With the new Prime series, peripheral manufacturer SteelSeries goes for understatement and does without unnecessary bells and whistles with an eye for the essentials: Instead of flashy lighting, the new gaming mouse is supposed to primarily convince from a technical point of view. Our test reveals how well the SteelSeries Prime mouse succeeds in this.
Technical data
| Connection | USB type-A |
| Sensor | SteelSeries TrueMove Pro, optical |
| CPI | 50 – 18,000 CPI |
| keys | 6 |
| Shape | Right-handed |
| Length | 125.3 mm |
| Width | 59 mm (front), 67.9 mm (rear) |
| Height | 23 mm (front), 42.4 mm (rear) |
| Weight | 69 g |
| Scope of delivery | Prime gaming mouse Product information manual USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable with fabric jacket (2 meters) |
| Price | € 29.99 * |
Design and Features
The SteelSeries Prime goes for a sleek, matte black look. Only the manufacturer’s logo is set off a bit brighter. On the other hand, the mouse consistently does without an eye-catching illumination of the logo, only the mouse wheel shines – depending on the selected sensitivity – in different colors.
Two additional buttons are found on the left side of the mouse. The underside allows a view of the patented “TrueMove Pro” gaming sensor, as well as an additional button that can be used to switch between four query rates and up to five CPIs, even during operation.
The scope of delivery of the nager, which costs around 69.99 Euros according to the RRP, turns out to be quite meager. Besides a manual, only the SteelSeries Prime itself and a detachable, fabric-covered USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable find room in the gray-orange cardboard box.
Workmanship and Technology
The lightly roughened ABS plastic of the SteelSeries Prime, which weighs only 69 grams, impresses with a pleasant feel and enables a secure grip even with sweaty hands. Despite the ergonomic design, the mouse is only suitable for right-handers with medium or large hands due to the placement of the additional buttons.
Thanks to the shape, the mouse is perfectly suited for different grip types and cuts an equally good figure with palm, finger and claw grip. Especially when gripping with the palm of the hand, the mouse fits perfectly to the user’s hand and makes it possible to reach all buttons.
Especially the two haptic keys feel a bit cheap in direct comparison with more expensive competitors and have a bit more play. The quite loud, high-pitched clicking noises also reinforce this impression. But this is deceptive: there is nothing to complain about the Prime’s build quality in gaming.
Especially the new Prestige OM magnetic switches leave a very good impression. The two primary mouse buttons rely on neodymium magnets, which use a significantly larger spring and have a convincing lifespan of 100 million clicks – how good the durability really is, however, will only be seen after years of intensive use.
By using magnetic switches, the manufacturer also promises consistent click quality that is said to be four times superior to comparable competing products. Every triggering of the mouse buttons is said to feel the same, even after millions of clicks.
Sensor and field test
SteelSeries positions the Prime mouse in the competitive gaming sector and places correspondingly high value on the sensor. As with some previous models, the TrueMove Pro sensor is used, which was developed together with PixArt to ensure the highest possible precision.
Key features include true 1-to-1 tracking and tilt tracking, which is supposed to compensate for unwanted tracking during slanted drops, tilt slams and fast movements.
With a value of up to 18000 CPI, the SteelSeries Prime is great for adjusting to your preferred speed. The button on the bottom can also be used to quickly switch between five preset levels, which can also be customized using the SteelSeries GG software. The maximum speed of up to 450 IPS at 50G acceleration also reaches an excellent value, which should especially please professional gamers.
During operation, the mouse leaves a very good impression and convinces with extremely precise tracking. No matter if in fast shooters, slower games or in office use: The mouse always implements inputs flawlessly.
Only the speed change at the bottom leaves a bit to be desired, since the mouse has to be lifted for adjustment. On the other hand, it is positively noticeable that the mouse briefly confirms the change by coloring the LED around the mouse wheel.
Software
The SteelSeries Prime installs itself when first connected to the computer and is ready to use right away. However, in order to use all of the peripheral’s features, the in-house SteelSeries GG software must be installed.
A small difficulty arose here during our test, because if the manufacturer’s servers are down, access to the program and the associated setting options is simply not possible.
However, when everything is up and running, there are many options for customizing the mouse. Besides the obligatory setting of the mouse speed levels, even acceleration and deceleration can be fine-tuned separately. Even the polling rate of a maximum of 1,000 Hz can be adjusted down if desired.
In addition, the software allows you to freely assign all five buttons as well as the mouse wheel in both directions and even gives you the option to create your own macros and assign them to a button.
Finally, you can adjust the brightness of the mouse wheel LED and choose between three different lighting effects (Steady, ColorShift and Colorful Breathing). Customizing the color scheme is also possible and even allows you to save gaudy color change combinations.
Conclusion
SteelSeries does a lot right with the Prime gaming mouse. In the test, we were especially completely convinced by the precise and fast sensor and the convincing ergonomics. We also liked the minimalistic design that focuses on the essentials, including the illuminated mouse wheel.
The precise magnetic switches do an excellent job and, in combination with the slightly roughened surface, provide a pleasant feeling even during longer gaming sessions.
Only the somewhat cheap-looking workmanship of the lightweight and the inconveniently positioned DPI switch on the bottom are a bit annoying, but that’s complaining on a high level. In terms of price, the SteelSeries Prime mouse is on par with the comparable competition from other manufacturers, but lacks useful extras like additional weights or grip tapes.
If you are looking for a minimalist but at the same time lightweight and ultra-precise gaming mouse, you will get your money’s worth with the SteelSeries Prime and can grab it without hesitation.
SteelSeries Prime
Workmanship
Features
Ergonomics
Software
Value for money
87/100
The SteelSeries Prime gaming mouse convinces with strong inner values and low weight.
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