Corsair Katar Pro XT Lightweight Gaming Mouse Review

By Sean Sinha

Corsair Katar Pro XT Lightweight Gaming Mouse

Are you looking for a simple, lightweight gaming mouse that is geared towards pro gamers? Have you been having trouble finding said mouse due to budget constraints? With many high end gaming mice coming it at over $50, many PC gamers feel the blow to their wallets when it comes to upgrading their peripherals, or initially getting into the hobby. For $29.99, Corsair’s new Katar Pro XT weighs just 73 grams, offers a top of the line Pixart PMW3391 optical sensor, flexible paracord cable and Omron switches.

Corsair sent over a retail version of the Katar Pro XT recently and I have had the opportunity to put the mouse through its paces. Corsair is aiming to compete against other value offerings like the Razer Viper Mini and ROCCAT Burst Core with their Katar Pro XT, offering features typical of high end mice while making cuts in areas less noticeable in terms of performance, such as materials or lighting.

Corsair Katar XT Pro - Blue Scroll Wheel

Cutting weight on FPS mice has been a major trend from mouse manufacturers, with many companies placing holes in shells to bring their mice to sub-70 gram weight. Corsair hasn’t gone to this drastic of a route and the Katar Pro XT sees its weight savings by using lightweight plastic with material removed from areas where it isn’t necessary for stability. While Corsair doesn’t hit the sub-70 gram mark, they come close while maintaining solid build quality. I have had a bit of experience with smaller, premium lightweight mice from Glorious, Logitech and Razer, so it is nice to see Corsair entering the fray with a fully-featured featherweight contender of their own.

Corsair Katar Pro XT Specifications

  • Wired Connectivity USB 2.0 Type-A
  • Sensor PMW3391
  • Sensor Type Optical
  • Resolution 100 DPI 18,000 DPI, with 1 DPI steps
  • On-Board Profiles 1 (only lighting and DPI settings, no macros or key remaps)
  • Backlight 1-Zone RGB
  • Buttons 6
  • USB Report Rate 1,000Hz
  • Color Black
  • Mouse Feet Large PTFE
  • Cable 1.8m / 6ft, drag-reducing paracord, black, fixed
  • CORSAIR iCUE (Software) Supported
  • Dimensions 115.8mm(L) x 64.2mm(W) x 37.8mm(H) / 4.56in(L) x 2.53in(W) x 1.49in(H)
  • Weight (w/o cable and
    accessories) 73g / 0.16lbs
  • Warranty Two years
  • MSRP $29.99

When we go over the specifications of the Katar Pro XT it is apparent that Corsair wanted to check all of the most important boxes for gamers. Corsair is using a Pixart PMW3391 sensor, Omron main buttons, PTFE feet and a paracord cable, while also including a single adjustable RGB zone on the scroll wheel. I was expecting to see some sacrifices at the $29.99 price point, namely to small details like the feet and cable, but Corsair has gone premium with most of the components on this mouse.

Corsair Katar XT Pro Top Side

One area Corsair opted to save money was by not allowing for multiple profiles and settings to be saved on the Katar Pro XT. You can only lighting and DPI settings, too, there is no option to save macros and key remaps to the mouse. This sacrifice is one I expected, as including more onboard memory would add to the cost of the mouse.

Offering a two year warranty on a value gaming peripheral is a solid move by Corsair, as it will give end users peace of mind if they are new to PC gaming. It also shows that Corsair has confidence in the Katar Pro XT.

Let’s take a closer look at the Corsair Katar Pro XT on the next page.