Corsair Katar Pro XT Mouse and MM700 Extended Mat Review

Ultra Light Gaming Mouse and Huge Mat

A fast mouse needs a big field

Today we have a combo review, which makes sense if you think about it a bit. Corsair asked us to try out their new lightweight Katar Pro gaming mouse and the very expansive (not necessarily expensive) gaming mat, the MM700, as a set. So let’s see how they run together.

I had just the person in mind to try these out, an avid gamer in my circle that could give these a workout. So after the specs and basic product images below we will hear from Rob Coe and get his thoughts on how the new Corsair Katar Pro XT compares with his mouse “weapon of choice”, the Steelseries Aerox 3. Both of them were driven around at high speed on the MM700 mouse mat to even the playing surface, literally. In fact, that is his actual set up in the hero image for this this review.

Diagrams

What’s on these devices?

What’s in the box & Quick Takes

Here a few out of the box and first impressions.

• The cords and connectors are all of very high quality – cloth or paracord cable-like and very flexible.
• Using these devices to their fullest will require installing Corsair’s iCUE software.
• The mat surface is very nice, with a bit of give to it.  The woven edge might be an tactile issue for some as it grates along your wrist or forearm.
• The Katar mouse is fast, but will require software tweaking to get it matched up to how you like to mouse-around.
• The mouse switches are OMRON brand and should last accordingly
• The Katar has dynamic DPI switching available on-the-fly
• The Katar is compatible with MacOS and Windows, but again requires iCue software for full functionality.
• It also incorporates something Corsair is calling Quickstrike technology with zero-gap tolerances beneath the buttons for faster response.
• The mat material is very flexible, and the lighting is very cool in the dark, the mouse lighting is very subdued.
• It is possible to use the included button driven controllers on both the mat and mouse to click through various RGB colors and effects.
• Using the iCUE software to gain control of everything is … challenging still, but mostly workable if you are persistent.
• The depth of the mat might have you pushing your monitor further away to get its feet off the edge, basically the MM700 is a desk hog – but an attractive one.
• The mousing surface is free from burrs or catches and provides a wonderful way to scoot around, while the anti-skid base keeps it firmly in place.
• The mat is currently on sale for $49 via Corsair direct, if this appeals to you, get one now.
• The USB A style ports provided by the mat in the corner controller would be a fine location for your USB “wifi” dongles driving headphones or a wireless mouse.
• The mat has three addressable lighting zones, 2 around the mat edge divided at a 45° angle and the Corsair logo on the controller.

iCue Required

Not to hit this point too many more times, but in order to get the full functionality and access to tuning features, the Corsair iCue software is required on MacOS 10.15+ or Windows 10+. There’s no other way to access interesting settings like Surface Calibration. Not sure what it was doing with that knowledge, but I’m inclined to believe that it is something good.

Rob Coe Guest Review Take

I am pleased to introduce Rob Coe and his setup for this next section and his take on the use of the new Corsair Katar PRO XT mouse and how it compares to his usual gaming optimized mouse, the Steelseries Aerox 3. Both were driven hard on the Corsair MM700 extended mouse mat.

Pleasure to use at this price

The new Corsair Katar Pro XT mouse has overall been a pleasure to use, both as a daily mouse, or use in video games. I playtested it on multiple different genres of games, FPS’s, RTS’s, Simulation games, and I will say, I am surprised at the quality of the sensor and design for it’s 30$ price tag. It is worth noting however, that it was a bit awkward to pick up and use at first, as it was a little awkward for fingertip grip styles, and the button presses aren’t very “tactile” or “clicky.”

I personally have been using the Steelseries Aerox 3, which I would consider a competitor as they are both under the lightweight mouse category, and while in comparison to the Aerox 3, the Katar Pro XT definitely gave it a run for its money. Some comparisons I noted are listed below:

Some Aesthetics

With relatively the same specs, and functional use, I do have to give the Aerox 3 the aesthetic advantage. The look of it, and the backlighting from the RGB gives it this sort of, futuristic, spacecraft-type look to it that I’m in love with. The Katar Pro XT falls short in this department, as it looks like a plain old mouse, and only the mouse wheel lights up.

I do also believe it’s worth noting, which may be comfortable for some of you, but personally not for me, the sides of the Katar Pro XT are canted inwards, not at too harsh of an angle, but enough to be noticeable, and for me personally this caused a slight amount of discomfort when I first began to play around with it.

400 DPI gang rise up. Our time is now.

And for those of you crazy enough to run your DPI into the 2,000+ range, there is a significant amount more for you to play with when it comes to DPI Range, although that number doesn’t necessarily impress me or divert me away from choosing it.

With all this being said, I do firmly believe that the Katar Pro XT by Corsair is definitely worth it’s 30$ price tag if you’re in the market for a great, lightweight, budget mouse, however if you’re able to spend the extra money, I would highly recommend looking at the Aerox 3 from Steelseries as another option.

Conclusion

Based on my own impressions and light use, that of Rob and his experiences and finally the price of the new Corsair Katar Pro XT – it’s hard not to recommend to someone looking for a lightweight gaming oriented mouse. Check that one out.

The mat is a bit more of an acquired taste however. I like the surface, certainly. Mousing on it is smooth, with no catches. The edge lighting effects are very eye catching. My regular work surfaces just could not accomodate this <—- Extended —-> mouse mat however. (It is just over 36″ or 930mm wide, check the specs above) I would also be wary of setting monitor support arms over the edge and leaving a permanent impression or cutting off the light pipe. If you have the working style or available surface, go for it. If I were setting up a video broadcasting or dedicated streaming space, I would strongly consider it as it would make a fine addition by adding visual interest. Hmmm, write that down …