Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless SE Review: Unleash MMO Gaming Superiority!

The Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless SE gaming mouse is the American manufacturer’s latest model, specifically designed for MMOs. It features a multitude of buttons arranged on a sliding side panel.

In the “SE” version, this wireless mouse now benefits from compatibility with Elgato’s StreamDeck app, allowing users to maximize its functionality directly from its buttons. It is now equipped with a more advanced optical sensor and boasts a much more generous battery life of up to 500 hours on Bluetooth.

This new version of the Scimitar is available at a suggested retail price of 160 euros, ten euros more than its predecessor which it replaces. It competes with the famous Razer Naga, which has not been updated for over two years now.

Technical Specifications

A Bold, Well-crafted, and Successful Design

Competing in the same market as the Razer Naga, the Scimitar Elite Wireless SE shares many characteristics with its rival, especially in terms of its highly ergonomic shape. The latest from Corsair fits naturally under the front of the hand and provides a comfortable rest for the ring or pinky finger along its right edge.

Our test unit, dressed in white, features a very soft coating that tends to slip. Fortunately, the mouse’s shape, along with the rough areas on either side, helps it stay securely in hand. Despite weighing 114 grams and thanks to the overall ergonomic design of its chassis, the Scimitar Elite Wireless SE is a very comfortable mouse to handle and particularly pleasant to use. However, it does not offer much freedom in terms of hand positioning.

Unlike the Naga, its two main clicks are separated from the rest of the shell. They offer an actuation that is almost too light and responsive during the initial hours of use. A wide trench between these two main clicks houses a very pleasant scroll wheel with just the right amount of click resistance (though perhaps a bit light for some) and a firm click. Further back, a large button, paired with an LED indicator, allows for switching between different sensitivity profiles. The Corsair logo, positioned at the rear of the shell, features customizable RGB lighting.

As an MMO-dedicated mouse, the Scimitar Elite Wireless SE naturally features numerous additional buttons. These 12 extra buttons are grouped on a sliding plate installed on the side of the chassis. The vertical rows are differentiated by alternating coatings to aid tactile recognition. In reality, it will take quite some time to adapt to avoid mistakes, as the buttons are quite small. These buttons also feature RGB lighting, though it’s so weak one might wonder if it’s really of any use.

This plate is horizontally sliding and can be adjusted to preference. To do this, a screw (with the provided key) is accessible under the chassis of the mouse. The plate then offers an adjustment of just over a centimeter on the horizontal axis. The idea is interesting, but from a purely ergonomic standpoint, Razer’s proposition of providing the Naga with three different side panels (2, 6, and 12 buttons) is preferred.

Under the chassis, there is a power switch, which also acts on the connection mode. It is associated with a button that allows navigating between profiles. There’s also a compartment dedicated to storing the wireless adapter, accompanied by four PTFE feet.

Extremely Generous Battery Life with Triple Connectivity

Like many modern mice, the Scimitar Elite Wireless SE offers triple connectivity. It can be used via Bluetooth, as well as with its dedicated wireless adapter, which provides a polling rate of 2000 Hz. Equipped with a USB-C port, it can also be used wired, during charging, limited to 1000 Hz at that time. In our testing, primarily conducted with the dedicated dongle, we experienced no latency or malfunctions that would detract from the experience.

With this new edition, it’s especially the battery life that sees a significant improvement, as Corsair claims up to 500 hours away from a power source. This figure is theoretically achievable in Bluetooth mode, with RGB lighting turned off. Using the 2.4 GHz link reduces the claimed battery life to no less than 150 hours. During our tests, the battery was still indicated as full after a week of use, with RGB lighting on and the SlipStream connection.

Top-Tier Performance

Although not primarily intended for the most demanding games, the Scimitar Elite Wireless SE is equipped with a particularly efficient sensor. In summary: 33,000 DPI, 750 IPS, and up to 50 g of acceleration. These specs place it among the best currently available in the gaming mouse market. Coupled with very responsive optical switches, Corsair offers gamers a highly performant mouse in all respects.

While your humble reviewer is more of an FPS aficionado, the Scimitar held its own in these games, although its weight and shape naturally limit its effectiveness. Indeed, in more fast-paced games, the weight will be a hindrance, and its size will inevitably limit the ability to make micro-adjustments.

However, its value becomes evident in games where actions are not limited to shooting and moving. MMO players, where spells are plentiful, will be delighted to have so many customizable buttons. The same goes for management games where many keyboard shortcuts can be advantageously replaced by the buttons on the Scimitar’s side panel.

Another use case where the mouse truly excels is in office and creative software applications. Having so many buttons within thumb’s reach is a real pleasure when using Adobe Suite, for example. Compatibility with the Stream Deck solution allows for even more functionality than what iCue typically offers.

A Stream Deck in the Palm of Your Hand

Once the tedious steps of installing and updating the mouse, its dongle, and the numerous system restarts required by this process are complete, one can finally move on to configuration. As always, Corsair’s iCue software is the go-to, now with a significant new feature: the ability to configure the Scimitar Elite Wireless SE via the Stream Deck app.

Over time, iCue has tended to simplify and become less cumbersome than in the past. The application is divided into several tabs, the first of which is dedicated to customizing the mouse’s RGB lighting. It’s also possible to set up to five different sensitivity levels for the sensor, and even six with the use of a “Sniper” button that allows on-the-fly sensitivity adjustments.

All buttons, except for the left click, can be reassigned with features of our choosing. The iCue driver is generous in the options it offers, allowing users to define keyboard shortcuts, system-related functions, or macros. The Scimitar Elite Wireless SE also features integrated memory that allows for usage without iCue, although customization options are then more limited.

Going further, the software offers a module dedicated to sensor calibration and various options related to battery life and wireless connection. All settings can then be saved in profiles linked to games or applications to ensure automatic transitions depending on the situation.

The major new feature is the compatibility with the Stream Deck app. Essentially, when the mouse is connected to the computer, Stream Deck displays a virtual module with twelve buttons, just like our mouse. This module then acts like a physical Stream Deck and allows using all its features directly from the Scimitar. This is a positive development as it significantly enhances the mouse’s capabilities.

However, the implementation is a bit clumsy. Indeed, iCue must be running to take advantage of these features. Moreover, the application does not seem to be aware of the settings applied on the Stream Deck side, thus, it’s possible to configure the buttons in both applications at the same time. Pressing a button then triggers both actions consecutively.

In short, Corsair had a commendable idea by integrating Stream Deck into a mouse of this type. However, the implementation is quite cumbersome and requires having two separate applications constantly running on the PC. Additionally, the two applications do not seem to be aware of each other’s existence and tend to interfere with each other.

Price and Availability of the Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless SE Mouse

The Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless SE mouse is available at a suggested retail price of 150 euros.