Corsair MM700 & Corsair Katar Pro XT Review - Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

First, the MM700. This will be shorter as there is less to discuss, of course. The MM700 is, without a doubt, a ‘luxury’ item to be bought either as part of a high-end PC build from the start, or by someone after they’ve got their new setup and are looking to add some ‘Je ne sais quois’ to it. Overall, I am a convert. I now ‘get’ why people might want an RGB mouse mat. Would I have ever gone and bought one personally? No, definitely not, but my experience with this product has been exceptionally positive. I don’t have a bad word to say about it. It is built and presented well, plays nicely with iCUE, and the surface is so wonderfully smooth to game on. Mice really do just glide across it.

As to whether I would recommend the MM700. Absolutely. If you are in the market for an RGB mouse mat and ‘want in’ to the Corsair iCUE ecosystem, then by all means. If the MM700 is out of your budget range, then you can find a cheap RGB mouse mat with roughly the same dimensions on Amazon UK for £19.99. I don’t for one minute think that only Corsair is capable of sourcing an exceptionally smooth woven surface, but – as we all know – you are paying for the brand, here, and the integration with iCUE and other Corsair products. The MM700 is a luxury item, and that is a fact.

Now, the Katar Pro XT. To be brief, it surprised me, but in a good way. I will admit that my initial impressions were poor, to say the least. I hated the fact I knew within seconds that I wouldn’t be able to palm grip the Katar, and that turned me right off the product. Then I started using it. I found that its lightweight allowed me to tip grip the mouse with ease, which was a good start. I thought it looked great, as well. Point no. 2 in its favor. I liked iCUE, and these were all good indicators. However, I certainly wasn’t prepared to be that impressed by how well the mouse performed, and how good it felt to use.

It also has, for a $29.99 product, great specifications. It has all the things I like to see on a gaming mouse. Omron switches, a high DPI PixArt optical sensor, and a clean design that caters to lefties and righties. Remember, this review is my subjective option, and – with mice – subjectivity is always going to be more of a ‘problem’ (if you can call it that) when compared to something like a CPU.

Final words

So… in summary (for the Katar, anyway), why should you get it?

1. Corsair iCUE is a genuinely good software suite with good customisation options.
2. It has – for the price – a great internal specification.
3. Its performance (at least for me) was nothing short of excellent.
4. The mouse picks up well, allowing for snap reactions in games (if that is how you play).
5. The Katar Pro is lightweight, meaning it won’t fatigue the user’s wrist too quickly.
6. Caters to both tip/claw grip gamers alike.

Are there any reasons why you shouldn’t get the Katar Pro?

1. If you are a MOBA gamer who may rely on a lot of custom macro switches, look elsewhere.
2. The mouse has no creature comforts like rubberised grips.
3. If you have larger hands, the Katar Pro may not be for you if you can only use a palm grip.

Why shouldn’t you?

• Not MOBA
• If can’t tip/claw grip and big hands, potentially avoid.
• No rubber grips

Ultimately, the ‘cons’ listed above are so heavily outweighed by the pros that – to my mind – a recommendation is a complete certainty. If you are new to PC gaming and want a good introduction to the world of gaming mice at an affordable price, honestly look no further. I am not in a position to say how it would compare to its direct rivals, Logitech’s G203 and SteelSeries’ Rival 3, but if the Katar Pro can compare favourably in terms of feel and performance to my regular G305, it’s looking good, no?

• Sign up to receive a notification when we publish a new article
• Or go back to Guru3D's front page.