The latest offering from Corsair is a mouse we will discuss in our Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review. The Darkstar is a wireless product ideal for MOBA/MMO gaming.
It comes with 15 programmable keys and several distinct features. These make it ideal for games such as Battlefield 2042, Diablo 4, and other similar games.
Although Darkstar is pricier, its features, build, lighting and customisation options justify its amount, or does it? Continue reading our Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review to learn about its design, functions, features, specs, and performance. These details will help determine if the mouse is worth its price tag.
Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Packaging
Like most products from Corsair, the company ships Darkstar in their typical-looking box sporting a yellow and black theme. There are several details on the box, which you can refer to when necessary.
Here are the following items you will find inside the package:
- Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- 2.4 GHz USB-A Slipstream Wireless Receiver
- User Documentation
Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review – Design and Functionality
We noticed 15 programmable buttons on the mouse when inspecting it for our Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review. There are six on the left, plus tilt-clicks on the left and right, etc.
Most of the buttons are positioned adequately on the product. Plus, the addition of two buttons at the top makes things better. These are programmed to manage the default DPI steps out of the box.
The mouse has a sleek and premium design with two profile switches at the top. These come with a textured 3D scroll wheel between two primary click buttons.
The left clicker incorporates two extra DPI buttons that protrude from the edge for easy access. The left and right flanks feature a textured surface for optimal grip and comfort.
The left side houses six buttons arranged around a textured centre. The reason for this design is to give your thumb a comfy resting spot. It is also worth noting that this mouse is for right-handed users.
Furthermore, Darkstar comes with three LED indicators positioned near the edge. They illuminate when there are signal changes in resolution and profile settings.
Form Factor and Aesthetics
Most of Darkstar is made of asymmetrical quadrilaterals that overlap with one another. This form creates an astonishing aesthetic that does not scream gamers like other mice.
Its RGBs add colour and vibrancy to the Corsair logo while the light spectrum bounces across Darkstar.
Concealed along its tip are two thin LEDs that sandwich the USB-C port for charging.
The mouse sports a nice balance between dynamic tilts and palm-friendly controls on its form factor. This combination makes Darkstar comfy to use even during long periods of gaming.
We turned the mouse over to make sure we did not miss anything for this
Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review. If you flip it, you will find two massive PTFE skates that provide excellent glide.
The base also houses a slot for its USB dongle. Plus, there is a switch for shifting between Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, and power off.
Key Features of the Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse
The mouse we are discussing in this Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review has plenty of notable features perfect for gamers. The elements help optimise gameplay, giving you a higher chance of winning and enjoying the moment.
Every Attack You Make is Within Your Grasp
Thanks to the six programmable buttons your thumb can access, you can quickly execute attacks to win the game. These positions are perfect for MOBA, MMO, and every other gameplay.
Zero Pain, All Gain
The mouse has an asymmetrical form that works perfectly with its centrally-positioned textured side grip. This design lets your thumb stay comfortable, allowing you to win without any strain or breaking a sweat.
Smooth Easy Gliding
We tested the mouse for this Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review. It gave us smooth and quick movements during gameplay, thanks to its mouse PTFE mouse feet.
Never Lose Your Settings Wherever You Go
You can conveniently take the mouse for a competition or a game without hassles. Darkstar has five onboard profiles to save button remaps and custom DPI settings you can take everywhere.
Assign All Actions According to Your Needs
The 15 programmable buttons on Darkstar are remappable via iCUE, where you find the best mix of commands and actions. Personalise it according to your needs to make gameplay fun, enjoyable, and convenient.
Be in Control with iCUE Software with the Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse!
The software lets you conveniently adjust and manage DPI sensitivity, assign macros, remap buttons, and customise your RGBs. You can control these in one intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Link, Conquer, and Win
SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS or Bluetooth will let you connect with almost zero lags and ultra-fast 2000Hz hyper-polling. With up to 80 hours of battery life, you can enjoy uninterrupted gameplay to conquer and win.
Precision at its Best
The MARKSMAN 26000 DPI optical sensor is an ultra-accurate feature from Corsair. It lets you precisely capture each movement and is even alterable by single DPI steps.
Instant Reaction with QUICKSTRIKE Buttons
Instantly register your inputs to always leave you with the upper hand on attacks. Avoiding debounce delays led Corsair to integrate durable optical switches on Darkstar, enabling clicking with top-notch speeds.
Specifications
- Connectivity: Wireless Connection
- Sensor Type: Optical
- Sensor: MARKSMAN 26K
- DPI: 26000
- Game Type Compatibility: MMO, RTS, MOBA
- Onboard Memory Profiles: Five
- Grip Type: Claw and Palm
- Best for What Hand Size: Large
- Mouse Warranty: 2 Years
- Mouse Compatibility:
– Mac/PC with USB 2.0 A Port
– Windows 10, Windows 11
– MacOS 10.15 or later
– Access the iCUE Software by Establishing an Internet Connection
Hands-on with the Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse
Our Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review will focus on the iCUE software to learn about its interface and available settings. Later, we will also discuss how it performed during our tests.
Like most Corsair products, the Darkstar works with the iCUE software. This interface provides many customisation options you can tweak to personalise your experience with Darkstar.
The mouse works out of the box, but the default mapping of the side buttons is 1-4 on the Numpad. We recommend using the iCUE software to remap all the buttons, adjust the mouse sensitivity, and tweak other settings. Using these features will allow you to maximise Darkstar.
One of the impressive options in the iCUE software is Surface Calibration. If you have a leather mouse pad or a wooden table, the sensor may have some issues detecting your movement. Fortunately, calibrating it with this tool resolves these issues and makes the mouse perform flawlessly.
All software menus are straightforward, making configuring the Darkstar easy. It has organised sections with well-labelled steps, allowing users to customise all 15 buttons conveniently.
Aside from controlling Corsair-branded devices, the iCUE software allows system monitoring and supports RGB control for third-party other RGB ecosystems. These include MSI, Nanoleaf, and more. We appreciate that the latter is a downloadable plugin rather than being part of iCUE software and adding to the bloatware.
We used the Darkstar Wireless for a week to test its performance, sensor speed, programmable inputs, surface tracking, and more.
Upon testing, the first thing we immediately noticed was its comfort. The shape of Darkstar made it easy to hold, even during long hours of gaming.
The design, engineering and technology under its hood offered us excellent gaming experiences. Its reduced weight and added grips made it perfect for games that required speed and quick reactions.
In addition, the Omron Optical Switches on the main buttons delivered a quick response time. Plus, we loved the tactile feedback offered by the buttons with each click we made.
The MARKSMAN 26K sensor of Darkstar performed incredibly in all the games we played. We tested the mouse with several titles and did not experience lags or stutters.
The maximum resolution of this sensor is 26,000 DPI, offering adequate sensitivity. As a result, we enjoyed gaming since it responded to our quick moves. We tried to use Darkstar on wood, glass, and leather surfaces, and it worked without issues.
Darkstar allows programmable gesture-based movement and different tilt directions as virtual buttons for gaming or productivity tasks. Surprisingly, this feature worked smoothly during our tests, making our gaming experience more immersive and enjoyable.
Darkstar has a 2.4GHz wireless dongle that enables up to 2000Hz polling rate. Corsair receives this figure while maintaining hyper-fast wireless speed with sub-1-millisecond point-to-point latency.
Those are the company figures. However, we did not measure wireless mouse latency. Despite that, we did not encounter any issues in testing/ casual play that would make us doubt the product.
Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review Summary
Darkstar is another excellent wireless gaming mouse from Corsair. It combines a comfortable design, a high-quality sensor, and unique RGB lighting in a single package. Plus, it has 15 programmable buttons, allowing you to personalise your experience.
When we tested the product for our Corsair Darkstar Wireless Mouse Review, we enjoyed our user experience. It delivered an impressive performance with quick response times and adequate sensitivity that tracked all our movements. These were highly beneficial in games, especially those requiring immediate action.
Aside from its intuitive features and excellent performance, we loved the user-friendly interface of the iCUE software. Configuring and tweaking the settings of Darkstar was convenient due to the well-labelled menus.
We highly recommend Darkstar for its unparalleled performance, excellent design, innovative features, and intuitive software. It is one of the best gaming mice you can find today.
Visit the official product page of Corsair for more details about Darkstar Wireless.
