One criticism of wireless mice is latency. I have not found this problem with any recent gaming mice, but for those concerned about input lag with wireless connections, Corsair has just released two cordless models that they say are "better than wired mice" with respect to latency.

The new mice are the Dark Core RGB Pro and the Dark Core RGB Pro SE. They are nearly identical, but the SE model adds Qi wireless charging (it can be placed on a Qi wireless charger or Qi-enabled mouse pad).

Corsair has essentially taken the original Dark Core RGB mouse and added some upgrades. The new Pro model features a custom PixArt PAW3392 sensor, which Corsair says is optimized for wireless performance with low power consumption and native 18,000 DPI. Users can customize the sensitivity in 1 DPI increments.

Another benefit, according to Corsair, is the doubling of the polling rate from 1,000Hz to 2,000Hz

"Corsair's new hyperpolling technology, debuted in the Dark Core RGB Pro, communicates with the PC at up to 2,000Hz to the PC at up to 2,000Hz, resulting in blazingly fast response times.

Let's unpack these terms. Slipstream wireless is a fancy marketing term that Corsair uses to describe the combination of existing physical layer technologies, such as 2.4GHz radios, and a "proprietary protocol layer" intended to deliver twice the packets per millisecond.

Wireless gaming mice typically connect at 2.4 GHz using a USB dongle; they also support Bluetooth, but cannot achieve sub-1 ms latency. Wired connections are also possible.

This is all related to polling rates. Simply put, the polling rate indicates how many times per second the mouse reports its position to the PC. In this case, a polling rate of 2,000 Hz means that the mouse reports its position 2,000 times per second, or every 0.5 ms.

In theory, the mouse should respond faster, especially when you are frantically moving the mouse on a mouse pad or desk, although I am skeptical as to whether a 2,000 Hz polling rate is truly more pronounced than 1,000 Hz (0.5 ms versus 1 ms), I haven't actually touched Corsair's new rodents, so I can't say for sure.

Latency aside, both Dark Core RGB Pro models have eight programmable buttons and use Omron switches for the two main clickers. They also feature nine RGB lighting zones; according to Corsair, the mice will run for up to 16 hours with lighting enabled and 36 hours with RGB lighting turned off.

These mice are ergonomically designed for right-handed gamers. As such, they come with interchangeable side grips, but they do not change the position of the side-mounted thumb buttons.

The Dark Core RGB Pro ($79.99) and Dark Core Pro RGB SE ($89.99) are available now.