Alienware’s first pro-level mouse may not be flashy, but it’s packed with features under the hood that aim to give you an edge in almost any competitive game. Alienware focused on creating a mouse designed specifically for professionals, while also being a great fit for those who want to take their competitive gaming to the next level by including features such as high select rates and customizable scoreboards. advanced keystrokes that provide a fast, yet precise, click speed – these are all qualities you’ll typically find in the best gaming mice. The result is a mouse that checks all the boxes: lightweight and easy to control, ultra-fast polling rates and long battery life.
Alienware Pro Wireless Mouse – Design and Features
At first glance, Alienware’s Pro Wireless Mouse is a modest, dare I say, pedestrian device. No flashy RGB, no sharp edges, no extra buttons galore, just a simple, slightly bulbous mouse. In fact, aside from the matte Alienware logo adorning the palm rest, you might not know this is a gaming mouse. However, this is all by design.
Alienware prioritized function over form with its latest iteration, opting for a lightweight and streamlined design that feels good to hold and use, with no unnecessary (literally) features weighing it down. Because this mouse is aimed at professional gamers, it had to meet their specific needs.
One of the most important aspects of a competitive mouse is its weight, and the Alienware Pro Mouse comes in at just under 60 grams. While there are certainly lighter mice on the market, this was the sweet spot based on Alienware’s surveys of over 100 eSports players. However, it’s still one of the lightest mice I own, and it actually feels remarkably light in your hand, as it looks much heavier sitting cross-legged on a desk.
With its emphasis on performance, Alienware pushed the Pro Wireless Mouse’s polling rate from the industry-standard 1000Hz to 4000Hz in wireless mode and an astounding 8000Hz in wired mode. For the uninitiated, polling rates in mice are similar to refresh rates in a monitor. In short, it’s how often your mouse communicates the location of the cursor with your computer. While it’s debatable whether or not you can feel a difference at polling rates above 1000Hz, the difference in latency is measurable on paper. At 1000Hz polling, you can expect around 1ms of latency, while 4000Hz is a quarter of that at 0.25ms, and 8000Hz is even lower at 0.125ms. In general, higher polling rates mean smoother cursor movement and a technical reduction in latency, but this comes at the cost of battery life.
Many pro-level mice have a 4000Hz option, but most pro gamers opt for a lower polling rate in order to significantly increase battery life. Alienware managed to achieve 32 hours of battery life at a 4000Hz polling rate, or a whopping 120 hours if you opt for the standard 1000Hz. Thankfully, whichever option you choose, you can quickly recharge the battery if needed, as a five-minute quick charge will give you an extra six hours of battery life.
Another important component to consider is how well the mouse moves on a given surface, which descends from the mouse feet at the bottom, which gives it a smooth glide across the keyboard and desktop. Similar to many other pro-level mice on the market, Alienware opted for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) feet, which, in addition to being a mouthful to say out loud, are ideal for its non-stick and low-friction capabilities . This is a great addition as it elevates this mouse above the vast majority of available options. Interestingly enough, the semi-translucent gray coloring of the legs is natural, as mice with anything but legs of this color use a different material or color, both of which are less than ideal when it comes to performance.
The main plates, or left/right mouse buttons, use a patented magnetic system that allows the buttons to click and return to their original position very quickly thanks to two opposing magnets that literally force mouse clicks in both directions . The result is a very smooth, satisfying and bouncy click that is unlike any other mouse I’ve used. Alienware also rates each mouse button for up to 70 million clicks, which means this mouse is durable and should last you a really long time.
The spin wheel between the main plates features a rubberized handle and serrated design that provides feedback when moving in either direction. It’s not as fluid as other mice, but it offers precise movement and can be clicked as easily as the middle mouse button. On the side are two thumb buttons that can also be customized – these buttons click easily, but are positioned a bit higher and further forward than I’m used to, which took some getting used to. The bottom of the mouse features a profile button that lets you cycle through five presets to adjust DPI sensitivity, polling rate and more on the fly. There’s also a built-in USB-C dongle storage space on the bottom of the mouse so you can easily store it on the go.
In an effort to appeal to a wide audience, the Pro Wireless Mouse is designed to accommodate all grip types including claw, palm and fingertip grip styles. Because it caters for such a variety of gloves, it has a very uniform shape that is a bit long for my liking. Its symmetrical design fits both left and right hands, and features a slight taper in the middle on either side to accommodate your pinky – whatever your dexterity. While you can definitely buy a mouse designed specifically for your unique grip or hand preference, the main approach for this mouse is one of my pain points. I lean more towards a claw grip with how I hold my mice and found the bulbous middle section to be somewhat uncomfortable to maneuver during long sessions.
Alienware Pro Wireless Mouse – Software
Alienware Command Center isn’t necessarily required to use the Pro Wireless Mouse out of the box, but if you’re interested in tinkering with the settings a bit, then you’ll want to download the app on PC. While it doesn’t feature a ton of customization options, you’ll be able to configure keyboards and macros, as well as adjust settings for the five onboard profiles. Within each profile, you can adjust the DPI sensitivity from 0-26,000, in addition to modifying the polling rate from 125Hz to the advertised 4000Hz in wireless mode. In addition, you can preserve battery life by automatically reducing the polling rate when the battery reaches a certain threshold and activate sleep mode when the mouse is inactive for a period of time. Finally, you can check the firmware of the mouse and dongle and update, if necessary.
Alienware Pro Wireless Mouse – Gaming and Performance
Gaming peripherals tend to be extremely flashy, have too many buttons, or put out a lot of volume beyond my liking, but the Pro Wireless Mouse had the opposite effect. Maybe it’s the pale gray tone and soft shape, but I felt surprisingly at peace using this device. That’s not to say I wasn’t impressed, but it felt kind of refreshing to use a competent peripheral that doesn’t scream “I’m a gamer!” to anyone who enters the room.
I spent most of my time with the Pro Wireless mouse in competitive FPS games like Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, and the more casual, but often demanding, Destiny 2. The mouse felt very crisp and responsive, and I really like the stiffness. of the left and right mouse buttons. The tap guns felt effortless as there was less movement for my finger with the opposing magnets helping to quickly point the keys up.
I played a bit at 1000Hz before manually enabling the 4000Hz option in the Alienware Command Center, however after swapping between the two I really couldn’t see or feel any performance increase. Maybe it’s my untrained eye, but the 0.75ms response time shave for my mouse was imperceptible. That said, I’m sure the vast majority of players won’t notice a difference. The good news is that if you choose to stick with the default 1000Hz polling rate, you’ll gain an extra 90 or so hours of battery life in wireless mode and likely won’t feel any performance drop.
While the mouse is very light and glides effortlessly onto the mousepad, it never felt very comfortable to hold for me personally. Because it’s symmetrically shaped and meant for all types of grips and abilities, it never quite fits my hand the way I’d prefer, being a bit wider in the middle than most lightweight mice I use. I’ve definitely used larger mice in the past, but since they were designed for right-handed users, there was more rest for my ring and black fingers, whereas here they just flop sideways awkwardly with no support.