Katar Pro XT
They say good things happen in threes
CORSAIR IS ONE of the biggest players in the peripheral game, and it has some iconic mice in its lineup, such as the M65 and the Scimitar. The Katar is also carving itself a place in the range, and in the hearts of its users. It may not have as many buttons or as many novelties as other Corsair mice, but that is part of the charm. It’s just a straight-shooting, simple mouse that a lot of FPS/MOBA users like. Think of the SteelSeries Sensei or the Logitech G203—the Katar is the Corsair flavor of these.
The shape is actually very similar to the Logitech G203. It’s great for clawgrip users. Fingertip users will also be happy with it—although the sides do look flat, they are in fact angled, so you can get a good grip for those crazy 360 noscopes the cool kids can do nowadays. The shape isn’t as good for palm users, but it is passable—the pointed rear and egg-like back just make it slightly less comfortable compared to other mice in the range. This isn’t particularly a bad thing: mice that try to be Jack-of-allgrips tend to be masters of none. The Katar Pro XT ticks the boxes for claw and fingertip grips, which is a win in our book.
There is already a Katar Pro wireless and Katar Pro Ultra-Light, but the new Katar Pro XT has a lightweight paracord cable, rather than the unsleeved cable of the Ultra-Light. It has also put on a few pounds, from 0.152lb to 0.16lb—a difference of around 0.008lb, which is likely the weight difference between the PMW3327 found in the Ultra-Light and the superior PMW3391 that is included in the Pro XT. The PWM 3391 is a fantastic sensor, based on the PMW3389, which is one of the best sensors on the market, if you want pin-point accuracy and excellent control. You can also change the CPI in increments of one, which is just the icing on the cake. There is no excuse for not having your mouse set up exactly how you want it with this sensor.
SPEEDY CLICKS
The Katar Pro XT also brings Quickstrike buttons to the LMB and RMB. These essentially take the gap away from the button and the Omron switches, so the buttons are more sensitive and have less travel before the switches actuate. We didn’t think this would make much of a difference, but when trying them next to a Glaive it does feel that they take less effort to press down. Whether this makes a huge difference in-game is another matter. Although there is less bounce to the switch, and it does certainly feel better, we’re doubtful whether it will translate to a noticeable difference in terms of getting kills, at least to casual gamers. With professionals, where every millisecond counts, they might be able to differentiate between them better. Although the main buttons feel crisp, the thumb buttons do have a slightly spongy feel to them, and some pre-travel. This might just be due to the main buttons being so crisp, however, and it isn’t a big issue at all.
When we received the Katar Pro XT, we didn’t know if this third iteration would be needed or not, since there are already two similarly shaped mice on the market. However, after using it for a while, we can safely say it is our favorite of the three. It isn’t as lightweight as the Ultra-Light, but the upgraded sensor and sleeved cable make the difference unnoticeable. It is far lighter than the Katar Pro Wireless, and with a simple gaming mouse we prefer not to have to worry about charging the batteries. The sleeved cable drags less than a standard cable, so it almost feels wireless anyway. If you’re a claw or fingertip gripper looking for a new mouse, it is certainly one to look at.