to its rough matte finish which allows you to grip the entire mouse without slipping.
It’s light too, weighing in at only 80g, slightly heavier than its wired little brothers. It all makes for a mouse that is easy to navigate, comfortable and far more durable than I imagined. I’ve dropped it on hardwood flooring (unintentionally) three times and it’s no worse for wear. It’s impressive and I can easily see this mouse lasting for years.
While it is effortless to move around, I did find my wrist did get sore after extended use. This could be due to my advanced age and well, things don’t work quite like they used to. That said, I didn’t find there was much support for the base of my palm. Maybe I’m not holding the mouse as I should or maybe it’s a design issue, but either way, I did experience some wrist fatigue.
It works on any surface too. I used it on couch fabric, a computer desk, a high-end mouse pad, and a bumpy kitchen table. In all instances, the mouse was responsive and accurate regardless of the surface. Even the rubber scroll wheel which lights up feels great and works exactly as it should.
Where’s My Dongle?
Its wireless capabilities do work as advertised but I’m not quite sure why it doesn’t come with a simple USB-A dongle. Instead, you get a USB-C dongle, which is a port my older laptop doesn’t have. That is okay, SteelSeries has you covered.
To use the USB-A port, I had to connect the included adapter and the incredibly long USB-A to USB-C charging cable. It all works like a charm, but it also leaves a lot of clutter beside my PC. It’s not a huge deal but more of a minor nuisance. A simple USB-A dongle would have been an ideal solution, but here we are.
As far as the battery life is concerned, the Prime delivers. This mouse can get over 100+ hrs of battery life, but you’ll have to turn the RGB lighting off. Something I never do. With the lighting on, you’ll get just over 30 hours. Using the mouse both for work and play, I found myself recharging it every 3-4 days. That isn’t bad, but I’d recommend you enable some of the power-saving measures using the software if you are looking for longer periods of use in between charge times. Regardless, it works great wired as well. Either way, you’ll never be stuck with a dead mouse.
The buttons on the mouse produce loud satisfying clicks. It’s a little louder than I am accustomed and annoyed my wife at one point (which doesn’t take much, she’s bat-shit crazy), but I did like the mouse produced clear-sounding clicks.
The SteelSeries Prime Wireless mouse is an excellent mouse and I cannot imagine anyone being unsatisfied with their purchase. There is certainly some room for improvement and I have some annoyances with it, but the Prime Wireless delivers as promised and should easily last you for thousands of hours of gaming. When it comes to precision, accuracy, durability, and feel, the Prime Wireless excels in every department.
***The product was provided to COGconnected for the purpose of this review***
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